The Tyrant looked at the map carefully, as he removed another piece from it. A small smile graced his face as he held the piece in his hands. It was a hidden uranium mine, one taken from his conquest in Sudan. Now it was rubble, due to Snake. He had hoped for a challenging opponent, and it seemed Night Owl had delivered. It made him wonder what his enemy would do next, after all the first nuke had already been completed.
So, attacking more factories would do nothing but delay the inevitable. All that was needed was a test to ensure they worked. And just as the thought arouse, a knock came on his office door.
"Enter," the Tyrant ordered, and one of his militants stepped in.
"An HPSC rep is here to see you, sir," the militant told him with a salute.
"Good, tell Night Owl I will be out in a moment," the Tyrant replied.
"It's not Night Owl, sir," the militant replied as he stepped to the side. It left the Tyrant confused for a moment before the rep entered his office. The man wore a worn-out suit, and heroes accompanied him. Unnoticed to them the Tyrant's hand went under the desk, searching for a nearby gun.
"And who might you be?" the Tyrant asked, making no sudden movements.
"Not important." the man replied, taking a seat across from him.
"If you lack the respect to give me your name, then leaving now is your best option." the Tyrant told him, as the heroes fully entered the room then. He found it foolish how the man believed these heroes could protect him.
"Gecko will suffice for you."
"Fine then, Gecko," the Tyrant muttered the last part with malice, "what business do you have here?"
"Well, Tyrant, we noticed a large amount of the HPSC's money being flooded into your pockets. And we have reason to believe it to be from a saboteur."
"I had no knowledge of a saboteur," the Tyrant stated, faking a blissful ignorance.
"That is understandable, however, the outcome remains the same. You are to return our money and give us who sent you the money." Gecko ordered, the heroes with him then trying to intimidate the Tyrant. It was funny of course. To think anyone was afraid of heroes in Africa, it was laughable. The only reason any warlord, the Tyrant included, went along with the HPSC, was money.
Sure, the HPSC tried intimidation, it tried fear, it even tried assassination. But no true villain, no. No competent villain feared the HPSC. He pretended to back away, holding up his hands in mock surrender.
"I-i can get you your money, and I-I know where the saboteur might be." the Tyrant stuttered falsely.
"Go on," Gecko inquired, believing his intimidation tactic had worked. It was all the Tyrant had needed, for Gecko to take the bait.
"There was an abandoned factory, in Nigeria. I never learned of the saboteur's identity, but they always visited that factory. They very well might be there now." the Tyrant explained. As he spoke, he pulled out a map, pointing out the location of the factory. Within minutes Gecko had stormed out of his office with the heroes in toe.
With them now gone, the fake look of panic the Tyrant had created went away, replaced by a smug grin. He grabbed a nearby phone and then quickly dialed the number.
"So… some friends of yours dropped by Night Owl."
"A shame, it appears I was too late to warn you."
"Don't worry, it's given me an idea. Say, how does a nuclear test in Nigeria sound?"
The helicopter landed carefully, allowing Snake to step outside onto the FOB. Around him, the other helicopters also began to land, their occupants soon leaving. Many were escorted away and then, taken to prebuilt refuge platforms or the Medical Platforms. It gave him time to smoke before Benjamin came up to him. He simply stood next to him for a moment, watching as the refugees were led away.
"Cigar?" Snake offered, holding one out. Benjamin reluctantly accepted, with Snake pulling out a lighter.
"So," Benjamin began, taking a quick puff, "You really are Big Boss,"
"I am. How did you know about me though?" Snake asked.
"Well, everyone's heard of the legend." Benjamin told him, "A man doing what heroes couldn't or wouldn't do all across the third world. I thought it to be a myth."
"Yet you knew my real codename. Not Big Boss, but Snake."
"Again, you are a legend. Many have given different titles to the name Big Boss. Some called you the Soldier. Others called you the Mercenary. My personal favorite was Killer with Morals."
"And I'm guessing Snake somehow ended up being one of those titles?" Snake inquired.
"The Invisible or One-Eyed Serpent in some areas specifically," Benjamin replied.
