2014. War has changed. PMCs fight wars instead of regular armies. On patrol, a Praying Mantis PMC finds a surprise and the adventure of his life.
2014, the war Economy is better then ever. I thought this would be a normal day as usual but this day instead would by a adventure around the world, trying to find and save a foal named Noi.
They say war never changes. In one thing, they’re right. War never changes when it comes to deaths, victims and why we have it. Let me tell you something, war changes when it comes how we wage it.
War has changed.
It's no longer about nations, ideologies, or ethnicity. It's an endless series of proxy battles, fought by mercenaries and machines. War - and its consumption of life - has become a well-oiled machine.
War has changed.
ID-tagged soldiers carry ID-tagged weapons, use ID-tagged gear. Nanomachines inside their bodies enhance and regulate their abilities. Genetic control. Information control. Emotion control. Battlefield control. Everything is monitored and kept under control.
War has changed.
The age of deterrence has become the age of control... All in the name of averting catastrophe from weapons of mass destruction. And he who controls the battlefield... Controls history.
War has changed.
When the battlefield is under total control... War becomes routine.
I’m Edward Smith. 17 years old and a Member of the PMC Praying Mantis.
I know what you’re asking: Ain’t I too young for that?
Well, yes, but with the Sons of the Patriots, short SOP or as we call it the System, even teenagers can be soldiers.
The System has three main functions. The first allows multiple members of a military unit to share each other's senses and work more efficiently as a team. But also privacy doesn’t exist but I got used to being monitored all the time.
Like a unit of a network of computers. Each man is able to see what the others see, feel what they feel, and rapidly coordinate tactics. This provides a massive tactical advantage to whomever use it.
Secondly, it monitors the chemical balance of every soldier engaged in combat. This allows the Nanomachines to induce an artificial "combat high" by controlling the release of adrenaline and endorphins, elevating the senses and accuracy of every soldier. Furthermore, it allowed accurate monitoring of a soldier's oral intake and excrements (water, food, and sweat).
This refined information allows commanders to make more informed decisions on the flow of combat. Soldiers under SOP also have their emotions suppressed so that they felt less fear and remorse than other soldiers might. One's sense of pain was subject to the same treatment, preventing minor injuries from distracting a soldier during combat. I heard that low oxygen concentrations in areas at high altitude, such as mountainous regions, could cause negative effects on the Nanomachines, resulting in unusually aggressive behavior in soldiers, but there were no reports that this happened so far.
I was scared at first but the system took away my fear.
The third main function of SOP is to monitor and control the use of weapons on the battlefield. Each soldier's weapon is “ID locked”, only authorized individual soldiers can use that particular weapon. It can also prevent soldiers from firing on their own, committing human rights abuses, and attacking their own clients.
Useful if an enemy gets your weapon.
I actually never joined for money or for the excitement. My father was in a PMC called Diamond Dogs, then Outer Heaven, and I joined Praying Mantis to keep his honor alive after he died in 2005 as member of Next-Generation Special Forces Mother told me that he was a loyal soldier but cared for me and mother above everything else.
I have brown eyes and black hair, wearing a black ballistic helmet with Bolle X800 goggles. We Praying Mantis were known for our haki flight suits and tactical armor. We wore also black fleece SPEAR-style jackets under our Land-CIRAS armor vests and balaclavas as well as headsets.
I wore a balaclava as my father did. It was cool to me.
As every other PMC, I had a SCAR-H, Mk.17 Mod 0 as primary weapon. It has a 20 round box magazine. Before, we used the M4 Custom, a highly modifiable M4A1 carbine, based on the M16 rifle, primarily used by the U.S. military. While one of the most favored weapons by the PMCs, but the Mk.17 can easily be configured in mere minutes for CQC, tactical or precision fire thanks to its interchangeable barrels, and is an ideal Personal Defense Weapon due to its compact size and design.
While some users dislike the Mk.16 and Mk.17 because of the placement of its reciprocating cocking handle, which can painfully interfere with the shooter's support hand, depending on grip preference, I never had problems with it before with the grip.
As sidearm, I have a Granite Series Revolution, GSR for short, 8-round single stack magazine, with moderate stopping power, relatively low recoil. An upgraded yet different M1911 you could say.
I had an interest for German and soviet weapons.
We were deployed in the Middle East against a local militia as most soldiers of Praying Mantis had experience from the Iraq war.
This region had not seen peace for a long time. As far as I know, the region suffered from chronic high unemployment with lots of households just barely scraping by. Children growing up in this environment didn't have the chance to get a decent education, and there wasn't enough opportunities for them to go abroad and find work, either.
So, the Middle Eastern militiamen as we call them fight for a living and their families as they have no other choice. I felt sorry for them and the children, but the System kept me from showing it.
I doubt this war will be over soon or that the militia will be successful, as they are very inexperienced in battle, firing from the hip, cowering behind cover and firing blindly at us. Only their instructors have experience as they fire from the shoulder like us and give out tactics via hand signals, similar to us.
They lose many men, more then you or I could count.
Right now, I was in a Stryker APC, with some other soldiers and my buddy Jones, nicknamed buzzer as he is a radioman and wears a baseball cap instead of a helmet.
We got out guarding the rear, while the rest was deployed to the front of Ground Zero as we called it.
As we patrolled, Buzzer let out a sigh. “Nothing, nothing, and more nothing. I don’t get it what’s so important about this area.”
“I heard there are some hidden supplies for the militia here.”
“Yeah, and?”
“You have had your hands on any of the weapons these guys are supposedly armed with? Suddenly it's not just Molotovs. They've tapped into some old ammo dump or something. They're turning up with weapons we'll never get permission to carry, like RPGs and HK21Es. I would like to get my hands on one of those AK-102s. One of the best weapons the Russians ever made!” I exclaimed.
“Forget about that. The local ammo cartridges undergoing abnormal combustion, causing them to undergo excessive pressure and eventually fuse into the gun chamber, causing it to jam. No, thanks. Still want a Makarov PPM or a Mauser C96?” He asked as I told him once about it.
I chuckled. “You can bet on that!” The Makarov it was one of the best weapons ever made, at least for me.
We patrolled past an alley as I saw a box in it but ignored it.
As we passed it, I heard a strange noise.
?
“Did you hear that?”
Buzzer shook his head. “No. Must been your imagination.”
Just as we were about to move on, I heard crying.
“Don’t tell me you don’t hear that.” As I said this, I saw a colorless question mark over his head.
“Yeah, I hear it. Let’s check it out.” We moved into the alley were the crying came.
“Hello?” I called out and I saw the box flinching. Whatever was under it was scared. Buzzer saw it too, confirmed by a colorless exclaiming mark above his head.
Curious yet carefully, I pulled the box up to see what was under it.
We were both surprised to see a crying foal with purple eyes, orange mane and yellow coat. The foal looked up.
Once it saw us, it panicked and crawled backwards against a wall.
“P-please d-don’t h-hurt me.” The foal was scared. Very scared.
Either the heat is too much for me, or the Nanomachines have a malfunction.
I threw that away as buzzer also shook his head.
As the foal was still trembling in fear, I knelled down and spoke in a calming tone,” We won’t hurt you.” I lowered my weapon and stretched my hand out to pet her.
At first, she trembled more, fearing I would hurt her, but relaxed as my hand stroked her mane.
Then she got up and cried into my leg.
“Shh, it’s alright.” I looked up to buzzer. “What should we do, we can’t leave her.”
“Report to HQ. She should be safe at our base.”
“W-what?” she asked scared.
“Listen, we don’t want to hurt you. Here drink something.” I gave her my canteen. Drinking in a heat like this is very important to counter the water loss through sweating.
She took a sip. “Thanks Mr.…”
“Edward Smith. You can call me Edward. This is my buddy Jones nicknamed buzzer. What’s your name?”
“Noi.” She replied. “You’re soldiers I suppose?”
Giving her a light smile I replied, “Not exactly. We’re members of a private military company.”
“A PMC? In Equestria there was one years before I was born.” Noi’s eyes began to water. “Mama…” she cried.
“Shh, we’re here for you.” We had compassion for her even with the system suppressing it.
While I had a Peltor COMM-TAC II Headset to report to HQ, buzzers headset had a better range and connection to it. He used his headset by putting his left hand on it.
“Come in, HQ.”
“This is HQ.”
“Patrol here. We…” He didn’t finish, instead he suddenly held his head in pain, grunted in pain and dropped his weapon.
Then he collapsed and laughed uncontrollably. He loved it to be a radioman and was happy being a radioman.
I was about to ask, as I suddenly felt a big headache, the biggest I ever felt in my life!
I also collapsed and started to cry, as I felt sorry for the militia men, civilians and children.
Noi watched everything in shock, unable to understand what was happening.
For some reason, all my previously suppressed emotions were suddenly released a great shock I never thought I would experience.
After some minutes I believe, I could pull myself together and stood up.
I felt… different. Free from the System, no suppressed emotions, I could no longer hear or see buzzer moving or breathing.
Checking him, I saw foam and blood in his mouth. The shock was too great for him, he was dead.
“What happened!? There’s something wrong. Support unit, conform their status.” The radio buzzed.
I looked after Noi. She looked in shock at Buzzer and me.
“W-what happened?”
“I don’t know.” The shock and compassion we experienced when seeing her must have been too much for the System. Wait, I’m disconnected from the System!?
I’m disconnected from the System. Disconnected! This is not good!
I threw my weapons away, as they were useless as long as I was disconnected from the System.
“Is he… Is he dead?” Noi asked in shock.
“I’m afraid yes. We need to move, there are others who want to hurt you.” I gave a light smile.
“Y-yeah, we should.” Noi was scared, realizing that she was in a warzone.
“Don’t worry, you will be safe with me.”
She gave me a weak smile as we moved out.
Apart from the sounds of battle in the distance, it was quiet.
Despite this, the buildings were intact. We walked and I broke the silence.
“So Noi, why don't you tell me more about yourself?” She smiled.
“I was born in a town called Ponyville. I have a big sister named Golden Harvest but I call her Carrot Top. She is a friend of the Mailpony Derpy Hooves and has a colt friend named Written Script. My real parents died in an accident when I was still a baby. Sometimes, I see them as parents.
Ponyville is in Equestria, ruled by Princess Celestia and Luna. They raise and lower the sun and moon. Equestria is a peaceful world, war belongs to the past, the last one was 1000 years ago.
I’m an earth pony. There are also unicorns and Pegasus ponies. The princesses are Alicorns. Unicorns can use magic, and Pegasus walk on clouds, fly and control the weather.
But all ponies have a passive magic that allows grab and hold things with their hooves and understand other languages like yours. You’re a human, right? I learned about humans in school.”
I nodded and she continued. “Before the princesses, ponies lived separated from each other but to survive, they had to work together and founded Equestria.
A PMC maintained order back then as far as I know. I got here because Script got a cold. As I made him some soup, he had to sneeze, a spell came from his horn, hit me and... I woke up in that box.” Her ears were lowered.
“Sorry to hear that.”
“Oh, almost forgot, ponies have special talents, represented by their Cutie Mark on their flank. I still don’t have it but I don’t care. Dreamed once I had a pillow as Cutie Mark, another time a Magnifying glass and once a Chocolate muffin. What about you?”
“Well, I was born 1997 in London, a city in the United Kingdom. My father was also a member of a PMC called Diamond Dogs. This PMC got dissolved in 1995 and he became a member of its successor, Outer Heaven. After that was also dissolved, my father became a member of the Next-Generation Special Forces, also known as the Genome Army and Genome Soldiers. He died 2005 in an insurrection known as the Shadow Moses Incident.
I joined it to keep his honor alive.” Like I told you before, I told her what the system was. Also, I told her where she was, which year it was and such.
“So, you had that breakdown because this System couldn’t keep the emotions you had when you saw me under control?” She tried to understand it.
“Yes. As it prevents other from using my guns, I can’t use them either as I’m disconnected from it, that’s why I threw them away. I hope we don’t encounter any of the militia because we are defenseless.”
“I hope so too.” She replied with a scared voice. I heard that the militia took prisoners, only to kill them afterwards.
As we moved along the sandy, dusty road, I saw a dead militiaman lying against a house wall, an AK-102 next to him.
Noi looked away. I couldn’t blame her. I walked to the body. “What are you doing?” Noi asked confused.
She understood as I got my knife out to check if the AK was booby-trapped. Luckily it wasn’t.
Picking it up and checking it, the mag was fully loaded. I cocked it and also checked the body for ammo and rations. 5 mags and 4 rations. Enough for Noi and me.
While the AK-102 was outdated for the SOP, it’s still effective in the right hands and gold for me. Hope it doesn’t jam but luckily it’s only the ammo not the weapon itself.
“Move! Form up!” a voice ordered. The Militia!
“Noi, get in. We need to hide!” I kicked the door open and scanning the room, she got in after I gave her a sign that it was clear.
We both leaned against the wall as the militia ran by. Noi breathed scared.
After some minutes they passed. That were about 20-30 men.
As I patted her to calm her down, I heard footsteps. A militia men was about to enter the house.
Oh crap! I saw an empty cartridge sleeve on the ground, picked it up and threw it to lure him away.
“What was that?” He turned away after I saw a colorless Exclamation mark, then a colorless Question mark above his head.
Noi trembled but let out a relieved sigh as he walked away.
Unfortunately, Noi tripped and he came back as he heard it.
Before I could do anything, I was spotted by the militiaman, confirmed by a red Exclamation mark.
I lunged at him to knock him out. I didn’t want to kill him or anybody in front of Noi to protect her innocence.
However, his comrades were already on alert and prepared their guns.
“PMC in that building! I want him alive!”
Jeez, me against the Middle East. But at least they won’t try to kill me. For now.
