Solid Snake stood at the edge of a grey cliff, the winds howling over the turbulent waves assaulting the rough crags below. The silent enormity of the dark gunmetal sky and the infinite horizon filled him with a feeling of longing. All he could think of was home.
"You've come a long way, kid," said a voice behind him. "You've waded through an ocean of blood and choked on dust to get here to this spot."
The voice was familiar to Snake, but he couldn't put his finger on why.
Snake nodded, not turning around. "Yeah," he whispered. He breathed in deep, taking in the smell of the sea.
"Was it all that you thought it would be?" the voice asked.
Snake closed his eyes, shaking his head. "I don't know. I don't think I'd do anything different, though. My country, my mentor, my brothers in arms—they asked me to step up for them. I guess…I just hope that I did right by them."
"Is that why you fight? For the benefit of others?"
Snake turned his body towards the voice slightly but didn't look back. He directed his gaze at the ground. He shook his head again. "I don't know," he repeated.
Snake heard footsteps approaching; they sounded heavy, like falling stones. "Some people in this world fight for faith. Others for family. Others for justice, or for patriotism," said the voice, which started to get louder and deeper with proximity. "And others still fight only for themselves and their own enrichment."
Snake turned to face the voice but couldn't bring himself to look up at the Demon's face. Like before, the Demon's breath smelled rancid, and the body was heavily scarred as though it had been burned.
"What about you, Snake?" the Demon asked.
Its voice shifted, becoming higher and more feminine. This time, Snake did look up. Instead of the torn horned skull with the single burning eye that he expected to see, he saw Honey Badger's face. Her hair was singed, her proud face smudged with blood and dirt. One eye was gouged and bloody, and a black shining horn erupted from her forehead on the opposite side. She'd been marred by battle, but it was definitely recognizable as her face and voice.
"What do you fight for?" she asked.
It was the same question she'd asked him in their shared bed years ago when they were in training together. It felt like a lifetime ago. Just like that time, Snake felt that he didn't have a good answer to give her. But this time, the question felt like it had so much more weight behind it as it was punctuated by the sound of crashing waves.
"I fight…" Snake started, licking his lips. "I fight because…"
He squeezed his fists. Honey stood there with a despondent expression but said nothing. Snake nodded, mostly just to himself. He looked into Honey's eye with more resolve.
"My answer hasn't changed. I fight because that's who I am. It's what I am. I am a warrior, and my place is on the battlefield."
"Is that truly what you want? Is that truly all that you are? Or is that an idea that Big Boss put into your head?"
Snake was thrown off balance. His fists relaxed. "What…?" he murmured.
Honey Badger shook her head, and as she did so, her features started to shift, revealing the face of the Demon once more. "It doesn't matter," it said. "If that is the answer you have chosen for yourself, then so be it."
As it resumed its natural form, Snake noticed that the Demon felt different this time around. It no longer smelt so foul nor looked so fearsome. Instead, the grin on its skull started to take on a sadder quality.
"Know this, Snake," the Demon whispered. "You are getting so close to the core of who you are. If you continue on this path, you will become mine. Or rather, you will become like me. And once you do, you will have truly earned your name."
The Demon's features shifted again, and now Snake was staring into the eyes of his exact double, who bore hard eyes of death and menace that were incongruous with the sad smile on his lips that he wore now.
"Do you understand?" the Demon asked with Snake's voice.
Snake shook his head in disbelief. "Not at all," he replied.
The Demon chuckled, unsettling Snake with its uncanny likeness of him. It placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry," it said good-naturedly. "You will."
A final wave crashed up against the cliffs, showering them both in sea foam and obscuring Snake's vision.
OPERATION INTRUDE N313
DAY SIX – 0648 HOURS
SNAKE'S CAMP, APPROX. 80 KM NORTHEAST OF OUTER HEAVEN
Snake's eyes fluttered open when Christopher tapped him on the shoulder. He blearily looked up, blinking in the soft light of the morning sunrise. His back felt stiff—he was still resting up against the cave wall where Jennifer had left him last night.
"Uh…?" Snake vocalized wearily.
Christopher jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "Come on, Snake. Wake up. Diane and the cavalry are here."
Snake's gaze followed the invisible line from Chris's thumb to the mouth of the cave, where there were indeed two vehicles waiting outside: one transport truck like the one Snake and co. had stolen from Outer Heaven, and a civilian four-door station wagon. Snake grabbed Chris's outstretched hand and hauled himself to his feet, rubbing his neck to relieve the tension as he followed the Rebel spy outside to meet the newcomers.
Congregated outside the truck and the station wagon were more Rebel soldiers, as well as two civilians Snake didn't recognize: a man and a woman.
The woman was wearing tight black jeans and a leather jacket over a short sleeve tee shirt and many colorful beaded necklaces dangling down to her navel and a pair of thick leather boots with a smiley face pin attached to the side of one of them. Her hair was cropped short, a fiery shock of reddish blonde waving off the top of her head, and her face was pale with white makeup, save for the jet black of her lips and the eyeliner that circled eyes shining like pale emeralds. On either side of her lean face, a pair of inverted golden triangles dangled from her earlobes.
The man was heavily muscled, wearing sweatpants and a jean vest over a faded off-white tee shirt and black sunglasses. His head was shaved, though his face sported an impressive beard. Like his companion, he also wore heavy leather boots, though unlike her boots which were spotless and decorated, his were scuffed and worn.
Snake approached the duo, addressing the woman first. "Diane, I take it?" he asked, offering a hand.
The lady took his hand and shook it with a nod. "That's me," she said. "My friend here is Johan, my roadie."
Snake shook Johan's hand. "Nice to meet you," he said.
"Likewise," Johan grunted. "You must be this 'Solid Snake' I keep hearing about."
Snake grinned. "In the flesh. Thanks for coming here on short notice."
"Didn't really have much of a choice, either way," Diane said. "You've really stirred up the hornet's nest down there, Snake. They're evacuating all civilian and non-essential personnel. I had to make sure me and mine got out of there before they started locking the place down. Last thing I heard before we left was they were planning a full-on assault of the west side to try and retake the storage facility from the Resistance."
