It has been over a year since I first published Endgame and right now I cannot believe the success and response that the story has gotten. I want to thank everyone who has read, review and just enjoyed this story. I want to give a big thanks for all the help and future help that SniegZ, and Angelbecca have been giving me and hope that I can count on them. To angelbecca reading this you have a been a big help in this and hope for a speedy recovery! Thanks to all and enjoy one of the story. I don't own Full Metal Panic or Metal Gear. I do owe Michael but I do not owe the other character in this story!! Enjoy!
The entire party turned into a hysterical frenzy of people trying to get out alive.
There seemed to be one thought going through everyone's head as they rushed to get to their cars.
FOXHOUND and Mithril were alive and that meant only one thing, every single person that attended the party was going to die! Unless Amalgam managed to destroy Mithril and FOXHOUND first.
People rushed out of the building dazed and wet from the fire sprinklers. In a panic they started to pull and push each other to see who could get out the fastest.
The conference room was a mess with bullet holes, casing and the debris.
The walls and ceiling were crumbling and charred from the missile attacks along with the surprise of the Molotov cocktails. The Arastols in the room remained nothing more than smoking chunks of metal and circuits.
There was of course one person who was not terrified out of his mind, he was actually finding it quite easy to believe what had happened, especially seeing as Sousuke and Michael were involved.
The way things were going for Leonard were not exactly what he wanted. He had just been humiliated in front of all the big names in Amalgam and Mr. Gold continued to look down at him.
Out of all of this, the thing that made him the most furious was one simple fact.
Sousuke Sagara was still alive!
He was alive!
Leonard bit his nail trying to control the fury that he was not use to feeling. It was not just Sousuke alive but his brother was aiding him which only meant one simple thing.
FOXHOUND and Mithril were still a force to be reckoned with.
Leonard stopped for a moment and took a deep breath. He needed to keep control of the situation before things got out of hand. If he failed Mr. Gold again then he had a feeling he would be leaving this building in a body bag.
Mr. Gold was the kind of guy who didn't trust anyone and who did not tolerate failure from anyone. The only thing that he cared about was getting the job completed, and that was it.
Leonard was worried about one thing, the way Mr. Gold had praised Sousuke and Michael. Gold had praised them by saying that their skills were at the level of both Solid Snake and the legendary Gray Fox.
The way Mr. Gold had suggested that Sousuke could be the next Big Boss made Leonard particularly furious!
Sousuke being praised as the next Big Boss! The idea seemed ridiculous to Leonard.
Such a comment would not easily be garnered from Mr. Gold, and Leonard could not even contemplate how Sousuke could have warranted that compliment. Mr. Gold was one to give almost no praise to anyone unless they did an exceptional job.
The mere fact that these two flies were already given higher praise then himself, despite the fact that they were the enemy was infuriating.
As long as Sousuke was alive, Leonard could not achieve his own plans.
"Sir."
Leonard turned and saw one of his Arastols appear, "Do you have a fix on their location?"
"Yes sir, they are on the seventeenth floor and still going up."
Leonard smiled, "Good maintain current directive."
"Roger." The Arastol took off.
Leonard turned and saw more of the guests leaving. He pushed his way through the crowd until he found Kaname, "I want you to leave."
Kaname smiled, "Why afraid that your fiancée is going to escape?" She inquired obviously trying to provoke him. Still, this did not dissipate her anger towards the two brothers.
Leonard grabbed her arm, "I would be careful with what you say. They are alive now, what makes you think they will not be dead by the end of the night?"
Kaname shook the arm off, "They evaded you before." She looked at him defiantly, "What makes you think you can really kill them?" Kaname knew full well what the brothers could do. The attacks in Tokyo showed that they were no strangers to the battlefield.
However, this time they did not need to protect anyone. They were free to do what they wanted which only made them more dangerous. They knew how to watch each other's back and how to survive.
Leonard gave her a cold look and walked past her whispering, "I will correct that mistake." He headed toward an elevator while another Arastol advanced up using the stairs.
Kaname took a deep breath and looked around. She saw two bodyguards advancing toward her. It was the same pair that escorted them into the party.
"Ms. Chidori," One of them said, "The limo outside is waiting to take you back to the hotel. Please come with us."
Kaname thought quickly, "Okay, give me a moment to us-"
The other grabbed her arm, "Now, no exceptions."
"Hey! Let go you moron!" She started to resists but was being dragged along by the bodyguard.
The bodyguard holding her arm froze and gulped.
Kaname turned and saw Wolf standing there.
"I suggest you let her go and I'll take her." Wolf said coldly making sure that every word she spoke made them sweat.
One of them gained a little courage, "Mr. Silver's orders were to take her to the limo with no exceptions."
"Hey!" Kaname finally got her arm free, "Ease up jerk! You could have hurt me!"
"These orders are from Mr. Gold himself," She saw them tense, "So do you intend to obey Leonard's orders or the Head of Amalgam's?"
The bodyguards stepped back and waited.
Kaname smiled and turned, "You heard the lady! Get lost!!" She yelled and they ran off to help get the other guests out.
Wolf smiled, "You managed to strike fear in their hearts. You are quite good at that." Kaname commented as Wolf quietly ushered her away from the people who were trying to get out alive. Wolf took her to a hallway where no one would see them.
Kaname huffed, "Jerks just don't know how to treat a lady." She turned away, "Now if you will excuse me-"
Wolf grabbed her arm, "And where will you be going?"
Kaname looked at her and laughed a little, "You know the bathroom and all. I really-"
Wolf smirked and crossed her arms, "Need to go see Sousuke?" She smiled as she finished Kaname's sentence.
Kaname's face froze.
Wolf only smiled and grabbed her hand and opened it, "Here you'll need this," She a radar readout device in her hand, "This will help you track them."
Kaname looked at it and it was already beeping very faintly, "What is this?"
"It is radar used to track people with nanomachines," Wolf looked at her showing her how it worked, "The more it beeps the closer you will get to them. Dr. Hunter made this when she worked at FOXHOUND."
Kaname growled hearing that name. Whenever she had to enter that hated experiment tube to explore her mind, Hunter was always present to observe.
"I take it there is no love loss between you two?" Wolf inquired. She knew the details of Hunter's betrayal and what she did to Kaname's friends.
Wolf put her hand on Kaname's shoulder and whispered, "I'll say that you got away from me." She merely smiled.
Kaname could not express her gratitude to Wolf. She was in so many ways the big sister that Kaname would have loved to have. The only thing that bothered her was her two sided nature. One side was the loving sister that looked after the two troublemakers and the other was the cold calculating sniper that was feared around the world.
Perfect.
It was the only word that Kaname could use to describe her skill. She saw her skills once and it was enough to show that she was the best markswoman in the world. Kaname worried that if Sousuke fought her, he would lose.
"But you need to do one thing for me." Wolf said snapping Kaname's thoughts back to Earth.
Kaname looked at her holding onto the radar.
Wolf took a moment as if she was hesitant. This worried Kaname since she never knew of Wolf, the sniper, to be hesitant about anything.
Wolf looked at her, "Please tell them," She paused, "That I'm glad that they are okay and I'm sorry for not getting a hold of them."
Kaname smiled and hugged Wolf which surprised her, "I'll tell them that. Only if they survive what I'm going do to them when I find them."
Wolf hugged her back, "Go."
Kaname smiled, "Consider it done." She left for the hallway and headed up the stairs. She put her purse that she had on her shoulder holding it tightly to make sure it did not fall off.
Wolf sighed and headed back to the front of the building. She would need a drink after this.
Outside on the eighteenth floor it was all quiet.
All save the janitor who happened to be walking by pushing his cart. He had a gray mustache and gray hair wearing a blue jumpsuit.
He grumbled to himself and noted how quiet it was tonight. There may have been a few loud people but that was because of the party going on below.
A bang startled him out of his quiet thoughts.
He turned and saw that the door was being rattled and apparently trying to be pushed open.
The door was locked and the man just watched it and heard voices.
"It's locked." He heard one voice that spoke in a monotone voice.
"Here let me try." The janitor heard another voice and a bang. He started to push his cart away and stood at a safe distance.
He heard, "Well your right it is locked."
"Any suggestions?" The monotone voice inquired.
"Here give me that." He heard a rustle.
"Wait that could cause problems?" He heard the monotone spoke.
"All I'm going to do is us the grenade to blow the door."
The janitor stepped back making sure the door was not going to fly and hit him if it did in fact explode. He was understandably weary of what he was hearing.
"The resulting explosion is going to alert them to our position." The monotone spoke and made a good point.
There was a pause and a shuffle as if someone was going through a bag.
Than the loud cock of a shotgun broke the silence.
The janitor was startled when he heard a loud bang and the door handle was blown off.
The door was kicked opened and two young men came out.
"That was more subtle." The janitor got a good look at the men.
"Well, not as fun Sousuke." He reached inside the bag around him and pulled out a clip for the machine gun he had, "Besides, we need to keep moving."
Sousuke finished reloading his shotgun and pulled out a Glock checking the magazine,
"Affirmative Michael."
Michael reached into his bag and pulled out two long cylinders and threw one to Sousuke, "A silencer for your Glock."
Sousuke nodded and screwed it onto the gun barrel.
Michael cocked his gun and looked up at the wide eyed janitor, "Yo," He turned to the door, "Sorry."
The old man pointed at it, "Why did you do that you dumb ass!?"
"Giant robots are after us." Sousuke said as he finished reloading his HKMP5.
"Yea." Michael said as he walked past the janitor holding a k-bar knife. It was not the one he usually used but it would still help him get the job done.
Sousuke noticed that Michael held the gun in his right hand held the knife in his left hand underneath the front of the barrel, "Why are you holding your weapons like that?"
Michael smirked and turned as he held each weapon out in both hands, "I have a long range weapon and a short range weapon." He reassumed the same position as before, "I can quickly switch between the weapons depending on the situation around us."
Sousuke smirked, "CQC?"
Michael nodded, "CQC."
They turned when they heard the ding of the elevator and saw three people in suits running out of the elevators.
"Out of the way!" They pushed the janitor down and as the brothers took off.
"Stop!!" They yelled and started to fire down the hallway.
Sousuke and Michael kept there heads down.
