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 16
OUT OF DARKNESS

"No, please…!" A voice begged her. "Don't kill me!"

"Don't listen to him, Jacqueline!" Another voice – a familiar one – commanded her.

"Spare me, I have a family!" The first voice pleaded.

"Jacqueline, this man has killed innocents." The familiar voice spoke. "He's nothing more than a terrorist! Now, kill him!"

The man before her whimpered more and more as she approached him. He cried as her hands placed a knife at his throat. At that moment, she sliced his throat open, watching the life drain from his face.

"Good…" The remaining voice spoke ominously. "You have pleased me yet again… Ripper, my girl…!"

Ei's eyes opened wide. She had yet another nightmare. She was hoping they would at least become less frequent over the years.

If only there were some way to escape them for good…

/-\ Fort Hood, October 21st, 2005 /-\

Ei sat in the mess hall after a long day of rigorous training. She was sitting alone at her own table, which wasn't out of the ordinary. As one of the only female members of Force XXI, she often found it somewhat difficult to hold conversations with the male majority. Not because she hated men, but simply because some of the topics they discussed were rather perplexing to her.

However, on this day, the mess hall was sparsely populated. Normally there would be tens of soldiers and trainees seated at the tables, but Ei counted only a slight amount more than a dozen – not counting the cafeteria staff. And it wasn't just the mess hall, but a majority of the base. A large group of forces had left the base months earlier for reasons she did not know. Perhaps they had been deployed oversees to assist in fighting the so-called "War on Terror," but she would have at least heard if they had been reassigned. It was almost as if they outright disappeared.

Finishing her meal, Ei picked up her empty tray and returned it to the counter. She left the mess hall and headed outside. Taking out a cigarette and lighting it, she wandered around, not particularly occupied by any other engagements. After all, a good walk would do well to improve one's mental well-being. She saw Lieutenant Greene walking over to her, presumably wanting to speak with her.

"Lieutenant, sir?" Ei spoke, saluting the superior officer.

"At ease, Jacqueline." He responded. Ei dropped her salute and relaxed. "I'd like to give you something." Lieutenant Greene spoke.

"What is it, sir?" Ei asked him.

"Well, you said you weren't much of a movie person, right?" Greene inquired.

This was somewhat true. A few months short of a year ago, Lieutenant Greene offered Ei to watch a movie titled "Godzilla" with him. She was confused, to say the least, as she mistook this fictional story as an actual occurrence that took place. It seemed that when it came to movies and other such forms of media, Ei had difficulties separating reality from fiction.

"Yes, somewhat." Ei responded.

"In light of that, I figured I would get you something that recounted real events, and not just a work of fiction. I think you'll find this a lot more believable." Greene then took out a book and handed it to Ei. Its cover was mainly white, with perpendicular black lines intersecting near the top right corner of the cover, and a dark orange square sitting in the bottom right corner. Ei looked at the title printed on the book and read it aloud.

"'In the Darkness of Shadow Moses: The Unofficial Truth'… What is this?" She asked.

"Tell me, have you heard about the incident on Shadow Moses Island?" Greene asked her.

"Shadow Moses…?" Ei thought aloud. The name sounded familiar. Then she thought back. She remembered seeing a story on the news about such an incident back in March. Apparently, there was a revolt on one of the islands in the Fox Archipelago, southwest of mainland Alaska. "Yes, I believe so." Ei answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Well…" Lieutenant Greene spoke, slightly uneasy. "I believe that the official story accounted by the US Government may have been a cover-up."

"A cover-up?"

"Yes. Supposedly, this book is a record of the actual events of what they're calling the 'Shadow Moses Incident.' The book's become a bestseller recently, and it's a real eye-opener. Sure makes you think about what kind of things really go on behind the scenes of business as usual."

