Song: Metal Gear Solid V - The Phantom Pain - Mike Oldfield ''Nuclear'' Lyrics
Part 1
POV: Solid Snake.
It was a couple of hours before the afternoon nightmare.
Solid Snake was slowly passing through a few corridors down, seeing clone and MSF personnel occupying the base. Then, he finds himself inside a large facility where he could see men and a few women wearing lab coats, being helped by the clone engineers, as they place and construct the more sophisticated devices that would be used for emanating holoscans and performing advanced means of telecommunication.
"Oh, as my eyes have turned young. Solid Snake."
Solid Snake would see a...young man somewhere in his twenties, with black hair and a scientist lab coat. Solid Snake would knit his eyebrows a little as he saw the scientist look at him with familiarity and an analytical tone.
"It's quite curious, how we all ended up younger than who we used to be, some more than others."
It was at that moment when everything clicked for Solid Snake.
"Dr. Madnar?" Solid Snake replied, while looking at him with a curious expression. "You look..."
"Young, through whatever unexplainable phenomenon had brought us all together again, fortunately on the side of angels," Dr. Madnar smiled a little as he placed a comforting hand on Solid Snake's shoulder. "But it is good to see you again, old friend. Come. I have to show you something that I've been recently working on, and it's on behalf of Big Boss's suggestions."
(*1) The old men would walk side by side as nostalgia and reminiscence took over. A part of their minds seems to have hopped back in time - during a time when Solid Snake and Big Boss were at odds due to beliefs and differences, most of which determined the fate of the world. On opposite sides and ideals. Of Zanzibar Land. Of sins that never go away.
Now, they were truly comrades in arms, working with old foes who were now allies.
Solid Snake would note a suit that is attached and standing on a metal container. It had a familiar grey surface, which reminded him of the OctoCamo (*2) he wore during his final years.
"A lot has changed in our world since you've been gone, Snake, at least in terms of the dynamics of technological warfare," Madnar explained. "Robotics and artificial intelligence have now become the standard in the field, and various organizations, governments, and militaries would fund it to the highest bidder. Television became a thing of the past, social media has expanded to include all types of functions, including that of entertainment and the usefulness of its applications in ordinary, normal civilian lives."
"So I've heard from Otacon," Solid Snake spoke grimly. "But the future isn't all that bright at times."
"Ah yes, well, that is human nature for you, Snake," Madnar explained with a soft, sad smile. "Just because you have taken out the men of the old era does not mean everyone wants peace. Soldiers are still needed to fight, in whatever battles that lay ahead for the future of mankind. At the very least, it would not be as bad as what happened decades prior with Liquid Snake and his Outer Heaven. There hasn't been a repeat of the Patriot's AI, and with the various private military organizations having shut down upon their deactivation, and the rest that are still alive and breathing would go on to reform and follow in the fields of robotics, and in that situation, I would count on Raiden to handle them, just as he does right now."
"But," Madnar continued. "Forgive me for wasting breath, for we are not here to reminisce about the situation of our world, as it is relatively far from us. We are here to explain to you of my new suit design, one that I based on the OctoCamo that Otacon and Sunny had built for you. I call it the BatCamo."
"BatCamo?" Solid Snake asked.
"You know, like Batman (*3), only less of the pointy ears," Madnar would raise his two fingers towards his head. "I would not bore you with the specific details, so I would give you a summary. It is essentially a successor to the Octocamo, one that I've been working on long before I came here, though as Otacon would explain to you, I've...passed on. I thought that I would not be able to see to the development of the BatCamo and that someone else such as Otacon would inevitably take my place, though it seems that that person had wanted otherwise."
"This suit would allow you to perform far greater physical feats compared to the average man, or in your case, increasing your own strength by about 50% at minimum. It allows you to be immune to all manner of bullets and projectiles, making you an efficient and deadly threat on the battlefield, though I can't say much for the plasma weapons that our clone visitors and their Jedi general would use, thus I would suggest that you avoid them entirely like any other stray bullet until I fix that issue and continue to study their technology further. This suit would also allow you to increase your speed, making you move faster than any vehicle on Earth, our Earth at least."