I got to cover behind the window as bullets destroyed it. Noi cowered by my side, hoofs over her ears, and eyes closed.
I was shaking, as the System no longer suppressed my fear but I had experience in controlling it and better training then them.
I fired blind to avoid exposing myself and getting hurt; fighting against god knows how many militiamen.
As I had to reload, I heard a sound. “W-was that a c-cow?” Noi couldn’t believe her ears.
I smiled. Gekko. Once they arrived, they unleashed chaos on the enemy. We retreated usually to ensure we didn't get caught in the crossfire.
Using a glass pane as mirror, I saw the confused militiamen looking around saying, “What?”
“Huh?” while the mow sound could be heard as echo in the distance.
Then the ground shook as something slammed into the ground.
“Gekko! Run for your lives!” I saw that it was only one Gekko but it was enough to cause them to run.
The Gekko looked into my direction and waved it’s whip or manipulator arm, or whatever you could call it, to show that the area was clear from the enemy.
I patted Noi, causing her to flinch. “Shh, it’s over.”
“I thought I would die! It’s too much!” she cried.
“A…friend saved us.” I got out with her.
“Mow?” the Gekko looked at Noi curiously.
“W-what is that?” she asked scared.
“A Gekko. A large unmanned autonomous fighting vehicle. Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you.” The Gekko wouldn’t harm her at all, as it is programmed to never harm a civilian. If the Al is able to see her as civilian.
The Gekko used his manipulator arm to examine her by picking the foal gently up. Noi laughed. “That tickles!”
Then he sat her gently down and prepared to move on.
Before that however, he was about to… oh no… It wouldn't...
The Gekko… released… his lactic acid right above Noi before jumping away.
“Eww! It peed on me!” Noi was covered in the yellow-green liquid.
“Don’t worry, let me wash it off.” Somehow.
Then I remembered something. The building where we hid was ,apart from the destroyed window, intact.
Must been built before this war started. I thought as everything was not damaged at all. But apart from a bed, there were no pictures or furniture.
The bathroom had a shower and bathtub. The water pipes were still working.
After the bathtub was filled with warm water, I took my gloves off and rolled up my sleeves.
Gently placing Noi in the bathtub, I cleaned her as well as I could.
“Thanks. Why did the Gekko did that?”
“Well, while the Gekko is mechanical, it’s legs are biological, save for the claws. Bio-mechanical to be exactly. As they are made of living muscle tissue, the legs produce lactic acid which builds up with muscle activity. This acid has to be expelled periodically, which the Gekko did, unfortunately on you.” I explained to her.
She yawned. Looking out, it was evening, a beautiful sunset ruled the sky.
“Let’s have dinner, then we sleep, okay?”
“Okay, Edward.” Noi was tired.
I took one Ration, Noi the other. She enjoyed it. Wasn’t surprising for me, as the rations had all the calories needed for the day, as well as a variety of menu choices for everyone’s taste. Very delicious.
I saw a teddy bear lying on the bed in the bedroom that save for the bed, never was built. As all teddy bears, she had a happy smile saying thank you as I gave him to Noi who smiled.
“Goodnight.” She fell asleep.
She looked like an angel.
I switched the safety on, not that a shot would go off and hurt or kill Noi.
It was way more comfortable without helmet and googles, so I took them off before falling asleep myself, the foal curled up next to me.
I woke up in darkness, but saw a light in the distance.
So I got up and walked towards it.
It blinded my eyes for a few seconds then my vision became clear and I was in the middle of a burning city.
What happened here? Suddenly I saw something in the sky.
I couldn’t see what it was but it landed at the suburban.
Taking a closer look, I spotted a small pony in a latex suit with Kevlar vest and flank protection. It was covered in blood if I saw correctly, the helmet was black. Or more grey-green, I couldn’t see it directly in this darkness.
The suit and two wings that detached from it and a rifle was lying next to her. A WA2000 If I’m correct.
It had her back turned.
“Sad…so sad…I miss them so much.” The voice was female but distorted from the helmet. “Snake! You will pay for bring me into this!” That was rage. “I will enjoy seeing you suffer!” the pony laughed then it became scared. “B-but what will my friends and family think of me?”
“Who are you?” I asked, the pony jumped into the air and turned around.
“You! Stay away, I don’t want to hurt you!” It yelled in a scared voice.
“Should I know you?”
The pony laughed insane. “No, but I know you.”
“Who are you!?”
“I’m Broken Pony!” It charged at me and punched me in my chest with great kinetic energy I never seen before. It was enough to throw me to the ground and I could swear, it was shocking too like she had a build-in Taser.
I spit out some blood and got up. Again, she charged at me but I sidestepped and used all my strength in a single punch, managing to destroy the visor.
Broken pony turned in my direction. Behind the visor… was Noi!
“Noi?” I walked a few steps back in shock.
“E-Edward? I’m so sorry!” She hugged me tight, crying.
“Shh, everything is doing to be alright.”
“Edward, I apologize for this!”and with that she impaled me with her tail.
I gasped and woke up panting and cold sweat. Noi was also awaked, trembling, hugging the teddy bear tightly. “I had a nightmare!” she buried her head into my chest.
“Shh…” I rocked her and she fell asleep again.
In the morning, I awoke with Noi sleeping peacefully, hugging the teddy bear in her sleep.
I gently got up, letting her sleep and breakfasted.
As I was done, Noi woke up with a cute yawn. “Good morning, sweetheart.”
“Morning, Edward.” She eat her ration too while I put my balaclava, helmet and googles back on.
We moved out, I put the teddy bear in my backpack. I could see it in Noi’s eyes that she was scared by the sounds and screams but she felt safe with me.
Now we were moving through Red Zone of I remember correctly.
We moved past 3 statues on a podium and I could swear the statue on the left looked a little bit out of place.
But we didn’t care. Suddenly, someone said “Freeze!” and I heard Noi gasp.
Before I could turn around, somebody grabbed me and threw me to the ground. “Don’t move!” my attacker shouted and I placed my hands on my head. I trembled, Noi had her hoofs up in surrender and trembling too. How can she keep her balance?
Our attacker was an old man with a bandana, grey hair and blue grey eyes. He wore a dark blue suit I believe. I judged his age was 40 but he could be older and was armed with an AK-102.
Doesn’t look like he belongs to the militia or our PMC forces.
He checked Noi who was scared to death, then turned back to me. “Where's Liquid??!!” He asked.
“At our base camp, Millennium Park. He monitors this operation as far as I know.” I only submitted to save Noi’s life, fearing that he would kill her if I would not cooperate.
“But you have to travel through Downtown to get there and that area is where the hardest battles are fought and snipers watch the streets.”
“No problem for me. Shouldn’t you use an Mk.17?”
“I had to throw it away, as I got disconnected from the System.”
“Disconnected? That’s impossible!”
“That’s what I thought too but it happened when I found her.”
“Found her? Tell me, what happened and where you’re heading?” He sounded surprised, curious and he lowered his weapon.
I got slowly up and explained everything to him which Noi confirmed.
“How old are you?” He asked.
“17. Please don’t hurt her.” I begged.
“Not my style. But it’s impressive how far you got for your age without the System. Pretty good.” He gave my weapon back and left.
That man looked similar to the commander of my father, Big Boss I think was his name.
“Who was that?” Noi asked, relieved that it was over.
“I don’t know but we should move.”
Helping her down a damaged building, I checked the street and gave her a sign by making a fist with my left hand, then giving a thumb up to show it was clear as we PMCs did.
While the area was clear, I saw and heard how the rebels kicked my comrade’s asses in the street. If they can beat us in one thing, it is numbers.
Suddenly there was a whistle. “Watch out!” I grabbed Noi and dived to the ground to avoid getting hit by an explosion but still got shell shocked by it. The last thing I saw, where some men in Militia uniforms. “Get them to the safe house!”
I woke up restrained. Looking around, I was sitting against a wall, Noi also restrained next to me.
“E-Edward, I’m s-scared! I don’t wanna die!” she exclaimed, tears running down her eyes. We were in the militia safe house, it rumbled from artillery I suppose.
It was very dark in here, only a Light bulb provided light. Two dead PMC were lying on the ground, recently deceased.
I need a miracle to get out of here alive. While the rebels were called terrorists, they really weren’t terrorists. They would spare Noi, I’m convinced of that. She’s still a child. And if I’m wrong, I pray to god that it will be quick and painless.
I was restrained but I still tried to calm Noi down by saying comforting words to her.
She didn’t stop crying, she feared for her life. I can’t blame her; I was scared too to be honest.
“They need backup. Move out! On the double!”
“Roger!”
“Hey, they need reinforcements up top. You ready to roll?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
"Great. Let’s go. Right behind you!” Militiamen leaved to fight.
The rumbling didn’t stop.
“T-they won’t hurt us, right?” Noi sobbed.
“They won’t hurt you…” I was cut off as a militia instructor walked to us.
“You. PMC soldier. You will pay for your crimes.”
“Please! Mercy, I beg you!” Noi cried, close to breakdown.
Before the instructor could do anything, someone tapped his shoulder.
A colorless exclamation mark appeared over his head as he turned around. “Oh! You again.” He said to the old man that attacked me earlier.
“Kept you waiting, huh? What you’re gonna do with him?”
“Execute him like the other PMCs. About her, we aren’t sure yet.”
“You can’t do that, I’m afraid. He’s part of UN peacekeepers, monitoring the PMCs effects and impacts. He uses the PMC uniform so he can get a closer look. She is… the daughter of a UN ambassador and he has order to protect her.”
“Oh…in that case, I let them go and inform the others. What about you?” the militiaman asked confused.
“I’m their escort.”
“Uhh...okay.”
He left as the man used a knife to cut the rope. “Thanks, I owe you one.” I took Noi on my arm and stroked her mane while she cried in my chest.
“You owe me nothing. Stay with me if you want to get out of here alive.” Apart from the AK, he had two pistols, one a tranquilizer gun, a modified Ruger MK. 2 with built-in suppressor I believe.
“By the way, what's your name?” Noi asked him, finally calmed down.
"Call me Snake.”
“Okay, Snake.”
We followed him through the safe house; every rebel greeted him and apologized to us.
We came to a room where wounded members were treated.
“It hurts…” a wounded man was hurt pretty badly.
“You’re gonna be OK. It’s not that bad. Just hang in here.” A medic tried to calm him down.
“Oh man. It hurts bad.”
“We’ll getcha patched up. Just hold on a little longer.”
Snake gave him a Ration. “Thanks.”
In the next room, an instructor was talking with another rebel at a table where a damaged wing from a Slider UCAV was on.
“Intel indicates the enemy’s deployed…some sort of special unit, outfitted with unknown gear.”
“You mean those four ugly so… uh, things?” the rebel corrected himself as he saw Noi. She examined the wing curiously, as children were.
“Yes sir.” The instructor replied. As it wasn’t so dark here, I noticed that snake was wearing some sort of electronic eye patch over his left eye. “Their appearance may be strange, but they demonstrated incredible combat abilities. We’re already lost several units to them.”
“I hear one of ‘em even flies.”
“One of them does indeed seem capable of flight, sir. At the same time, it also maintains control over several UCAVs, increasing its air attack capability.” The instructor explained.
“One of my men recovered what he claims to be one of those UCAVs.”
“Now, they appear capable of working together or acting independently. My guess is they’re building an aerial surveillance network, sir.”
“I see, the more Intel they have on the area, the more effective their ground units are in battle.”
I think they’re talking about the Beauty and the Beast Unit. A unit with special suits as far as I know. Never saw them, only heard of them. Deadly, so deadly that even some PMC soldier were afraid of them.
Snake got some White Phosphorus, smoke and stun grenades from two more dead PMCs. Also ID locked; didn't know the ID works on grenades.
At the stairs to the upper floor were some lockers. I took an AK-102 with some ammo out of one.
I saw a militia member with a HK21E. He was extremely careless with it as he waved it around near his friend.
“Check this out!”
“Hey, isn’t that an enemy gun?”
“The very latest model. Much better than those popguns they give us!”
“What, it was just…lying around? Someone musta left it behind. In any case, it’s gotta be locked. You can’t use it.”
“You think so, wouldn’t ya? But not this one! This one I can fire.”
“How’d you manage that? I thought all their weapons were locked out.”
“Normally, yeah…I wonder if that gun merchant’s still hanging around that building up the road. He can take these guns and unlock ‘em for you. You just have to bring him a bunch of spares.”
“How did he do it? Get the locks off, I mean.”
“ Heck if I know.”
Interesting.
Upstairs, Snake used his other pistol, a Springfield Operator, a modified M1911A1. I spare you with the details.
After scanning the room, I made the all-clear sign to Noi.
The room was actually a garage, a Stryker with the slogan, “Eye Have You”, painted on the side.
On the ground were several weapons and… a hairless monkey? He was grey and had black eyes.
Snake noticed a M4 lying next to the monkey. He was about to pick it up, as someone asked, “Pretty sweet, huh?” We both looked around. “Whoa, hold it! Watch where you’re pointing that thing.”
An African man with glasses and blond hair walked up to us, hands up, a white handkerchief in his right hand to show he surrendered or meant no harm.
I lowered my weapon, Snake didn’t. “Who are you?”
“Neither enemy, nor friend.” The man materialized a grenade from the handkerchief. “Voila!”
While Noi smiled, impressed by it, Snake said, ”You’re not with the militia, and you’re not PMC…”
“I’m a weapons wholesaler – all shapes, all sizes. But there’s no need to worry, ‘cause all my thing’s been laundered.”
“Laundered?” Snake asked confused and the man made a magical trick, the grenade was now an apple. Sleight of hand, an old trick.