"Sounds about right," Snake said. "Last I talked to Kyle, he was planning on setting up defenses for a potential siege. Outer Heaven's supposed to be bringing in reinforcements from outside."
"Why doesn't he just evacuate?" Diane asked. "The Resistance has people all over, but no way do they have enough firepower nearby to mount a coordinated resistance to all of Outer Heaven's forces."
"That one's my fault," Snake admitted guiltily. "They're going to help me get into the bunker on the north side of the base. After that, Kyle promised me that he'd bug out with his people."
Diane's eyes widened and then narrowed into a scowl that was both full of determination and also slightly accusatory. "Then we'd better move quickly," she said. "We don't want to make them wait for you any longer than they have to."
Snake nodded. "Agreed. Come on, let me introduce you to your passenger."
Snake led Diane and Johan into the cave to meet with Dr. Madnar and Ellen, who were still huddled together against the cave wall, fast asleep. Snake gently woke the two up, then offered a hand to help them both to their feet.
"Ellen," Snake said, gesturing to the two next to him, "this is Diane and Johan. You're going to be riding with them for a while. They're going to take you somewhere safe, away from here."
"But, what about Father?" she asked uncertainly.
"Your father is going to be traveling separately," Snake explained. "It's for your own safety, the both of you. I promise you; you will be reunited once this is all over with."
"Where are you going to be taking me?" Ellen asked Diane.
Diane smiled warmly. "I have a place in Kimberley where we can hide you. You'll be safe there. It's close by to the train station to Johannesburg as well, for when you're ready to start making your way out of the country to go back home."
Snake chimed in. "Since you don't have any identification, you'll need a way to arrange safe passage out of the country. If and when you're ready to go to Johannesburg or if you have to make an early break for the city for any reason, either head straight to the U.S. consulate there or make for the embassy in Pretoria. When you get inside, tell them that you're seeking political asylum, and that you've been instructed to contact Lt. Col. Roy Campbell and tell him that Solid Snake sent you."
He put a reassuring hand on her arm. "You'll be well taken care of. I promise you: we will get you home safe and sound."
Ellen stepped forward and threw her arms around Snake, shoulders shaking with sobs. Snake awkwardly returned the hug, patting her back.
"Th-thank you, Snake," she whispered. She let go of him and walked over to hug her father goodbye for a long time, kissing him on the cheek before turning to Diane and nodding to indicate that she was ready.
Diane wrapped her arm around the taller woman's shoulders and led her to the back of the station wagon. Diane looked to Snake with concern. "Snake, I…" she stopped, waiting for the words, but they didn't come to her. She shook her head. "Just, be careful, Snake. Come back alive."
"I intend to," Snake replied.
Johan gave Snake a cheerful smile as he opened the driver's side door. "We'll take good care of her, Snake. Good luck out there."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Snake waved.
Seconds later, the car's engine was fired up and the three turned around and drove out onto the dirt path, heading north. Snake watched them until they drove down and around the hill out of sight. Dr. Madnar approached the FOXHOUNDer.
"So, Snake, where will I be going?"
"You're going with Jennifer and her men," Snake said. "I'm going to give her coordinates to a meeting location my CO gave me. Once you're there, someone from my team will pick you up and take you somewhere safe for a debrief. They're going to ask you some questions; all you need to do is answer them honestly. Once they're done, depending on where Ellen is by then, they'll either transport you to reunite with Ellen in Kimberley or send you back to your home country to meet with her there."
"And then this whole nightmare will finally be over?" Madnar asked desperately.
Snake nodded. "You'll be able to go back to your normal lives."
Madnar placed a hand on Snake's shoulder, tears in his eyes. "Thank you, Zmeya. Thank you."
Cyrus led Dr. Madnar into the new truck alongside Christopher and Wikus. Jennifer approached Snake and introduced him to the new squad.
"This is Petrus, Mandla, Willem, and Vusi. They're going to go with you on the bunker raid. They'll follow any command you give them," Jennifer explained.
"It's an honor to meet you, sir," said Willem, who shook Snake's hand vigorously.
"You're all they talk about back at the listening post," said Petrus with a grin. "The man who single-handedly infiltrated Outer Heaven, released all its prisoners and killed all four of the Bloody Brads! Is it true that you took on an armored division all by yourself?"
Snake shook his head sheepishly, his face warm. "Well, I maybe helped a little with the tank and APCs," he said with a little embarrassment.
"But I didn't 'single-handedly' do anything," he followed up earnestly. "Kyle got me in in the first place. Jennifer got me into R&D to fight the Brads—and secured our escape. Her spies helped me rescue the Madnars. And my friend Gray Fox got me out of captivity when I got captured. The point is, I wouldn't have made it this far without everyone's help."
Snake shook his head and placed a hand on Petrus's shoulder, looking to each face in his new squad. "If it weren't for them, I'd be dead by now. And now, I'm going to be trusting you to get me within spitting distance of Outer Heaven's bunker."
"You can count on us," Petrus replied. The others nodded in agreement.
"So, what is the plan for your approach?" Vusi asked.
Snake squatted down onto his knees, picked up a stick, and started drawing a loose diagram of Outer Heaven and the surrounding cliffs into the dirt. He drew a line from off the makeshift map toward the cliffs northeast of the bunker overlooking Outer Heaven HQ. He also drew a large group of X's representing enemy forces with an arrow pointing them toward the box representing the supply storage facility and a smaller wall of X's alongside the eastern and southern walls of the bunker.
"We'll start by taking the truck as close as possible to the compound without being spotted, starting here at this cliff. Then we'll wait until Kyle and his men start the fighting with Outer Heaven and draw some of the heat away from the bunker, at which point we'll make the drive to the bunker itself," Snake said. "The enemy probably won't know we're coming since they'll be too focused on Kyle's men; we should expect some light resistance from Outer Heaven's forces guarding the entrance, but it will likely be relatively safe compared to what'll be going down at supply storage. Rules of engagement will be weapons-free on approach: assume all targets are hostile."