Sousuke turned around quickly and shot back as he ran, "Any suggestions!?"
They took a sharp turn at the end of the hall and Michael grabbed Sousuke by the arm and pressed him against the wall as hard as they could.
Michael had his back completely against the wall and looked as if he was trying to meld into it.
They heard the running and the guards turned the corner.
Michael and Sousuke opened fire and took out the three guards quickly.
Sousuke sighed and looked at Michael who was reloading his Mark 23 pistol. He swung the MP5 over his shoulder. He looked back at the dead men and wondered if Kaname still thought of him differently.
An explosion snapped him back to reality and they quickly turned. To see four other men coming at them from the emergency stairway exit. They did not have guns but instead batons.
"It appears that Leonard wants us alive." Sousuke and Michael were back to back with each other.
"Maybe he actually wants to kill us." Michael commented drumming the knife in his left hand.
Sousuke scoffed, "You know he lost his chance to kill us." He said waiting for the bodyguards to make their move.
Michael laughed slightly, "Yea."
The guards made their move.
Michael ducked underneath the two guards charging.
One of them quickly turned to punch him.
Michael ducked his head and grabbed the guard's arm. He pulled him forward and elbowed him across the face.
The guard's body turned and Michael in one quick motion wrapped his arm around his head and threw him across the hall way and he slammed into the wall.
Michael turned and his face met with a fist that caused him to stumble back.
The guard quickly grabbed him from behind and started to squeeze him as hard as he could.
Michael countered with stabbing the guard in his ribs using his knife and gave the guard a fierce head butt in his chin. Michael snaked his arms under both armpits and threw him over his head.
The guard landed with a loud thud on his head.
Michael turned and saw Sousuke holding his own against the other two guards.
Sousuke blocked a punch and countered with his own punch against the guard aimed at his ribs.
The guard buckled over and Sousuke was not done yet.
Sousuke ducked down to avoid a punch and Sousuke delivered a classic boxer punch to the guard's sides and the guard felt the wind get knocked out of him.
Sousuke grabbed one of the still hunched guards and threw them into each other. After they landed, the guards were knocked out.
Michael threw his MP5 across his shoulder and holstered his pistol, "They out?"
Sousuke nodded and rested the butt of the MP5 against his shoulder, "Affirmative, let's move on. We should get out of here before-"
A loud crash as if something broke through a wall and they turned quickly.
An Arastol in a black coat had broken through the wall behind them. The red visor flashed red and the robot in a mechanical voice responded with, "Targets located. Order to restrain targets enacted." It looked at them and started to advance slowly then started to run.
Sousuke and Michael were already sprinting away.
Michael pulled out a proximity charge, "Just like old times!"
Sousuke turned and fired at the robot but it had no effect at slowing it down,
"Affirmative. Someone is always chasing us."
"Yea and it is always your fault!" Michael yelled as he and Sousuke turned a corner and Michael slammed the charge against the wall.
They had about three seconds to run before it was armed and everything that enters its six foot radius would be targeted.
"My fault!? What about Pakistan?!" Sousuke inquired. Kaname may blame him for stuff that happened to her but he would not tolerate Michael, his brother, blaming him for things that happened. If he had a brain, Michael would know that he was to blame for a few things.
An explosion erupted behind them as they turned around and stopped. The Arastol was blown against the wall and struggle to move. Hermit had a knack for explosives after all.
Michael turned to face Sousuke and pulled the shotgun out from his bag and cocked it,
"Do not get me started on that one Sousuke! You know full well that it was your fault for telling the truth about that! I still have those scars from when the rebels chased us. Those fanatics, I swear!!" Michael cursed as Sousuke followed with a shotgun in his hand running towards the Arastol.
"What was I suppose to do?" They approached the struggling Arastol, "Lie! They caught you red handed when you went into the women's tent!" Sousuke aimed his gun at the Arastol's head.
It looked at them as it tried to get up. A good portion of its body was caught in the explosion and they could see the circuits and other robotic parts in it.
"You know what I blame?" He cocked the gun and aimed it at the Arastol's head.
"What?" Sousuke did the same thing and looked at his brother in an exasperated fashion.
He had to admit that despite the arguments they had, it was still fun to fight with each other.
From a distance the two brothers looked like some hitmen about the finished a job.
"Puberty." He said with a smile.
"Ah."
The hallway resonated with the loud sounds of gunfire.
The robot's circuits shot out and then landed with a thud. It twitched a little and it stopped moving.
"So he made those robots?" Michael inquired as he poked it with his shotgun. He looked like a kid who was poking a dead animal with a stick.
"Who? Leonard? It would not surprise me if he did." Sousuke said as he reloaded his weapons.
Michael got up, "We need to start moving downstairs. If-"
More crashes were heard from both sides of the halls.
Sousuke turned left and Michael turned right.
More Arastols appeared from both hallways.
"Shit." Michael said holding up his Mark 23 and the MP5.
"Affirmative." Sousuke touched Michael's back as he held up his Glock and his MP5. The two were quickly surrounded as the Arastols stood motionless around them. They each had their weapons up and fingers eagerly on the triggers.
Sousuke drummed his weapons as the tension got to him, "Could we use those charges?"
"Can't, we would be caught in the blast. What about shooting the floor?" Michael asked. His arms were still firm but he could feel them starting to get tired.
"Like in the movies? That does not work." Sousuke responded, "They're waiting for someone." Sousuke kept his arms firm and smirked, "If they went to this much trouble to capture us than it would be rude to turn this down."
Michael smiled, "Still with that dry sense of humor Sousuke."
All of a sudden the robots stood straight up as if they were standing at attention.
Michael and Sousuke looked at each other as the tension started to build. Their biggest fear was Mr. Gold was coming up.
From what Sousuke told him about Mr. Gold, Michael assumed that he was just as strong as Snake which made him all the more dangerous.
Their attention was focused on a clapping sound that seemed to get closer and closer to them. They each took a deep breath and tried to keep calm about what was coming.
They knew that if they lost their cool than it was over for them.
A pair of Arastols in moved to their left to make room for someone.
"Gentlemen I must-"
Leonard was not able to finish his sentence as the brothers opened fire with their pistols. The moment he stepped into view the brother's rage blinded them and they had to take this moment to kill him.
Michael wanted to pay him back for the blood of the FOXHOUND soldiers he lost and the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Leonard.
Sousuke wanted to just kill him.
In front of him was the man who destroyed Kaname's life and the peaceful life he had come to enjoy while he was on Tokyo.
Everything that he had fought to protect became ashes in the wind with the ridicule and distrust that he received from the school when Sousuke went to tell them truth.
This man needed to die!
Leonard's cloak moved in front of him acted like shield to block the bullets.
Sousuke and Michael stopped after the fourth shot with this new development.
Sousuke and Michael both shot each other an angry look through gritted teeth and shaking guns.
The cloak went down as the bullets dropped, "Are you done?" Leonard smiled in that arrogant way that only infuriated the brothers.
"Leonard Testarossa." Sousuke aimed the gun at Leonard's eyes and fired hoping the bullet would make sure he would have a closed casket funeral.
"Sgt. Sousuke Sagara," Leonard looked at him slightly upset, "I'm surprised to see that you are alive but at the same time I am not surprised."
Sousuke was silent as he kept the guns pointed at the Arastols surrounding them. At Leonard's command they could tear the two apart. They needed an escape plan and fast.
"I heard that you became a Major, Mr. Kanzuki," He smiled as his eyes glared at Michael, "Wasn't Ocelot a Major when he commanded the Ocelot Unit? He was a little older than you but you seemed to be following so well in his footsteps." Leonard taunted.
Michael fired another bullet as his rage got the best of him. The mere mention of Ocelot's name and that sick comparison still boiled his blood.
The coat caught the bullet and it dropped the ground, "Shoot first and ask questions later. It baffles me as to why Mr. Gold would compliment you that much?"
Michael and Sousuke said nothing.
Leonard gave a small chuckle, "I underestimated you Sgt. You are indeed a tenacious bug," His face contorted in anger, "A bug that needs to be stepped on."
Sousuke smirked, "Than do it yourself."
Leonard regained his cool demeanor, "I am against bloodshed unlike the two of you."
Michael laughed out loud, "You're a real comedian you know that."
Leonard's face quickly contorted into anger. It was the same exact taunt that Wolf gave to him, "What was that?"
"If I recall you hired the OCELOT Unit and Ocelot to wage a war against us," Michael looked at Leonard, "Apparently you will do whatever it takes to get what you want."
Leonard scoffed at that, "I merely opened her eyes to a new world. A chance to show her how far her abilities can go in this world. I was merely giving her a chance to be free."
Sousuke looked at Leonard with a cold look, "A chance in exchange for the lives of her friends and us!" Sousuke never lost his cool and kept a calm appearance when the bullets flew. However, this time that was not the case.
Leonard dismissed the topic with a wave of his hands, "A minor thing. I told you before Sgt. that I dislike using methods like that. But if anyone is to blame it is you two."
Michael scoffed, "This coming from the guy who used make-up on his nose?"
Leonard did not get angry but merely replied, "It was your fault that she died wasn't it?"
Michael gripped the handle of his Mark 23 as his rage started to show on his face.
"But let's put this meaningless conversation aside," Leonard took a step back, "Mr. Gold as ordered your executions. Your executioner awaits gentlemen and I promise that it will not be quick."
"Well, I'll admit that may be better than having to listen to you." Michael challenged with a smile that mocked Leonard.
"I wonder if Chidori has to put up with this much talking." Sousuke added.
"What do you mean? Are you talking about when he has to drag her to the mall?" Michael chuckled a little.
Leonard's face contorted with his full disdain for the two of them. In front of him were two mere insects that should just be crushed. However no matter how hard he tried to kill them they only kept coming back.
These men would not die until they reached the goal in front of them.
"I see you still have a loose tongue Mr. Kanzuki?" Leonard snapped his fingers as the Arastol's red visor flashed and they slowly started to advance. Leonard moved out of the circle, "Something I think should be taken out."
Michael looked back at Sousuke, "Any ideas?"
Sousuke looked at the robots still advancing, "None."
Michael scoffed, "Shit."