“You see, I take ID guns like the PMCs use and make some mods. Then you can use ‘em without having to match IDs. In other words, I’m a gun launderer.”
That must be the guy the two rebels were talking about.
“You can call me Drebin.”
“Drebin?” Snake was still confused.
“Yeah, they use that for all of us.”
“There are more of you?”
“All over the world. Not that I ever met any of ‘em personally. Me, I’m Drebin number 893.” He picked the M4 up, the grip facing Snake. “Unlike your buddy, you ain’t a registered PMC employee, are ya? You need a guy like me. Consider it a welcome gift.” Drebin handled the M4 over to Snake.
“Take it.”
Snake hesitated before taking and inspecting it.
“The M4. The official carbine model used by the US army…Developed from the M16 service rifle. This one’s a top-of-the-line model. High precision. Free-floating, of course. Relax, that barrel’s clean.” Drebin explained to him . It reminded me of my first days in the PMC where I also used a M4. Customable for every situation.
A ringing sound snapped me out of it and snake knelled down, putting his hand on his left ear. I couldn’t hear who was on the other end, but Snake asked if Drebin could be trusted.
“And you? A PMC who has a foal a companion? Sounds like it’s out of a Fanfiction story.” He gave Noi the Apple.
“Thanks, Mr. Drebin.” She took a bite, smiling and played with the monkey.
“Drebin is just fine.” Strange that he wasn’t surprised that she could talk.
“You seemed interesting after getting disconnected from the system, so I decided to check you out. Here, a welcome gift.” He used his magical trick to materializing a Makarov from the handkerchief.
“A Makarov PMM, made in the late 1980, so you don’t need an ID to use it. Official sidearm of the Soviet army, 12 round magazine.”
“Thanks.” I took it and holstered it.
“Now tell me, who is she?”
I took a deep breath and told Drebin what happened.
He seemed to believe me.
He smiled at Noi. “Hey little one, wanna see another trick?”
“Yes, please!” she exclaimed. Drebin held a coin in his right hand.
“Watch.” The coin vanished, showing both hands, they were empty.
“Amazing!” Noi was impressed.
Drebin grabbed something behind her right ear. “Voila!” He revealed the coin behind her right ear.
Noi applauded with a big smile. “Thank you, thank you.” Drebin did a bow.
Snake was ready, as he got up.
“So…we ready to make a deal, or what?” Drebin asked Snake got up.
“OK, then. Let’s talk business. This is a war zone. There’s product coming in here by the truckload. And you’ll both be picking up a lot of guns out in the field, I’m sure.
Whatever guns you don’t need, I’ll take and buy ‘em off ya. That’ll earn you points you can cash it for services. I’ll launder your ID guns – no more locks. And I can also sell you the guns I’ve got in stock.” He pointed to his Stryker.
Inside were guns, pictures and a vending machine.
“To ensure you can use non-ID guns, I’m gonna have to suppress the Nanomachines you both got in ya. Otherwise, they’ll interfere with the system.”
Drebin gave me a syringe. “It’s full of suppressor Nanomachines.”
I injected myself so I could use any weapon I would find. It hurt a little bit and grunted in pain but was used to it.
Snake blocked it but gave in after a few seconds.
“Now you both can use non-ID guns, no problem. Oh, before I forget.”
Drebin handled me an Mk.17 with Flashlight, Laser Sight, Red Dot Sight and a fore grip. “It’s on the house.” We gave both weapons a test run and they worked.
Then he said if we should find any locked weapon, we should let him know. He also told us that he was specialized in seedy service before getting into his APC.
“Eye. Have. You.” He gave Noi a friendly smile and wave that she returned before driving away.
“I know this part of the town pretty well. I can lead you through.”
“Alright, Edward, lead the way.”
Outside, we were standing in front of a collapsed building.
“Yesterday, it was still intact. Anyway, the only way to downtown is straight through.” I explained a little bit scared and unsure.
“You’re sure, Edward?” Noi was also unsure.
“It’s the only way.” I took a deep breath. “Let’s go.”
I helped Noi through the building, many dead militiamen were in the damaged building.
I took any AK ammo from the bodies and took some rations, Noi tried to cover her ears from the explosions.
The building rumbled. “Careful, the walls could come down any second.”
Just as I said this, a part of the roof collapsed, almost hitting Noi but I grabbed her and pulled her away. “Thank you!” She was grateful as I patted the dusk off her.
At the other end, two rebels looked out of a window.
“Look, it’s the enemy.”
“Yeah. I can see ‘em!”
“Perfect. We can pick ‘em off from here.” They got spotted.
“Damn it! Return fire!” They fired but got killed.
At the exit to downtown, I waited inside, while Snake checked the outside.
“Noi, tell me, how can you understand me?”
“The magic passively allows me to understand almost any human language and you mine.” She explained.
I heard strange noises outside, like some took care of his “Business” if you get what I mean.
After I heard someone yelled, “Get back here!” I took a look outside.
Snake was examining a barrel. Then something came into my mind. Why does the militia trust him? He isn’t a member of then or us either. "Snake, uh, you don’t look like a UN peacekeeper at all. And how gained you the militia’s trust?”
He looked at me, showing no emotion. “An APC blocked the entry to the safe house, so I had to destroy it and gained the rebel’s trust. And I’m no peacekeeper at all. My mission is to kill Liquid.”
“Okay, that’s fine for me. Never liked him anyway.”
“K-kill? W-why?” Noi asked scared.
“Let’s just say, he caused some problems in the past. Let’s go, the true peacekeepers are at the Advent Palace.”
“Okay, let’s move.”
A squads of rebels crossed our way. They asked snake if he would cover them, while they said to us that they will protect Noi with their lives. Guess news spread fast.
“Sniper! High ground!” A instructor warned us. I recognized the sound.
A M14 EBR, our standard designated sniper rifle. I fired it once, was very exciting.
Snake gave a sign for us to stay back while he took the snipers out with his tranquilizer gun, then we followed after.
Reinforcements arrived, but the militia pinned them down behind cover, so they couldn’t spot us.
Still I noticed that my comrades didn’t notice Snake, even if he was standing right next to militiamen they were shooting.
Noi was scared and so was I but I stayed close to her and moved from cover to cover.
Suddenly, something hit Noi’s head hard. “Ow! What the?” she looked at the object that had hit her. It was a pin.
“Aw, you id-“ Someone complained before a building next to us exploded.
"’You're supposed to throw the grenade, not the pin.’" I said remembering what my drill instructor said to me and the other recruits at our training.” Noi didn’t hear it as her ears were ringing.
The battle got more brutal as airstrikes and artillery started to cause craters.
Snake reached a door and waved at us to get in.
I picked Noi up and made a sprint to it, diving into the building.
Then he helped me up as I took a deep breath. “Never felt so much adrenaline before.” I took Noi on my arm to pat her. She breathed heavily.
“This is the place where the UN peacekeepers are. They can help you.”
He was right, they can help her and me to get out of here. She had already seen too much of this war zone. I doubt it can get worse.
Now inside the place, we made our way to the top avoiding traps along the way.
“Hey, what’s this?” Noi pointed at an object on the ground.
Curious, she walked closer to inspect it. “Wait!” I yelled but it was too late.
Sleeping gas spread out and Noi fell on the floor asleep, snoring. Cute but not good at the moment.
Snake patted her back. “Get up!” It didn’t work but I had an idea.
!
I tickled her hooves and a smile formed on her face, then she burst out into laugher. Always works.
“That was a sleeping Gas mine. It sprays out a cloud that will instantly knock anyone out, so watch your step." Noi lowered her ears after I had explained this.
“Okay. I’m sorry.”
“No need, you couldn’t know that.”
We moved upstairs and came to a red door. I looked around. Nothing. Giving the all clear sign, Noi followed.
Before Snake could follow, someone closed the door with force.
“Freeze! Drop your weapon!” a male voice said to me and Noi from behind.
Noi instantly held her hooves up in surrender, I hesitated.
“Drop your weapon!”
“All right…” I dropped my rifle and turned around. A man wearing sunglasses and a balaclava held us at gunpoint.
“P-please don’t shoot.” Noi whimpered which pained me deep. The man was confused as I saw a colorless Question Mark over his head.
Using this moment to look at his weapon, I noticed that the safety was still on.
“You haven’t even taken the safety off, rookie.” I taunted.
“Careful, I’m no rookie! I’m a 10-year vet!" He protested but still checked it.
The door was kicked open, Snake tackled him to the ground and grabbed his rifle, while I quickly picked mine up. Veteran my butt, this guy’s a rookie for sure!
I was a veteran myself, serving a year now in the PMC and a veteran doesn’t make such a mistake.
“How did you even survive 10 years?” Snake asked as if he knew the guy.
“Don’t move!” a female voice ordered. Alerted, Snake saw a woman wearing a balaclava, with a Desert Eagle aimed at us from the front, two men at us to our left.
Snake aimed at the woman, using the “Veteran” as shield, I aimed at the other two men, Noi hugged my leg, trembling.
“FOX…?” Snake recognized a symbol on the woman’s chest.
“Snake?” The woman took her balaclava off, she had blue eyes and red hair. “Snake.”
“Meryl?” he asked in return. They seem to know each other. Meryl spotted Noi.
“Aww, so cute!” She hugged the filly who gasped for air. “Oh sorry.”
Putting Noi down, she cleared her throat and give her men a sign to stand down.
“Akiba!” Meryl ordered and slapped him.
“This is Rat Patrol Team Zero One. We’re with the CID. One of the bodies investigating PMC activity.” She explained, Akiba strike a pose, Ninja style I believe.
“First hounds, now rats.” Snake commented then gave Akiba his rifle back.
“Here, you can have this back.”
Once Akiba took it, his stomach growled and he grunted in pain. “What is your problem?” he asked him.
Noi looked at him worried. “You OK?” He shook his head.
“Stomach pains?” Akiba nodded at Snake’s question. “Diarrhea…”
“So Snake, why is a PMC and that filly with you?” Meryl asked him.
“This PMC soldier leaded me here, but he can explain his situation better then me.”
I cleared my throat. “My name is Edward Smith. I’m in the Praying Mantis PMC. Or better said I was. I’m disconnected from the System.”
Meryl couldn’t believe it.
“That’s impossible!”
“I thought so too. Yesterday, me and my buddy were on patrol and found her. For some reason, the pity we had for her was too much for the system and all suppressed emotions were released, causing us to go into shock.
While I survived it, my buddy had less luck and died. After I realized that I was disconnected, I tried to find a way out of the city and a safe place for her. Snake told me you could help.”
Meryl was speechless. “For real?” I nodded. “Well, yes we're can help. How old are you?”
“17.”
“My guess is that you got disconnected because young soldiers like you are more vulnerable to their emotions then hardened veterans. What’s your name?” She knelled down to Noi.
“Noi, Ma’am.” She smiled.
“She can talk?”
“Yes, I can.” Noi explained her origin.
“You poor child. Don’t worry, you will be safe with us. And Meryl is just fine.”
Akiba had left for a task.
“Here, I’ll introduce you to the team. That’s Ed, our radio men and sniper.” Ed checked his rifle.
Noi had her eyes closed, enjoying every second of the songs with a relaxed smile.
Akiba looked out of the window with binoculars. Could it be that he is the same Johnny who was a friend of my father?
I walked next to him. “Can I ask you something, Johnny?”
“Yeah?”
“Is there a reason why your Diarrhea is so bad?”
“Well, I’m scared of needles so I have no Nanomachines in my body who could filter consumed local water. Can Noi and you keep a secret?”
“Of course!” Noi had heard it and walked close to him.
“I have a crush on Meryl.”
“Well, good luck with that. I don’t like syringes either but with big sis holding my hoof, everything is fine! And I know how bad Diarrhea can be. My friend Ruby Pinch has it always when she drinks apple juice.”
Then Noi played a game on the iPod. I couldn’t see it but could hear the music. I knew it from somewhere.
“My father was a good friend of a man named Johnny.”
“Wait, you’re his son?” Akiba asked surprised.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! You expect me to work with my uncle?” Meryl yelled, getting everyone’s attention.
She threw the chair she was sitting on, on the ground and kicked it. “He’s not my father!” She punched the wall in anger.
After that, she picked the chair up and sat down again, complaining how a her “Father” was her uncle to her while keeping her words clean to maintain Noi’s innocence.
Ed looked on a screen and said to Meryl, “Commander!”
“What is it?”
“There’s 20 of them. And they’re not from that PMC, Praying Mantis, either. It’s the FROGS.”
“His private troops.”
Haven Troopers, also known as FROGS, were an army of elite, female soldiers, serving directly under Liquid’s command. They were equipped with powered suits, which enhanced their physical capabilities beyond that the normal human, allowing them to cling to walls and leap several feet into the air. The vaguely green coloring of the exoskeleton, along with its distinctive abilities, is the reason the Haven Troopers were nicknamed “FROGS.”
I never saw them in action, only heard of it, but saw some of them up close. They don’t like it when someone stares at their chest or their lower body part. One PMC soldier did this once and the FROG kicked him into his lower parts.
The suits were actually tight grey jumpsuits with several pieces of leather-like strips adorning its shoulders and frontal torso. Multiple beige harnesses, straps, and holsters were also wrapped around each Haven Trooper. Their gloves had a physical mechanism hidden within it that tightly stuck to flat surfaces on command, as did their boots, which had small claws on the boot's toes, the mechanism of which was speculated to employ Van Der Waals force. All of this gear is peaked with an intimidating, vaguely skull-like helmet with red glowing eyes. Scary.
Unlike us PMCs, the Nanomachines within their bodies allowed only a minimal psychological deviation from baseline values, meaning that these units felt essentially no emotion in combat, which makes them pretty dangerous. I heard they worked sometimes together with PMC but I never saw that before.