"Wait, really?" Solid Snake looked interested, while eyeing the suit.
"I figured that it would prevent you from trying too hard on the chase sequences and saving more time for other important endeavors," Madnar sported a look of humor. "Now, I suggest you try it on, just to get the feel of the suit."
Solid Snake did as he asked, and would begin to put the suit on, changing clothes somewhere near the private quarters. Walking around, he noted that his helmet features a series of scans, ranging from thermal, night vision, and other functions.
"Huh. It's almost like I could see almost everything with this helmet," Solid Snake commented.
"That is the idea, Snake," Madnar nodded. "It would also allow you to pinpoint enemy targets without the risks of revealing your presence. It could see every single layer of any surface or wall, for your discretion. Plus, it has a GPS function that allows you to view the map of your terrain, with the data having been transferred automatically to its artificial intelligence systems, in case you need to double-check."
"You've really thought of everything, huh," Solid Snake muttered softly.
"Now then, all that's left for us to test it in combat. I trust that you still remember your CQC training?" Madnar said.
"Hmm. Let's get started," Solid Snake nodded.
POV: Big Boss.
Walking along the corridor, within an admirable afternoon sunset, there was Big Boss. He was accompanied by Eva, Campbell, and Kaz who would be observing Solid Snake making use of the new BatCamo suit that would allow him faster reflexes that would compliment his honed fighting instincts as a soldier.
As the hour passed, there were various clones and MSF soldiers and personnel watching the spectacle. They see that Solid Snake would dodge the attacks of a few clone troopers, who had red markings in their white armor. They were called ARC Troopers, an elite batch of Jango Fett clone troopers that were under Captain Fordo's command, who all belonged to the Muunilinst Squadron.
Kaz looked amazed by what he was seeing. Solid Snake's movements were very eerily similar to Big Boss. Kaz should know since he spent time training and fighting alongside the man for a few years long before the Peace Walker Incident. The man's movements were fluid and firm, blocking every punch and kick that the troopers would throw at him, and performing counterattacks that were precise and timed in a coordinated fashion, sending each of the troopers straight to the ground.
Some of the troopers were tenacious and versatile, trying to find whatever weak points were found, which brings Solid Snake on the defensive, before countering it with a precise offensive point as, with a grab from the neck, a draw out from the shoulder, he sends them to the ground.
"I have to admit," Captain Fordo spoke, who was present along with Big Boss and the others. His arms were crossed, and though his helmet shields his facial expression, it spoke only of positive respect. "It's not every day I would see my own ARCs getting beaten easily by someone who isn't one of our own. Mind you, that's not a feat that is said regarding just anyone, Jedi or other Force Users being the exemption and not the norm."
"Yes, well," Big Boss's tone was soft as he observed every movement that Solid Snake would enact. His mind would flashback to the days when Solid Snake - David was just a child under his tutelage, passing every record and gaining the required skills that would form him into the man that he, while at the time did not acknowledge as a son, he did respect as a soldier.
"He is my son after all." He said. That declaration was not something Big Boss would simply give. David earned that, as he was a far better man than even he could ever hope to be. Big Boss allowed the world's darkness to ultimately drown him in the depths of despair, while his son rose above all of that, and conquered that darkness, even when at the brink of his dying days.
"Our son," Big Boss replied as he looked at Eva with an apologetic look, which spoke of decades. Eva smiled softly. Her silence spoke many things that could never be encapsulated in mere words. They both look on as Solid Snake tackles the last ARC Trooper to the ground, throwing him to his backside.
Solid Snake, after taking the man down, would begin to offer him a hand, which the ARC Trooper would take with a smile.
"That's quite impressive," The man said. "Knocking me down at least ten to fifteen times in a row."
