DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Metal Gear is created by Hideo Kojima and owned by Konami. Genshin Impact is owned by miHoYo.
METAL GEAR SHOGUN
Episode 11
LAST BLOOD
/-\ City Plaza /-\
Ei and George stared up at the apartment complex before them. It was about three stories tall, with a few sentries posted on the upper floors. They had gone back inside to report on the recent display of bloodshed, so she and George had some time to prepare for their attack. George rearmed himself with an AK and some spare magazines while Ei retrieved some grenades.
"The enemy commander is somewhere inside that building." George explained. "More likely on one of the higher levels. For now, I want for our troops to create a perimeter around the building to provide covering fire. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." The soldiers answered.
"Jacqueline and I will be the ones to enter the building." George continued. "We'll gradually make our way upwards until we've searched every area."
"By yourselves?" One soldier questioned. "Are you sure about that?"
"Of course." George responded. "Jacqueline is skilled enough to take down most enemies who try to kill her. They call her 'Demoness' for a reason."
Ei slightly winced when George said "Demoness." She winced more when he called her by her other nickname shortly afterwards.
"So then, Ripper…" George began. "Shall we begin?"
Ei nodded and followed George through the doors into the apartment building.
BGM:
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – Kept You Waiting Huh?
By Ludvig Forssell
The two stepped into the reception area and saw it in very poor condition. The lights were shut off, leaving the room dark. The hallways to the left and right were blocked off by rubble, preventing access. The wall behind the front desk was also collapsed, being their only way through the building. George motioned for Ei to lead the way, and she complied with the notion. Stepping over rubble and turning left, they continued to a corner turning to the right. They would have taken the stairwell to the left, only it was also blocked off by debris.
Peeking around the corner, Ei spotted a wire barricade at the farther intersection. The wall before it to the right was blown open, providing her and George a way through.
"It's quiet." George whispered to himself. "Too quiet…"
Ei raised her AK in case of any sentries that would appear. She peeked through the hole in the wall, seeing dogs chained to posts in the central courtyard. They immediately started barking at her, surely alerting the enemies within the building. Seeing no more point in sneaking around, Ei shot the dogs dead, each of them letting out one final yelp of pain.
"There goes the element of surprise…" George spoke. "Hurry, Jacqueline. It's only a matter of time until we're surrounded." He then took the lead, quickly running across the courtyard and into a door on the other side. Ei followed after him, entering back inside after him. Suddenly, a voice came from the apartment complex's intercom system.
[So you're the CIA dog they sent to assassinate me?] An African voice questioned. [Many have tried before you and failed, mister cowboy. Why should you be any different…?]
With that, the intercom cut off. George slightly turned to Ei.
"Michael Brandon." George informed. "The self-proclaimed commander of these marauders posing as soldiers. Of course, he's only commander in name only. In reality, he's only a glorified warlord."
Ei felt it somewhat ironic how George described the enemy commander. After all, he wasn't that far off from a warmonger himself. Turning to the right, they saw the stairwell in this corner was completely destroyed. They turned left and rushed forward, running into a trio of enemy soldiers. Ei raised her AK and shot at them, wounding one and killing another. The uninjured soldier quickly turned his attention to the small girl, thinking her an easy target. However, it was a foolish move to take his eyes off of George, who shot him dead instantly.
"Go… to hell…!" The wounded soldier on the floor groaned. He raised his pistol at Ei, who merely stabbed him in the wrist, then the chest. The soldier bled out and died, slowly losing what little life was left within him.
George called for Ei to follow his lead again, turning around the corner. On the right wall was an elevator, most likely out of order. But straight ahead, the bottom floor's ceiling had been blown out, the rubble forming an incline up to the second floor. At the top of the incline was another group of soldiers, this time actively shooting at the pair.
"Jacqueline…!" George called for Ei to act. She grabbed a grenade from her vest and pulled the pin. Ei then threw the grenade up to the second floor, diving back behind the corner before it exploded. George grabbed her by the shoulders tightly. "What was that…!?" He scolded her. "That grenade could've rolled back down and blown us up! What were you thinking?"
Ei quickly realized what she had almost done, feeling somewhat ashamed. Popping back out from their cover, she and George saw that all the soldiers guarding the upstairs path were dead. It seems that Ei's gamble worked, despite the risk. The two made their way to the second floor, checking behind them for an ambush.
"Clear?" George prompted.
"Clear…" Ei responded. The intercom turned on once more.
[Feeling confident, aren't we?] Michael's voice echoed through the halls of the building. [I'm honestly insulted you think this… little girl would give you any kind of advantage. She certainly won't be the last child soldier I'll have killed.]
Ei thought about what the enemy commander had just said. Perhaps he or his troops were responsible for some of the deaths of the Small Boys' Unit's members. She was disgusted by the thought.
George peeked around the corner for a moment, swiftly ducking back upon seeing something there. "Seven hostiles, nine o'clock." He noted. "I suggest we duck into the side rooms for cover."
