The Gray Fox and the Hellhound

Chapter Seven: The Phantom Pain

Meanwhile, back inside the base, Blitzo was looking about, trying to think up an escape plan, and thankfully, a plan came in mind.

"Alright, I think I can undo these restraints!" The imp declared proudly. "Whaddya think, babe?!"

When he didn't get a reply, he looked over his shoulder to notice the Boss was slumped forward, her hair covering her eyes.

"Hey, Boss?" Blitzo called with concern. "Come on, we can still kick back!"

"What's the point…"

Blitzo was shocked by this response, "The fuck? What kind of weak ass reply is that?!"

Just then, he heard something from Boss he never heard in a long time, for as long as he knew her, ever since they met. Tears were running down her face, her eyes were misty and sobs can be heard.

The Boss was crying.

"All I ever wanted was peace for the world." She said. "No more pointless violence, no more desire for control, but true peace. Is that too much?"

Blitzo only remained silent as she continued, "I gave up so much just to see my dream become a reality, where all of mankind would finally come together in peace, to set aside their differences to live in a world without war, without hatred, only for it to be twisted by many others, causing widespread chaos."

Blitzo could feel his heart ache at her words, his brain straining to for some form of reply.

"Why?" The Boss sobbed. "Why is peace such a hard concept to understand?!"

"Because, from what I've seen, humans are always that way." The imp said. "There's always gonna be someone wanting to start wars for one reason or another; be it for money, their own version of peace, or just because they love the violence."

The Boss felt her heart fall, but then her restraints clatter to the floor, looking up to see Blitzo inspecting the door.

"But just because there's a villain that will disrupt the peace, doesn't mean you should stop fighting for peace." The imp stated. "It's called the never ending fight against evil for peace; one way or another, there's gonna be a piece of shit fucker that will want to start shit, where the heroes have to stand up and answer the call. And so long as fuck heads like Skull Fucker exist, the world is always gonna need heroes."

He managed to get the door to open, before then turning to Boss with a smirk.

"So the way I see it, you got two options," He then said. "You can either sit there and bawl your eyes out like a heartbroken housewife, or you can get off your sweet ass and fight for the peace you want for the world."

Boss looked at the imp with amazed eyes, feeling her heart rise back up, and a smile creeping on her face.

"Where did you learn to talk like that?" She asked.

"Hey, people often think I think with my dick more often than my head." He declared. "Those fuckers are often underestimating how smart I can actually be."

Chuckling, Boss got up and joined him, the two sneaking out of the room and making their way to the armory. Sneaking inside, they found their equipment lined on a table.

"Well, isn't that nice of them?" Blitzo smirked. "These dumbasses practically dropped our stuff in our lap!"

"Hoping to use our gear against us, it seems." Boss smirked. "We'll show them what grave mistake they made."

The two quickly donned their gear, locked and loaded their weapons, both smirking.

"Let's make some noise!"


Back outside, Gray Fox's group approached the front sticking to the shadows, hopping over the high wall before approaching the main building. Moxxie picked the lock before they entered, sneaking past any patrolling guards, while the four stayed out of sight while making their way towards the stairs.

"Keep your eyes sharp." Fox warned. "Who knows what traps Skull Face may have."

Going down several stairs, the group entered what looked like a research and development section, looking into several rooms to see various supplies and lockers, before soon coming upon on more room, opening to see a set of chairs and a table, with some cut up rope on the floor.

"Maybe Blitzo and the Boss were held here?" Millie inquired.

"Not anymore." Moxxie replied. "But where are they now?"

"No doubt got themselves out and are causing some havoc." Fox stated. "But things are quiet, as of right now."

"So where are they?" Loona asked.

That question was answered in the form of an explosion. While it wasn't too close to their location, it was still nearby.

"I think we found our answer." Millie chimed.

"We should give them a hand." Fox said, before pressing a finger against his earpiece. "Snake, we've found them, but they've already broken out, and are now causing havoc."

"We shouldn't waste any time, then." Big Boss replied. "We need to regroup with them, then put a stop to whatever plot Skull Face has."