As primary weapon, they used the FN P90, and as sidearm, the Five-seveN as it shares ammo with the P90.
Akiba realized how bad this was. "Oh…This is not good.” Snake and the rat team looked at him after Meryl asked if we been followed, while Noi hugged my leg.
“They might have seen the reflection off my scope lens." We all glared at him, even Noi. "Wait! Hang on…You guys think it was my fault? It wasn’t my fault! I swear!” He collapsed on the ground. “It wasn’t my fault!”
Meryl slapped him. “Dumbass! We’re moving out!”
I got my Mk.17 ready. Snake and Meryl went first, followed by the rest of the rat team, Noi and me. She was scared.
“Eye contact! These guys are with Liquid’s private army. Shoot first, think later. We’ll use the stairs and get out through the back door on the first floor. We’ll change the route as necessary. I’m on point. Stay close. Got it?”
“Got it.” We all said, Johnny was very nervous.
“Akiba. Breathe deep. Noi. We will get you out of here alive, you have my word.”
“Thank you.” She replied a little bit calmer.
“Got it.” Akiba gave a thump up and we moved out.
Noi stayed in cover as we killed the FROGS, Snake used his tranquilizer gun. I was a little bit scared and nervous too without the system keeping my emotions under control, but after all that experience, I was much calmer then before.
I noticed, if a Haven Trooper was killed, the internal Nanomachines combusted, carbonizing them within seconds.
After we got down the stairs, Akiba shit his pants. As FROGS could take a lot of bullets, I got low on ammo. The AK jammed as I switched to it, so I threw it away.
“Here, take this.” Johnny gave me some ammo for my Mk.17.
“Thanks.”
On a floor, Akiba yelled, "Grenade!" Noi screamed in fear as in landed next to her. I was shocked as it was too late to run or throw it away. They got knocked out by the grenade, as I saw stars above their heads. Phew, only a stun grenade.
After we eliminated the troopers, I woke Noi up. “Wakey, wakey!” while Snake woke Akiba up.
Then at a hole to the bathroom downstairs, Johnny deactivated a trap. I helped Noi down.
She was trembling, afraid to die. I patted her. “Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you.”
A bulldozer broke through the wall and stun grenades were thrown. Luckily, we all stayed in cover.
After we all defeated them, I took Noi in my arm as we had to jump down an elevator shaft to a parking garage.
At it, 3 FROGS surrounded the rat team but as the system make it possible to share each other’s senses and controlled pain, they killed all 3 before they could do anything.
Meryl told snake that and asked if his age of heroes is finally over, while he replied that he’s no hero, never was, never will be. For me he is a hero.
Noi cowered against the wall, holding her ears, eyes closed. It was too much for her.
I scooped the filly in my arms and rocked her. It took a few minutes, enough for the rat team to be gone. Snake was still talking on his radio. After he was finished, he was about to ask why Noi and I were still here, but dropped it as he saw how she was curled up in my arms.
“Stay close.” was all he said.
We moved out to Crescent Meridian which was near the base.
Unknown to us, a FROG had survived. “Trooper 03 to Liquid… I have…something interesting…to report…”
As we reached the exit, some Militiamen were attacking a squad of PMCs.
A BMP-3 IFV broke through on my comrade’s right flank, forcing them to retreat by using a smoke grenade. The Praying Mantis PMC was known to use smoke grenades as a means of escaping disadvantageous situations.
The Militia noticed us. “You’ve got my back?” one of them asked Snake who nodded. “We got your back and keep her safe. Promise.” The rebel smiled at Noi who returned it with a relaxed smile.
We both stayed in cover, leaving the fighting to Snake and the rebels. When the BMP-3 moved, we moved too. It was eventually destroyed but the Militia defeated the PMC.
“We did it!” they cheered. Noi couldn’t bear the screams and shots but I patted her.
“Nothing bad will happen to you with me by your side.” She smiled at my words.
In the next area, the militia used a Caterpillar D9R to tear down barbed wire and tank traps to clear a path for the infantry.
Snake, Noi and I went to cover behind a dumpster.
“Move!” the instructor ordered.
After they passed, the bulldozer was abruptly stopped by something.
The driver tried to move forward at full rev, but as that didn’t work, the instructor gave a sign to check it out.
I spotted a quadrupedal creature blocking the bulldozer and it was sobbing. It lifted the bulldozer slightly up.
The militiamen fired at it but it showed no effect. The driver fled in panic as the creature which looked like a wolf, lifted it more up.
The men behind the bulldozer saw the wolf. “It’s…it’s the Beast!” They tried to run but were sliced by a woman with wings and jetpack if I saw it right.
“Rage…Rage!” she screamed as she flew into the sky and turned around.
The wolf dropped the bulldozer and howled, the rebels that fired at her also tried to run.
One of them walked backwards into a…plant. The “plant” laughed and four long tentacle-like mechanical appendages started to surround him.
A comrade tried to warn him by pointing at it but it was too late.
“Laugh with me!” who woman with a full-face mask covering her entire head squashed the rebel until he was dead. Disgusting and horrified.
I covered Noi’s eyes but she already had buried her head in my chest, as it was too much for her young mind.
The instructor retreated as 3 rebels, one armed with a RPG, arrived. Suddenly the instructor was lifted into the air and he killed his own comrades. Then, violently his body was contorted, breaking his limbs and spine, and he hang in the air as if he was held by strings, then fell dead to the ground.
“It can’t be…” Snake muttered and looked up. “Isn’t that…?” he wondered as I also looked up.
A floating woman was in the sky. She had multiple arms and two dolls held by it. I couldn’t recognize them from the distance. The Octopus threw one rebel to the ground and impaled another with one tentacle.
Reinforcements arrived, but the flying woman shot missiles at a bridge above them, the debris buried them. “Show me your rage!”
The wolf charged through a group of militiamen, killed by the impact, and knocked the bulldozer over. The floating woman waved one of her arms. The wolf halted, the flying woman flew away shouting, “Rage! Rage!” while the Octopus woman climbed away using her tentacles.
“Isn’t it funny?”
Their leader made a threating bow and vanished.
Snake and I looked around. That was the Beauty and the Beast Unit. Impressive and scary.
I kept Noi close to my chest as we moved on. She slowly realized that it was over and let out a sigh. “W-what was that?”
“I don’t know.” Snake replied as a broadcast started.
“Acting under contract to local authorities, the Praying Mantis PMC recently restored government control to this sector. Utilizing ArmsTech IRVING unmanned vehicles. We hope you’ll consider the Praying Mantis solution for all your future combat needs.”
After it ended, Snake took 2 PMCs out with a stun grenade. Then he took a lone PMC soldier with his tranquilizer gun.
Two soldiers guarded the entrance, one manning a 2HB .50 caliber heavy machine gun on a Humvee.
“Thanks for your help, Snake. You’re a true hero to us.” I thanked him before we went separate ways.
Still, I had a problem. How should I get Noi out of here? Wait, I know!
My backpack! “Noi, would you get into my backpack? My buddies won’t notice you with that trick.”
“Okay.” She fitted perfectly in, snuggling with the Teddy bear. My heart melted.
Every PMC I meet on my way greeted me, either not noticing that I was disconnected or not caring.
Near a truck that was about to be prepared to move out of the city, I told Noi to get out and wait behind the tent. “Okay, I wait here." She looked up at me with fearful eyes. "Just don’t forget me.”
“Of course not.” I booped her nose and she giggled.
I walked to the soldier that guarded the truck. “Hey comrade, take a break. I will drive.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Suddenly, there was a strange felling in the air after the moo sound of a Gekko echoed.
All soldiers looked confused around.
The System! Its shutting down! I knew it from yesterday.
I was right, as all my comrades collapsed with headaches. Some of them had to vomit, others screamed in pain or began fighting each other.
While I already had experienced it before, I was still affected by it as I became dizzy and tried not to collapse as I tried to walk back to Noi.
But eventually, the pain became too much and I collapsed too.
“Edward!” Noi came to my aid, worried for me. My vision was blurred.
But before she reached me, a Haven trooper, unaffected by the shutdown for some reason, grabbed her. “HELP!!!” She yelled.
I tried to draw my sidearm but my hand was shaking so that I couldn’t aim right.
Noi struggled in the trooper’s arms. “Leave her alone!” Akiba tried to safe her but the FROG responded with an incapacitating kick, knocking him to the ground.
Before Noi was out of sight and my vision blacked out, she screamed loud,” DAAAAADDDDDDY!!!!”
All I could remember was that I screamed before I felt sleepy and everything went black.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. I was in a prison cell on a bed. There was a door and windows around it. A single guard was patrolling outside.
Why? Why did they kidnap me? I started to sob as I missed my friends and Family. For some reason, I saw Edward as family member too. He cared for me, I cared for him.
“Shut up!” the guard yelled. But I couldn’t stop as I was scared. So very scared.
What will they do with me? What did they want from me?
I don’t want to die! I had my life yet ahead of me. It was like when Edward and I got captured by the militia.
I curled myself into a ball and cried. “M-mommy…sister…I-I m-miss y-you so much.”
I trembled in fear what they would do with me. Now I wish that Edward was here, comforting me like he did earlier. If he was still alive after what happened.
I don’t know how long I was out cold or how long I was in here but it felt like hours or days.
Suddenly there was a voice.
“She’s still a child! You can’t do this to her!” a female voice protested.
“I can. We need to know if Snake knows our plan.” I looked up.
The guard saluted a man. He had blue eyes and white hair. My guess was that he was 70 years old. He wore a business suit with a black undershirt and tie, alongside a black coat over the suit.
The other one was a woman. She had brown hair and eyes. She appeared to be in her late 30s to early 40s. She had a look of pity and sympathy for me.
The guard opened the door and the man walked it.
"Hello…Noi.”
“P-please don’t hurt me…” I had to cough. “P-please let me go, I-I just want to go home…”
The man said nothing and gave a guard a sign. It was a FROG if I remember correctly. She knocked me out.
I slowly regained my senses, as I heard faintly a voice.
“…This is an interrogation, Naomi.”
“But she’s still a child! She won’t last long!” she protested. As I slowly regained my vision, I was looking into seven small spotlights. I tried to move but was restrained.
“Ah, looks like our little friend is awake.” The bed moved and I was face to face with the man.
I whimpered in fear. “Naomi, leave us.” The man said to her.
“Just…promise you don’t kill her.” K-ki-kill?
Naomi left with a worried expression.
“Finally, just the two of us. I’m Liquid. How are you feeling?”
I whimpered again. “P-please mercy.”
“That depends if you answer my questions correctly. We’re going to play a game, Noi. When the pain becomes too great to bear, just tell me what I want to know and it will end.”
“W-what do you want to know?”
“Tell me everything about Snake’s mission.”
“I-I only know that he should kill you. That’s all I know. Honest.” I explained, hoping he would spare me.
“That’s a pity. So, does he know about my plan?”
“P-plan?” I asked confused.
Before he could reply, he held his head in pain for a few seconds and collapsed on one knee, before getting up.
“Press the O button repeatedly to regain your strength. When you've had enough, press the select button to submit. When your life reaches zero, the game is over. There are no continues, my dear. Don’t even think about auto-fire or I’ll know.
Wait a sec…Why I’m telling this, this is a fic not a game and on PC. Anyway, I’m going to run a high voltage electric current through your body.”
Please, no… My heart raced and my skin became pale.
“If it’s just for a short time, it won’t kill you.”
“Please, no, I beg you!”
“Startin’ to feel a little scared? Good…You should be. You’re no POW. There’s no Geneva Convention. No one is coming to save you.”
Suddenly he punched the wall and I heard him muttering, “Amber…Amber…I can’t do this, she reminds me of her…”
He walked to a control monitor. “Okay. Let’s get startled.” Liquid pushed some buttons. “Okay. Here we go.”
I expected a new level of pain I had never experienced before. Instead, the level was so low that it tickled and I broke out in laugher. After a few seconds, it stopped so I could catch my breath.
“How did you like that? Shall we go again?”
Instead if tickling, I felt a high voltage running through my body and I screamed in pain at the top of my lungs. The pain was so great that I could only scream, unable to beg for mercy.
After it stopped, I tried to catch my breath and Liquid asked, “Had enough yet? We’re not finished yet.”
Again, I screamed in pain and tried to break free, but alas, there was nothing I could do, but endure this new level of pain.
This time, I coughed blood as I caught my breath and my nose was bleeding. I was at my limit.
“Please, just no more of this. Please.” I tried to say but could only whimper it as I sobbed.
“You’re still okay? Want me to go on? Can you take one more?” Liquid didn’t hear my pleading. Before he could activate it, he screamed in pain.
“No, Ocelot! I’m in control!” He collapsed to the ground but accidently it the control panel. He also accidently started it again but I was horrified as I saw what level of electrical voltage was selected.
Maximum voltage.
I let out a very loud scream, it caused Naomi to ran in and shout, “Stop! It’s too high, she can’t take it!”
It was too late, as my vision became black and body became limb as all my organs gave out.
A thunderstorm ruled the sky and extinguished the fire.
A man in black clothes rose from the water, his back to me.
“H-hello?” I was scared that he would hurt me.
“Sad…so sad…A host of sorrows…” He turned around. “And you are one of them…I am the Sorrow. Like you, I, too, am filled with sadness." He had white hair and red eyes.
“This world is one of sadness…Battle brings death. Death brings sorrow. The living… …may not hear them. Their voices…may fall upon deaf ears. But make no mistake… …the dead… …are not silent.”
“I-I am dead?” tears were about to leave my eyes.
The sorrow just replied, “Death is tragic. But life is miserable…That is why you were summoned here… I want you to show you something. Don’t be afraid, you aren’t dead.”