"Creative," Snake muttered, as he took another puff from his cigar. The both of them simply enjoyed their cigars for a moment, as they looked out across the ocean. Helicopters kept arriving from the main continent, bringing more people to the FOB. It was here Benjamin prepared to ask Snake something.
"What happens to us now?" he asked, the question weighing heavily on his mind.
"Whatever you choose." Snake replied, "You want to stay with MSF you can, you want to leave, and we can drop you off somewhere."
"I don't think there is anywhere to go," Benjamin responded.
"Then you can stay," Snake told him, taking a puff from his cigar.
"That doesn't seem all that appealing either. From one battlefield to another." Benjamin countered.
"You don't have to fight. MSF has other jobs that need filling."
"Would that include a teacher?" Benjamin asked, "Because I won't be much help otherwise."
"It would," Snake replied.
"You're serious?"
"Well, we have tons of child soldiers I don't want back on the battlefield. And for that, they're going to need a new life, with new skills. Something you seem capable of helping with." Snake told him.
"This an interview then?"
"Why not." Snake replied, "What'd you study at Oxford?"
"I earned a master's degree in history, with a secondary degree in teaching," Benjamin responded.
"Not bad. What about-" Just as the words left Snake's mouth a loud boom was heard echoing around them. A strong gust of wind followed shortly after, as Snake attempted to figure out what had happened. Soldiers scrambled around them, quickly getting the refugees inside the base, as others moved boarded helicopters to investigate. Snake could already see it though.
It was miles away from them, and barely visible, but Snake saw it. A mushroom cloud rose over the sky.
Roland was already overwhelmed by the events before him. The months of training had been hell, more so than anything he'd faced becoming a hero. But it had been worth it. Then his first assignment was brought forward, and he was ordered to report to his squad's Sergeant. And he had done so, finding the man surrounded by refugees.
"Holy shit it's hot," the man next to him complained.
"Could you swear a little louder, I don't think the kids heard you. Besides stop your complaining." the other went. Roland walked up to them quickly, calling out to them.
"Uh, Sergeant Ape, sir?" he somewhat stated. All those years and somehow, he felt like he was an awkward teen back in high school. Both men turned over to him with the other talking to the sergeant. Roland didn't exactly hear what was said.
"I thought it was rude to call NCOs sir?"
"Were mercs, I'm pretty sure every Sergeant's getting a commission here."
The sergeant looked him up and down then, seeing the new man in his squad.
"Codename?" Ape asked him, as he turned back to continue helping the refugees.
"Frigid Grizzly sir."
"Grizzly then, Eagle over there needs some more water from storage. I need you to cover for him while he's gone."
"Got it sir… what am I covering for?" Grizzly asked then. He saw Eagle giving all the refugees boxes of something, before pointing to another part of the base. The refugee would then go to where he pointed, and another would take his place.
"For right now we're handing out basic essentials they might need at the moment. So put three cans of food, three bottles of water, and a med kit into the box. After that, you give it to them, and have them go to processing." Ape replied as he loaded up another box. Eagle had left at that moment and Roland, now Grizzly, took his place. The first refugee walked up and Grizzly mentally froze for a moment.
It was a teen around his age, but his face was horribly torn up. His left arm was also gone, with nothing but a scarred stump left. He shook it off quickly, filling up the box as he had been ordered. Then he passed it and told the man where to go. Then the next one came forth, a woman with a long scar going down her face, with both legs gone. She sat in a wheelchair, and another refugee was behind her pushing it for her.
Grizzly kept going, filling up the box as more refugees came up. Each one was scarred, beaten, and broken. Some were his age, others were older, and some were younger. It brought a question to his mind as more kept coming. How many were there? The line seemed endless as more helicopters kept landing and dropping off more.
How had so many people been hurt this way? Displaced from their homes and used by some villain? How had he never learned about it until now? He didn't notice but he slowly started to crack. More refugees kept coming forward, an endless number. How had he never heard? Why didn't he know? They kept coming, all wounded and damaged.
He should have known, there were too many not to know. And yet he didn't, and more refugees kept coming forward. Before he realized it Eagle had returned, tapping on his shoulder.
"Hey, thanks, rookie," Eagle told him, as he sat back down in his spot.
"Uh, welcome. Anything else?" Grizzly asked.