"Did you find anything, Boss?" Moxxie asked.

"Just some records involving demonic essence." The older soldier replied. "Says he's been on this ever since Lucifer enlisted him, snatching up unsuspecting demons and draining them of their essence for some sort of 'ethnic cleanse', corrupting everything in Heaven, turning them into demons."

"Corrupting Heaven?" Moxxie repeated in shock. "Is that lunatic insane?! Doesn't he realize the potential consequences of such a thing?!"

"I don't think he cares, Moxxie." Millie said. "If I had to guess, he's willin' to do anythin' to appease Lucifer."

"From the looks of these notes, even Lucifer isn't aware." Venom chimed in. "Bastard's hoping to surprise his master with a complete imbalance of the astral planes."

"He knows even Lucifer would never allow that." Big Boss said. "We need to stop Skull Face before he causes all of creation to collapse."

In agreement, Fox's group made their way down the halls, following the path to where the explosion went off, Loona being more determined than ever to bring done the one who had caused her so much pain.


Boss and Blitzo were on a killing spree. No matter how many or what kind of soldier under Skull Face that came their way would meet a brutal end. Basic infantry? A bullet to the brain, easy. Heavy infantry? Blitzo would draw their attention while Boss snuck in from behind, shooting in between any exposed spots to take them down. Snipers from afar? Same with the heavy infantry; Blitzo would draw their attention while Boss grabbed a sniper rifle of her own and take them out. Explosives? They'd lie and wait for the enemy to get closer before firing at the explosive barrels, killing the enemy with explosions.

Overall, no one has been able to stop the couple, let alone slow them down.

"Batter up!" Blitzo shouted before removing a pin from a grenade before swatting it towards a group of soldiers like a baseball player, the grenade going off and killing them.

"Is this the best you can do?!" Boss taunted, firing away with the Patriot, gunning down one soldier after another.

"Man, this shit's easy!" Blitzo boasted as he stabbed a soldier repeatedly in the chest. "We're gonna reach that Skull Fucker in no time!"

"Try not to underestimate our enemies, Blitzy." Boss warned. "For all we know, it's part of their plan."

"Like that's stopped us before." Blitzo cackled.

After making their way down the hall, the couple breached the hanger bay, both spotting Skull Face about to step into a helicopter.

"Hey, Skull Fucker!" Blitzo shouted, aiming his flintlock. "Not another step!"

"You won't get away this time!" Boss added, aiming the Patriot at him.

The man in black stood still for a moment before turning to face the couple, his hollow eye sockets staring at them with crimson orbs.

"Escape?" He said before chuckling. "No, quite the opposite, actually. Everyone is where they need to be."

Just then, Big Boss' team breached the east side of the hangar, all aiming their weapons at the former X.O.F. leader, while Pain called forth several bees to his side.

"End of the line, Skull Face." N. Snake declared, aiming his rifle. "This makes the second time we cornered you."

Once more, Fox's group stormed in, all aiming at the rogue Sinner.

Looking between the three groups, Skull Face didn't seem at all concerned. In fact, he found it amusing, chuckling darkly.

"Everyone is right where they need to be."

Suddenly, a large number of Skull Units appeared from thin air inside the hanger, all armed to the teeth, all aimed at the Outer Heaven groups.

"See you all in the Void."

The Skull Soldiers opened fire, the three groups scrambling for cover, all the while Skull Face made for the exit, but Loona had other plans.

"I won't let him get away!" She growled before giving chase.

"Loona, stay with Fox!" Boos yelled. "Loona!"

But it was too late, as Loona ran after the Sinner, disappearing from sight.

"Focus on the fight!" N. Snake ordered. "We'll go after them when we deal with these grunts!"


Loona ran on all fours, running down the halls after the Sinner that had caused her so much pain. After all she had been through, she wasn't about to let him get away with what he had done to her. After finally getting out of the building, she saw her target, accompanied by other soldiers, before running towards them, her rifle drawn and aimed.

"Not another step, Skull Fucker!" She screamed. "You're not getting away with what you've done!"