Snake drew a line from the cliffs through the group of X's by the bunker. "We'll fight our way to the entrance to get me inside, and then the rest of you will egress away from the bunker and contact Kyle for further instructions." To punctuate his last point, Snake drew a large arrow pointing away from the bunker and a single circle inside the bunker's walls to represent himself.
"We're not coming with you into the bunker?" Mandla asked, confused.
"Depending on how things go inside the bunker, some offsite air support may be sent to carpet bomb Outer Heaven HQ and wipe the place off the map," Snake explained. "Succeed or fail, there's a nonzero chance that my entry into the bunker is going to be a one-way trip. I promised Kyle that I wouldn't endanger him or his men any more than absolutely necessary, and I intend to keep that promise."
Snake could tell that the four men were unsatisfied by his explanation: the all looked uneasy at the prospect of sending Snake into the lion's den alone. Snake tried his best to keep his men focused. He gave a reassuring smile. "Look, we'll work it out when we get there, alright? Let's just get this done. Sooner I get underground, the sooner we can all go home."
Once the briefing was finished, Snake called up Kyle to relay the plan. "Architect, this is Snake. We're going to make our way to the cliffs now and try to get there before Outer Heaven's reinforcements come knocking on your door," Snake told him. "I'll call you when we're in position. You give us a signal for when we should make our approach."
"You've got it, Snake," Kyle assured him. "We'll be ready."
Wikus and the other rescued spies climbed into the new truck that Petrus's squad had brought. Jennifer pointed to the stolen truck from Outer Heaven. "Take that one when you go. A truck with the company's logo might give you an advantage, let you get a little closer before the enemy starts shooting at you."
"Good idea," Snake said.
"Snake…be careful," Jennifer said. "We're almost at the end. We're so close—don't die on us now."
Snake smirked. "I don't intend to."
They shook each other's hands in solidarity, after which Jennifer boarded the cab of the new truck and drove off. Snake and his squad boarded the stolen truck, with Snake in the cab and Willem in the driver's seat. Only thing left to do now would be to report to Big Boss and inform him of the plan.
Snake tuned his radio to the new Mission Control frequency. "Mission Control, this is Snake. Come in. We're making our approach to Outer Heaven now. The plan is as follows…"
OPERATION INTRUDE N313
DAY SIX – 0833 HOURS
OUTER HEAVEN WEST: RESISTANCE FORWARD OPERATING BASE
Kyle Schneider stepped out from the shadow of the stairwell doorway on Building One's rooftop, shielding his eyes from the eastern sunrise as he walked over to check on Loyiso and Imke, who made up the sniper-spotter team on the southeast corner. Kyle had spent all of yesterday evening helping his teams set up fortifications along the eastern and southern exterior of their Building One Base Camp. Overnight, Kyle was coordinating Rebel movements from offsite while the ground teams laid out claymores and AT mines interspersed with barbed wire coil barricades strewn about the craters and sandbags left behind by Outer Heaven troops that they'd fought off shortly after Snake's battle with the tanks.
Kyle wiped his brow of sweat and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deep. Fatigue was setting in. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten any real sleep. He shook his head and got his wits together before he sat down to talk to his sniper team—everyone was tired, he knew. He couldn't afford to lose his composure in front of his men; he needed to keep up their morale for what they were planning to do today.
Kyle squatted behind Loyiso and Imke. "Morning," he greeted. "What do we see today?"
Imke looked up from her binoculars while Loyiso remained prone with his rifle. "No movement yet, Commander," she said. "It's only a matter of time, though."
Loyiso craned his neck to look up over his shoulder. "What's the game plan, sir?"
Kyle wiped his hands on his knees. "Reinforcements are still a few hours out," he said. "Some of our eastern spies out in Loxton have reported armored movements coming westward out of Victoria West, and our posts in the Northern Cape have spotted birds flying south from Outer Heaven's northern FOBs. I think the choppers and ground vehicles will probably beat our reinforcements here by one or two hours."
Both members of the team looked worried. "We still have time to get everyone out if we leave now, sir," Loyiso ventured.
Kyle shook his head. "The objective of our whole movement was to get Outer Heaven out of our country. This is the closest we've ever gotten. If we want to succeed, we need to buy Snake as much time as we can. It's either now or never." Kyle laid a reassuring hand on his rebels' shoulders. "Victory is close at hand," he said with a warm, tired smile. "Let's not waste the opportunity while it's in our grasp."
Imke's face hardened in determination as she nodded. Loyiso looked similarly ready, but there was still a note of uncertainty in his eyes. "But sir, what about our reinforcements?" he asked.
Kyle smiled. "I have a plan for that," he said, pulling his radio from his pocket to emphasize his point. "I've got teams ready to intercept the vehicle convoys to buy our reinforcements some time in getting here."
Over the night, while the ground teams were setting up the mine traps and barricades, Kyle was calling for reinforcements from nearby listening posts and coordinating Resistance movements in Cape Town, Calvinia, Victoria, Beaufort West, and Bloemfontein to target nearby FOBs and supply depots that Outer Heaven had set up throughout the western half of the country. These men were ready to intercept and perform hit and run attacks on these enemy assets at a single word from Kyle.
Loyiso's eyes lit up. "You don't mean-?"
Kyle nodded. "That's right. Starting today, our movement will no longer be underground, but out in the open. Today is the day we take this war to our enemies and take back our country for good."
A combination of joy and steely triumph flashed on Loyiso's face, matching Imke's own expression. The other troops had given Kyle similar looks when he'd spread the news earlier. Seeing his men rally like this filled Kyle with grim satisfaction.
But it was still too early to celebrate. Kyle frowned down to his sniper team as he said, "That's why I need you focused and ready. The moment you see any approaching movement, report it. And if you get a shot, take it. Understand?"
"Yes, sir!" both Rebels replied confidently.