I let out a sigh of relief. He touched my forehead and the forest vanished.
We were in a half destroyed building. A man which looked like Snake but younger was surrounded by several soldiers.
“So this is the legendary boss?” A man wearing a black uniform, a beret and cowboy boots walked in. He was spinning his pistol in a very impressive way.
“We meet at last.”
“You…you're from the Ocelot unit of Spetsnaz. What's a GRU soldier doing here?” One of the soldiers asked.
“Soldier?” he corrected his beret and made a gesture.
“He's the Ocelot Commander!”
“Ha! That's Major Ocelot to you.” He made a gesture. “And don't you forget it!”
“Sokolov is ours. Now get out of here.”
“An ocelot never lets its prey escape.”
“What!?” Ocelot Ocelot drew his pistol, holding sideways as he shot the unfortunate man in front of him before he could react. He quickly killed the others, his beret fell to the ground.
He was spinning it again as he spotted the last soldier, hiding behind cover on the roof. Having no clear shot, Ocelot used a ricochet shot. The soldier fell dead to the ground. Snake backed up and so did I in shock. How could Ocelot just kill others because they got his name wrong?! The first soldier he had shot was still alive, holding his wound in pain. Ocelot killed him without mercy and picked his beret up to put it back on.
“I can't say it feels good to kill a comrade, even if it is for the GRU.”
Snake threw him to the ground. “You ejected the first bullet by hand, didn’t you? I see what you were trying to do. But testing a technique you’ve only heard in the middle of battle wasn’t very smart. You were asking to have your gun jammed on you,” Snake explained.
“Besides, I don’t think you’re cut out for an automatic in the first place. You tend to twist your elbow to absorb the recoil. That’s more of a revolver technique.But that was some fancy shooting… …you’re pretty good.”
Ocelot grabbed Snake’s arm. “Pretty good…” He passed out.
“Why you’re showing me this?”
“Ocelot was my son. And this Snake was the father of the Snake you know. I want to show why you were interrogated,” The Sorrow explained as we were at the same location but at night this time.
Ocelot used a woman as shield.
“I see you’ve got yourself a single action army. It’s a nice gun, I’ll give you that. But the engraving gives you no tactical advantage whatsoever,” Snake said and the scene switched to a cliff.
Ocelot was spinning two revolvers. “12 shots…This time, I’ve got 12 shots. Draw!”
Whenever Ocelot had to reload he commented either, “I’ve never felt a tension like this before…” or, “This reload time is exhilarating!!!” or “That’s so different from simply changing a clip!”
The scene switched again. Now we were on a base in the sea.
A now older Ocelot watched some soldiers practicing with their pistols. One of them looked like Edward. Must be his father. He fired from the hip. “Again.” Ocelot ordered.
Edward’s father’s gun jammed. Ocelot took it and fixed it.
“You see that in the movies? That’s an automatic, don’t bother trying to dampen the recoil. You do that with a revolver.
We Diamond Dogs, are now a force to be reckoned with. We’ve got the world’s attention.
We’re not some tribal militia. So don’t act like one. You will learn how a real soldier fights. You will forget everything Hollywood taught you. And if I catch you doing something else…you’ll know it.” He inspected the pistol.
“Engravings… …Give you no tactical advantage whatsoever. That was some pretty shooting. Pretty good.” He gave the pistol back and walked away.
Edward’s father had a confused expression that said, “D-did Ocelot just praise, or scold me?”
I giggled as Ocelot had used the same words Snake said to him when they first met.
Then we were in a room where Ocelot introduced himself to the Snake I know.
“Special Operations FOX-HOUND…” he was spinning his revolver, “Revolver Ocelot.
I’ve been waiting for you, Solid Snake. Now we’ll see if the man can live up to the legend! This is the greatest handgun ever made. The Colt Single Action Army.
Six bullets. More than enough to kill anything that moves. Now I'll show you why they call me... ‘Revolver.’ Draw!”
Ocelot commented, “I love to reload during battle! There's nothing like slamming a long, silver bullet into a well-greased chamber.” when he reloaded.
After that, he reloaded behind cover.
“You're pretty good. Just what I expected from the man with the same code as the boss. It's been a long time since I had such a good fight… but I'm just getting warmed up.” He was about to shoot but something fast cut his hand off. I looked away.
“What! My Hand!!!” He exclaimed.
The last scene I saw was that Snake was fighting another man on top of a robot or tank or whatever you could call it.
Snake defeated the man who fell all the way down while calling out, ”Snaaaaaaaaake!!!”
Snake fled with a younger Meryl, using a car. On their way out, another car chased them, driving by the man Snake fought earlier. “Not yet, Snake! It’s not over yet!”
“Liquid!!” Snake yelled.
He and Meryl crashed outside. ”Snake!” Liquid walked towards them or better said limped.
“…Snaaaake…” Liquid pointed his rifle at them but staggered. “Fo… …Fox…?”
“Die…” Snake said as Liquid collapsed.
“After Liquid’s dead, Ocelot replaced his lost hand with Liquid's arm, his body got slowly under control of Liquid's personality,” The Sorrow explained.
“So, Liquid is basically two persons? His personality but Ocelot’s body.” I think I got it.
“You’re right. But Ocelot’s mind tries to get back what belonged to him. That’s way he collapsed and gets headaches.”
“I understand. But why are you showing me this?”
“So that you know who this man really is. Now, get back to your own world.” He touched my forehead again and everything went white.
I woke up with a gasp, panting heavily. I was again in the cell but alive and well. It still hurt so I lay down again.
The door opened and Naomi walked in, carrying a plate with Noodles and a glass of water.
“Here my dear, I don’t want you to starve.” She sounded really sorry.
I tried to get up but the pain was too much. “I can give you something for the pain.”
She took out a syringe. “It won’t hurt.” She grabbed gently my hoof with her left hand and injected it into my neck. It hurt a little bit, but the pain became slowly less.
“See? All better, sweetheart. I was so worried that you would cross to the other side. Good that I cut the power after I saw what happened.”
As she said this, I hugged her with tears in my eyes.
“Shh…calm down, he won’t hurt you anymore.” She patted my back.
“I-I thought I had died!”
Taking a deep breath, I told her about my encounter with the Sorrow.
“Your poor child. But don’t worry, I’ll stay with you.” She smiled at me.
I ate the warm and delicious noodles and drank the glass of water.
I don’t know how long this near-death experience took but I was becoming tired. She tucked me in and wished a goodnight.
I fell asleep, missing my friends and family.
I had a very strange dream. I dreamed that I watched with the Sorrow a battle between Snake and a tank that used giant screws as treads.
Every time Snake hit the treads to slow the tank down and to hit the weak point located in the rear, the driver complained.
“Why is this happening!? The treads!! I can’t move! This can’t be!! Wha-a-at!? Didn’t feel a thing! What have you done!? You’re wasting your ammo! DAMN!!”
A knock on the door tore me out of my dream. “Noi. It’s show time. Ocelot want’s you.” I startled to tremble.
“Please, don’t let him hurt me!” I begged, huddled against the wall but she knocked me out again.
I woke up restrained, facing the seven lights again.
“Okay, this time, she won’t interrupt.”
“B-but I told you everything I know! Please, don’t do it!”
“I’ve fought wars in Afghanistan, Mozambique, Eritrea, and Chad. Among the Mujahidin guerrillas, I was known and feared as Shalashaska. That is a Russian slang term for 'prison' or 'torturous prison keeper.' I was trained by the Russian GRU. To me, that isn’t torture…it’s a sport.”
“Please! Mercy!” I pleaded.
“Ocelot would have shown mercy, but I defeated him. Now, it’s for my amusement.”
“What!?”
He activated the machine and I kept on screaming and screaming at the top of my lungs as I was being electrocuted repeatedly.
He let me catch my breath for a few seconds and continued. I screamed in pain and agony for hours I think.
After I almost couldn’t feel anything more but pain and tears coming down my face as I sobbed, he stopped.
“Well, that’s enough for now I think.” He said as I passed out from the pain.
After I woke up in my cell, I just curled up and cried, calling out for my sister and mother, Written Script, even Edward. I was afraid I would never see them again.
Suddenly I realized who brought me into this. Snake. Liquid was after him and tortured me just because of Snake. I felt rage. Rage against him.
“Snake, you will pay! You will definitely pay!” I exclaimed in rage and laughed maniacally.
Edward awoke with a groan. Oh, my head…What happened?
He tried to remember. Noi, the shutdown…NOI!
Getting up and looking around, he found himself in a field hospital. Instead of his Praying Mantis uniform, he wore green and olive drab cargo pants and tactical armor, green long sleeve tactical jackets under his vest as well as a baseball cap, knee pads, neck gaiters, a Com-Tac Ballistic headset and a MBITR transceiver radio. He also wore chest harnesses that contained military glow sticks.
It was the uniform of the Pieuvre Armement PMC. It was based in France. Edward heard once that the Pieuvre Armement employed an armed force the size of Canada and Mexico's populations combined, and manufactured 51.5 million firearms per year.
In English, Pieuvre Armement meant Octopus Armaments.
“So, back from the dead?” a voice asked.
Turing to the door, a soldier with the same uniform wearing sunglasses walked in.
“How long was I out?”
“One or two days…You’re the only one who survived,” The soldier explained.
“Where am I?” Edward held his head in pain.
“In South America. We are deployed here to fight a local guerrilla group. As you are the only survivor, we thought we made you one of us. A team of medics was deployed shortly after the System went offline. You were very lucky. For the others, the shock was so great that their heart stopped.”
“My body…just seized up all the sudden. This isn’t normal. It’s not my joints or muscles.”
“But you survived. As you are disconnected, you will be deployed behind the front. And I made a present for you.” The soldier pointed to Edward’s holster.
He had two holsters. On the right side was the Makarov, on the left side a GSR.
“It’s not ID locked, as the rebels use it too.”
“Okay. Who are these rebels?” Edward picked his Mk.17 from the table.
“Former soldiers. After a new South American regime was put into power by PMCs, a skirmish broke out with the remnants of the old one. The rebel army they formed is comprised of former soldiers of the national army, who had either been stripped of their ranks or left on their own accord. The vast majority possessed internal Nanomachines, having been in the army when the old regime implemented the SOP system. However, their IDs were expunged from the System following the regime change, forcing them to utilize ‘naked guns,’ although it also resulted in the regime being unable to control their actions as a result.
They use PKMs, MAC-10s, G3A3s, sawn-off twin barrel shotguns, C4 explosives, grenades, and LAW rocket launchers. They also utilized GSR pistols as sidearms, similarly to us. In addition, some of them carry G18cs.
As uniforms, they wear red berets, DPM and/or leaf camouflaged tactical pants and shirts, leather gloves, green scarves, balaclavas, boots, tactical vests with radios, and oftentimes harnessed with bullet/ammunition belts around their chests. Some of them wear balaclavas and a leg holster.”
“Sound like they are better and more experienced then the militia we fought in the Middle East. Finally a challenge. My Name is Edward Smith. You?”
“Just call me John. And before you ask, just because this PMC is based in France, doesn’t mean all PMC soldiers are French.”
“Okay John, I always wanted to visit South America anyway.” Edward joked as it somehow reminded him when his father told him about his adventures with the Diamond Dogs.
His task was to guard a power station that supplied the PMCs encampment. It It was guarded by snipers, mortars, and machine gun turrets.
Still, his mind was racing, thinking about Noi.
What happened to her? Is she safe? He thought worried.
“This is a friend. If you want to see Noi again, find Snake.” His radio buzzed.
“Hello? Who is this? Where did you get this frequency?” He asked but got no answer.
Could be a trick but Snake could know where Noi is.
While on guard, he noticed that some soldiers used M60E4 and M2HB machine guns, while wearing slightly different attire. Also, a few Powered suits were walking past him.
They were combat enhancement protective gear developed by AT's Land Systems Department. Because the suits allowed for dynamic activity with only the slightest of movement by the user, these units were suited to carrying and operating heavy artillery and transporting supplies over long distances or through mountainous areas. They were also armed with multi-barrel guns and several missile launch tubes.
Only the Pieuvre Armement used those so far.
Edward wiped the sweat from his forehead. Phew, it’s hotter than in the Middle East.
It made sense to him that Pieuvre Armement troops were the most lightly armored, compared to the other PMCs to reduce the overall weight soldiers must carry in the unforgiving climate of South America. When he was a child, he enjoyed wearing a baseball cap and enjoyed it now. He was wearing no other hat back then.
He felt that the oxygen was low at the high-altitudes he was operating, exceeding the limits of his Nanomachines. Yet he wasn’t as aggressive as the other PMC Soldiers.
“This is HQ. Patrol, please respond.” His radio buzzed. Edward putted his left hand to his Radio.
“Patrol here.”
“We need a scout for the Hills, are you available?”
“Yes, HQ.”
After that, Edward took position on a Hill where he could see everything perfectly. While hearing was not a problem, he had to use Binoculars.
“Nothing, nothing, and more nothing. I really could need something exciting.” Edward was bored.
“What have we here?” He spotted about 30 rebels on their way to the Power Station.
“HQ, HQ.”
“This is HQ.”
“Scout here. Many rebels are advancing on the Power plant."
“Understood. We send a Special Unit.”
Special Unit? He wondered.
2 rebels forming the rear are sniped but their comrades don't notice it. Then two in front are killed with very loud sniper Shots. It sounded like a WA 2000.
“Sniper!” a rebel yells as suddenly, something flies over them and drops Bombs, killing many.
A small creature landed in front of the few survivors. “Let’s Play!” It yells smiling, rushing forward. They fired wildly trying to hit it but it has no effect or missed.