Ei thought about the implications of what Lieutenant Greene said. If the official story regarding Shadow Moses was nothing more than a fabrication, then how could she be sure of what she saw every day? A number of doubts made themselves clear in her mind, but also a burning curiosity. What really happened on Shadow Moses? Ei sat down, opened the book, and began reading.

"I dedicate this book to the casualties of Shadow Moses as well as to all those who suffered the tyranny of nuclear weapons – and to Richard Ames."

Ei was fascinated by the story she found herself reading. To think that such an incident were to happen, and be covered up by the United States Government, no less. It was almost unbelievable, yet Ei could not take her eyes away from the pages of the book.

First, the unit which was responsible for bringing forth the incident. Most of the soldiers were part of a unit known as the Next-Generation Special Forces. This unit was organized and trained to respond against terrorist threats involving nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare. These soldiers were artificially strengthened, having "soldier genes" injected into their bodies through gene therapy. This act led them to be labeled as "Genome Soldiers." Additionally, a number of the members this unit were former mercenaries trained alongside her in Force XXI. This would explain the mass disappearance of soldiers from the base some months ago.

The masterminds behind the incident were former members of a covert special operations unit known as FOXHOUND. The rogue FOXHOUND commandos convinced the Next-Generation Special Forces to stage an insurrection, taking over the nuclear weapons disposal facility on Shadow Moses Island. They took hostages and threatened to launch a nuclear strike unless their demands were met within twenty-four hours. The terrorists would use a terrifying new nuclear weapon to launch the nuke: Metal Gear REX.

Metal Gear – an all-terrain, nuclear-equipped, walking battle tank. A weapon that could launch a nuke undetected to and from any location on Earth. It was terrifying to know that a weapon this destructive even existed. The most recent iteration of this horrifying bipedal artillery station – called Metal Gear REX – was being developed in secret on Shadow Moses. The terrorists hijacked this demonic weapon and threatened nuclear annihilation. However, the terrorists' plot was derailed and shut down by a man known to make the impossible possible. His name was Solid Snake.

BGM:

Metal Gear Solid – Introduction
By Kazuki Muraoka

Ei's fascination of the story of the Shadow Moses Incident was mainly directed towards that single man. Her admiration of Solid Snake – this so-called legend – was not only due to his heroism, but also his innate talents, his rare dedication to justice, and his sheer force of will. Solid Snake had been inserted onto Shadow Moses and defeated the renegade FOXHOUND agents, rendering Metal Gear REX inoperable in the process.

But this wasn't even the first time Snake had faced down these mechanical behemoths. Snake was also a former member of FOXHOUND, who was tasked with destroying an earlier Metal Gear model in a heavily fortified military nation known as Outer Heaven. Despite this mission being his first, Snake successfully destroyed the Metal Gear and uncovered that the leader of Outer Heaven was in actuality, FOXHOUND's founder and former commander, Big Boss. A few years later, Snake had been called back into action to infiltrate a former Soviet territory, Zanzibar Land, where he destroyed another Metal Gear and defeated Big Boss for good.

Ei had started reading "In the Darkness of Shadow Moses" out of mere curiosity, but as she learned more about Solid Snake, she kept yearning to know what kind of man he was. In almost every moment of free time she had on the base, Ei would continue to read, absorbing more knowledge of this legendary soldier. If only she were able to meet with him, face-to-face. There were so many things that she wanted to ask him, and she was absolutely certain that his wisdom would help her in her desire to reach Eternity.

BGM end

Ei kept running alongside the remaining members of Force XXI. They were running through an obstacle course – not in virtual reality – in order to build up their strength and resistance. The group ran ahead, maneuvering around the obstacles that laid in their path. They came up to a tall wall with a pair of ropes hanging down from up above. Two by two, the trainees climbed up and onto the raised platform on top of the wall. Ei came next, using the strength of her body to hoist herself up the rope, climbing all the way to the top.