Leonard was about to make things right again. The brothers would be dead and all the remaining elements of FOXHOUND and Mithril would be hunted down and-
"HEY! WHAT IN THE NAME OF SAINT PETES SHORTS DO YOU Y'ALL THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE!!"
Leonard's perfect thoughts were interrupted when he turned and saw a janitor pushing his cleaning cart.
Time just seemed to stop for a moment as Leonard snapped his fingers again and the robots froze. They resumed their objective, still standing, but closer to the two they were trying to detain.
"Just who the hell do you think you are!? Coming 'round here with your bleach-dipped head n' hippie-do trashing my god-damn floor?" The janitor stopped pushing his cart. He looked at the robots and the two standing in the middle "What are you bullies doing to the boys there, huh!? Go pick someone your own size!"
Leonard wiped the spit off his face, "Get lost, old man." He said it with a disdainful look. This janitor was standing between him and the one thing that he wanted, no needed right now. What else could happen?
The janitor scoffed and started to push his cart back to the elevator, "Young punks, brought up by television. No respect for the elderly." He started to reach into his bag as if looking for something."Just tell me this one thing, Mr. Hippie..."
Leonard sighed in annoyance at him being called a hippie. He thought his long hair made him look more like a ladies man, "What is it?"
He pointed to the Arastols, "Are those there one of them bots?" The janitor pointed at while his other hand was still going through the bag.
"Why, yes, they-"
Leonard wasn't even half done his sentence when a cylinder-shaped object came flying through the air.
"I HATE BOTS!" The janitor yelled as he pulled out an M-32 six-shot grenade launcher
The object exploded releasing some kind of paper around it.
Michael noticed the robots head's jerking around in what seemed like a confused state, "That's a chaff grenade! It's jamming the Arastols."
Sousuke and Michael made a break and pushing through the back of the robots and were cleared.
Sousuke yelled, "CLEAR!"
The janitor yelled, "FIRE IN THE HOLE!!" He began pulling the trigger and the grenades exploded around the robots sending chunks of metal everywhere.
Leonard was blown against the wall and all he could hear was a ringing in his ears. He turned and roughly heard another explosion finishing off the robots completely.
Suddenly he was hoisted from the ground and was staring into the eyes of Michael Kanzuki with Sousuke behind him and the Janitor to his left.
Michael smiled a toothy smile, "I'm going to enjoy this." He punched Leonard cross the face and threw him against the wall.
Leonard with shaky hands touched his nose and felt blood. He looked up and saw Sousuke Sagara standing above him.
His face was still stoic but Leonard could feel the burning desire in him.
Sousuke hoisted Leonard off the ground and slammed him against the wall and then he just looked at him not saying anything.
Leonard coughed and laughed, "Going to kill me Sgt.?"
Sousuke's gripped started to twist the clothes more as he gritted his teeth and fight the urge to kill Leonard right then and there.
"C'mon," Leonard taunted, "Kill me. Kill me like you killed Gauron. You killed him in cold blood. An armless, legless man who could not do anything and you killed him. I wonder what Kaname would say to that."
"Leave her out of this!" Sousuke yelled.
Michael was watching quietly as he heard Snake's voice.
'Leave him be for now. He needs to confront this.'
'Does Mithril approve?'
Snake was silent as he closed the channel.
Michael did agree with the fact that Sousuke needed to confront that side of him. Gauron was dead and it was now revealed that Sousuke killed him. This was new information to him, and he was not finding it easy to digest.
The only thing that bothered him was the janitor. Who the hell was he?
"Leave her out of this?" Leonard laughed, "You dragged her into this war Sgt. If you had just given her to us we could have avoided a great deal. That would include her seeing the real you. She has seen the real Sousuke now, or rather she has seen Kashim."
Sousuke slammed Leonard against the wall, "I am not Kashim!"
"You may say that but what really matters is what Kaname thinks. Right?"
Sousuke lowered his head and took a deep breath. He looked at Leonard and punched him in stomach.
Sousuke let Leonard fall wheeze on the ground. He looked like a mess with the blood on his face and the desperate attempts to control his breathing.
Leonard rolled sideways and smiled, "You can't stop Project R. It's already complete."
Michael pushed Sousuke and the Janitor out of the way as he grabbed Leonard's collar,
"What is Project R?!"
"Ask Snake. Think hard about Black Technology and what it can truly do and you will find out what it is Major." Leonard taunted and smiled, "Back-up is arriving."
The janitor grabbed his shoulder, "Bleach-stain's right. Electronic signature's everywhere. I saw him push something after you punched him." The janitor ran and grabbed his bag. He pulled a Mark 23.
"LEFT!" Sousuke opened fire with the MP5 but the attempts were futile.
"Get down , Sarge!" The Janitor had a L.A.W over his shoulder and opened fire. A direct hit from his gun destroyed some robots.
Sousuke looked at him and said, "Sarge!? It can't be!"
Michael quickly reached for a proximity charge and threw it, "Sousuke!"
Sousuke was already ahead as he took out a remote charge, "Roger."
They all made a break for the stairway as the Janitor threw another chaff grenade to buy them more time.
They kicked the door and the Janitor fired more grenades at the incoming robots. He moved inside and slammed the door.
Sousuke slammed a remote charge on the door as Michael placed a proximity charge above it.
"No,no,no! What are you doing?" yelled the janitor "Hold this!" He gave the grenade launcher to Michael and peeled off the proximity charge. He then pulled out a chaff grenade and quickly rigged it to the charge, then placed it back."Let's move!" said the janitor running down a set of stairs.
Michael raised his eyebrow and looked at Sousuke.
"Who is this guy" Sousuke smiled "I'll tell you later" he said rushing down the stairs.
"Gimme some air, Sarge!" Michael heard the janitor say. He hurried down the stairs and saw Sousuke giving a boost for the janitor who was mounting a demo-charge to the top of the wall.
"What are you doing?" He asked as he watched the janitor jump down from Sousuke's shoulder.
"When those poor pieces of tin run into a chaff field they're going to crowd the stair entrance. Then we can take out a shit-load of those Robo-cop wannabe's with a chunk of the floor they're on" explained the janitor picking up his bag. "Can I have my launcher back, now?"
Michael was too startled at the moment to say anything so he simply gave back the grenade launcher to the strange old man.
"Let's go!" Sousuke shouted.
They rushed down three flights of stairs and kicked the door open. They rushed in a three man formation to ensure all angles were covered and clear. One person was watching front, one the left and final person was watching the right.
"Clear." Michael said.
"No contact." The janitor yelled.
"Clear." Sousuke said as they advanced into the room with their guns ready.
"Tell me one thing, Sarge. Why do you always have to get into something with robots?"
The janitor asked.
Sousuke shook his head, "Like you said. It's the 21st. century"
"How should I know, I'm just an old man" he shrugged.
"Joe take off the mask."
The janitor smirked and was about to pull his mask off, but let go all of a sudden, "Ya know, I think I'll keep it on." he turned to Michael "So you're the "Mayor" TT's been rambling on about."
"It's Major not mayor." Michael rebuked the janitor and gritted his teeth. It was strange that his own lips had said that.
"My bad" nodded the janitor.
"Joe I thought you were dead." Sousuke said a little relieved to see the bomb enthusiast alive.
"Wait. Before we continue this conversation," Michael pointed to Joe, "I'd like to know who the hell are you?"
"Specialist Joe Black. Mithril. Demolitions. I was part of the Mediterranean Fleet before Amalgam attacked us." Joe said reloading his guns, "Got some .45's?"
Michael pulled out some Mark 23 clips and threw it to Joe, "You like 45's?"
Joe laughed, "As well as placing a charge on some Bot's legs."
Sousuke spoke, "Joe is the best bomb tech we had in Mithril. He could set and disarm any bomb and has a wide range of knowledge in explosives and ambush tactics."
Michael cocked the MP5, "So, basically, he is a pyromaniac."
Joe gave Michael a tired look, "Oh, great! Another guy who thinks just like my therapist."
A muffled explosion was heard from behind the door leading to the staircase.
"Looks like they triggered my mine" Joe said as they looked up.
"Should we blow the charge?" Michael asked casting a look at the masked janitor,
"Nah. Let's wait 'till they crowd up"
Sousuke got Joe's attention, "What are you doing here anyway Joe."
Joe reloaded his M-32 grenade launcher, "Some guys at the top thought you could use some back-up. Tweety decided to send me in."
"Tweety?" Michael asked confused.
"The Captain." Joe answered with a smile, "She never liked that nickname."
"Oh, really?" Michael raised his eyebrow with a little smile.
"So...Are Coach and Goldy still alive? "
Michael threw his hands up in frustration over this guy
"The Lt. is alive and the Sgt. is alive as well." Sousuke answered.
Joe whistled, "Can't believe Gold's still breathin' after the whole "Chinese Himalayas joke."
A loud explosion shook the room. An Arastol swooshed past the window with some parts missing. Both Joe and Sousuke paid no attention to it. Michael saw Joe pocket his remote detonator.
"He was in a cast for two weeks. It is his fortunate that Sgt. Weber is right-handed" Sousuke commented.
"Hey, hate to cut the whole walk down memory lane thing short but we need to move." Michael said hoping to get some kind of order out of the chaos.
"Oh, right! Almost forgot! Let's move!" Joe ran the lead again slugging his weapons onto his back.
Michael shook his head and followed after him. Things had gotten out of hand too fast and it only looked like the beginning.
Mao and Mei Ling quickly exited the elevator on the fourth floor. The shit had hit the fan fast. People were running around everywhere along with countless security guards and suits all of who were running around with their fingers on the trigger of their guns.
Mao quickly grabbed Mei Ling's arm and pulled the timid girl behind her. Mao was impressed that she had lasted this long with her limited experience. However, it did not mean she could hold her own in a gunfight.
From what Command told them about Sousuke and Michael's situation it seemed as if they were doing well. They were able to get away by the skin of their teeth when Leonard first cornered them.
The big shock was the fact that Joe was still alive and breathing. She was happy to know that he was alive, but then she started to get worried. If someone were to take the time to calculate the amount of damage those three could do it would add up to being the whole building or even the whole city becoming a huge fireball.
She winced thinking about what Joe's expertise with explosives had caused the last time they saw each other.
Mei Ling shook her arm free from Mao and started to keep up with her. She wished that she could take the blasted heels off considering the pain her feet were going through,
"You sure they will be okay?"