Kyle nodded and left the team to their work as he headed over to the northeast side to join Gray Fox, who was manning his own sniper rifle by himself. Fox glanced up briefly to acknowledge Kyle's approach before settling back into the scope.
"Rallying the troops?" Fox asked.
Kyle picked up his binoculars and joined the FOXHOUNDer. "Yes," he said. "Everyone is ready and focused. My offsite teams are also ready to move at my command. They all know it's do or die."
"Good," Fox said. "All that's left now is for Snake to get into position and for Outer Heaven's reinforcements to arrive. How far out is the cavalry?"
"Last I checked, they were still a bit far out—they're primarily traveling on foot, so it'll be another two or three hours before they get here."
"Hm," Fox grunted.
Kyle's radio crackled with life. He put it to his ear to hear the reports: armored column moving east along highway R63, getting close to Loxton. How to proceed?
Kyle pushed the button on his radio. It was time.
"All teams," he said. "Begin Operation Judgment Day."
RESISTANCE OPERATION: "JUDGMENT DAY"
MARCH 19, 1995
0845 - 1100 HOURS
WESTERN SOUTH AFRICA
The convoy rumbled on the desert path winding between the hills north of Loxton, exiting R63 to cut across the sandy countryside to bypass the town and move straight to the adjacent highway northward. The convoy consisted of sixteen vehicles moving on the road in single file, with seven tanks, four Jeeps, and five armored personnel carriers.
The tires and treads ground through the sandy loam, kicking up dust that billowed around and away from the convoy in a cloud. The mercs in the Jeeps in the rear complained at not being able to see shit as they followed behind the trundling armored behemoths before they were silenced by the drivers who were trying to concentrate on the navigational instructions fed to them over the radio from the tank drivers in front.
When they swung around the southern tip of the Grootberg mountains, the silence was broken by sudden explosions impacting the ground near the convoy, along with a couple of direct impacts knocking the treads of one of the tanks and turning two of the Jeeps into rolling infernos.
"Mortars!" someone called out. The tanks shift position to face towards the mountain and shield the personnel exiting the APCs and surviving Jeeps. Gunners and tank drivers scramble to determine the point of origin so they can track down and rain fire onto the enemy mortar teams.
A squad of four Resistance fighters carrying RPGs stage themselves at an overlooking cliff. They bring their launchers to bear, sending the projectiles careening into the Outer Heaven convoy. The rockets slammed into and around one of the APCs with great force, destroying the vehicle and the infantry both inside and around it.
Another squad on the opposite cliff closer to the convoy readied grenade launchers, aiming downrange at the scattered infantry, taking several out before one of the tanks turned its cannon to retaliate. The metal beast took out the grenadiers and part of the mountain along with them. The RPG team reposition themselves to escape the notice of the other tanks.
A second shower of mortar shells rained down on the convoy, pummeling another tank. Unfortunately, the mortar team is discovered nestled in the hills among the trees in the distance. All of the surviving tanks started sending shells that way, obliterating the hillside and forcing the surviving Resistance fighters in the RPG team to retreat, their objective of softening up the Outer Heaven convoy now complete.
In the Northern Cape, a similar show was occurring, with five Blackfoot helicopters flying overhead only to get harassed by RPG teams a couple hundred kilometers northwest of Brandlvei. In the skirmish, two of the birds were successfully shot down before the rebels were forced to run to ground.
In the countryside northeast of Cape Town, a supply depot south of the mountain of Perdeberg was assaulted by guerilla teams, setting multiple grain silos ablaze with Molotov cocktails. Farmers in the region started setting fire to their crops at the instruction of the Resistance while the rebels viciously attacked Outer Heaven transports in the area.
Rail lines were destroyed in Calvinia, Sutherland, and Brandlvei with controlled demolitions using explosives that were planted the night before, effectively cutting off major supply routes into the region.
Outer Heaven troops in FOBs near Karoo National Park and Copperton were quick to catch onto the coordinated attack, and were able to repel the Resistance invasions, but the FOBs and staging areas near the northern border weren't so lucky.
Reports started rolling into Kyle's base at Outer Heaven HQ of enemy and friendly casualties alike, and these same reports were quickly disseminated by his intel teams to the local populace. As the fighting started to bleed out into the major cities and municipalities in the southern and eastern coastline, Outer Heaven mercs traveling in Cape Town, Beaufort West, and Victoria West found themselves set upon in the streets, getting stabbed, shot, and strangled by both Resistance fighters and even by some of the locals joining in.
Within the span of two hours, all of western South Africa was involved in the festival of violence as the people rallied to the Resistance's banner. Black smoke choked out the skies, and the sound of cacophonous gunfire became common no matter where one walked. In the eastern cities north of Lesotho and dotting the eastern coast, civilian demonstrations were beginning to riot, and Resistance members were openly battling Outer Heaven troops in the streets.
Throughout all of this, the Demon maintained his composure in the face of the bloodbath and the conflicting, chaotic reports that it created. Undeterred, he bade the remains of the convoy near Loxton and the northern birds continued their approach to Outer Heaven to reinforce his army at home. Outer Heaven was determined to take back what was theirs and cut off the head of the serpent that had slithered its way into their garden; and the first step was to put down the Resistance's troublesome leadership for the last time. The second was to eliminate the interloper that the Resistance had brought in. The Demon's private army would accomplish the former.
As for the latter…
The Demon smiled with grim anticipation. Many traps had been laid for the snake, and thanks to the old man, the Demon had been given the perfect bait with which to lure his prey.
MARCH 19, 1995 – 1137 HOURS
PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA
UNION BUILDINGS – PRESIDENTIAL OFFICES
President Nelson Mandela held his head in his hands as he took in the words his military advisers relayed to him. Though he had long ago in his youth recognized over the course of his military service the unfortunate necessity of violent resistance against tyranny when all other peaceful avenues failed, he had still maintained some hope that such bloodshed would be left behind after the legislative dismantling of apartheid in 1991 and the new constitution being ratified in 1993. Back then, he was certain that the worst was behind them, that his country would finally have the opportunity to heal, and that a diplomatic solution to the Outer Heaven problem would be found to make further infighting and war unnecessary.