Edward couldn’t believe his eyes. It was a Pony! The armor, the latex suit with Kevlar vest and flank protection, the black helmet…Just like in his nightmare. No…can’t be…
The pony punched and bucked 2 rebels with great kinetic energy, sending them flying. Two rebels tried to flee in panic but suddenly, one got lifted up and killed his comrade with his rifle before getting crushed.
A third rebel lost his nerves and tries to escape. “You can’t escape!” The pony vanished as if would use OctoCamo and reappeared in front of the rebel. He looks in fear at the Pony in grey armor before being killed by P90 bullets. “Who's next?”
The Pony asked as it spotted the last rebel whose gun jammed. He cowers in fear as it comes close. “Are you afraid?” The Pony asked in Joy jumping up and down.
“W-who are you?” The rebel asked scared.
“I am Broken Pony!” She impales him with her tail through his chest, then his stomach. After some struggling he laid down in a puddle of Blood.
“Funny, but I am alone again...” Broken Pony sobs as Octopus deactivates her OctoCamo.
“No you’re not!” She tickles Broken Pony who broke out in laugher.
“Snake will pay!” Broken Pony exclaims before asking in fear, “But we won’t hurt my old friend, right?”
“Of course!” Raven says as she landed and places Broken Pony on her back and flies away.
“Faster!” Broken Pony exclaims in Joy like a child.
Edward stares in shock and disbelief. “N-Noi...no...” He realized that his nightmare had become true.
Snake came closer to the Cove Valley Village, a rural settlement on hilly terrain within the jungle. It acted as a hideout for various resistance members after the government's regime change.
He scanned the area with his Solid Eye as he got a call from Otacon.
“Snake, here’s what we know about the current battle. Rebel guerilla troops are advancing on the base of the government PMC troops.
That base appears to be Liquid’s safe house. According to Naomi’s data, she’s being held prisoner inside the compound.” He showed Snake a map on his Solid Eye.
“That’s where she is?”
“Assuming the data is correct. And one more thing…”
“What now?”
“The government PMC troops have been operating at high-altitudes. We have reports that it’s starting to upset the balance of the nanomachine control system.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning the low blood oxygen content seems to have an effect on their nanomachines, giving them a slight edge in battle. Be careful.”
“Steer clear of altitude sickness. Got it.”
The PMC was rounding up rebels to execute them.
Four rebels were brought in, as suddenly, one got thrown away by a tentacle. The PMC soldiers backed up in fear.
It was Laughing Octopus deactivating her camo. Snake saw a man coming out of a destroyed Building. “Vamp!” Snake exclaimed.
“Snake…isn’t here.” Octopus realized. One rebel fled in fear but tripped over something.
“Ow! Can’t you see I’m sleeping here?” Broken pony asked as she deactivated her camo. “Anyway, let’s play!” She bucked the rebel into the air, Octopus impaled him and threw another to the ground.
Another tried to flee but got impaled by broken pony’s tail. “Play with us!”
Octopus grabbed the last rebel. “Laugh…Laugh! Go ahead and laugh!”
“Yes, play with me!” Pony jumped excitedly up and down.
“Beasts! Vamp shouted but to no avail. He threw one of his knifes into one of the tentacles, getting Octopus and Pony’s attention. “Leave one.”
Octopus got the rebel to her face as she used Snake's face with her FaceCamo.
“Don’t forget this face.” She let him go.
“This is the face of the man who killed your comrades.” Pony added and the rebel fled in panic.
Octopus threw the knife back to Vamp. Before he went into a Stryker he warned the PMC soldiers. “More guerillas will be coming to storm the safe house. He must be among their numbers. Sooner or later he will come. Don’t let down your guard.”
Broken Pony yawned. “Did he have to wake me up? I had such a nice sleep.”
Octopus picked her gently with one of her tentacles up and rocked her until she was asleep, then Octopus held herself on the Stryker before the APC drove away, Broken Pony asleep held safely in her tentacle.
“This…can’t be…” Snake couldn’t believe his eyes as he contacted Otacon.
“Otacon, what the hell?”
“That was…Vamp! I’m sure of it. I’ll never forget this face.”
“Those were PMC soldiers with him. Is he involved in Liquid’s plan?”
“We watched him die in Manehattan! Damn it, he won’t leave us alone. Snake, could Vamp be immortal?”
“Not a chance. This is the real world, not some fantasy game.”
“I swear, the next time he shows up…”
“Not now, Otacon!”
Otacon caught himself and told him where the facility was. They had a short talk about Mei Ling, an old friend, and how aiding the rebels could help Snake to safe Naomi. Snake decided to ask his friend something.
“That two freaks I just saw, were they using the same OctoCamo system as my suit?”
“Yeah.”
“I thought that technology was of your own design.”
“Actually, I kind based it on some designs Sunny snagged off the net. It came from DARPA. And could it be…that this was…Noi? You know how Sunny prayed that she is safe and is eager to meet her.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“In that case, please, for Sunny’s and Noi’s sake, don’t kill her.”
“I will do my best.” He turned his radio off. “Liquid, whatever you did to her, you will pay!”
He freed the rebels in the village by taking the PMCs with his tranquilizer gun. The rebel soldiers returned the favor by unlocking a resource shed which contained ammo, food and a uniform of them.
As they saw Snake as friend, he didn’t need it but took it in case he should need it.
Then he moved towards the power station. The sun slowly rose. He had a conversation with the colonel about meeting someone new on the team.
Edward was guarding the power station. He still couldn’t process that Noi had become a member of the Beauty and the Beast Unit.
That is all my fault! Had Noi and I got earlier to the Camp, I had got her to safety and Liquid had never hurt her! Or whatever happened to her…This never should’ve happened!
“The rebels are here!” a soldier shouted, tearing out of his thoughts.
As Edward wasn’t connected to the system, he secured the left flank near the hill.
Suddenly, someone “Freeze!” from behind. Edward turned around.
“Snake?” he asked surprised.
“Edward, long time not see. What are you doing here?” He was also surprised.
“Long story short, after the shutdown medics arrived, patched me up and I served here but I’m still disconnected. You?”
“Safe a friend in need. You in?”
“Sure!” While Edward didn’t know how it was, he was ready to do whatever it takes to get Noi back.
Snake putted two PMCs to sleep, then moved down the hill and took a PMC out that tried to man a MG. Two rebels advanced.
“Move!”
“Go! Go! Go!”
“Nice work!” one rebel commented after Snake had taken the PMC out.
“That’s how you do it.” The other added. They both didn’t notice Edward at all.
Two soldiers guarded the entrance to the power station's circuit grid. “You hit?” one asked after Snake putted the other to sleep. A rebel killed the other.
“Time to blow this thing up!” Edward pulled the pin of a grenade and threw it in.
The station went offline, the rebels managed to take all other PMCs out. “We did it!” they cheered, even Edward cheered.
It sounds and feels like victory!
“Hey! One of them is still alive!” a rebel shouted but Snake stepped forward.
“He belongs to me, my buddy in disguise.”
“If you say so.”
Snake and Edward moved towards a rusted up Stryker as Edward asked, “Snake, have you seen…what happened to Noi?”
Snake let out a sigh, “Yes and I regret it to say it to you, but she’s an enemy now. But I will try not to kill her, you have my word.”
“It’s all my fault…” Edward muttered.
“It’s Liquid’s fault, not yours. If we take him out we should find a way to make your little friend to the child she once was. And my friend I have to safe should also know a way. Here, I got this from Drebin.” He handled Edward a Mosin-Nagant.
“It fires tranquilizer rounds. Ideal for taking your little friend out the non-lethal way.”
“That’s more I like it! I always wanted to use this!”
Snake leaned against the APC to take a smoke as someone took it out of his hand.
It was Drebin monkey. The APC changed his appearance to Eye have you. “Yo! Over here.” It was Drebin.
“Come on, hop in. It’s getting rough out there.” He said to them. “I don’t think so.” He said to his monkey who wanted to smoke in the APC.
Inside, Drebin told them that he could track them with the nanomachines he injected them back in the Middle East.
Suddenly the Monkey jumped excited up and down and the sound of a jet engine was heard. They looked out and Raging Raven was flying by.
“Figures…The B&Bs are here. Things are about to get hairy.”
“B&Bs?” Snake asked confused.
“You never heard of ‘em? They’re Beauty and the Beast. Together they’re called the B&B Corps. They’re a squad of enhanced female soldiers, belong to the PMCs. Any time there’s a mess that needs cleaning up, they’re on the scene leading the elites. Probably freelancers hired by the PMCs. They’re run out of a separate parent organization. Guess it’s time for good ol’ Drebin to let you in on a few things…”
They sat down. “Ever since you showed up in the Middle East, the B&B Corps got order to kill. Their number one priority is to eliminate some guy on sight.
A guy named…Solid Snake. But from where I’m sitting. ‘Old Snake’ seems a little more appropriate.”
Snake sighed. “Old, huh?”
“Cheer up. That’s the bad news.” Drebin played with a coin in his hand.
“Word on the street says that beneath those ugly-ass suits, the B&Bs are real babes…Drop-dead gorgeous. They also say each one of them’s been traumatized by war. Badly. They weren’t even soldiers to begin with, you know. More like victims of war.” He gave the coin to his monkey.
“They suffered shell-shock on the battlefield…Post-traumatic. It damaged their minds pretty much behind repair…So the only way they could cope with the reality of battle was to become war machines themselves. The remnants of their human side are buried deep within. The beast…That’s what you see on the outside. War transforms us…into beasts.
But deep within that shell, something human survives. A fragile scarred heart. Without a shell to protect it, it’s like the yolk of an egg. Word going around is…Their natural, flesh-and blood bodies can’t survive in the open for more than a few minutes.
And they’ve been convinced that by killing Snake, their minds will be cleansed. They think it’s gonna free them all from the pain…And all the fury…And all the sorrow…Which makes these babes pretty much obsessed…With killing you.” Drebin pointed to a screen.
“Four B&Bs have been identified so far. The one you just saw was Raging Raven. There’s also Laughing Octopus, a master of mimicry…And Crying Wolf…She runs on four legs. And finally, the mistress of mind control…Screaming Mantis.”
Edward didn’t listen anymore at this point. His mind was racing if there was at all a way to safe Noi, now that she was a member of the B&Bs. I-I will never forgive myself I she is killed… or worse… If I HAVE to KILL her…
He was brought out of his thought by Drebin. “Rumors says they got a fifth member. One which somehow combines all emotes and abilities of the other B&Bs. I don’t know yet how she is called or how she’s look like. By the way Edward, where’s your friend?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“That’s fine for me. I let you know if I find out about her whereabouts and such.” Drebin sounded promising and convincing. He drove with his Stryker away.
“We have to get through the Confinement facility to reach the Vista Mansion.” Edward explained.
“Okay, let’s roll.”
They took the Southeast route to it.
Snake got a call and gave Edward a sign to scout ahead.
A few soldiers were patrolling the facility, greeting Edward. It had Salt mines.
A Sniper was in a watch tower, or better said a Sniper nest. Edward took him out.
Heh, this works better than I expected! Snake caught up. “I cover you.”
Edward putted every PMC soldier to sleep he saw as Snake moved to the building where two rebels where hold prisoner.
“Who’s gonna safe us now? Damn!” one of the rebels complained as Snake took the guard out.
Together with the rebels, they moved towards the mansion where a bulldozer tried to bust his way in.
“Get in there. Attack!” the dozer destroyed a barricade. “Advance!”
Then he destroyed a gate and drove over a PMC soldier. "Everybody charge! Now!”
As the rebel ordered, Snake and Edward also moved up.
There was no turning back now. Edward knew, if he wanted to have Noi back, he had to help Snake find his friend. And the young man was even ready to kill to save Noi.
Once the bulldozer had broken through, hell broke loose. PMCs were in battle with the rebels, too busy to notice Snake and Edward.
Inside, two PMCs prepared to move out. “There’s too many of ‘em!”
“Kill ‘em all!”
“Below! Let’s go!”
“Roger!”
Snake used and his rebel disguise and played dead as they came down. Edward acted as if he had “killed” the rebel, and gave a sign to the PMCs to move.
Snake and Edward moved to the Wine cellar where a ladder was.
“Whose side are you on here?” Edward asked before getting up the ladder.
“My own.”
After going up, they slowly moved into the Research lab as a female voice could be heard from the inside.
“Then we’ll have to make a lot of changes…Yes, that’s right. We’ll need another go at it. That won’t be a problem. Uh huh. Yes…I’ve taken care of it…Of course. Yes, I understand, but…”
While the woman talked on a phone, Edward switched to his Mk.17 as Snake slowly opened the door and they got inside.
“Yes, the next test.”
“Naomi?” Snake recognized her.
“And things on your end? I see. We’re on schedule here as well. I know. Me, too. Until then…” She hung up and got a seizure.
Naomi used a syringe to get it under control.
Edward got a closer look at her. She had brown hair and eyes.
“I knew you’d come…You and I…neither of us can escape your fate. I haven’t seen you since Shadow Moses. How long? Ten years?”
“Nine.”
“And Dr. Emmerich? Is he with you? How is the good doctor?”
“Otacon’s fine. He’s the same as ever.”
“I see…And your friend is with you.”
“Yes I am. Why did you call me on my Radio?” Edward asked her.
“I was talking with Liquid on the phone. Although I suppose he’s really Ocelot…From a medical standpoint. He interrogated Noi as he thought that she knows about Snake. I had no choice but to cooperate with him. What you saw in the Middle East, was the Soldiers’ emotions run amok. I’m surprised that you weren’t affected as much as they were.”
“I got disconnected earlier that’s why. Because of Noi.” He sounded sad yet angry.