Mao stopped and pressed her back against the wall and listened for a second near the corner.
Mei Ling quickly copied her and handed one of her chopsticks to Mao who held it like a knife.
Mao sighed in relief and turned to Mei Ling to answer her, "If I know Joe then he could be the best back-up they could have gotten." She motioned with her hand for Mei Ling to follow her down the hall.
All they needed to do was get to the bottom floor and take an emergency exit out and find the car. Once they found the car, they would pick up the three at the new meeting point.
"Why is he the best back-up?" Mei Ling asked. She wondered what could this guy do that could help out the so called dynamic duo. Sousuke and Michael could hold their own against any enemy and each had their own strengths.
Mao smirked and turned to the young girl. Mao could not help but be slightly amused at the naive girl standing in front of her. They had been running and walking for the past few hours in these heels and even Melissa was starting to have a problem with them.
Mao started, "We first met Joe back when we went to do a training exercise with the SRT teams from the Mediterranean Fleet."
They stopped for a second and looked at each other. Both saw the other in pain and promptly took their heels off and held them in their hands as they run to the nearest stairway. Where there was a stairway, there was an emergency exit.
Mao continued with the story, "We first spotted Joe practicing at the firing range with a rifle. Weber decided to see what he can do and that's when it started. Joe and Weber made a bet to see who could destroy the most targets in less than thirty seconds. The two agreed to it thinking that Weber was going to win easy money." Mao told that story many times and it still brought a smile to her face when she thought about it.
Mei Ling stopped and looked around the halls. She could hear the sounds of shuffling and people talking but it was still too far from them, "What happened?"
Mao gave Mei Ling a full smile, "Well Weber hits all his targets in record time with his rifle." She bit her lip to try and suppress the laugh coming at, "Joe whips out a remote and blows the whole range sky-high."
Mei Ling smiled and stopped to catch her breath because she was laughing so hard. She could only imagine the dumbstruck looks on everyone's faces as the range exploded into a huge fireball.
"Weber still hates him for that," Mao continued as she silently allowed herself to laugh,
"We quickly learned that Joe was in fact testing how bullets can set off explosives and how that would work with his home-made explosive rounds. He rigged the rest of the explosives just in case he was too tired to pick them up after he was done"
Mei Ling caught her breath, "What did Weber say?"
"I told him that he's a cheating bastard," They heard Weber's voice over the CODEC and he sounded annoyed, "The slimy sunuva told me that next time I should be more specific about what I want from him. "How do I know what you want from me? Do I look like Santa-Claus to you?" I still owe him fifty bucks."
Mao smiled and looked at Mei Ling. Weber was watching it and she could not resist the urge to give a big smile at Weber's misfortune, "C'mon Weber, he was good at that."
"Can we return to the mission at hand." They heard the Captain speak into the CODEC, "You two need to get out right now. Since Mr. Gold exposed us, we could not get all the files but we still have what we need."
"Do we have Leonard's location?" Mei Ling asked eager to see if they could launch a full scale strike in a few days.
"We have it. He is located in the Caribbean, now get back here!" Tessa urged them to get a move on.
"Hey!"
The channel closed and the two turned to see two guards in suits pointing their guns right at them. By the looks of their heavy breathing and sweat it looked like they had been running.
One of them spoke, "Where is Mr. Deckem?"
They turned to each other for a second and started with there cover story. Hopefully, they would be the stupid kind of guards and they could get away without much trouble.
Mao smiled, "He is in his office. He would be a little tired considering how much fun he had."
The guards said nothing and only watched them as they lowered their guns.
"Well we-"The guard stopped as his ear piece went off. He turned his back to them while the other kept looking at them with his gun still in his hand.
The guard speaking turned back to them and aimed his gun at them. Mao and Mei Ling immediately tensed and raised their hands in surrender.
The other guard copied his partner and cocked the hammer, "It would appear that we have a troublemaker?"
His buddy nodded, "It appears that Mr. Deckem was found dead in that office and you two were the last to see him alive."
Mao and Mei Ling paled. They only knocked him out but it would appear that Amalgam does not handle betrayal of any kind with mercy. It did not surprise them that he was killed but to be killed this fast was a surprise to them.
"Let's go," One of them waved his gun at them as the two raised their hands. The other quickly grabbed the deadly chopsticks and threw them on the ground.
He nudged their stomachs to turn them around, "Walk." He said and they started to walk down the hall.
Mao and Mei Ling looked at each other through the corner of their eyes then back down the hall. The duo was trying to figure out the best way to escape from the guards.
However, nothing really seemed like a good idea since the guards were so close to them.
At this distance even if it was not a kill shot they would be badly hurt and that would only make things worse.
They reached the elevator with the guards standing next to each other with guns aimed at their heads.
Mei Ling felt something touch her and realized it was the guard feeling her up.
He snickered, "Nice ass on this one. Nice and tight."
The other guard watching Mao looked at him in disgust, "Hey! Stop that we have a job to do and we better get it done." The other said quickly hoping to get his partner's mind back to the job at hand.
He stopped and merrily smiled, "If we play our cards right then maybe we can get a little fun out of these two ladies." He chuckled in a dark manner making sure his intentions were clear.
Mao from the corner of her eyes shot a glare at the guard.
His partner looked at the floors and saw that they would have to wait a few more minutes.
This really got on his nerves and wished that the elevator would move faster.
The guard noticed his partner look away and ran his hand up and down Mei Ling's arm,
"You're a cute one. Your skin is so nice and smooth."
Mei Ling was trying her best to keep her cool. It wasn't anger building up inside of her, but something that she wanted to forget. A dark feeling from a painful past.
Mao looked at Mei Ling and noticed her getting much more nervous than she usually would be. Granted that she was under a lot of pressure at this point but the guard's actions seemed to really touch a nerve with her.
Mei Ling looked up and winked at her.
Mao turned away and fought to keep a stone face. If she was going to do what she was about to do then it was something to remember.
Mei Ling ran hand up and touched his hand. She smiled at him.
The guard lowered his gun and grinned at this new development, "Your getting wise aren't you."
His partner pointed his gun at Mei Ling, "Hey hands up!"
The guard eased his partner, "Hey if she tries anything just shoot her."
Mei Ling smiled and moved to feeling his chest and moved one hand down to his arm holding the gun.
The guard tightened his grip on the gun, "Nothing funny girl or I shoot you."
Mei Ling did not move as her hand continued down to feeling the gun.
Mao was amazed that Mei Ling was putting up this kind of act. Michael may have been protective of her. If only he could see what Mei Ling was doing right now. Mao could not wait to tell him this one.
The guard snickered and held the gun up so she could see it, "Like this gun then you'll like the one I really use."
Both Mao and the guard watching her sighed out loud and seemed to agree on one thought. Why the hell does the elevator move so slow!?
Mei Ling smiled in a hinting way and moved her hands and rubbed the center of his arm and his wrist.
The guard looked at her confused, "Is this some kind of massage thing? Because it is working."
Mei Ling smiled and tightened her grip on the arm holding the gun. She swung her body forward and pressed on his arm with all her might right toward the ground.
The guard was taken back by the sudden motion and the fact he was being thrown to the ground.
The moment he hit the ground Mei Ling held onto his wrist and moved her other hand up toward the barrel of the gun. She quickly twisted it out of his grip taking advantage of his confusion from the impact.
The guard soon saw a gun being held at his head with a pissed off girl holding it.
Mao acted quickly knocking out the guard watching her with a kick across the face.
Mao turned around and saw Mei Ling holding the gun and shaking with rage. It was as if a memory she wanted to forget had resurfaced by what the guard had done, "Mei Ling?"
She did not answer as she pulled the trigger leaving a dead body at her feet.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened.
Mei Ling dropped the pistol at his body and entered the elevator walking passed a stun
Mao.
Mao quickly ran in before the elevator doors closed still trying to register what happened.
Mei Ling was a kind and gentle girl. By looking at her you would never be able to tell that she had any intentions of hurting anyone or anything.
However, that guard groped her and that resulted in his death. She had ruthlessly murdered him without a second thought. That was something she thought Mei Ling was incapable of.
Mao looked at her as the elevator descended downward, "Hey you okay?"
Mei Ling shook her head, "No, I'm not." She wiped a tear from her face. She promised herself and Michael that she could be depended on throughout the mission.
Mao took a deep breath and put her hand on the girl's shoulder and realized that she was shaking slightly, "Its okay. We're almost out of here."
Mei Ling nodded and took a deep breath.
Mao turned back and saw that they had a few floors to go before they reached the very bottom of the building. The bottom level would be their best bet at getting out without being seen.
Mao turned back and made a note to have Michael or rather make him talk to the young girl.
The door burst open after the third kick and the trio found themselves on the ninth floor. After their escape from Leonard the trio quickly found themselves moving like Special Forces. Michael had point with Sousuke covering there rear and Joe watching their left and right.
Michael was happy about the fact that Joe was part of Mithril but even happier to know that he was an expert in demolition and even ambush assaults. With each floor they cleared, he set up explosive traps along the walls and doors to hold off any forces coming after them. Not only that, these explosions could blow the railings causing anyone caught in the blast to be thrown over and fly a long way down.
Either way, they were able to stay at least one step ahead of their adversaries. Their goal was to reach the bottom of the building and head to the extraction point where Mao and Mei Ling would be waiting for them with a car.
Michael peeked out and looked left and right with the MP5. He motioned with his head to follow him. Joe quickly turned his shotgun left and right and followed Michael's trail. Sousuke took up the rear quickly taking his time to follow behind Joe while watching their back.
Michael said, "Clear." And he lowered his gun.
Joe and Sousuke both said clear and lowered their guns taking a deep breath and looked around.
Joe lowered his pistol, "So we keep going like this, mayor?"
Michael rolled his eyes and threw Joe a spare magazine for the Mark 23 he had, "It's not mayor and not major. Call me something else."
Sousuke pulled out the magazine in the MP5 and checked it, "A nickname should be something that makes Michael stand out."
Michael turned to Sousuke, "Don't even start Sousuke."
Joe paused for a second, "I'll think of something. And since you're upset about "Major" and "Mayor", mind if I call you "Mike" for the time being?"