When Outer Heaven proved to be belligerent and refused to vacate, Mandela knew then that a resurgence of violent uprisings were only a matter of time. Now that day had come: riots in the streets, local armed resistance openly warring with Outer Heaven mercenaries in every corner of the country. Heads of state in Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Botswana were concerned about the fighting in the cities spilling over into their borders, and Namibia and Zimbabwe were already tightening border security until such time as order could be restored.
Movement of refugees by land would prove to be difficult, and controlling the narrative in the international media as they had done before would be impossible—the government had been effective in suppressing news of their prior civil unrest against Outer Heaven, but that was now no longer an option.
As for air and sea, the air and naval branches of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) wouldn't be able to move effectively against Outer Heaven without risk to South Africa's own citizens. It would be similar if President Mandela reached out through diplomatic channels to the United Nations for assistance, assuming any of them would be willing to intervene on South Africa's behalf before it was too late. The one domestic option left to him, or so his generals were telling him, was to place the entire country under martial law and give the army branch greater freedom to fight back and subdue both Outer Heaven and the Resistance fighters before things got any worse.
Two years, Mandela thought bitterly to himself—so much strife under apartheid, and they'd only managed to buy themselves two years of real relative peace, from 1991 to 1993 when the Resistance first formed, and now here Mandela was, contemplating the unthinkable in subjecting his countrymen to another kind of tyranny in the hopes of keeping that peace before Outer Heaven could tear his people and country apart.
"Your Excellency, we need to take back control quickly, before all of this gets out of hand," said General Georg Meiring.
Mandela met the eyes of his general. "What about the Americans?" he asked. "Their intelligence had indicated that Outer Heaven possessed weapons of mass destruction. If we are too aggressive in our posture, might the mercenary company be inclined to detonate it, and use it against us?"
General Meiring went quiet as everyone in the room contemplated the thought. A few days ago, the SANDF offices were given a call from the American Secretary of Defense stating that Outer Heaven may be actively producing WMDs on South African soil but refused to disclose their sources by which they had obtained this information.
This refusal was not unusual in and of itself—the most vital information worth protecting in any intelligence community was always the methods and means of intel collection, not the intel itself. However, the timing of these domestic guerilla revolutionaries revealing themselves to lead the citizenry in open war against the PF was very suspect. How long had the Americans been sitting on this information? Why wait until now to disclose it? Perhaps they had men on the inside in both Outer Heaven and in the Resistance, and that was why the rebels had grown so bold?
After a moment of silence, President Mandela held out his hand to the general. "Please hand me a phone," he said.
An aide handed a secure satellite phone to General Meiring, who passed it over to the president. With steady hands, President Mandela dialed the number of the U.S. Defense Secretary. The phone was picked up on the first ring.
"This is Secretary of Defense William Perry," came the voice.
"Mr. Perry, this is the President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela."
"Hello, Your Excellency. How may I help you today?"
"Outer Heaven has begun an uprising in the western cape of South Africa," said Mandela. "Civil unrest is dangerously high, and my generals are recommending I put the country under martial law. You called me recently to tell me that you had reason to believe that Outer Heaven was in possession of a weapon of mass destruction. Do you remember?"
"Yes sir, that is correct."
"At the time of the phone call, you refused to elaborate on how this information was obtained or how you knew it was credible."
"That's right, Your Excellency, I was not at liberty to disclose that information to you."
"Allow me to get right to the point," Mandela stated flatly. "I know you have assets operating on my country's soil—you must, if I am to believe that your information is credible. I will ask you bluntly: are any of them in a position to disable this weapon of Outer Heaven's?"
"Are you asking because you want my help, or because you want me to pull my people out and not get involved?" asked Secretary Perry.
"You already know the answer, Mr. Perry. Please do not insult me," Pres. Mandela replied.
"…We have multiple contingencies," Perry admitted. "We have multiple assets inside the Resistance who have allowed us to influence them into performing a coordinated attack of Outer Heaven headquarters—some of these assets had also planted themselves within Outer Heaven itself to collect intelligence, which is how we knew the existence of the weapon. Once the presence of the weapon was confirmed, it was a simple matter of arming the Resistance forces in the area and pointing them in the right direction so that they could do what they wanted to do anyway."
Mandela clenched his fists, his face tightened. Veins in his forehead bulge as one eye twitched slightly. "You are telling me that instead of coming to me and letting the SANDF take operational control, you sent in agents without the consent of my government, and on top of this, you utilized the involvement of a revolutionary extremist group? Am I to understand that the blame for this new civil war on my doorstep lies at your feet?"
Sec. Perry did not provide an answer.
Mandela breathed in slowly, outstretched his arms and fingers, and exhaled slowly. He brought the phone back to his ear. "So, tell me, Secretary," he said. "Say that your agents and the Resistance fail. What then?"
"There's a NATO aircraft carrier about five thousand kilometers off the western coast. It's carrying B-52 bombers and F-111 Aardvarks. These planes have been painted with SANDF colors to give the impression that they are under the ownership of South Africa. With your permission, sir, I would like to have these planes unloaded north of Cape Town and to set up a runway."
"For what purpose, Mr. Perry?"
"This squadron is loaded with laser-guided GBU-28 'bunker busting' bombs that are designed to be surface piercing. In the event that our onsite assets fail in their mission, these birds will covertly fly over Outer Heaven headquarters and subject it to aerial bombardment with enough firepower to wipe that entire base off the map. Once we've confirmed destruction of the weapon, your SANDF will be able to safely clean up what's left of the mess, and with the planes identified as being owned by your forces, you'll even be able to take all the credit, making you look better on the international stage."
President Mandela considered this idea. The people's grievances with Outer Heaven were due to having a foreign military presence on their land, so direct military intervention by NATO forces would be a bad idea, even if it were under the government's command. The Americans have thought of everything. How long had they been planning this, and what exactly do they get out of helping?