The Sinner stopped before turning to face her, no signs of intimidation on his face, "You too know pain, yet that pain haunts you still."

His soldiers got in front and aimed their rifles, but he pushed past his guards and gently pushed down their guns, signaling the others to obey.

Loona watched in confusion as the Sinner continued, "You hope hatred might someday replace the pain. But it never goes away."

"Trust me, fuck head." Loona growled. "It'll go away once you're out of my life!"

She made to pull the trigger, to end this man who tortured her for so long when…

"Lima, Victor, Echo, Charlie, Hotel, Xray, Alfa…"

Loona suddenly felt her body go stiff, as if her muscles were working against her, unable to pull the trigger like she intended to, upon Skull Face chanting those words. They sounded so familiar, as though she had heard them over and over again before.

"It makes a man hideous, inside and out." Skull Face went on and he began to approach. "Wouldn't you agree?"

He then stood before her, gently pushing the gun downward, one of his soldiers moving in and taking it away, Loona trying desperately to act, to break free from whatever hold this Sinner had on her.

"We're both demons, more than ever before." The Sinner went on. "Our humanity won't return. Demons like us have no place to run, nowhere to hide. And it's for that reason that we must take what we deserve." He then walked past her, standing a few feet behind her. "Follow me."

Suddenly, Loona felt her legs move upon that command, following the Sinner at a reasonable pace. Once again, she tried to break free, but it felt as though she was shackled to chains wrapped around her body, giving her no choice but to obey.

"For thirty-nine years, I served Lucifer's will, ensuring his version of order upon this domain." He spoke. "For those thirty-nine years, I learned much about this domain, how the Hellborn and the Sinners live, and soon, how the high and mighty of Heaven judge them so harshly, unaware of their own sinful hypocrisy. They think themselves to be the purest of all of Creation, their God all-knowing and can do no wrong." He held up the canister. "Well, in time, my solution, my 'Unholy Revelation', will expose them for the hypocrites they are, that they are no different from us." He then looked over his shoulder at the hellhound. "And you will serve as the final piece to our puzzle."

Loona's mind froze at this. What could this Sinner be talking about?

"You see, most of the hellhounds I procured don't last during the extraction of their essence; they tend to die when enough is drained from their bodies." Skull Face explained. "But you? Your body is different. Your body generates your demonic essence at a much faster rate than a normal Hellborn, faster than we could extract. You are far more useful for the final phase of our plan; as the final piece of our Metal Gear."

'Metal Gear?' Loona thought, remembering the Metal Gear Ray from the attack on LuLu World.

"Our Metal Gear requires demonic essence in order to operate." They soon approached one of the parked jeeps. "And with your endless supply of demonic essence, our Metal Gear will rise from the depths of Hell and pierce the Heavens, with you as the tip of the spear." He took off his hat before looking up at the blood red clouds. "In time, all of Heaven will see itself for what it really is. Heaven will become a Paradise for all of demon-kind. The angels, the archangels, even God himself! All will see the truth; that we're all wolves in sheep's clothing!" He then waved his arms apart. "That we're all just savages!" He looked over at Loona. "And it will all be thanks to you."

Loona felt her blood run cold, her face pale at his words…then her blood started to boil with rage. If this pretentious Sinner thinks he can use her as some sort of tool, he had another thing coming.

As though he could sense the hellhound's defiance, Skull Face chuckled, "Struggle all you want, it won't matter. Whether you like it or not, you will serve your purpose."

Two of the soldiers got up front in the jeep, with Skull Face sitting in the back, patting the seat beside him, gesturing Loona to sit, the hellhound mechanically sitting next to him.

"Now sleep."

Suddenly, Loona felt her brain shut down, her vision going black.


Back outside, from the rooftops, Quiet was watching through her sniper scope, before perking up in confusion at the sight of Skull Face leaving the building with several soldiers. She then raised her rifle and took aim, not about to let the former X.O.F. leader escape, but froze when she saw Loona give chase, her own rifle aimed and ready to fire, when something strange happened.