Michael turned around and sighed looking at Joe, "Why not? It's the best one so far"
There was a bang behind them.
All three quickly turned and aimed their guns at the door.
It was another door that led to another set of stairs in the building. Behind them they heard a beeping sound that was quickly put away and the banging continued as if someone was trying to get in.
Michael looked at Joe who quickly crept up quietly to the door.
Michael crouched on one knee and held the machine gun at the door while Sousuke stood above ready to support him.
Joe quickly placed a small charge just enough the blast the door open. The plan was not told but they all knew what they were going to do by instinct.
Joe would blow the door and kick it open. He would rush in with his grenade launcher using the moment of confusion to make the people surrender. No one who had at least half of a brain would try anything when they have a grenade launcher aimed at them. But just in case they do try something Michael and Sousuke had their sights trained on the door.
Joe leaned against the wall and was a safe distance from the door. He looked over at the two and each steadied their guns and gave the go ahead to do it.
Joe nodded and blew the door's hinges. Two small explosions and the door was loose enough for Joe to kick it down.
Joe quickly entered the stairway, "Freeze!" They heard him yell.
Sousuke and Michael each tensed as they waited for Joe to bring them up.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
They each blinked and wondered what he was talking about. It was a possibility that someone got lost and-
"Now I really don't like shooting girls with stinger grenades, but..."
Joe went silent. Michael and Sousuke immediately steadied there guns at the door.
"Angel? You...You're beautiful?"
Michael and Sousuke's eyes went wide and prayed it was not who-
"Am I beautiful?! What kind of a question is that?!" They heard a familiar voice shriek and rather painful cry from Joe.
Michael and Sousuke froze in fear as the sweat poured down there backs.
The next thing they heard was a running sound and another painful cry from Joe who only yelled and then a thud on the ground, "Can't a man give you a compliment-"
"Compliment?!!" That only made the girl madder as they heard more struggling and finally, "I'll give you a compliment!!"
Joe was seen flying through the open door and right into the wall. He merely turned over and grunted in pain trying to figure out what the hell happened!
Michael and Sousuke just could not move. It was the voice that shocked them and they seemed unable to move in the least. The blue death was on her way.
They gulped simultaneously as they heard the sounds of heels clomping up the stairs and a sound oddly similar to the growling sound a tiger made.
She made her entrance in a rather aggressive way. Her long blue hair and white dress made her seem like an angel in disguise but it was a ruse. In fact she was walking as if she was death itself.
Kaname exited the doorway and looked at the barely conscious Joe who was still trying to figure out how a girl could beat him that bad. She held her purse in one hand ready to use it again like a bat across his face.
Michael whispered to Sousuke as quietly as he could, "If we back up slowly and do not make a sound or any sudden movements then we may be able to get away."
Sousuke nodded nervously at the situation they were in. Normally he would be happy to see Kaname alive but given the circumstances she may not feel the same way.
Sousuke slowly moved back as Michael carefully stood up. He lowered his gun and-
Kaname turned in a flash looking at the two. The fact that they were trying to get away made her even madder. The only thought she had was that they never learned.
Sousuke and Michael just froze as she turned and looked at them like a bunch of kids who happened to break something very important.
She said very slowly with an icy tone that froze their hearts, "Sousuke. Michael."
"Ka-kan-am-e" Michael managed to stutter out in fear of what was going to happen. For just a split second he wished that it was Leonard's robots that found them instead of her.
Sousuke gulped, "Chi-chi-do-r-i." He managed to get out as he tried to imagine all the pain he was about to go through. In the end, it would just be child's play compared to what she had in store for them.
She walked up to them in a dignified manner similar to the one she use to have back at the school, "Sousuke so good to see you alive." Her eye twitched slightly. It only meant that she was REALLY angry, "And Michael glad to see you as well."
Michael rose and looked at her wondering what to say in order to better preserve their health, "Well..we..-"
She cut him off by raising her hand in the air stopping him, "I just have one question I want to ask you two." She smiled sweetly.
Michael and Sousuke both looked at Joe and wondered if he got off easy. He was starting to get up but was still disoriented from the pummeling he got courtesy of Kaname.
"Why," She got their attention and but her hands on her hips, "For two months why was I held captive by a snobby little pervert with groping hands? Would you like to answer that?"
Michael and Sousuke gulped and looked at each other.
Sousuke spoke, "We just could not find you Chidori and-"
Kaname pointed his finger at him and he stopped, "I may accept that depending on the answer to this question you two idiots." She took a deep breath and yelled, "WHY DID YOU FAKE SOUSUKE'S DEATH AND WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THIS?!!?"
Michael only started to mutter, "Please. Please. Please. Plea-"
Sousuke pointed to Michael and said, "He was in charge of it. It was his idea."
Kaname immediately gave Michael a death glare.
Michael slowly craned his neck toward Sousuke as his eye and lip twitched slightly, "Thanks a lot, now I have to tell her the truth.. I'm going to get you for this."
Michael turned and felt the full force of Kaname's fist right in the center of his face.
Michael started to fall back unable to register what just hit him. Kaname grabbed Sousuke and flung him right into the hall as hard as she could. She delivered a side kick into Michael's ribs and sent him flying right against the wall.
Sousuke staggered back a little from the wall dizzy from the sudden impact. He grabbed his head and wobbled side to side trying to center him-
Sousuke was immediately tripped and landed on his stomach. He was quickly rolled over and had the tip Kaname's heel digging into him.
He winced in pain as he continued to fear the impending beating that was about to occur. Sousuke looked over at Michael and part of him was still edged into the wall. Suddenly he was slowly coming out of it and finally landed on the side.
He merely moaned in pain and tried to move but could not find the strength to do it.
Kaname twisted the heel and looked at Sousuke. There were no words to describe the pain that she was going to inflict on him. While he was fighting in an AS arena she had her mind looked at against her will. Forced to work on various projects they assigned to her and the stress of worrying about her family was starting to get to her health.
She twisted her heel more as she ignored the pleas of mercy from Sousuke. This idiot had taken his sweet time finding her and managed to get himself in even more trouble. She grinded into her teeth more as she remembered something Leonard told her, "Sousuke," Her tone was so cold that Sousuke could have sworn the temperature just dropped by a few degrees, "Did you stay with a girl?"
Sousuke's eyes went wider than usually as a waterfall of sweat poured down his face, "Y-y-ye-s." He managed to get out.
"And where did you sleep?" She dug in more as her face still showed that calm evil look that he feared greatly. The out right angry one he could handle but the calm look was what scared him the most.
"Underneath her bed Chid-" He was immediately kicked up by Kaname.
She yelled, "ITS KANAME YOU BRAINLESS MILITARY IDIOT!!!!" Her yelling echoed through the halls. Kaname had enough of this. It was time for them to pay.
Kaname dragged Sousuke by the collar of her shirt, "YOU TWO PUT ME THROUGH SO MUCH AND YOU FINALLY SHOW UP HUH!! WELL!?" She yelled wanting to hear this one. She grabbed Michael by the leg and started to drag him across the floor to an empty office room.
"Chi-" Sousuke stopped himself, "Kaname, please if you just listen and-"
"I'M TIRED OF IT!!" She kicked the door opened and flung Sousuke in the room. There was the sound of chairs and tables being moved, "YOU TWO ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!!" She turned to Michael.
"Kaname we-"
"SHUT UP!!" She yelled and kicked him like a soccer ball into the room, "You two put me through so much these past months." Kaname cracked her knuckles as she smiled at the two brothers as they prayed for mercy, "ALLOW ME TO MAKE YOU FEEL IT!!" She slammed the door and the sounds of tables and chairs breaking into bodies were the only sound echoing through the halls for some time.
Joe steadied himself against the wall with one hand and saw Kaname just dragging them in. He contacted the TDD-1 using an encrypted communicator Mithril was developing. With any luck, Amalgam could not find the TDD-1.
"Uh command, this is Red wire-1."
Tessa came on, "Red wire one this is the Danaan over."
Uh, quick question for the higher ups." He winced when he heard Michael yell, "AN ARM DOES NOT BEND-" and a cry of pain was heard from him with Kaname showing no signs of stopping.
"Go ahead Redwire" he could tell Tessa was wincing after hearing what she just heard.
Joe turned back to the office hall and continued to listen to beating sounds that were emanating out of it, "Can you repeat my objective, I'm not sure who should we rescue? Angel or those two?"
Tessa sighed and said, "By the current situation, it would be those two but I would STRONGLY advise you not getting involved."
"Copy that command. The girl sure can throw a mean elbow. Red wire out." He closed the communication and sighed as the sounds seemed to go on. Joe rolled his eyes and wished that he brought that deck of cards with him.
Judging by the fact that they did not break the office table yet, then he would be here for a long-
A loud crashing sound and two cries of pain were heard. Joe shook his head and wondered if the wall would be next after the table.
Kaname executed a suplex slam with Sousuke being thrown on top of Michael in the center of the table.
After the table broke she panted trying to catch her breath. Her fire however was still burning in the inferno and would not die that soon.
Sousuke crawled off Michael and turned only to have Kaname's heel make contact with his face.
He skidded across the ground and hit the wall as he groaned in pain.
She stomped over to Michael and picked him up by the shirt collar, "Well? What do you have to say Mr. Michael!" She wanted to know full well why he planned to have Sousuke declared dead to Amalgam.
Michael panted and looked at her pleading to show mercy, "Look! We tried to find you as best we could. I was ordered to come back and rebuild FOXHOUND. I gave him the information about-"
"SO YOU SENT SOUSUKE TO DO YOUR WORK HUH!!" Kaname yelled.
Michael got angry. If he had not been needed at FOXHOUND he would have been at Sousuke's side helping him in whatever manner he could provide, "I WANTED TO HELP HIM!!"
Kaname was taken back by Michael yelling at her and glared at him.
"DO YOU THINK THAT I WOULD ABANDON MY BROTHER!! I WOULD LEAVE HIM TO DO THIS ALONE!! NO!!! I GAVE HIM INFORMATION THAT COULD HELP BOTH OF US! ONCE MY JOB WAS DONE I WAS GOING TO FIND HIM AND WE WOULD WORK TOGETHER ON THIS!!!" He shook free of Kaname's grip and glared at her, "FOXHOUND NEEDED ME TO HELP THEM REBUILD SO THAT WE COULD ATTACK AMALGAM!! I WAS WORKING FOR THE LONG TERM AND I HATED IT!!!!"