Knowing that time was at a premium, Mandela made a decision. "When Outer Heaven is defeated and my forces take over," he said slowly, "we will need UN assistance to process and house refugees in and around the region; it would also be helpful if they assist in cleanup of the site after bombardment, to prevent environmental destruction and contamination in the event of the release of hazardous chemical or nuclear materials that may be present on the site. With the United States having such a great deal of influence in the United Nations, I would like you to assist us in getting the required resources."
"I'll pass along the request to the State Department. VP and Secretary of State are looped in on this operation, it shouldn't be a problem."
"One thing, Mr. Perry," Mandela cut in, "these UN resources are not to include any armed personnel; what we need are EMTs, doctors, and environmental specialists, not more soldiers—armed foreigners with imperialist designs are what put my country in this situation. We will not allow a repetition of the circumstances that caused this in the first place. Any weapons or fighting vehicles brought into the country by NATO forces will be confiscated for exclusive use by SANDF. Agreed?"
"I don't think that will be a problem, Your Excellency," said Perry.
Mandela nodded. "In that case, you have my permission to bring these aircraft into my country. In a moment, I will have my chief of the army contact you to coordinate this task once I've had a chance to further discuss our military strategy with him. Thank you for your time, Mr. Perry."
"It was my pleasure, Your Excellency. I'll be coordinating with the State Department and the President, but we will be ready to receive your call."
"Thank you, sir. That will be all," Mandela finished, hanging the phone up. He turned his attention to General Meiring.
"As of now, the country is under martial law," he said. "You are to have your forces suppress Outer Heaven and Resistance activities in the cities on the eastern and southern parts of the country, but you are not to approach Outer Heaven until after the Americans' bombing raid. Your main task is to secure and protect our civilians and restore order—anyone who opposes or obstructs you is to be seen as an enemy, regardless of whether they are Resistance or Outer Heaven. Instruct your men to take Resistance members alive for questioning if at all possible—after all, they are still our people, and they are fighting for their country, which should make them our allies. However, if they show hostile intent, your men are not required to allow themselves to come to harm for the Resistance's sake."
"Very good, Your Excellency," nodded the general.
"One more thing," Mandela said, raising a finger. "I don't believe for one moment that the only assets the Americans have in and around Outer Heaven are solely Resistance members. There may be covert Americans on our soil. Assuming they make it out of Outer Heaven, their next move will be to head for the United States embassy in Pretoria or one the consulates in Johannesburg, Cape Town, or Durban. When order is restored, focus on tightening your security in these areas. I want this American or Americans found and detained for questioning. They must not be allowed to leave this country, and they must be captured alive—this last part is not optional. Understand, General?"
"Yes, Your Excellency," Meiring responded.
Mandela nodded. "Call the American government, make whatever arrangements are needed to get those bombers onsite. Bring them to the countryside north of Cape Town, somewhere where there aren't many people. Even if the planes are painted to be identified as ours, I still want them to keep a low profile."
With the instructions handed out, the meeting was adjourned as Mandela's chiefs of military staff left to begin making their arrangements. The announcement of martial law would be made within the hour. Mandela himself walked slowly back to his desk and sat, feeling troubled. He prayed that he was doing the right thing and that by the end of today, his country would be free from strife once and for all.
OPERATION INTRUDE N313
DAY SIX – 1223 HOURS
OUTER HEAVEN WEST: RESISTANCE F.O.B.
Gray Fox scanned the cliffs on the far side of the base with the scope of his rifle just in time to see an Outer Heaven truck turn a corner around the mountain wall and into an alcove out of sight.
"Well, it looks like Snake's in position," he muttered.
Kyle, who was keeping watch beside him, grunted in response.
"Any word on Outer Heaven's movements?"
"The armored column will likely come in from the south, the helicopters from the north. Loyiso and Imke haven't reported any approaching yet, and I see no choppers," Kyle said.
"Hmm…"
Fox turned his scope towards the helipads between the R&D building and the bunker. Helicopter crews and infantry were gathering around the last remaining Blackfoot. A manned Walker Gear carrying a fuel tank waddled up to the rear.
"We've got movement around the gunship. Looks like they're refueling."
Kyle adjusted his binoculars to look where Fox had indicated. "Can you get a clean shot on that fuel tank from this distance?"
Fox shook his head. "This rifle's .338 Lapua. Maximum range is about two thousand meters, and that's generous. That helicopter's over twenty kilometers away. I'm a good shot, but I'm not going to be able to hit that thing from here. I could try and get closer, but by the time I get to ground floor, get outside, and reposition inside of the minefield, they'd probably be finished with refueling."
"Damn…" Kyle said. "So that's going to be four birds, including the one already on site…" He raised his men on the radio to alert them of the threat.
"What are the chances that they wait for their reinforcements to arrive before they start gunning for us, do you think?" asked Kyle.
"You're asking me?"
"Well, you've been inside of Outer Heaven's forces and around Ahab, you should know."
Gray Fox bit his lower lip in thought. "Which is likely to get here first, the attack choppers or the armored unit?"
"Last report I heard; the armored unit was closer. Should arrive sometime within the next thirty minutes."
"I give it 60-40 odds they start their attack ten minutes before the tanks get here, 80-20 odds they won't bother waiting for the air support, relying on their firepower advantage," Fox said, coughing slightly to clear his throat.
Kyle nodded, tuning his radio to Snake's frequency. "Solid Snake, this is Architect. How copy?"
A momentary fuzz on the radio, followed by: "This is Snake. Send it, Architect."
"We saw your truck in the cliffs. Are you in position?"
"We are, Architect. We're ready to move in on your word."
"Good. Outer Heaven reinforcements are about thirty minutes out. Your friend Fox says they're likely to move as soon as ground reinforcements arrive without waiting for the incoming offsite air support. We can see them refueling the onsite helicopter. As soon as they're ready to press the attack, they'll send in that chopper to act as vanguard, along with any onsite ground forces near the R&D complex. When that chopper takes off and starts coming toward us, let that be your signal to move in."