Reaching the upper platform, Ei saw another pair of ropes on the other side of the wall, most likely to provide a safe way down. She slid down one of the ropes, jumping to the ground once she reached a safe height. She then got down on her stomach and crawled underneath some barbed wire ahead. She crawled for several seconds, until the barbed wire ended, after which she stood up again. Seeing the end of the obstacle course ahead of her, Ei summoned the rest of the stamina within her and sprinted forwards, passing by multiple members of the exercise group. She passed the finish line, gradually slowing down and taking a well-deserved break.

"God damn…!" Drill Sergeant Fletcher exclaimed. "You've really been pulling your weight lately, Jacqueline."

"Thank you, sir…!" Ei responded, slightly breathless. Behind her, the last of the trainees finished clearing the obstacle course.

"Trainees, you're dismissed!" Fletcher ordered. "Jacqueline, do you know what's behind this recent increase in drive?"

"I suppose I am simply a little more motivated than usual, sir." Ei said, taking a drink of water. "Recently, I have been reading a book, in which I have learned about someone fascinating…!"

"I knew you'd enjoy it." A voice behind the two called out. Ei and Fletcher turned around to see Lieutenant Greene approaching them. "So, Jacqueline, what do you think of it?" Greene asked Ei.

"Do you mean the book in general?" Ei asked for clarification. "Because if that is the case, I find it rather frightening that terrorists are able to gain access to such destructive forces. But I also take comfort that there are those who are willing to stand up against these people."

"Do you mean Solid Snake?" Lieutenant Greene questioned.

"Yes, indeed." Ei answered. "I find this Solid Snake to be a very great inspiration to me. Despite the air of hostility and secrecy around him, he is still determined to fight for the right thing. And he just gets it done, as simple as that…! He's like a hero."

"Yeah, I guess you could call him that." Fletcher commented. "The dude's tough as nails."

"Quite so." Ei spoke. "Fletcher, sir. You once asked me if I had a reason to fight, and I said I did not. Do you remember?"

"I do, Jacqueline." Fletcher responded. "Why're you bringing this up?"

"Because I believe I have found a reason to fight." Ei answered. "Solid Snake is a hero, one who would always fight for what is right. I aspire to one day, become a hero such as him."

Fletcher chuckled a little. "Good on you, Jackie." He quipped.

"Where is Snake now?" Ei enthusiastically asked Greene. "Do you know if he has plans to visit America? Because I would very much like to speak with him."

"Uhh…" Greene let out a small groan. "Pretty much nobody knows where he is." Lieutenant Greene answered. "He's gone off the grid ever since Shadow Moses. That, and I think the US sees him as some kind of criminal."

"What…!?" Ei was shocked to hear that. "But why? How could he be seen that way?"

"Apparently, some witnesses who've seen him after the incident claim that he's been involved in some pretty extreme illegal activities." Drill Sergeant Fletcher spoke up. "It's said that he's done some sabotage operations in some pretty sensitive parts of the world, if you can understand."

Ei felt conflicted about this news. Snake was – in her eyes – a hero. Someone who would gladly place their life on the line for the greater good. She believed that someone like him would be the one to put a stop to such illegal activities, but hearing that he himself was enacting them was absurd.

"I refuse to believe that." Ei spoke. "Solid Snake would not commit such atrocious acts. I know it."

Ei began to walk off, somewhat shaken. During the time in which she learned about Snake, she began to idolize him. However, hearing that he had been labeled as a criminal had challenged her perception of him. Was Solid Snake a great hero, or was he truly a villain? Would she ever be able to meet him in person?

What was Ei supposed to believe?

Thanks again for reading! Here is the chapter in which Ei learns about Solid Snake! This will ultimately be the catalyst for her joining FOXHOUND in the near future. Plus, she's developing feelings of admiration for Snake, which will influence her future. I didn't include it here, but Ei also learns about Colonel Campbell, and develops a sense of respect for him, too. I'll get back to writing, so make sure to catch the next chapter!

-Azzy Asbourne

Music: watch?v=jzdH-rlwZIY