Sousuke staggered up and heard most of the conversation. Michael was the closest thing he would ever have to family in anyway. He could remember all the times they had sat around campfires and simply smiled and laughed with each other. It was the only bond he could find other than the ones which he formed with the soldiers and people that hired him.
Kaname growled and grabbed Michael by the collar and threw him right out the door, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT I WENT THROUGH!!" She yelled at no one but was meant for Sousuke and Michael.
Michael got to his feet and said nothing. The complications and consequences ate away at him when he came up with the idea to fake Sousuke's death. He knew that Sousuke and Kaname were not going to take it well. Kaname would be devastated hearing it and Leonard would take advantage of that to get what he wanted. Sousuke would be more reckless and rash to try and get her out. All his focus would be on getting her out and protecting her from Leonard and the rest of Amalgam.
However, the chance to get good leads about the organization and eventually strike it in Operation Zeus was something that he could not pass up. The rewards outweighed the consequences and it was the only thing that really helped Michael. Anything else was just sugar coating the truth.
Sousuke got up and turned to Kaname, "Kaname," He thankfully remembered to address her by her name, "We had no choice in this matter. From all reports that we got Leonard and you had disappeared off the face of the Earth. The only way to really get him out and get the intel we needed was to fake my death."
Kaname did not look at them as she crossed her arms.
Sousuke looked at Michael as he got up, "Michael could you-"
Michael nodded and left without saying anything as he closed the door giving them some privacy.
Sousuke took a deep breath and knew that Michael could only give them only a few minutes before they needed to go. The robots could come at anytime and if Leonard found Kaname with him there was no telling what the consequences would be.
Sousuke took a step forward and continued, "Michael had to rebuild the command structure of FOXHOUND and the remnants of Mithril along with the Captain were on the run from Amalgam." He sighed and kept going, "We just did not have the resources."
Kaname did not say anything. She just kept gripping her fist and listened to what he said.
Sousuke took another step, "Kaname, I'm sorry."
In an instant Kaname buried her face into Sousuke's chest with her hands gently pulling on his shirt. Kaname turned her head side to side, "Sorry does not cut it you idiot."
Kaname's voice started to break as the tears flowed down her face freely. She looked at him with the tears ruining the make-up she had to put on, "I can't forgive you." She said trying to control her voice and keep herself from breaking down as her hands beat against his chest gently.
"Kaname." Sousuke said softly. He raised his arms almost hesitant to even do anything. It was the same situation that they had been in back at the school when he came back from China. Slowly his arms edged around her almost forming a hug, but still ready to move back in case something happened.
Kaname cried softly and stopped as she held her breath. She felt something around her waist and on her head. She looked down and saw Sousuke's arm holding her around the waist gently. She started to lose more control as she hiccupped with the gentle touch of his hands on her head.
Sousuke held her gently and said, "I'm sorry for taking so long Kaname."
Every ounce of control Kaname had was gone. She just cried out loud and held onto him desperately as if he was going to disappear. Her cries were the only sound in the office room as all of Kaname's pent up worry and eventual happiness about his safety came out.
For two months she was alone and thought that he was dead. Now despite all that had happened everything just seemed right in her world. Sousuke was with her and her world was slowly coming back together as long as he was with her. She turned her head side to side trying to bury herself into him as she continued to cry. Her hands were still holding onto his shirt so desperately keeping him near her.
She started to punch his chest softly, "I was so worried about you that I didn't know how to carry on." She said through tears and hiccups, "I just, I just wanted to know that you were okay." She sniffed her nose and leaned against him, "I'm so happy Sousuke. I'm so happy!" She cried as she wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him closer. This was the second time that he left her world and there was no telling what would happen the third time.
Sousuke was silent as he listened to Kaname bear her heart and soul to him. Everyday that he was apart from her made him lose something inside of himself. Everyday that she was away the world that he grew up in was coming closer. His old world of blood and death was catching up to him and this time it seemed that it would take him.
When Michael found him and told him that they would have a chance at getting her back his whole heart and soul was devoted to this mission. This mission was not to FOXHOUND, Mithril or even to his former classmates when he promised to bring her back.
Sousuke took this as his own personal mission.
When she said she was happy to see him Sousuke spoke, "Kaname, I just wanted to be by your side." His grip got tighter as he held onto her enjoying this moment as much as he could.
Kaname did not say anything as her feelings still poured out from her and she felt Sousuke's warmth wrap around her as if to protect her. It just felt like old times back in Tokyo.
For a brief moment, they could endure what was to come.
The moment Michael closed the door he contacted Otacon, "Otacon, I need you to disable Sousuke's CODEC for at least three minutes."
Otacon came on, "Command is not happy with this."
Michael stopped and took a deep breath, "I know and before they even tell me I know I violated orders to avoid contact."
Snake took over the CODEC and came on, "You're in trouble Michael that much is certain. You are risking a lot to give the couple a few minutes of privacy." Snake snapped at him.
Michael saw Joe and raised his hand to stop him from coming close, "Snake, I know."Michael snapped harder at him. His loyalty to the mission was unquestionable but right now, Sousuke needed this to boost his morale a bit.
"We gave you and the Sgt. specific orders to avoid contact and you openly violated them!" Commander Mardukas took over and spoke to Michael. Mardukas had some respect for Michael's skill as a soldier but the way he looked at the Mithril Command staff was openly hostile.
He still remembered vividly when Mithril pushed FOXHOUND into giving up Operation Strip Mine.
Mardukas had never seen a soldier that angry before in his life. Michael had literally leapt over the table to get his hands on the Captain. Her open comment about FOXHOUND not knowing what it was doing set him off on a murderous rampage with Tessa in his sights. Five people had to pull him back before he even could get to her and Snake was one of those people to get him out.
Michael was silent at Mardukas' statement.
"I wonder if you really are as good as everyone says you are." Mardukas shot at him as he questioned his professionalism. He still had his doubts about Michael since he knew his relationship with the infamous Ocelot and the fact that he once served in that infamous unit.
Michael laughed at him, "With all due respect, Commander Mardukas, I'm above the sea level so there's nothing you could consul with me about. Please stay off the channel. Something important might come up. " Michael smiled as he went for the throat with that jibe.
Mardukas was shocked at his response. Never had he met a man as arrogant and disrespectful as Michael was, "Why you-"
"ENOUGH!"Colonel Campbell came on and ended this shouting match, "Major Kanzuki, you have orders to get out. Otacon will disable the radio for two minutes but you and Spec. Black need to get going now!! We will deal with this later!!"
The channel closed and Michael turned to Joe who came up to him impressed, "What?"
Joe smirked, "There ain't too many who pack enough to give the Old-boy a finger. At least I won't be the only one he hates."
Michael sighed, "Just go and set bombs on the doors and other routes."
"Done" Joe raised his thumb.
"Then re-check them. I'll go check these cubicles in case we need more cover."
Joe gave him a two finger salute, "Will do, Have fun, Mike"
Michael sighed and took at his Mark 23 and opened the door to the cubicles. It was just a room full of desks all around the room with at least two or three doors that led into the offices for the managers of this floor. He shook his head glad that his career choice did not have him stuck in one of these.
He lowered his gun and-
Click
Michael turned his head quickly to a clanking sound. He tensed as he gripped his gun and took a deep breath. He slowly advanced with his gun lowered below his chest as his fingers drummed the handle.
The sound stopped behind a office door. He looked at it and than back around to double check his surroundings making sure no one was behind him.
Michael took a deep breath and held the gun straight up as he aimed at the door. With a massive kick the door swung open and he rushed in to it moving his body around the room.
No one was in there; the only movement was the office chair which swung slightly from the wind that the door produced from his kick.
Michael quickly looked outside and saw more cars below them as people tried to rush out. He smirked wondering if they already knew that they were going to be dead within a week.
FOXHOUND and Mithril would have their retribution at those that planned to profit from their demise.
He turned to the door and took a step out with-
A gun hammer cocked right next to his head as Michael looked at Ocelot standing next to him with the hammer ready to fire a killing shot.
Ocelot shook his head in disappointment, "Tsk, Tsk, tsk Michael. I thought I taught you better."
Michael slowly raised his hands taking them off the MP5 and kicking it away from him.
He then held his Mark 23 by his right trigger finger as it dangled on his finger. He slowly turned his head and looked at Ocelot, "I thought that you did not attend things like this."
Ocelot scoffed, "Things change over time Michael you should know this."
"What do you want?" He demanded wondering if he actually had time to really bother with a gun fight. He tried his CODEC and-
Nothing!
Michael froze for a second when he realized that the CODEC was being jammed.
Ocelot chuckled softly as he held up a metal box, "A CODEC jammer, your friend has done such wonderful work for us. Too bad she could not join us willingly." He put it away as he took Michael's gun from his hand and tucked it into his pants behind him.
Michael growled at Ocelot, "Bastard."
Ocelot nodded, "Maybe." He pulled his gun back and holstered it, "This will allow us to talk peacefully for just a few moments. The brat's robots are coming and I don't want to be seen with you when they come." Ocelot raised his hand indicating that Michael could lower his hands down.
"What do you want to talk about?" Michael looked at him hard worried about what his ulterior motive could be in all this.
Ocelot stepped back, "The future and most importantly Project R my little brother."
Joe checked the last trap. He looked at it with pride at his latest idea. Most of the doors save one for a quick escape had been rigged with a trip wire. That wire was attached to the pin of a grenade that was taped to a small bit of plastic explosives.
Joe quickly cocked his Mark 23 making sure a bullet would be ready to shoot at someone's head. He took a deep breath as he lugged the M-32 grenade launcher across his back.
Despite all the running and chasing Joe had to admit that he was actually having a little fun. It was not everyday that he got the chance to embarrass the very man that brought about the deaths of so many people he worked with.
Joe had survived the Amalgams attack by luck and genius. He knew that there was no way they could resist a full spectrum assault. Due to his low rank no one listened to his plans. Only a handful of comrades followed him out of the base not forgetting to rig anything that could be rigged along the way. By the time they got out of the base it was no longer theirs. Amalgam soldiers weren't those who liked to take prisoners so there was no doubt that everyone in the building had been killed. Joe flicked the switch and all the base lit up in explosions.