“I know, she told me about you. Would you leave us alone for a moment?”
“Sure, I watch the outside.”
As he guarded the outside, his mind raced. Liquid and his FROGS, they will pay for what they did to her! If I have to, I will kill every one of them!
While outside, he heard how Naomi explained to Snake, that once the System was shut down, everything was unleashed into the hearts of the soldiers. It left a heavy burden on their hearts. It wasn’t surprising him as he had experienced this before. Yet it wondered him how he could survived this as the body should reject the Nanomachines. They also talked about someone called Frank also known as Grey Fox. He had never heard of someone with that name.
Naomi waved to show he could come in.
“Ordinarily, our hearts are hardened through experience. Even the most grizzled veterans live with an inescapable guilt they’ve had to overcome bit by bit through the years. And even them, it never truly goes away. For a mind lacking this essential experience, it was simply too much to bear.” Naomi explained as she was sitting on a bed.
Snake asked what is about him as he never was under the System’s control.
“That’s why I want to examine your body. And Edward too. We both need to know.”
“Alright, let’s get this over with.” Edward hoped he wouldn’t die because of his Nanomachines.
After the examination, Naomi was fascinated.
“Incredible! Instead of rejecting the Nanomachines, your body naturally adopted them. A second immune system so to speak. While they don’t control your emotions anymore, it still optimizes oral intake and excrements, adrenaline and endorphins to some extent. As your father was a Genome Soldier, you seemed to inherit his enhanced senses, making you more Resistant to infection and other things.”
Edward let out a whistle. “Never expected that.”
“Snake, The FOXDIE virus in you has mutated. This means it could kill anybody not just people with matching genetic pattern. Edward is immune to it thanks to the Nanomachines.”
Naomi gave them 2 syringes.
“It contains the same substance the soldiers’ nanomachines secrete inside their bodies. It’s a drug that inhibits the nanomachines’ ability to regulate the senses.
The nanomachines inside the body malfunction when the System interferes with them. It triggers a reaction in the body, which is why you’re having seizures. Give yourselves a shot whenever they get bad.”
“Okay.” Edward thought it would come in handy later.
“It’s potent, so use it sparingly…Unless you want to end up an invalid.”
“No problem, I’m no junkie.”
Naomi told them that Liquid planned to hijack the system before she got a seizure and a flashbang was thrown in.
Edward was still stunned as two soldiers evacuated Naomi. “This place isn’t safe. Come with us. This way.” They thought that Edward was still on their side.
As Edward regained his senses, Snake shouted, “FROGS!”
Suddenly there was laugher above them. It was Laughing Octopus.
“Snake…My prey. Isn’t it funny? Come on! Laugh, while you can! There’s no escape from here! Laugh yourself to death!” Two FROGS jumped down and she released a cloud of thick, inky black smoke and vanished.
Edward switched to his Mk.17 and cocked it.
Two FROGS came around the corner, Edward killed them with headshots.
Another 2 were put to sleep by Snake. Another one charged at Edward, he ducked and shot the trooper in the head with his Makarov.
Snake took another 2 out with a Stun grenade.
The last one jumped through a window but Edward sprayed bullets all over him.
“Okay, now where is…” Edward asked as Octopus laughed again and dropped behind them on the floor and curled herself into a ball.
“What a riot…People suffering…People hurting…People dying…It’s all so hysterical!” she got up.
She drew a P90 but Edward quickly hit her with a round from his Mosin-Nagant.
In response, she curled herself into a ball and released smoke. Thermal vision was useless and small explosives made it dangerous to follow her.
Broken Pony rushed through and tried to punch Snake, he avoided it by doing a roll. Pony vanished with crying and laughter before he or the young man could react.
Edward saw a silhouette on the wall and fired on it. As Octopus cover was blown, she used her smoke wall again. Broken Pony advanced again, but stopped with a screech as it was Edward not Snake. “I don’t want to hurt you!”
“Me neither, Noi. Stop this while you still can!” He could swear he heard sobbing and a quiet “Daddy” from her as she backed up and vanished again. He couldn’t pull the trigger as she retreated.
“Snake, come here!” Otacon shouted through the Mk. II. He drove away but bumped into Edward’s back, he kicked it.
“What?!” Octopus realized that her trick had been seen through as Edward shot another round in her.
“Daddy…Help me…it hurts…”
Octopus mimicked Noi’s voice and face, but Edward said cold, “Nice try.” And fired another round on her.
This time, she lunged at him and knocked him to the ground.
On his back, he fired the last round on her.
She collapsed, her octopus helmet and face mask tumbled to the ground, and Octopus stumbled forward.
“I am an Octopus…” Her bodysuit flickered on and off.
“An eight legged beast. These tentacles…Are beyond my control. Their will…is the will of the battlefield.” She had blond hair. The woman then dropped to her knees and began to vomit what appeared to be ink while laughing hysterically.
“Funny…So funny…It’s all so funny…No…It’s not funny…Nothing is funny. I shouldn’t be laughing. I can’t…” She took a few steps forward Snake and Edward.
“The truth is…I’m not laughing. Not laughing at all.” She suddenly sobered.
“I shouldn’t be laughing. I’m scared. I’m really scared.” She sobbed as she held her head in pain.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. So sorry I laughed. I’m sorry…I won’t laugh anymore. I can’t. I don’t want to.”
Edward and Snake backed up as she came closer. Glass shattered only she passed it, screams, beating, gunshots echoed through the building. Snake collected a doll from a bed which appeared to be an action figure of Laughing Octopus. Would make a great gift for Sunny. Snake thought as he fired his tranquilizer gun at Octopus.
As Edward fired his Mosin-Nagant too, she fell to the floor, curling into a fetal position, snoring.
Snake checked her pulse, nodded, then procured her FaceCamo mask for his own purposes. Edward let out a sigh of relief.
“Glad that this this over. Let’s find Naomi.” His and Snake's radio ringed.
“Yo Snake and Edward! Looking good today.”
“Drebin.” Both men said in union.
“I wanted to tell you about FaceCamo. It used the same kind of technology as the suit. Combining both should get better results. You both managed to defeat Laughing Octopus. She just kept on laughing. Now why do you suppose that is?”
“Her past?” Edward suspected.
“You got it. She’s from a village in Scandinavia – little seaside hamlet known to all the locals as the Devil’s Village. Place wasn’t known for Devils, though. It was known for octopus. See, this was one of the few places in Europe where they ate octopus customarily.
Anyway, there’s this cult of crazies who for some reason hate this village, with a passion. Then, when she was just a teenager, things go bad.
These nutcases get their hands on some weapons and attack the village. Overnight, her sleepy little fishing town becomes a war zone.
They round up all the villagers and execute them one by one. Except for that girl.
They had something else planned for her, something a whole lot worse than dying.
Calling her the Devil’s Child, they forced her to do the kind of thing you’d expect from a Lucifer’s own.
After they made her torture her family and friends, they made her kill ‘em. The whole time they were forcing her to laugh, howl like some sort of demon. Like she was enjoying it.
“What was she gonna do, say no? They’d kill her, too. So she let fear take control, and did exactly as they told her. She butchered the bodies of the ones she loved, and laughed while she did it.
And as she bathed in their blood, it gradually turned from deep red to jet black. To her, it looked like the ink of an octopus.
The experience scarred her deep. Ever since them, she hasn’t stopped laughing. Only, that ain’t really laughter. Fighting you cleansed her mind. It was the right thing.”
Edward didn’t listen to Drebin anymore. This gave him hope that there was a way to safe Noi. But deep within, he was afraid what Liquid did to her.
After Laughing Octopus was defeated, Broken Pony retreated to a safe distance and reported. “We got a problem. Snake defeated Octopus.” She said into her helmet radio.
“Damn. Meet up with Naomi and Vamp. You will get him next time.”
“Yes, sir.” As Pony moved out, she thought deep in her mind and heart, Stay safe, Edward.
Edward and Snake moved out Snake leaned against a wall and coughed.
“You ok?” Edward asked worried as Snake nodded.
The young man used the scope to scan for FROGS and traps as Snake examined footprints.
Then he talked with someone on his Codec who told him about scouting. Snake said something about switching his eyepatch to infrared.
“We need to be careful. We can be the hunters, but also the hunted.” Edward suggested.
“Yes we should.” The two men got to a mountain trail, rough beaten path used for travel.
Edward spotted a PMC soldier relieving himself at a river. He gave Snake a sign to wait and sneaked up on his comrade.
“Ohh, oh yeah…”
After the soldier was done, Edward asked, “What are you doing?!”
A colorless exclamation mark appeared over the soldier’s head as he turned around startled. “Just a restroom break, sir!”
“Okay, but be alert, the enemy is near.” Just as Edward said this, Snake took the soldier with his tranquilizer gun out, Edward made sure that he wouldn’t fall into the water and drown.
Snake picked the M60E4 up, the ammo took a small robot which was very clumsy, much to Edward amusement.
He chuckled, “Is this little guy always so?”
Snake groaned and nodded.
At a bridge, the young soldier putted another soldier to sleep.
“Is this… a pink bra?” Edward examimated it as he saw a PMC Sniper in a hill not far away, who gave him a thump up. Returning it, he spotted a soldier in a shack. “Aren’t you supposed to be on guard duty?” He asked as the soldier was looking at a magazine.
“Uhh…yes sir!” He ran out, only to be knocked out by Snake who took his MP7.
Snake saw a patrolling soldier, his back to them. “This one’s mine.”
He sneaked up, said “Freeze!” and looked for items.
“Take it.” The PMC responded in a not impressed voice before he got knocked out.
One of the Items was a master key.
Edward stepped on a small crop circle and a voice started to speak in echoes.
“Something happened to me last Thursday when I was driving home. I had a couple of miles to go –
I looked up and saw a glowing orange object in the sky, to the east! It was moving very irregularly… Suddenly, there was intensive light all around me –
And when I came to, I was home.”
“W-what was that?” Edward was shivering a little bit.
“Don’t know, don’t care.”
They crossed the river. Instead of Regular PMCs, they encountered Haven troops.
There was a cry of pain. "Come quickly, Snake. Save me! Here. I’m over here! Please, hurry!” it sounded like Naomi who was calm, which made Edward suspicious.
Something’s not right… There was a sound of beating.
“This is Naomi. Here. I’m over here! Save me!” Her voice looped “save me.”
It was an audio tape inside a shack, Snake turned it off.
After moving on, they came to what appeared to be platform with various hand prints on it. As Snake got on it, his suit adopted to it, much to Edward’s surprise. “Okay, I never thought it could do that.”
“Do you hear that?” Snake looked around.
“Yes. Sounds like a helicopter. There must be a heliport nearby.” He replied as the sound of a chopper could be heard in the distance.
Snake took a FROG with a DSR-1 Bullpup-style bolt-action sniper rifle out and took the weapon for himself.
Edward saw a mine shaft and the chopper noise got louder. “We must be close by.”
“I’m right behind you.”
Naomi prepared with Vamp, some PMC soldiers and Noi, now known as Broken Pony, to board a chopper which was a hybrid of the CH-53E Super Stallion and MH-47G Chinook.
She felt guilty and unsafe that she was responsible that the sweet, innocent child was now a cold and heartless war machine, capable of more destruction then the B&B Corps could do together. The foal showed no emotion under her armor when she was not with the other B&B members or in combat. But Naomi could faintly hear whimpering, as if Noi was scared and sad. It was the woman’s design who made the child like that. Like Vamp, it was one of her sins. But deep within, the child was still in there. Naomi knew that her old personality was buried somewhere under her new personality, waiting to be freed.
I promise Edward, I will do what I can to bring her back, even…if it means my own life. I owe you that for letting Liquid doing this to her.
“I planted all traps as ordered. Snake won’t know what hit him.” Pony laughed sadistic. The Nanomachines in Noi’s body regulated her strength and other senses, making her stronger than a foal of her age would be normally. Naomi doubted if Noi is herself again, that all nanomachines could be extracted from her body.
She hated herself for letting this happen. Noi was just a child. Ocelot had never done such a horrible and terrible thing to a child. But Liquid was different.
He would kill anything that stands in his way to reach his goal. But judging from his reaction when “interrogating” her, Naomi suspected that also Ocelot’s mind waited to be freed by someone.
Liquid talked on the phone with Vamp.
“Do it now, before we’re interrupted again.”
“We don’t know what will happen. Remember the last time…”
“I’m willing to make a few sacrifices.”
“As you wish. We’ll begin shortly.”
Out of nowhere, Vamp got shot into the head, spinning around but caught the phone in an impressing pose.
Alerted, the soldiers got out of the chopper and opened fire, while Noi stayed on board, firing with her built-in P90.
“We’ve got the go-ahead. Begin. We’ll use his blood. It could get intense…Brace yourselves. Shots, all of you. I’ll be taking a nap…” Vamp collapsed.
Naomi held gently Noi’s hoof as she gave her the shot.
Edward noticed how the PMC soldiers got headaches and collapsed. No! Not again!
He collapsed. “Daddy! The syringe!” He heard Noi exclaiming and gave himself a shot, then rushed over to Snake to give him a shot.
Naomi looked in shock and horror at the screaming and collapsing soldiers.
“It’s not working…The emotional controls aren’t stable enough yet.”
“Oh my…” Broken Pony felt sorry for them and watched in pity.
3 Gekkos arrived at the scene. They pinned Snake and Edward down.
To their surprise, Drebin's Stryker rammed a Gekko and stopped under the Heli, allowing Naomi to jump down. Noi was still too shocked at the sign to stop her.
“Get in!” Drebin shouted as the turret covered Naomi, Snake and Edward as they got in.
As Drebin drove away, they never expected that Vamp had survived, or that escaping will be difficult as the shutdown had an Undesirable side effect.