"What's your name, soldier?" Solid Snake asked.
The man, removing his helmet, would reveal a man with black-trimmed hair and brown eyes. "The name's Clicks, ARC Trooper of the Muunilinst Squadron, serving under the Mynock Corps. And from what I heard from Captain Fordo and the others, you're quite the Legendary Soldier. I was itching to come and try to take you on to prove that title isn't remiss."
"A legend is usually bad news. Someone tells it, someone else remembers, and everybody passes it on," Solid Snake replied simply.
"Quite right, hence why this training was my opportunity to test if the legend was simply fact, or fiction," Clicks said, before glancing at the rest of the Muunilinst ARC Troopers lying down on the ground, with exasperated breaths and smiles. "And well, you've proven that at least, when it comes to close-quarters combat against me and the rest of the vod. Think that you can fight us in the air, though?"
"If you're up for it," Solid Snake smiled.
"I'll warn you, we clones take air superiority very seriously," Clicks warned grimly.
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Solid Snake replied to the challenge. He could use a little exercise, to get more used to his younger body.
And while the men were talking, Kaz couldn't help but remark.
"He moves almost exactly like you, Big Boss," Kaz muttered. "Les Enfants Terribles. I'm not surprised that Cipher's Boss would want you cloned. You're worth more than a whole army of soldiers. Just imagining one of you, but more of you, is a terrifying concept for me to fully fathom."
"Zero and I," Big Boss replied grimly. "We both have our share of disagreements when it comes to implementing the Boss's vision. The irony of it was that...it was my son who implemented what the Boss truly intended, and he never met her. Imagine that, a man who never met the woman, never idolized her, became the one who would eventually bring her dream to fruition. Even if forgotten, the ideal remains. Peace. The fight for a future where there truly is a tomorrow, of how there does not need to be someone who would die for needless causes, or for wanton betrayals. My son ensured that the world moved on to the next era and phase of its history."
Big Boss continued. "All of the old grudges and alliances, died lastly with me, when I finally rested near the Boss's grave, with my son sending me off. That...was one of the most precious memories that I've ever made, Kaz. I'm...not exactly thrilled that he is here myself. He's earned the rest of a true soldier, but not me. I wanted him to live on as a Man, not as a Snake. But it seems that the world, or worlds, still need him, and me, together."
"Boss," His communicator would resound from his ear. "General Kenobi and Prince Lelouch have returned, but we seem to have new visitors coming to the base. Princess Euphemia, Princess Nunnally, and her maid. They're about to make landing. ETA 30 minutes."
"Copy that," Big Boss answered before looking at Eva and Kaz. "It seems that we have a few members of the royal family that would arrive shortly."
"Well, this ought to be fun," Eva smiled a little as she and Big Boss walked together to greet the new guests.
POV: Strangelove.
Strange.
There's a feeling of bizarre and familiar when it comes to one specific individual that Big Boss sent their way.
"Wow..." Huey, who was moving in his modified wheelchair, looked at the new scientist within their ranks. "Big Boss was right, you do sort of resemble me. How strange?"
"...Ehehehe," The man looked like he was exasperated and uncomfortable. His eyes were hesitant. Odd, she thought. What is he hiding? "Maybe it's simply a genetic coincidence?"
"Hmm, perhaps so, but it is rather interesting," Huey nodded, looking thoughtful. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Dr. Huey Emmerich," He raised his right hand. "I look forward to working with you from now on."
Strangelove found it strange. The man's name was Otacon. That was it. The man had secrets, that she could surmise. When she pointed this out...
"Big Boss's orders, umm, ma'am. I can't explain anything about my true identity, so you're...going to have to call me by that name from now on. Actually, I prefer it, because it's as much of my real name as it is right now."