Only one of Amalgam's soldiers managed to survive. He remembered the look on the poor bastards face when he saw the remaining members of Mithril come out of the nearby forest. He dropped his weapon and fell on his knees. Just a kid with a gun. Joe walked up to him and pulled out his knife. The kid hung his head, waiting for the strike. Joe unclipped the knife's sheath from his belt and before the kids eyes, put the blade into it. Before he did he showed the engraving on it. "De opresso liber". The credo of the Green Berets. He picked the soldier off the ground and gave him the knife and fifty dollars saying:"You're free" .Then walked away with the rest of Mithril's soldiers. No one knows what happened to the soldier after that.
The next two months were spent evading and finding out who was left as he laid low in France under a fake name and house that he purchased. Things were the same until he got a coded transmission from the Pacific fleet about a possible counter attack. Joe quickly contacted the fleet and was ordered to assist the operation as a support operative. After the operation he would meet up with the team and they would take him to the TDD-1 to meet up with the others.
Joe had to admit that he was lucky to be working with Sgt. Sousuke Sagara. From what he remembered about him, he was a top notch soldier with a knack for trouble along with an edgy figure when it came to explosives.
Michael Kanzuki was different though. The guy was sharp and a quick thinker in any situation. However in Joe's opinion the guy needed to lighten up a bit.
Joe's thoughts were interrupted as one of his traps went off. The explosion destroyed two Arastols as they burst through the door.
Joe quickly ran down the hall and saw Kaname and Sousuke coming out of the office room, "Hey! Lovebirds, hate to cut this short but-" Joe heard stomping and spun on his heel launching a grenade at an incoming Arastol blowing it into many little metal pieces.
Joe turned to them, "You two waiting for a bus?! Move!!"
Kaname pointed at him promising pain later but was quickly being led away with Sousuke holding her hand.
Sousuke held the MP5 as they moved toward the end of the hall toward to the door, "Where is Michael!?"
Joe fired his pistol at the robots with one hand and fired another grenade with the launcher in his other hand, "Don't know! He left to-"
The wall burst in front of Joe revealing a body as it landed on his back. It quickly rolled and pushed a detonator in his hand causing an explosion to erupt in front of him.
Michael turned to Joe, "Hey, sorry about taking so long."
Joe shook his head and gave him a little cover, "Just keep moving to that door! They're trapping us from both sides!"
Michael nodded and rushed to Kaname and Sousuke. He gave Kaname three grenades, "Gifts from Joe," He pointed to each one as he explained them, "Chaff, smoke and flash. Use the chaff first to disable the robots sensors than throw the flash to blind them and than the smoke to cover our escapes. Simple drill"
Kaname smirked at Sousuke and Michael, "Affirmative."
Michael smiled and slapped her on the shoulder, "Good to see you!" He rushed ahead to try and buy some more time.
Sousuke turned to Joe who was still shooting grenade after grenade to keep them back. He paused to reload quickly but the Arastols numbers were getting too much for him to handle. Sousuke turned to Michael who threw his last proximity charge and rushed to meet up with-
The wall burst at Michael's side as an Arastol crashed through it. Before Michael could figure out what happened the Arastol grabbed him by the throat and hoisted him off the ground.
"Michael!!" Kaname cried out as she quickly stuffed the grenades in her purse.
Michael started kicking the arm cursing at the Arastol, "You piece of junk let me go!"
The Arastol only responded by lifting him up higher from the ground as his legs dangled.
"Stop."
Joe kept his aim at the man in front of him hoping he could get that opportunity to blow up his pretty little face straight to hell.
Sousuke turned his weapon with Kaname behind him, "Leonard let him go!"
Leonard walked forward as the Arastol's encircled them, "Lower your weapons and I might consider it."
Sousuke looked at Joe who only nodded and lowered his gun. Sousuke quickly looked at the corner of his eye and saw a few more Arastols behind them as well completely blocking their escape.
Michael kept kicking the Arastol as he tried to at least loosen the grip.
Leonard smiled as he gently touched his nose. It had a white bandage on it from Michael's previous punch in the face. He was lucky that it did not break but that did not matter in the slightest. He looked at Kaname as if he caught a child trying to avoid punishment from a parent, "Kaname my dear are you trying to run?"
Kaname did not say anything as Sousuke just glared at Leonard.
Leonard only shook his head, "Sgt. you cannot win at this point. All your aces have been played and I have a hostage." He pointed to Michael.
Kaname turned to Leonard pleading, "Just let him go and I'll go with you. Just let him go."
Leonard smiled, "I'll let him go my dear," He looked at Michael who only gave him a dirty look, "If he apologizes to me."
Michael smiled and laughed, "You really are a fucking idiot, you know that?!" He got joy out of Leonard's angry face. Leonard looked like a child who was about to throw a temper tantrum.
"Here's my answer." He flipped him off and yelled, "FUCK YOU ASSHOLE!!" He smiled and planted his feet at the Arastol's arm and pushed back on it.
Leonard was not worried about this, "Mr. Kanzuki if you think-" His eyes grew wide as Michael actually started to free himself. They could hear the Arastol desperately trying to keep the grip as its gears and circuits started to overheat.
Michael grunted out as he almost freed him from the ever loosening grip. He gave one final push and he was free. Michael landed on his back but quickly leapt to his feet. He slowly moved back picking up the weapons he lost.
Sousuke and Joe followed Michael's example forming a protective circle around Kaname. Joe held up the shotgun and his Mark 23. Michael and Sousuke copied his move holding up their machine guns and their own respective pistols.
Leonard stepped forward looking furiously at Michael, "How did you do that!? I thought you were only at stage 2 therapy!!" Dr. Hunter reported that since he finished stage 2 some time before going to Tokyo, he would need to rest before he attempted stage 3 and than finally stage 4 therapy.
Michael smirked, "I finished stage 3 some time before I found Sousuke. It means," He gave a quick glance over at everyone else who were wondering what he was talking, "That I can use my increased abilities a little longer and better than I could back in Tokyo."
Sousuke smiled and remembered the bloody mess Michael was after Belial crushed them. It was miracle that he was still alive let alone walking around like nothing had happened.
Leonard just could not believe the constant surprises that these two kept coming up with. They just kept getting stronger and stronger.
He paused and felt his heart stop for one minute remembering the warning Raven gave to him. The constant threat that they were coming and getting stronger and more relentless than when he first met them.
"No," Leonard gripped his fists, "I will not be upstaged by a bunch INSECTS!!" He yelled at them. His fury and hate for them was getting stronger with each encounter they had. The mere fact that they just kept coming back from the dead baffled even his so called genius.
Joe scoffed and asked in an annoyed tone, "Sarge, can you, please, remind me WHY does TT feel inferior to this asshole. I mean... What does this guy have that Kurz ain't got?"
Leonard looked at him and regained his cool. He shifted his glance to Kaname, "My dear," He extended his hand out, "You know what will happen if you leave."
Kaname gulped and looked down. She knew full well that this was not just a threat. It was a clear promise that could result in someone she loved being buried six feet underground.
No matter how strong or how much firepower Mithril and FOXHOUND had, they just could not save her completely.
It was a defeat from the start.
Sousuke looked at her through the corner of his eyes, "Kaname."
Michael looked at him and whispered, "We have no choice in this. We talked about this before." Michael wobbled a little. His body was still getting use to the new augmentations and it would take some time for him to get use to it. He looked at
Sousuke, "I'm sorry, but we have to do this."
Sousuke gritted his teeth at his own lack of power. He-
"Sousuke," Kaname put her hand on his shoulder, "It's okay." She smiled and walked underneath their arms with her purse on her shoulder.
Kaname turned and looked at him as she gently caressed his check, "Its okay. It's," She paused for a second, "not like something we can chose."
Sousuke was about to speak when Kaname put her finger on his lips stopping him.
"I have one more thing to say then I will go," She turned to Leonard, "I promise that."
Leonard merely shrugged his shoulders as his massive bodyguards stood around them ready to strike. Either way, those three would not be leaving alive.
Kaname turned to Sousuke and Michael, "Sousuke, Michael I have a message from someone."
Michael and Sousuke looked at her.
She took a deep breath, "Wolf wanted you to know that she is glad that you two are okay and sorry that she did not get a hold of you two earlier."
Michael and Sousuke both exchanged looks of shock and surprise.
Sousuke spoke, "Wolf is alive? So it was Wolf that approached me."
Michael smiled and started to give a few half-hearted laughs, "Big sis is alive. I knew I saw her at that party."
Michael and Sousuke both exchanged looks of happiness and just plain joy. They both heard the news separately that she had been killed in Libya on a mission that she was assigned to at the time. Both grieved for her silently knowing full well that she died doing what she loved doing.
The woman who was like a sister to both of them was alive and well. She was working for the enemy.
A dark cloud covered them knowing full well that in order to complete their mission they would have to get past her. It was a battle neither wanted to see or were looking forward to.
Leonard cleared his throat, "Excuse me, but we must be going my dear." He smiled and looked at Sousuke, "We have a wedding to plan."
Sousuke turned his pistol and aimed it right at Leonard. His arm was shaking as his new found rage seemed to get the better of him everytime Leonard strutted around.
Sousuke took a deep breath and turned his pistol away.
Kaname sighed in relief feeling the tension from that moment drift away. Any kind of action at this point could result in a futile stand. She looked at her purse and only smiled.
Joe whispered to them, "Easy guys, just let the lady do her work."
Michael and Sousuke looked at Joe then back at the situation around them.
Sousuke took a deep breath and said, "If you see Wolf, tell her that we miss her."
Michael smirked, "Yea, and to take care of herself."
Kaname did not look back as she walked toward Leonard. She gave a small wave to them, "I'll let her know. I think she would be happy with that."
Leonard stepped forward and watched the situation at this moment. Everything seemed to be going well but anything could happen at this point.
It just seemed to easy at this point.
Leonard pointed to Kaname, "What is in your purse?"
Kaname stopped and hid the purse behind her, "I don't have anything that I think that you should see!" She yelled at him.
Leonard scoffed and started to walk up to her, "Should I have the Arastol's take that from you."
