Chapter 2
The white spotlights that illuminated the heart of Mother Base had been replaced by great, orange flames from which Artyom and Taggart could see their colleagues escaping, screaming. The luckiest ones were shot before they could get anywhere, others jumped into the sea, others ended up falling from the platforms, blinded by fire and pain, to their almost certain death. Small groups of MSF members had started to take arms and fire back at the attackers, in order to keep them from reaching the outer platforms. They were under-armed, under-equipped, and mostly unprepared, some of the members of the non-combat teams, inexperienced, had taken the weapons of their fallen comrades in a desperate attempt to push back their foes. Heterogeneous groups of scientists, cooks, and members of the various professions that made up the people of Mother Base, some with just their underwear, were assembling at the end of the bridges between the platforms, in a collective effort to save what they saw as their home, and their family. But most of them were well aware that their defeat was only a matter of minutes, given the overwhelming superiority of the enemy, both in numbers and firepower.
Artyom knew, from the moment he saw the main platform collapsing down into the sea, that this life was over. MSF had already been struck too hard for it to rise again. Most of its members were probably already dead, or fatally wounded, and the few, if any, who would survive, would have to keep the physical and mental scars of having lost their family for the rest of their lives. All the joy the organization had given them, all the moments of camaraderie they shared together were already being buried under the sea along with the home they spent years and years to build for themselves. As he squeezed the trigger of his rifle, angry tears began to cloud his vision, making it harder to spot the enemy in the apocalyptic firestorm of the half-collapsed platform. But he kept shooting, emptying all his magazines, unable to distinguish any of what the others said around him, until an explosion pulled him from his state of oblivious rage.
They had blown up the bridge to prevent them from reaching the medical center.
« Get to cover ! » somebody yelled.
The small group of survivors ran back to the building, to shield themselves from enemy fire. One of them, half-naked, was shot in the back. He fell on the cold, wet, metal ground without anyone noticing before they had reached the door to the closest building. He watched them, a child-like incomprehension in his watery eyes, as they slowly faded away into eternal darkness.
But there was no time to weep.
Taggart took the lead of the small team, in the search of weapons that could push back, or at least hinder the assault of the helicopters. But as this was the medical platform, nothing was to be found, and time was running short. They quickly became more and more agitated, as their search was still fruitless.
« We're gonna die. It's over », said a soldier
« Shut up ! », replied Taggart's voice from the neighboring room
« Everyone is dead, even the Boss, we're screwed ! » he continued nonetheless »
« Are you sure ? », replied a scientist, « I was on the main platform, he wasn't there. Haven't seen him anyway »
« We... we saw his chopper departing, some time before the attack » said in a shaky voice Artyom, who was seated against a wall, staring blankly at his empty rifle »
« You think he left us ? You think he knew ? », said the scientist.
« I don't... No. He would never do that. He's Big Boss », Artyom replied firmly
« You guys seem to have a lot of faith into your boss ! », said one of the soldiers, sardonically
« Since when are you here ? » Taggart asked him vehemently
« Two weeks, why ? »
« What's your name ? »
« Cameron. »
« Listen to me, Cameron. This place is more than a military base. You don't know the Boss, what he's done, what he means to us all, you don't know shit. », continued Taggart as her voice grew colder with every word
« Oh everyone knows your boss. He's very famous among all military groups. A real legend. You know the thing about legends ? They're made up. Everyone told me about that Peace Walker incident when I got here. Do you really think he did all this? What would a woman know about war anyway, real war ? »
That was too much. In the blink of an eye, Taggart, who an instant ago was at the other end of the room, had reached Cameron, who pulled his combat knife from his belt but was forced to let it fall when he felt an intense pain in his right arm. Before he could understand how, he was lying on the ground, his lungs empty from the shock, looking up at Taggart. She was handing him back his knife, which she had caught in mid-air, holding it by the blade. In her eyes, melancholy had replaced anger.
« If I believe the stories », she started, in a sad voice, « it's because I was there. Many of us didn't make it. I had to mourn the loss some of my closest friends. But MSF was there, always. And now, it's all over. Too many dead. Too many to mourn. Too many to avenge. And we'll probably be done for in minutes. This place is the only home I ever had. I'm not leaving. And I'm not letting it go without taking as many lives as I can. »
Cameron sheathed his knife, and picked up his rifle without uttering a word. He followed Taggart, as she went into the corridor that lead to the other other bridge, and the rest got up silently to join them. It was at this moment that, in a loud noise, the platform shook violently before dangerously tilting. Instinctively, all followed Taggart, who had naturally assumed the lead of the small improvised unit, as she was obviously the most experienced combatant and she knew Mother Base better than any of them. She thus took them through the maze of the medical complex, until they reached a door that led outside.
Mother Base was now completely in flames. Not a single platform had been spared by the incendiary bombs, and the helicopters had now started to launch missiles at the large pillars that held the platforms above the sea. Some of them were already down, leaving fiery remains floating at the feet of the other s, helpless survivors trying to swim to them under the fire of the attackers, trying in vain to escape the spotlights of their helicopters in a ocean of their own blood.
The helicopter that had already struck the medical platform was hovering just in front of them, about to unleash another missile to make it collapse for good. In a move of despair, Taggart drew her pistol and emptied her magazine at the helicopter, before throwing it in the sea with a cry of despair. Artyom laid a hand on her shoulder, powerless to do anything more.
The heat of the explosion made them look up again, at the flaming carcass of what used to be an helicopter, spinning, as it fell into the sea.
« The Boss ! » they heard Cameron scream.