Loona froze, much to Quiet's confusion, before seeing him seemingly ordering her to follow, and Loona just obeyed! Quiet was tempted to open fire, but she remembered the amount of soldiers at his side. They would immediately take notice and kill Loona before turning their fire on her.

Suddenly, she heard a snore from behind, turning to see the End had fallen asleep yet again. Sighing, Quiet shook the old Sinner awake, the End quickly composing himself before raising his rifle, looking through the scope with an eye bugging out so much that it threatened to pop out of his head.

"I must thank you for awakening me." He said to the silent sniper. "Otherwise, I'm certain I might not have waken up again."

Quiet only rolled her eyes before pointing downward, prompting the End to look down, seeing the scene unfold, Skull Face taking a mind-controlled Loona away in a jeep.

"Oh, this does not bode well." He said with a rare look of dread. "We must make haste!" He then pressed his earpiece. "Boss, we've spotted Loona being taken by Skull Face. Both Quiet and myself are in pursuit and urge you to follow when possible!"

And with that, the two skilled snipers gave chase, although when Quiet had to use her enhanced leaps to jump across the rooftops, she would have to help the End to make those leaps since he didn't have the capabilities that she did, but he did manage to keep up with his stamina, the two following and making sure that they don't get spotted, until they arrived at what looked like a sizable bunker, the jeep stopping outside the door. The large double doors slid open, allowing the jeep to ride in, while the snipers quickly dashed inside before hiding behind several crates, the two peaking out to see the jeep pull to a stop.

"We're here."

The soldiers got out first, followed by Skull Face, then the controlled Loona, the two snipers watching from their hiding spot.

"Everyone has their demons." Skull Face said. "Now, allow me to show you mine."

Just then, another massive door opened, the two snipers looking in shock at the sight before them. Beyond the giant door was a massive avian-shaped mech that took the shape of a great bird that was in a nested position, made of some form of metal, with a variety of guns mounted all over its body, along with a railgun on its head.

"This is the tip of our spear." Skull Face declared. "Metal Gear Roc; the king of all birds of prey!" He then gestured to Loona. "Now, enter its cockpit."

Not willing to stand by, the two snipers jumped out of their hiding spots, "You can stop right there, Skull Face!"

The soldiers faced the snipers weapons drawn, Skull Face turning to them, "Well, if it isn't the ghosts of the past."

Quiet only hummed aggressively, the End seeming to somehow understand her, "We already know what you're planning, Bilagáana. And I can already say you're a mad man, tampering with nature, with order."

"This order only exists, so the angels above can live in their own sinful ignorance and hypocrisy." Skull Face replied. "And with the Metal Gear and my solution in my hands, they will soon see that they are no different from us."

Suddenly, two extra military trucks crashed into the bunker, the members of Outer Heaven, Cobra Unit, and I.M.P. swarming out, all weapons drawn.

"Loona, get over here!" Boss commanded. "Whatever control he has you under, you must snap out of it!"

"It's no use." Skull Face said. "She's completely under my command." He then turned to Loona. "Now, Subject Sixty-Six? To the Metal Gear."

Loona struggled as best she could, but something was forcing her towards the machine, the hellhound unable to break free, faintly hearing the voices of her mentors and friends, as she inched closer to the machine, but one stood in her path.

Standing before her, a firm hand on her shoulder, Grey Fox had his mask off, his grey eyes looking into her red, "You must free yourself from the chains of your pain, Loona. Become your own master."

Hearing the words of her lover, looking back on the memories she had shared with everyone in I.M.P., Cobra Unit, Outer Heaven, the bonds she created with them, and especially her love for Fox, the two proclaiming their love, sharing their pain, standing by each other's side. It melted her heart.

That's when her rage boiled once again, her determination pushing her to fight back, when suddenly…she let it out.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

With an anger-filled roar, she broke free, a burning aura of red and black coating her entire body, before the Metal Gear sprung to life, the eyes of the giant mech glowing and standing on its two legs, its mechanical wings spreading out before firing with the wing mounted turrets, gunning down a large number of soldiers.