Kaname smiled and slipped her hand in the purse. She-
Leonard moved quickly at that motion and grabbed her hand from behind and pulled it out. He saw the chaff grenade in her hand, "It seem's that you had a gift." He pulled from her hand and pushed her back. He looked at it and went pale.
He looked at Kaname smiling as big as her face could get twirling the pin around her index finger.
The grenade exploded the chaff around as Leonard grabbed his hand. His hand burnt from the explosion and his Arastol's were rendered immobile because of the electronic interference the chaff produced.
The three quickly broke from there circle as Kaname threw the flash grenade in front of Leonard and it exploded in a bright flash.
He cried an agonizing cry with his eyes completely blinded. Before he could even stand up, a fist smashed his face and someone kick him in his rear. All Leonard could do was bare with the pain and blindness until he could see.
After a few seconds he could open his eyes and an intense fury was burning through his body. Never before had he truly hated and despised someone or anyone until now. Sousuke Sagara was the essence of all this hate.
Kaname smiling from that kick threw the smoke grenade and ran out with the others as she chased after them. She could not help but feel that this was the best night that she had in a long time.
She stopped at the door as she grabbed Sousuke's arm.
Sousuke turned to them, "Go on ahead I'll catch up."
Michael and Joe turned to running down the stairs.
Joe yelled, "We've got a half of a minute before that chaff clears and we need to get out fast!"
He looked at Kaname who only looked sad, "Kaname, the next time I come I'll get you out."
Kaname bit her lower lip and kissed Sousuke on the lips. It was the same manner that Leonard had kissed her but it was still enough to get the message across. She broke away and gently touched his face, "Don't come after me Sousuke."
Sousuke's heart stopped and his blood froze. Every function in his body froze with those words, "Kaname, we are ready to strike. We can end this soon and with-"
"Even if you stop Amalgam can you stop others that want me?" She countered.
Kaname's control was starting to break with these words. It was the hardest words she ever had to say besides saying goodbye to her mother.
"Kaname, I-"
Kaname stepped back, "Sousuke you have to go." The tears ran down her face.
"No I-"
"Sousuke," Kaname's control was getting weaker and weaker, "You need to go please. I'm ordering you as the Vice President and Class Representative."
Sousuke was torn in this matter. This was an order that he could not follow. He looked over and saw some movement. His time was up and Sousuke looked at her long and hard.
It was the same look he gave to her when he made a promise, "I'll follow this order. But for now." He turned and ran down the stairs catching up with the others.
Kaname stepped out of doorway and closed the door. She hit her forehead on the cold metal and the tears continued to run down her cheeks. If he kept coming after her then he could die the next time he went against Mr. Gold's personal forces.
"It seems that you have a knack for catching a man's heart?"
Kaname froze at the sound of that man's voice. It was the voice that hunted and taunted them in Tokyo, "Ocelot."
He was seen in his normal getup twirling his revolver, "I must say that I am impressed everytime I see those two. They are quite a pair."
Kaname gulped and her body shook in fear around this man, "What do you want?" She was barely able to get the words out.
He pointed to Leonard as his bodyguards carried him out of the smoke, "Cleaning up some unfinished business," He twirled his revolver back into his holster, "Take the elevator to the bottom and leave. That is Mr. Gold's orders and I suggest you follow them."
Kaname started to walk past him and-
He whispered dangerously in her ear, "Mr. Gold has taken an interest in them. This is only the beginning."
Kaname looked at him and walked toward the elevator. She turned to the end of the hall and saw Leonard starting to walk on his own without the assistance of anyone. Kaname knew that his hate of Sousuke had grown even more with this new development.
The elevator door opened and Kaname froze.
Mr. Gold was in front of her.
Mr. Gold merely walked past her and toward Ocelot.
Kaname just could not stop shaking around him. This was the first time that she met him and it seemed like Gauron was around her.
No.
It was much worse than Gauron.
Mr. Gold only seemed to be just someone who lived in another world. A world that she did not want to know.
The door closed and Ocelot was right about one thing. This was only the beginning and more was coming.
Gold approached Ocelot with a slight smile, "It would appear that Silver was knocked down a few notches Ocelot."
Ocelot laughed, "I was wondering when it would happen and I'm happy that it was those two."
Gold gave a low chuckle, "I must admit that those two did indeed surpass my expectations. If they were not against us, I would want them in my ranks."
Ocelot smirked. He only wished that Michael was working with him again, "More than Silver?"
Gold laughed outloud, "More than that arrogant brat. The difference is that those two can fight and provide me with a great deal."
"Speaking of providing," Ocelot looked at Gold, "I spoke to Michael and gave him the information about R. No doubt he will tell the others."
Gold leaned against the wall and crossed his arms, "I doubt Mithril, he will tell FOXHOUND about this but that is what I want."
Ocelot gave a low laugh, "Even rivals don't like to work together it seems."
Gold looked at him, "Indeed, however telling them about R will not change a thing. Everything has been put into motion and it's just a matter of time."
"What about the rumors surrounding Leonard's uprising?" Ocelot asked, "I could take him out now." He patted his revolver.
Gold shook his head, "No, he still has his uses. I need him alive for now." He smiled, "However, recent events will put him in his place Ocelot."
Gold left to the elevator.
Ocelot had one final thing to say, "Snake being a part of all this will not change things will it."
Gold stopped, "No, in fact it makes it better now that the legendary Solid Snakeis going to fight." He used the term legendary with a bitter tone that only showed his hate even more.
Ocelot chuckled, "Things are going to be fun."
Gold shared in the chuckled, "More fun than you can imagine Mr. Ocelot."
Mao and Mei Ling waited for over half an hour for those three idiots to show up. They were standing outside of the car near an intersection a good distance away from the building. With luck on their side they would be able to get away and merge with the darkness. Things only seemed to get worse with each second they waited. Mao turned to Mei Ling who seemed down after killing that guy.
Mao sighed, "You okay."
"I'll survive."
Mao looked at her concerned, "Want to talk about it?"
Mei Ling paused for a second and thought, "I-"
"YO COACH!"
Mao cringed at that familiar cry, "Here comes trouble"
The three appeared out of alleyway
"Come on, Coach! What would you do without me?!"
Mao was about to retort when she sighed in defeat. She scratched the back of her head, "Let's just get out of here, I'm tired." She looked at Sousuke, "You okay Sousuke?"
Sousuke looked like hell. He looked upset, depressed and slightly defeated. It was the same attitude he had in Hong Kong after he was recalled, "I've been better Lt."
Mao was about to speak but now was not the time, "Okay people we-"
"WAIT A GOD-DAMN SECOND! What about the fireworks I set-up?" Joe asked innocently.
Everyone snapped out of their daze and looked at him. Fireworks!
"Yeah, call command and tell them I have about forty pounds of C4 that could launch those hippy offices into orbit." Joe smiled rubbing his hands together with an eager look on his face. He looked like a kid on Christmas morning.
At that moment everyone had a smile on their face.
Michael touched his ear and heard the command. It was silent for a few minutes but then, Michael asked "Does anybody have binoculars?"
Mei Ling rummaged under her seat and pulled out a set of huge binoculars.
Joe shook his head, "You won't need those. We have a good view right there." He pointed to the building a half a mile away and they could still see it despite that distance,
"I had a lot of time on my hands so I decided to prepare something special. Take the binoculars and keep your eyes on the top floor, third window from your left." Joe pointed at the building.
Michael and Sousuke did as they were told. The girls, though without any binoculars, did the same.
Joe attached his detonator to some sort of antenna.
He pressed some buttons removing the safety.
"BOOM BABY!" Joe said punching the button with his index finger.
There was a flash of light behind the mentioned window and a silver toilet came flying through the glass. Just about then the whole car went wild with laughter. Nobody even paid attention to the secondary explosion that swept the whole floor off the building.
"Joe, you are a top notch, one of a kind, A-grade sick-o" Mao complimented.
"You simply MUST meet Hermit" Mei Ling said laughing.
Michael and Sousuke were smiling as they eyed Joe's work through the binoculars.
"I have never seen anything like this in all my time in service" Michael laughed" Why did you do that?"
Joe finally took off his mask and smiled, "Because I wanted Leo to get this one from the beginning. His shit won't fly, but his ass, most certainly, will."
Sousuke and Michael nodded at each other as the car disappeared into the thick darkness of the night.
This was a formal declaration of war and they would follow through it until they did one thing.
Win.
For those that have read FMP: Snow than you all know who Joe is! SniegZ has given me permission to use his bomb happy Joe in the story. The reason for this was writers block and gave me a chance to explore more with the story. I hope that you all enjoyed it and continue to read and review it in the future. Two things I want to say before I leave. The first is that I put a poll in my profile and if you have a minute please take the time to vote. The second is a bonus scene that SniegZ wrote at the end. Think of it as an extended ending! If you like Joe, than go read SniegZ stories!! Thanks to all and hope for your continued support!
BONUS SCENE.
Leonard pressed the bag of ice to his nose. A therapy 3 enhanced punch was something the equivalent to a good kick. Suddenly he heard a knock on the door. An Arastol walked in with a plastic packet in his hand.
"Sir. This was recovered from the debris of the toilet" he stated in his robotic, life-less voice.
"Put it on the table. I'll look at it later" he said while putting his hand in a bucket of ice.
Kaname walked into Leonard's new office. Being a captive can be very boring and since she moved to a new place she was trying to get acquainted with it.
She walked up to the table and picked up the packet.
"What's this?- she asked looking at it.
"Some joker from Mithril blew up my toilet and left this in the tank" Leonard grunted as his hand was still sore.
Kaname opened it up and unfolded the piece of paper. She covered her mouth, then quietly turned on her heel and walked out of the office.
Not long after that Leonard heard loud laughter coming from the corridor, but the corridor was empty. He proceeded down the corridor until he reached the mess hall where a bunch of soldiers, Sniper Wolf, Kaname and even Ocelot were laughing outloud at the letter.
It read:
"Leo,
We wan't you to bear one thing in mind. Your shit won't fly, but your ass will.
Luck in life,
Mithril SRT"
"Don't laugh!" yelled Leonard as his face began to turn red. But the laughter became even harder "DON'T LAUGH!!!"
"DON'T LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!!"