Ei liked George's suggestion. He counted down from three on his fingers. When he reached zero, he stepped around the corner, providing Ei with covering fire. She then rushed across the hall, dodging a bullet and leaping into an open doorway. She primed her last grenade, throwing it over to the group of enemy soldiers as a distraction. In the time during which the gunfire stopped, George dashed into the room Ei had entered, blocking the entrance with a run-down dresser and a couch.
"Any way to continue, Jacqueline?" George queried for Ei. She looked around, seeing that the room was in surprisingly good shape. There were no holes large enough to pass through, which meant the only way inside was through the door George had just barricaded.
However, something caught her eye. A sliding door on the far side of the apartment room, leading to a balcony. "I see a way outside, George." Ei answered. "Maybe we can keep going around the outer wall…?"
"Interesting." George responded. "It's worth a shot." With that, George slid the door open and stepped onto the balcony. Looking left and right, he made a discovery. "There are wooden boards connecting the balconies on this side of the floor. They look a little fragile, so we should watch our–"
George was shot in the arm and ducked back into the building. He rested himself against the wall, clutching his shoulder. Ei was about to ask what had happened, only to hear a voice coming from the outside, followed by Michael Brandon's taunting over the intercom.
"They're trying to use the balconies!" An enemy soldier called out. "Pin them down!"
[How long can you last, I wonder?] Michael's voice mused out loud. [I hope you can make it interesting, for both of our sakes.]
"Shit…!" George cursed. "Hold them off for a minute, Jacqueline!" He instructed.
Ei peeked around the corner, ducking back when she heard gunfire from the enemy soldiers. She waited for one to come closer, biding her time. Eventually, an enemy soldier walked into view, and Ei shot through the glass sliding door at the man, riddling his body with broken glass and bullet holes. She then stepped out into the open, shooting across the balcony at the advancing soldiers. She only managed to kill one, as they were travelling single file.
Ei retreated back inside just as George was finished tending to his injury. Just then, another soldier stepped into the doorway, AK trained at his opposition. Thinking fast, George unsheathed his machete and stabbed it into the man's chest. The enemy soldier let off a few stray rounds before falling over the balcony's railing, taking George's machete with him.
"Damn…" George muttered. "And I was just starting to enjoy dual wielding."
George picked himself back up and stepped onto the balcony. He walked across to the farthest point, unloading his AK into the adjacent room. George reloaded his rifle and motioned for Ei to follow him. Ei proceeded, walking over to the apartment room George had just cleared out. Viewing the recent carnage, Ei followed her adoptive father back out into the hall, where the stairwell in the corner led upwards.
"Come, Jacqueline." George beckoned. "We've just a little while longer until the mission is complete." Ei silently nodded, simply wanting the fighting to end.
BGM end
George kicked the stairwell door down, stepping out into the top floor. He aimed his AK down the hall, checking the corners for enemies.
"Clear!" He spoke.
Ei stepped through the doorway onto the top floor. It seemed much nicer than the lower two floors – not because it was any less destroyed, simply because the presentation was somewhat fancier. Suddenly, Michael's voice sounded throughout the U-shaped hall.
[I'm getting tired of this little game.] He spoke, annoyed this time. [But trust me, this is where it ends. I am not letting you defeat me, American. You and your little whore of a friend are going to die here.]
It seemed that George was also getting tired of Michael's incessant blathering as well. "Come, Ripper." He spoke. "It's time to meet the commander." He walked forward, with Ei trailing behind him. The two came to the door in the center of the floor, preparing to enter. "Wait… If he's smart, he would've had this door jury-rigged to blow when it's opened. Clever little bastard…"
"How do we get in, then…?" Ei asked George.
"Stand back, Jacqueline." She stepped backwards a few meters. George then aimed his AK at the bottom of the wall, near the edge of the doors. He fired, causing an explosion on the other side of the wall to blast the doors off their hinges. "Guess he was using Semtex." He mused. "Typical."
Eventually, the dust settled, leaving the enemy commander and his remaining guards exposed.
BGM:
Metal Gear Solid – Duel
By Kazuki Muraoka
"Damn it…!" The enemy commander grumbled. "Don't just stand there! Attack!"
Both parties quickly raised their rifles and tried to shoot as fast as they could. Ei and George dived to the side while they fired, getting out of harm's way. Michael's guards, however, were not so lucky. Two of them were injured, and one killed. George did land on his AK roughly, breaking it. He was once more without a working firearm.
"Jacqueline!" George commanded. "The guards!"
Ei rolled back over to the hole in the wall, laying on her stomach and shooting into Michael's room. She managed to kill one of the injured soldiers, only further wounding the other. One of the three soldiers left unscathed ran over to Ei and kicked her in the head, making her drop her gun. Quickly recovering, Ei grabbed her knife and stabbed it into the man's leg, causing him to fall over in pain.
Ei jumped on top of the soldier who had fallen, plunging her knife into his throat and killing him. Taking his rifle, she aimed it at the two remaining guards and fired, making them stagger. George got back on his feet and rushed into the room, bashing his elbow right into Michael's face. While the two of them were having a close quarters battle, Ei ran over to the living guards and began to stab them one by one, killing them off and leaving Michael defenseless.