Skull Face watched in disbelief as his own creation was turned against him, Loona's eyes glowing with rage, "Such a lust for revenge." He said as he was pulled away by his bodyguards. "WHOOOOOOO?!"

The soldiers that remained opened fire, trying to shoot at the hellhound currently hijacking their ultimate weapon, but the Metal Gear waved a metal wing in front of her, blocking the bullet fire, before firing the head-mounted railgun, killing them. The Boss and Snake rush forward, but stopped when Fox stood before them.

"Give her some space." He said. "She may react violently to any sudden invasion of her space."

Breathing heavily, Loona eventually did calm down, her breathing slowing to a more reasonable pace, her eyes losing their glow, then looking up at her lover, mother and brother.

"Guys?"

The three pulled her into a hug, the hellhound not bothering to push them away, before everyone else soon moved in for the hug.

"Oh, Loony!" Blitzo cried. "I'm so sorry! I'll never let you out of my sight again!"

"Quit yelling!" Loona snapped. "Seriously, you're invading my personal space!"

"Okay, what was that just now?" Venom demanded. "That Metal Gear just went berserk all of a sudden!"

Big Boss looked up at the head of the machine, its lights dying down into blackness before saying, "Maybe it had something to do with Loona…"

Suddenly, before anyone could ask further, a part of the bunker exploded, causing debris to fall around them, one falling in between them, separating Loona, Boss, Fox and Big Boss from the rest of the group.

"Skull Face must've rigged the bunker to blow!" Moxxie yelled.

"No shit, Sherlock!" Blitzo replied.

"Blitzo, get everyone out the way we came!" Boss called. "We'll find another way out!"

"You better make it out alive, babe!" Blitzo yelled back. "I'm not going home without my number one!"

The four soon made their way down the halls to find an alternate exit, when another part of the facility exploded, causing more debris to fall.

"Be careful, everyone!" Boss warned.

Loona made to open a door, but looked down one of the halls, she spotted Skull Face down the hall, being escorted by what remained of his soldiers, no doubt to the next exit. Her mind was screaming at her to stay with the Boss, but her heart was pounding with rage and hate, the memories of her rape and torture at the hands of Skull Face's soldiers still haunting her, one thing was clear; she'll never find peace so long as her tormentor lived.

Throwing caution to the wind, she ran and gave chase, ignoring the calls of her mother and friends, running down the corridors after the man in black, before busting into a room, finally catching up to the group, before pulling out her pistol and shooting, hitting every soldier in the head and killing them, leaving only herself and Skull Face alone, with the base falling apart around them.

"So, you have me with everything falling apart around us." He said. "Was it worth it, Sixty-Six? Now we're both likely to die in a burning blaze."

"But this time, you're not walking away." Loona growled, her gun still aimed at him. "The only way I'm finding clarity is if I take you down for good."

Skull Face only laughed at this, "You still haven't learned, girl."

It happened so fast. One minute he was standing there, then all of a sudden, he was right in front of her, knocking the weapon from her hand before grabbing said arm and judo throwing her with great strength, slamming her to the ground.

"No matter how much you try, that pain never goes away." Skull Face declared as he stalked the hellhound. "No one can ever erase the phantom pain of our past."

Growling, Loona got up and threw a punch, only for Skull Face to catch it before punching her in the face, then the gut, and the face again, before throwing her into a table, smashing it into pieces.

"You're still out of your league, girl." Skull Face taunted. "I know everything about Big Boss back in his prime."

"Maybe that's true." Loona admitted before getting to her feet. "But you don't know a thing about me."

"Child, I've had you in chains for two years." Skull Face retorted. "I know everything that breaks a man. But if you insist."

He then readied a stance, Loona doing the same, "Let's dance, bozo."

She charged forward, throwing a fist, Skull Face ducking under before throwing an uppercut, Loona leaning back to dodge before throwing a reverse roundhouse kick, the man in black grabbing hold before throwing her some distance, the hellhound catching herself, only to be met with a knee to the face, barely rolling out of the way when Skull Face brought his heel down upon her head, the steel of his boot meeting concrete.