Fox changed hands to put the radio to his other ear. "Be sure to move quickly," he added. "I have men further up who can provide overwatch. With any luck, you'll be able to get in soon enough that we won't be stuck with a prolonged siege."
"Understood, Architect. We'll standby for the start of the show, then make a dash for the bunker. You be ready to bug out as soon as I'm inside."
"We'll be ready," Kyle replied. "Architect out."
A few minutes passed. A spotter on the eastern perimeter hailed Kyle. "Sir! Eyes on R&D! Movement on bearing 102, at the top of the cliff!"
Kyle turned his binoculars towards R&D at the indicated direction. A line of four Jeeps were driving on the winding path down the cliff wall, with several armed Walker Gears taking up the rear. "Hmm, that's sooner than we thought…" he muttered.
"Sir! Bearing 135, southeast!" called out Imke.
Kyle adjusted his sightline and spotted a large cloud of dust in the far-off distance. He adjusted his binocs for distance and found two tanks at the front of the cloud, with shadows behind them indicating other vehicles. At this distance, they would be within effective range within the next 20 minutes.
Kyle tuned his radio to the Resistance's broadband. "All forces, all forces," he said, "Outer Heaven personnel and armored unit are onsite, expected contact in twenty, twenty-five minutes or less. Everyone hunker down and get ready!"
One by one, Kyle started to get calls on the radio from his reinforcement teams:
"Red Leader, this is Red Team One! We're in position on the east side of the river, in the warehouse yard! Tell us where you want us, and we'll get in position! Over!"
"This is Team Two! We're still two minutes out, but we'll be onsite shortly. Awaiting your orders, sir!"
"RT-5 here! We just got onsite, linking up with RT-1 now!"
"This is RT-4, we'll still be another five minutes, but we'll be there as fast as we can!"
Kyle smiled. With these new bodies on the field and with the ordnance they captured inside the storage facility, they might be able to even the odds a little.
"The gang's all here," he muttered to himself. He pressed down the button on the radio and started giving orders for troop placements.
As his men set about getting into position, Kyle noticed that some of the Walker gears broke away from their vehicle convoy once they reached the bottom of the cliff and started moving southward.
Kyle squinted with suspicion. "Where are you going…?" he muttered.
OUTER HEAVEN SOUTH
DAY SIX – 1230 HOURS
WALKER GEAR CONTINGENT
Erik Soder gripped tightly on the handles of his Walker Gear as it sprinted across the rough desert terrain, praying desperately that he wouldn't fall off as he twisted the throttle to put the leg motors at maximum speed. He lifted his head, using his left hand to quickly adjust his goggles and scarf to keep the dust out of his eyes and mouth as he followed along behind Takashi and Captain Ivanov.
"How much further is it, Cap?" Soder shouted.
"It's just a little bit further," Cpt. Ivanov replied, "right around this ridge!"
The three pass a tall natural wall and loop around the southern tip of the wall and moved back north, far out of the sightlines of any rebel scouts and snipers on the west side that may be watching. Moving back toward the foot of the large hill or small mountain that R&D was perched upon, the Walkers came up upon an open tunnel. As the three mercs moved inside, they slowed their vehicles to a walk.
Soder looked up and around. The tunnel had remarkably high ceilings and was wide enough to comfortably have two tanks driving through it side by side. Scaffolding and walkways with handrails were against the walls on either side, with wires running along the ceilings and walls. Soder had never been down here before. This place was even lower than the waterways in R&D—was it next to or below the aqueduct, Soder wondered?
"What is this place?" Soder asked.
"Oh, right, you only joined a few years ago, didn't you, Soder? So, I guess you wouldn't know about it," Takashi said.
"Know about what?"
"Well, you know how before Outer Heaven moved to South Africa, its headquarters used to be in the Seychelles, right?"
Soder nodded. "Yeah, I think so. But wasn't it a different company back then?"
Takashi replied, "Right. Ahab was still in charge, but this was before the mergers. Well, back then, Ahab's R&D team were working on this experimental hovercraft; it was built like a tank and served a similar purpose, but it was way more mobile, and was equipped with a rail gun. It was a pretty badass vehicle."
"Whoa!" cried Soder, impressed. "So, how come we've never been using it before? Hell, why didn't we mass-produce it, either to sell it or for ourselves? Why the hell are we still using regular tanks?"
Takashi shook his head. "It was an impressive weapon, but it was really expensive to build, and it came with a lot of logistical problems. For one, the vehicle's mostly electrical, and the huge raw power output means that they had to use a really big battery which decreased the real estate for the cockpit, and the thing still needs three operators. You remember how small the fighting compartment was in the tank? It's way worse in there."
Soder grimaced. "I mean, that'd be annoying, but it doesn't sound that bad."
"It isn't…until you remember that that battery and the engine are adjacent to the crew, so there's a lot of heat stored in there. If the vehicle doesn't vent periodically, you risk cooking the crew alive or forcing them to evacuate. The other problem is that the rail gun draws from the same well of power as everything else, meaning every time you fire it, you have to stop moving to prevent risk of overheating, which leaves you wide open to opposing fire while you wait for the gun to recharge and for the heat to vent."
Soder blanched. "No wonder the thing got moth-balled, then. So, if the thing is so useless, why are we going to grab it?"
"Because it's not useless," Cpt. Ivanov cut in. "It just has a very specific use-case; one which we are going to take advantage of."
Together, the three Walker Gears turned the corner to see the biggest armored vehicle he'd ever laid eyes on. Multiple technicians hovered around the vehicle, testing its various electronic and mechanical components. It looked much like a normal tank, except that the fighting compartment looked like it was raised to hover and sit above the treads, and in place of a front-projected cannon was a long rail gun mounted on the side, lifted by hydraulics and connected to the compartment via wire.