If there is one thing Strangelove could tell from this Otacon, is that he was a little different from Huey. Yes, the man was meek, but he was also firm and confident, very sure of himself. He seems to have a genuine interest in her line of work, asking her various questions relating to artificial intelligence. Strangelove would reply with his inquiry, if only because she wanted to know a little bit about this man.
But the one thing that made her pay close attention was this detail.
The man had secrets, and if she needed to find them, there was the Big Boss.
POV: Euphemia li Britannia.
Euphemia didn't know what to expect when eventually found herself in what was called Mother Base, a large offshore plant comprised of several connected struts, serving as a main base of operations, located somewhere a few kilometers near Antarctica. There were two groups present within the base.
The first was the Militaires Sans Frontières, or MSF for short, and the English translation calls them Army Without Borders, which made them unassociated with any nation on Earth, while providing their services regardless. They were the ones who owned the base, having considered it their home and hub, and they are a private military company run by a man known as Big Boss, a legendary soldier from another world. This fact surprised Euphemia a little. She never expected other worlds besides her own to exist. In the world that the MSF came from, the Holy Britannian Empire did not exist, but rather, Washington's revolution had succeeded, forming what was called the United States of America, one of the dominant superpowers in their world.
The second was the 7th Sky Corps, or the Mynock Corps, named as such from an alien bat-like species. They were under the command of General Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Jedi Master who served a galactic government called the Republic, hence the corps was part of the larger Grand Army of the Republic, or GAR for short.
For whatever reason, due to an individual referred to by her brother as that person, they all gathered together within her world due to a strange temporal conflict on the horizon.
Getting off of the LAAT, there was a man with an eyepatch waiting for them, accompanied by a few people.
"Back so soon, and I see you brought more visitors this time," Big Boss muttered.
"Of a sort," Lelouch smiled a little. "Big Boss, I would like to introduce you to my two younger sisters."
"Yes. Princess Euphemia and Princess Nunnally, I would presume."
"Ye-Yes," Euphemia muttered, looking intently at the man while maintaining her serious, formal demeanor. "My name is Princess Euphemia li Britannia, and I wish to discuss terms regarding the cooperation of my Resistance Network with the Alliance."
"Resistance Network?" Big Boss looked interested, glancing questioningly at Kenobi and Lelouch.
"Yes, it appears that the princess is the same as us three, a leaper," Kenobi explained. "And she's been forming this network for about four months tops, counting this one."
"Well, that just provides us with plenty of opportunities," Big Boss, while looking like a cold-stone professional, was no doubt pleased by this discovery. "If-"
Beep. Beep. Beep.
"General! General! This is Captain Boil! Do you copy!"
"I read you, Boil," Kenobi spoke from his comms, noticing the frantic tone of the ARC Trooper. "What is it?"
"Sir, there has been a massive explosion that's occurred in the Tokyo Settlement! We can see it all the way from Ashford! Civilian casualties are high from the looks of it!"
"WHAT?!" Euphemia and Lelouch exclaimed in shock, anxiety increasing.
"Sir!" Big Boss would hear from the comm channels.
"What is it, soldier?" Big Boss asked.
"You may want to turn on the news, sir!" One MSF Soldier responded. "Tokyo's been nuked!"
"Nuked?!" Big Boss exclaims. In response, he would bring out his iDroid and would try to watch the news broadcast, detailing...
POLICE MASSACRES CIVILIANS! UNKNOWN CHEMICAL BOMB DETONATED AT SHIBUYA CENTRAL MALL!
"What the..." Big Boss muttered, as he saw the large, fuming smoke cloud that had decimated half of the district. The once mighty towers had fallen down and tumbled just like the Tower of Babel. The earth itself was scorched by fumes and smoke. The clouds were a familiar mushroom shape.
And as for Euphemia, her eyes could not help but widen in shock and horror.
With only one word that she could utter, as she could see the reflection of the fumes from Big Boss' iDroid.
"...Suz...Suzaku."
Part 2
POV: Darth Sidious.