"You might have been trained by the Boss." Skull Face said. "But even she isn't as perfect as some might think."

'Fuck, this creep likes to talk.' Loona thought before an idea came to her. 'But maybe I can use that against him!'

The hellhound charged in, but instead of a punch, she swiped at him with her claws, leaving claw marks on his face.

"The hell are you doin'?" Skull Face said, running a hand over his face.

"Playin' dirty." Loona snarked. "Told you; you don't know me."

She then slid in between his legs before pulling his coat over his head before kicking him in the butt, sending him forward before he pulled himself against the wall.

"Damn brat." Skull Face growled, his eye sockets glowing with anger. "You know who you're talking to?"

"Not a comedian, that's for sure." Loona replied with a smirk.

Pulling out his lever action rifle, Skull Face took aim and fired, the hellhound easily dodging before jumping to the beams above.

"What did you actually know about Big Boss?" Loona asked, almost mockingly. "Or did you get him mixed up with Venom?"

"Don't try to play psycho analyst with me, girl!" Skull Face snapped, aiming his rifle at her.

"Trust me, I don't need a degree to figure you out." Loona replied before pulling dodging another shot. "I mean, all that build up, for nine years, only to give a big ass speech to the wrong guy? Hilarious!"

"Shut your mouth!" Skull Face snapped, firing again, only for Loona to cartwheel out of the way.

"Must've really hurt right?" Loona taunted some more. "It almost makes me laugh at how pathetic you are."

She then started laughing, much to Skull Faces anger, who only fired his gun, his frustration only growing with each shot missed.

"I mean, you took a bomb to the face, put on a cowboy outfit and turned into a super villain." Loona continued, taking pleasure in making her enemy angry. "What? Couldn't cut it in the freak show in a circus?"

"I've had enough of your insults!" Skull Face yelled.

"What's the matter, old man?" Loona laughed. "You can dish out the burn but can't take it? It's so hypocritical, it's hilarious!"

"ENOUGH!" He snapped before throwing a grenade above, said grenade exploding.

Skull Face looked up above, looking for any signs of movement…

Suddenly, Loona jumped from the smoke with a roar, tackling him to the ground and started throwing punch after punch, letting out all of the rage she had built up for so long, for all the pain this man had inflicted onto her, for trying to use her as a weapon, and for robbing her of her innocence.

Skull Face tried to retaliate with a punch, only for Loona to catch it and break the arm, then broke the other arm before proceeding to beat the man in black repeatedly, before she felt her arm caught before she could deliver another punch, looking over to see Fox with a firm grip on her arm.

"It's over, Loona." He said calmly. "He's gotten what he deserved."

Looking back, Loona saw Skull Face covered in blood and bruises, as well as several scratches.

"We must go." He said. "This bunker is falling apart."

Nodding, Loona got up and left, the two leaving the man in black to burn, Skull Face looking up to see a familiar face emerge from the fire, his golden eyes staring down at him.

Skull Face could only look back in silence as Lucifer Morningstar stared down at him with an amused grin on his face.

"Long time no see, old friend."


Kept you waiting, huh? First off, many apologies for keeping you guys waiting for so long. Besides work and family stuff, I've been busy with my Amphibia story, which consumed a large portion of my time since I've been cooking up ideas for it. While I am excited to write more for that story, that doesn't mean I'm abandoning this series, and I'm so sorry for making you guys think that.

Apologies aside, there are a lot of stuff I have regrets for not including in this story, like some of the events and characters we see in the show, like Striker, Verosika, and more, but I hope to include those in another story in the works, True Patriots in Hell, a story revolving around Big Boss when he descends into Hell after dying at the hands of Solid Snake on Outer Heaven. And yes, in my version, Big Boss does die, but he'll be back to give that speech at the end of MGS 4. So be looking forward to that while I get my other stories caught up.

Anyways, thank you guys so much for your patience, and I hope you sick around for more, especially the epilogue for this story!

Anyways, hope to see you later! Reviews are greatly appreciated!