A mechanic pressed a hydraulic switch and the part that Soder thought were wheeled treads came apart and pushed the fighting compartment upwards, revealing a boxy "head" fighting compartment supported by four "legs." Another setting was pressed, and warm air whooshed throughout the cavern as the vehicle rose into the air by three feet, which was when Soder realized that the legs actually had no treads or wheels at all. He watched the demonstration in awe, before the mechanics realized that the three had entered the chamber and the tank vehicle was lowered back onto the ground, and it lowered itself into its resting "tank" formation.
Ivanov drove his Walker Gear over to the side of the entrance out of the way and dismounted, motioning for his subordinates to do the same.
"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to our very own Battle Gear," Ivanov said very proudly. "With this weapon, we'll be able to finally put down our sewer rat problem for good!"
Takashi looked over at Soder who was still looking on dumbfounded. Takashi grinned mischievously and elbowed his younger crewmate in the ribs. "Take a picture Soder, it'll last longer," he joked.
Ivanov waved to his men to follow, and together they walked over and climbed the rails of the side-mounted ladder one by one and on top of the head compartment, descending inside via the hatch on top.
Takashi wasn't kidding about the small space—the place was cramped with dials and electronic dashboards. The seats for the gunner position and the driver position had Takashi's and Soder's backs pressed against each other, and the pedals underneath the consoles had the operators' knees pressing into their stomachs.
There was one more seat above and behind Soder, behind Soder's right shoulder. The seat over their shoulders was where Ivanov sat, controlling the targeting computer for the railgun.
Ivanov went over the plan of attack against the Resistance's occupied territory. Once the armored column arrived to join the vanguard west of the destroyed training facility, the Battle Gear would be taking a support role to help soften up the enemy until either the ground team decimated them or until the air support arrived from offsite to finish the job. Takashi and Soder listened intently, nodding along.
"Are there any questions for our plan, moving forward?" asked Ivanov. Both men shook their heads.
"Good, then let's move out. Takashi, at your ready. It's time for us to kick some Rebel ass."
Takashi nodded. "Roger, sir."
Soder gripped the handles on his remote gun control tightly, narrowing his eyes as he checked the Battle Gear's external camera. It was time to get revenge for their defeat at the training facility.
"This one's for you, Galvez," he muttered.
OPERATION INTRUDE N313
DAY SIX – 1300 HOURS
OUTER HEAVEN NORTH – SIX KM NORTHEAST OF THE BUNKER
"Solid Snake, this is Mission Control. Come in."
Snake waved to his squad to let them know that he needed a minute and walked a few feet away from the cliff's edge to the truck. He crouched low and clicked his radio to answer. "This is Snake, I read you, Control."
Big Boss's voice sounded over the proprietary secondary frequency they'd set the night before. "There's been a new intelligence update. We have NSA cryptanalysts and CIA cyberwarfare specialists onsite here at Mission Control, and we've managed to hack into Outer Heaven's security cameras at the exterior of the bunker and on the first floor."
"That's great news, sir!" Snake said.
"Yes," Big Boss agreed. "We're going to try and guide you as you make your approach towards Metal Gear. Where are you right now?"
Snake looked back out to the edge of the cliff. "We're in position just northeast of the bunker, waiting for Outer Heaven to begin their attack on our allies in the Resistance. There's a helicopter and full crew in the way. Once they move, we're going to make our approach to the site. There'll still be a lot of troops on the south side, but there's an eastern door that's less heavily guarded. We plan to make our entrance that way. If you can remotely make sure that the enemy doesn't raise any alarms from the camera feed we should have no problems getting inside."
"I see…" said Big Boss. "How will you get close?"
"We've got an Outer Heaven truck in good condition," Snake replied. "It should get us close enough without arousing enemy suspicion, even if they see us."
"Understood," Big Boss said. "Your plan is a good one. However, be advised: the enemy has planted landmines in the northeast of the bunker. You'll be safer if you swing southward by approximately four clicks as you make your way west and move northward as you approach the exterior walls of the bunker."
"Thanks for the head's-up, sir," Snake said. "We'll utilize extra caution."
"Good luck, Snake. Mission Control out."
Snake rejoined his compatriots lying down at the cliff's edge and pulled out his binoculars to observe enemy troops' movements as they finished refueling the helicopter. In the far-off distance, they heard the muffled booms of explosions and the bottle rocket pop, pop, popping of small arms fire. A few minutes later, the helicopter lifted into the air, and the Walker Gears and soldiers in the area on the south side in front of the bunker began to scatter.
Snake got up and led his squad back to the truck, climbing into the cab next to Willem. He informed the men of the intel that Big Boss had given him: once they got to the bottom of the cliffs, they were to divert southwest by four kilometers before swinging back northwestward to the east side of the bunker itself.
Willem nodded in agreement, and started the engine, carefully driving on the winding path downhill. Snake kept his gaze on the bunker. This is it, he thought.
He pulled back the slide of his Beretta to perform a brass check.
A/N: A slower chapter that's mostly focused on setup. I didn't have as much fun writing this one because it was mostly expository, but it was important to get a sense of where all the players of this conflict are at so that I could properly set up the endgame. Although one aspect of writing this chapter that I did enjoy was the chance to do a little bit of character building for Snake and some of his allies in the beginning of the chapter. I also enjoyed the scene in Mandela's presidential office when Operation Judgment Day started to play out, because it gave me a chance to show the effects of the Outer Heaven uprising on places outside of the immediate zone of conflict, which is something that I think doesn't really get touched on a lot in most of the Metal Games, especially in the earlier titles-and when that stuff does come up, it's usually as background fluff, whereas here I wanted it to feel more real and more immediate of a concern.
I'm hoping I can get the next chapter out a little bit quicker, since it's likely going to be mostly action. I don't know how it's going to go, because I plan on showing multiple points of view for the upcoming conflict leading up to Snake's confrontation with Metal Gear, kind of like what I did for the Battle for Building One and the Wall of Armor chapters. I hope it won't end up being unwieldy or confusing to follow, but I suppose we'll just have to see.
Thank you to those of you who have continued to read and support me so far as I make it through this story. I hope to keep entertaining you as this moves forward. Please don't forget to review and let me know what you think!