"I don't think so, the line seems to have thinned out-" Ape was interrupted as an earth-shattering boom was heard around them. Grizzly thought it was lightning, but the sky was entirely clear. Sirens soon followed afterward as he found Ape looking at something in the horizon slack jawed. He found what he was looking at then, finding the cloud rising up against the horizon.
"This should be the place mam," Gecko relayed over the radio. Ahead of him rested the factory the Tyrant had told him about. It looked worse for wear, with bullet holes covering the entire area. Shell casings littered the ground as well.
"Anything on the saboteur?" the President asked in return, with Ocelot and Techno standing beside her.
"Nothing on their identity, but it's clear something went down here. There are bullet casings all over the ground."
"I found a few bodies as well!" a hero exclaimed, with Gecko looking over to find a large mass grave. The bodies of militants rested in it, covered in dry blood and bullet wounds. Others had shrapnel still impaled in them. A few heroes gagged when they saw the disfigured body of one whose head was blown off.
"What about the money?" the President inquired, "Anything on its whereabouts?"
"Negative, I don't think it was ever here mam," Gecko replied as he continued to look around. The entire place was even worse inside, all its machines were destroyed wrecks. Blast marks were visible on every wall and the foreman's office was covered in blood. As he looked around, he could see some of the rookie heroes beginning to chicken out, walking slowly out of the factory.
"Damn it, something smells fishy about this." a hero muttered, as he began approaching the exit. Gecko somewhat agreed with him, but they hadn't searched the entire area.
"You back out now and your license is revoked," Gecko told him, the hero no longer moving. Something else began to happen then as Gecko heard something turn on. Behind him a tv lit up in the office, it shifting over to a live video. The Tyrant soon came into view, with him relaxing in a large chair.
"Like what you see" the Tyrant stated, as one of his soldiers passed him a drink, "an entire factory funded with your money. Of course, it's in ruins now, so don't expect a return on profits."
"You rat bastard," Gecko muttered.
"The President hearing this?"
"I am," the President replied over the radio, as Gecko put her on speaker.
"Good, good. I must say you were easy to fool for such an enlightened man as yourself."
"Where's the saboteur?" the President demanded.
"And why should I tell you?" the Tyrant countered, as he took a drink, "Damn it, I said shaken not stirred."
"You'll tell us where he is, or the heroes present will bring you to me in a casket."
"Was that supposed to scare me, Madam President? If so, you get points for trying but fail in the execution." the Tyrant replied, as he took another sip from his drink. Sure, it wasn't what he ordered, but alcohol was still alcohol.
"Listen you two-bit villain, I could have All Might down there within the hour-"
"And I could care less. Your precious heroes never scared me, only your money." the Tyrant interrupted. That left Gecko stunned for the moment, as he processed what was heard. The President held a similar sense of shock.
"You're crazy."
"I probably am." the Tyrant agreed, "But I'm the worst kind of crazy, I'm the logical kind. The one that knows the most powerful heroes can't be everywhere at once. Meaning you can send All Might madam President. In fact, you can send all the top ten, but it won't matter. For you see, your saboteur provided me something more valuable than money."
The Tyrant set the drink down then, as a militant approached him with remote control. It had a comically large, big red button, and the Tyrant grabbed it giddily.
"You know I've always wanted to push a big red button. It makes me feel like the comic book villains of old. But I digress. In my current possession, is over a dozen fission-based nuclear weapons. All are currently aimed at key targets across the globe except for one. This one is aimed somewhere extra special, which might be explained later."
The President very nearly clawed through her desk as the Tyrant spoke. Gecko on his end slowly became pale along with the other heroes present. It wasn't seen by many, but Ocelot also paled realizing what was about to happen.
"Your bluffing," the President stated.
"Am I," the Tyrant countered, a smug grin plastered across his face. Then, he pressed the button. Seconds passed as a hero pulled out his phone then. He swiftly went to the news hoping to see something, but no new articles had arrived. The President did the same, checking in on cities around the globe, but they were all fine. Gecko was about to call the bluff, but his ears started ringing.
He had blinked and everything suddenly burned. He screamed but he didn't know it. Flames covered his body as everything vanished around him. And in his last dying breath, he never saw the mushroom cloud rising behind him.