George held his hands in a boxing stance, throwing a handful of light punches at his opponent. They connected, dazing Michael for a few moments. In that time, George thew multiple heavy punches, hitting Michael hard. Grabbing him in an arm lock, he then proceeded to deal out a couple knee strikes, following up by picking him up and slamming him on top of a nearby table.
Michael struggled to recover after that, but still tried to reach for his pistol. George, however, wasn't letting that happen. He unsheathed his remaining combat knife and jabbed it down, embedding it into the table, inches away from Michael's head. In his shock, Michael had involuntarily dropped the pistol he had drawn.
"You lose, 'commander.'" George threatened. Michael made no more attempts to resist after that. He had been beaten.
BGM end
The adrenaline in Ei's system began to fade, and she was once more hit with all the things she had just done, all at once. She hated when this happened. Every so often, Ei would go into a kind of trance. During which, she was still very much conscious, but not aware of the weight of her actions. Mixed with the fact that she would become very brutal and violent during this trance, it meant she would turn into an emotionless killing machine for brief moments at a time. Falling out of this trance was similar to recovering from a hangover and remembering what they had done while intoxicated.
"Well, Jacqueline?" George offered Ei. "Do you want the honors?"
Ei knew what George was talking about. There was no point in refusing his offers anymore, so she tried her hardest to suppress her feelings. "Y-yes…" Ei said. She stood up and drew her combat knife, slowly approaching the defeated commander. She prepared for the killing blow.
"You little shit…" Michael grumbled. "You're really taking orders from this snake here? He doesn't care about you, only himself! When you're no longer useful, he'll just toss you out like a broken toy! Is that what you want!?"
Jacqueline didn't dignify his words with a response. She wordlessly and mercilessly slid the edge of her blade across the neck of her victim. Blood poured out onto the table, then dripping onto the floor below. The twisted fury in the man's eyes began to die out slowly but surely. In the end, it didn't matter who her enemy was or what they said. The only constant left in her life was death.
George smiled at his daughter and patted her on the shoulder. Afterwards, he approached a radio station in the room and took the mouthpiece.
"This is Agent George Sears of the Army of the Devil." George spoke into the mouthpiece. "Your leader, Michael Brandon, is dead. Surrender now, and you will not be harmed." With that, he cut the transmission and sat down on a nearby armchair. Ei wondered if George was being sincere when he said he would spare those who surrendered. It would be astounding if he was – he often showed no mercy to prisoners of war.
Ei didn't think about what Michael had said to her, and she didn't care. The nearly constant fighting and bloodshed had severely warped her sense of self. She was even beginning to wonder if she was still sane anymore. Though, the beeping of George's radio broke her out of her stupor.
"This is George." He said, taking the radio. "What is it?"
[Agent Sears?] The voice on the other end spoke. [There's been a breakthrough.]
"What kind of breakthrough…?" George questioned.
[So, do you remember the attempts at peace talks over the years?]
"If you're asking if I remember how they failed, then yes. I do remember." George replied. Ei heard whispers of supposed peace treaties being suggested to the major factions in the Liberian Civil War. They were rejected, obviously. If they weren't, she would have been able to live peacefully since long ago. "Where are you going with this?" George followed.
[Well…] The radio operator spoke. [There's been a ceasefire.]
"A ceasefire…?" George responded.
[Yeah. It's honestly a goddamn miracle that Charles Taylor even agreed to it. Let alone Kromah and Boley.]
"So, what does this mean?"
[I guess it means…] The radio operator paused. [The fighting's over. Liberia's gonna be going… well, not back to normal… but hey, it's a start.] George gave a small hum of acknowledgement while Ei listened in on the conversation.
A ceasefire…? That meant… the war was over… right? She could go back to living a normal life. Ei would finally be able to pursue Eternity once more, without the war keeping her tied down. But over the years, Ei had become so accustomed to living in times of war that now, when she heard that it would be coming to an end, she was somewhat frightened. A myriad of feelings swirled inside her, many of them incomprehensible. However, one made itself perfectly clear to Ei. Uncertainty.
"What's going to happen now…?" Ei whispered to herself. She looked at George, who walked over to her and knelt down to her level.
"We can only watch and find out, Jacqueline." George explained. "Nobody truly knows what the future holds, be it for us, a nation, or even the entire world. All we can do is wait and see."
Ei began to worry. What kind of path would her life be taking from this point onwards?
Boom! War over! Now, I'm gonna be honest with you: even though the Liberian Civil War has now ended, there will still be one final chapter regarding Liberia. Also, some hopes I have for this fanfic. I really want this fic to have a TV Tropes entry someday. Eventually. I'd also be interested in someone else making a spin-off fic of Genshin Impact characters reacting to Ei's story in the Metal Gear world. You're free to make a "Genshin reacts to Metal Gear Shogun" fic if you'd like, you have my official seal of approval. In the meantime, leave reviews and I'll see you next chapter!
-Azzy Asbourne
Music:
Kept You Waiting Huh?: watch?v=YnGh6EaTfq8
Duel: watch?v=3A5nVNdEkXA