Deep beneath his office, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine - Darth Sidious would contemplate everything that had occurred over the last five decades. This wasn't really part of the original plan, but desperate times called for desperate, and precise measures, ones that he prepared for a few years in advance, ever since the death of his master, Darth Plagueis.
He had been granted "visions" so to speak. Sidious did have the natural gift of foresight through the Dark Side of the Force, which at least is one of the main factors that allowed him to plan a few steps ahead.
He knew that Order 66 was no longer plausible, especially with the current situation, so he opted for the next best thing. To play the good politician a little while longer, silently but surely reforming laws within the Republic - not that hard to pull off due to its utter complacency and decadence, and making himself more popular with charitable and humanitarian projects. And with extragalactic powers being inevitably involved, a firm focus on negotiations with the various governing powers, slowly encroached within the profiteering of arms, and essentially taking over what has been spread out from the holonews.
A true wartime economy, between various extragalactic powers.
The Republic had never been richer. Clones became in high demand, and people would pay for them with interest. There were understandable minor setbacks, such as the meddling Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi, who was one of the leading figures behind clone rights.
The Dark Side had never been stronger than it is now. But it is because of this factor that Sidious realizes that not everything is as it seems. And it is not only due to outside sources.
"...You seem troubled, my apprentice."
The term "dead" doesn't mean much when it comes to the Force. The Sith were no exception to the rule. His old, dead master, would appear and materialize back from the grave. Decades ago, when he was younger and still learning, he would have been afraid of his old master. Now, his dead master acted like a spirit guide of a sort. Sidious of course gave a spirit showmanship of respect and humility, some of it in one sense was genuine, as the man taught him everything he knew about the Dark Side of the Force, and would not have been here, had it been for him.
Begrudgingly so.
But even so, the Dark Side of the Force had grown disturbed, as something was wrenching control of it, disturbing all of the spirits that were tapped or connected to it. It was more obvious by now. Everyone who had made use of the Dark Side would feel its influence in varying degrees. Most of which are of an "unknown" quantity. They do not know, nor could they ever tell, that a darker shadow has now marked his presence within the Clone Wars.
"Oh, a bit of a minor inconvenience, Master Plagueis," Sidious muttered softly. "It appears that Our Enemy had begun to strike within the heart of this planet, using the old Sith dark arts of Darth Drear. I find it to be an amusing irritant at best, but it does present opportunities to sweep through the lower levels. Less populated areas could make fine work for more ambiguous endeavors after all."
"That is true, but discretion and prudence are still commendable even in the least, my apprentice," The spirit of Darth Plagueis spoke with a grim tone. "If Our Enemy is striking on Coruscant with lesser means, then it must mean that he's testing the waters. He is cautious, and rightly so, for there are shatterpoints and force shakers that disturb the natural flow."
"Hmm. Quite right," Sidious smiled a little. "But one of those shatterpoints has left temporarily."
Trivia For Chapter:
(*1) - References to the events of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2.
(*2) - From Metal Gear Wiki - OctoCamo was a form of smart camouflage that could, within moments of coming into contact with almost any surface, replicate both its pattern and texture. It applied thermal technology to regulate the temperature of the disguised subject to better blend with the surrounding environment and to evade thermal imaging. Multiple surfaces could be mimicked at the same time, and preset camouflage patterns stored for later use. It was inspired by the mimicking abilities of the octopus, hence its name. OctoCamo, however, was completely useless for aerial craft.
(*3) - In the World of Metal Gear, Batman is an in-universe fictional superhero character that appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book Detective Comics on March 30, 1939. In the DC Universe, Batman is the alias of Bruce Wayne, a wealthy American playboy, philanthropist, and industrialist who resides in Gotham City. His origin story features him swearing vengeance against criminals after witnessing the murder of his parents, Thomas and Martha, as a child, a vendetta tempered by the ideal of justice. He trains himself physically and intellectually, crafts a bat-inspired persona, and monitors the Gotham streets at night.