Broken Pony looked down at the chaos. “Stay safe, Edward."
Edward and Snake got on top of the Stryker to get rid of any pursuer. The young PMC soldier manned the MG.
Drebin drove to the Mansion. To their surprise, PMC soldiers were here, but engaged in destructive behavior, acting in a zombie-like fashion, letting out zombie-like groans.
“What happened to them?” Snake used CQC to take the PMC soldiers out non-lethal as they climbed on the APC.
“I think it has something to do with their Nanomachines. My guess is they became unstable, damaging the frontal lobe of the soldiers' brains, and impairing their speech and emotions, Incapable of feeling pain.” Edward suggested.
“The emotional patterns they're displaying are definitely not normal. Intense anger, fear, sadness - all clear off the charts.” A female voice Edward didn’t knew was on his radio.
“Oh shit!” Drebin exclaimed as powered suits breached the gate, blocking the way. Like their comrades, they became overwhelmed by their formerly suppressed emotions, and attacking their own comrades as well as Drebin’s Stryker.
The PMC soldiers we not able to use their weapons effectively anymore. They tended to wave them around and randomly pulled the trigger indiscriminately.
Edward couldn’t bring himself to kill his own comrades. Fortunate for him, the powered suits opened a way for Drebin before they could attack the APC.
“All right. We’re good to go!” the gun launderer drove to the Containment Facility, Gekko were in their way.
“Gekko!? They must really like us! Edward, do something!”
The Gekko were no match for the MG. Snake took care of the “Zombie” PMCs.
Some Gekko tried to ram the APC but were gunned down before they could do so by Edward.
“You the man, Edward!” He blushed as Drebin drove to the power station.
“Oh shit! Whoa. We got am MGS on our ass!” MGS was short for “Mobile Gun System”, a Stryker that used a 105 mm cannon as main weapon.
The MGS missed 2 shots as Drebin drove past, grazing it.
The gate to the High Woodlands Highway was closed, but a missile destroyed it.
Edward looked up, Broken Pony was the one had had destroyed it, flying by using her wings.
She didn’t turn around nor attacked them. I could be wrong, but her old personality seems to be still in her, wanting to help me. That gave Edward hope that there was a way to save Noi.
“Get ready for some speed!” The Stryker drove onto the Highway but more Gekko blocked the way again.
“They can’t hit what they can’t catch!” Drebin turned around to evade them but another MGS appeared and rammed them.
“Outta my way!” Drebin rammed the MGS into the side. “I said move it!”
They came to a cliff. “Hang on! It’s gonna get bumpy!” Drebin rammed the MGS down the cliff, almost falling down too. The Stryker threatened to fall down the cliff but with the all-wheel drive, it got back on the street again.
“Up front! Here they come!” Drebin warned as more Gekko appeared.
After Edward destroyed them and the way was free, he got into the Stryker with Snake again.
At the Marketplace, they got thrown around in the APC, as Drebin evaded Gekko as good as he could. But eventually, he crashed on his APC on the side.
Snake helped Naomi out, Edward was dazed, holding his head with the left hand, the Mk.17 in the other. He secured the outside.
The young Brite briefly chuckled with Drebin, as Naomi and Snake held the monkey similar to a famous photograph.
Gekko swept the market, looking for them. “Raiden.” Snake said as a person wearing a coat on a roof.
He jumped down to face the Gekko.
“Let’s get out of here!” Edward yelled as he saw the Gekko.
Naomi was slowed down by her shoes, so she got rid of them.
“Edward, escort Naomi and go ahead.”
“Roger, Snake. Let’s go Naomi, I keep you safe.”
As Raiden kept the Gekko busy, and they saw Edward as ally and Naomi as civilian, they got through the Marketplace without problems. Civilians fled in panic from the Gekko but stayed unharmed by the machines.
Otacon landed the chopper, the Mk.II helped the woman onboard by acting as stair while the young man secured the area. As Snake caught up, he picked the robot up and got onboard too. Otacon took off.
“Vamp!" Naomi exclaimed.
They saw from above how Raiden was restrained by Gekko, Vamp moving closer to him. He took his coat off, took his knife out, licked it and said, “Yet again, our paths cross.”
Snake aimed the DSR-1 down the scope, waiting for the perfect moment to fire.
Vamp rammed his blade into Raiden’s chest, followed by a strong punch of Broken Pony, he shrugged it off.
“You, too…immortal?” Vamp asked.
“No. I just don’t fear death,” Raiden replied not scared at all.
“You don’t fear death? You’re no fun!” Pony exclaimed angry before Snake took the shot, freeing Raiden.
He spun the Gekko around, Vamp ducked, Noi too with a shriek, cowering, body pressed into the ground.
Raiden attacked Vamp who dodged every attack. He did a kick as counterattack, sending Raiden towards Broken Pony who did a very strong buck into his back.
Then, Vamp pinned the Ninja to the ground and Pony edited him with punched into the face before retreating and letting Vamp do the rest.
However, the Ninja stabbed Vamp into the chest. “Yes…Could you be the one to finally finish me?” Vamp taunted before he collapsed.
Raiden looked around, the pony was nowhere to be found, so he got onboard the chopper.
As always, Vamp survived as Broken Pony joined him.
He got his phone. “Boss, she got away. Are you sure about this?”
“It’s all part of the plan.”
“The test was a failure. Even with his code.”
“As I feared. It’s not pure enough. We need all of him.”
“The PMCs we deployed have suffered brain damage. Nothing salvageable remains. Our only remaining option is to secure the original.”
“I know that. It’s only a matter of time. We’re working as fast as we can to find their hiding place. I need you two there.” Vamp hung up.
“You heard him. Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir. And then, we will destroy Snake once and for all!”
Inside the chopper, Raiden was hurt pretty badly.
Edward helped Naomi to stop the bleeding.
“Vamp…he’s got to be immortal.” Otacon was disgusted.
“No. He’s not immortal at all. It was my design that caused his body to be like that. The nanomachines in his body cause his wounds to close and heal at an accelerated rate.
Someone took the basic nanomachine technology I once researched and perfected it. In a sense, I’m responsible for Vamp. He’s one of my sins. I brought a monster into this world…And I, too, am…” Raiden got a seizure.
Naomi said he would need an infusion of artificial blood to survive as he lost too much blood.
Before Raiden passed out, he managed to say, “Europe…Go meet…Big Mama.”
Otacon introduced himself and showed Edward the Nomad. The young man heard singing after the tour was over and the smell of eggs being cooked.
Walking into the kitchen, He saw how Naomi helped Sunny with cooking and putted a flower into her hair.
“There. See Sunny? Us girls have to look our best.”
“Her name…was Olga.“ Sunny looked at a picture. “My mother.”
Steam came out of the pot. “It’s going to burn. Hold on.” Naomi took Sunny’s hand and helped her to get the eggs on the plate. “And…There. Done!”
“Thanks…” Sunny smiled, Edward too on the doorway, not being noticed by the two.
“We did a great job.” They laughed as the kitchen timer ringed.
“Indeed you did.” They looked surprised at Edward.
“Oh…hello… Mr. Smith…I…. made some eggs for you.” She handled the plate over to him.
“Please, Edward is just fine. And you can be proud of yourself.” He ate them with a smile.
“Very delicious.”
“Thanks. Edward…can I ask… how is Noi?”
Edward smile vanished and got replaced with sorrow. He took a deep breath.
“Noi…she’s a cute innocent child, just like you. She has a sister, and friends, but no parents as they died while she was still a baby, she saw her sister as mother and sees me as father. But after Liquid kidnapped her…she became something that I never thought would be possible.” He sounded disgusted
“Well… I would like to meet her.”
Edward smiled again. “I’m sure she would like to meet you too. Liquid… he…” the man struggled to get the right words,” made a cold-blooded war machine out of her, killing for fun, laughing and enjoying it.”
Sunny gasped in shock. “No…I…hope there is…a way to safe her.” She hugged him.
“Me too, me too.”
After this happy conversation, Edward inspected and cleaned his weapons, while Naomi and Otacon talked about that Liquid was in Eastern Europe and that Big Boss’s genetic code and biometric date were the keys to the System.
He also heard that the shutdowns were tests, the first in the Middle East with Liquid’s genetic code and DNA, the second in South America with Snake’s code and DNA.
As Snake asked why he would need the original, Naomi replied that neither his or Liquid’s code were a 100% match for Big Boss’s.
That made Snake cough, so Snake patted his back. “You okay?” he asked with concern.
Snake nodded before asking Naomi, “What do you mean we don’t match?”
Edward didn’t listen anymore as his mind was blown that Snake and Liquid were clones of his father’s boss. Never thought of that! He was amazed and surprised.
However, this gave him a headache, so he tried to catch some sleep.
Before falling asleep, he heard Sunny exclaim “Uh-uh! This is a no-smoking flight!”
Noi would react like that too, no doubt, and she will like Sunny for sure! The young man drifted off to sleep, to be ready for Eastern Europe, unaware that the young filly he once knew, would no longer exist.
Edward got ahead of Snake in Eastern Europe. He was still wearing his Pieuvre Armement PMC uniform as he stepped out of the train at a train station.
He should infiltrate the US-based Raven Sword PMC, to get Snake tactical information.
Once outside some PMC soldiers awaited him. “You’re Edward, right?” He nodded. “Sorry for what happened to your comrades but we’re welcome you in our comradeship. I get you your uniform, follow me.” He followed the soldier.
Changes his clothes, the young man now wore very heavy armor. Black, dark green, and gray pants, tactical jackets, and heavy tactical armor around his chest, legs, and hips, a helmet, shin guards, night vision goggles on top of the helmet, a headset and tactical goggles. And of course, a balaclava.
He used his Mk.17, GSR and Makarov in his second holster, the Mosin-Nagant was in his backpack.
Otacon told him that they looked for the body of another clone of Big Boss which was identical with him. If Liquid would get this body, he would be able to control the System. Edward only assisted Snake to free Noi from Liquid not for anything else.
2014, after a riot broke out near the U.S. Embassy in an Eastern European country over disagreements in regards to allowing the U.S. to build an oil pipeline, Raven Sword was deployed in Eastern Europe in order to quell the uprising, although it was rumored that the riot was actually instigated by their commander, Liquid Ocelot, specifically to have an excuse to get them deployed.
Six months later, it was later deployed to root out the Paradise Lost Army led by Big Mama. They set up many checkpoints and roadblocks as well placing a curfew in effect, thus making it much more difficult for the Paradise Lost Army to meet up. Officially, it was to protect the people against attacks, but in actuality it was because the Paradise Lost Army held Big Boss's remains, which their de-facto commander, Liquid Ocelot, needed to successfully hijack the SOP system. Edward knew that.
He didn’t knew who Big Mama was, but was sure he would meet her later.
As far as he was allowed to know, the Paradise Lost Army was an anti-Patriots group formed by Big Mama.
While guarding the train yard, he spotted a young man in a brown trench coat. Octopus’s FaceCamo. Sly move, Snake. The PMC soldier smirked.
However, Edward’s co-workers seemed to know his younger face too, as Snake reused to go through a check point.
“I said over here!” A PMC soldier grabbed Snake by the arm, he shoved it off.
They all aimed their weapons at him, Edward too to blend in.
“That’s enough.” Meryl came through the door. “I’ll take him from here.”
“But!” a soldier protested.
“We’ve been looking or this man.”
The PMCs lowered their weapons. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“Come with me.” Snake and Edward followed Meryl.
“The PMC’s sure seem to know you well enough,” Edward commented.
“You two may not believe it, but I’m in charge of overseeing all PMC activity. I must admit, you look good in the Raven Sword uniform but isn’t it too heavy for you?” Meryl asked.
“Thanks. The nanomachines increase my strength, so it isn’t too heavy for me. Have you heard what happened to Noi?”
Meryl looked sad at him. “Yes, my condolences. But her suffering will end tonight. After the President’s finally realized the danger Liquid’s little rebellion poses, he has called for immediate action.
I have a joint Army-Marines team mixed with the US forces here under my comment and on standby.”
While Edward thought it could work, Snake thought it is crazy to take Liquid by force that that they shouldn’t rely too much on the System.
Meryl then replied that for her, Snake was still a legend, a hero. She knew all about the things he did when he was young. It was what kept her going. Then she said that she couldn’t bear watching him die over something so pointless.
“Don’t worry about me. Old soldiers never die.” Snake took a draft from his cigarette, causing him to cough and his camo flickered for a few seconds.
Meryl took his hand. “Your cause is our cause now. You don’t have to do this.”
“I’m no hero…Never was. I’m just an old killer…Hired to do some wet work.”
Disappointed, Meryl leaved but not before warning Snake to stay out of her way and said to Edward, “I promise we will bring Noi back, you have my word. Stay safe.”
“I will.” He walked with Snake out.
Outside, they both talked to Otacon. Edward used a secure chancel, so the other soldiers wouldn’t notice that he talked to someone else on a different frequency.
“The resistance members are scheduled to convene at Big Mama’s hideout. So our best course of action is to follow their lead. Once you find them, tail them. Led them led you to Big Mama,” Otacon explained.
“And how are we supposed to find the resistance?” Snake asked.
“That’s where Edward comes in. The PMCs have laid a dragnet for resistance members that covers the entire town. They’re using SOP to notify each other by radio of any info collected during their searches. By intercepting those signals, you should be able to reach the resistance members’ locations in real time. Edward, you are disconnected but still can use the radio and heir their chatter. With that, you can tell Snake where the resistance is.”
“Yes I can. I scout ahead.”
“Do that, Edward. Oh, and Snake…” Edward couldn’t hear it as he cut the connection to scout ahead.
Onboard Outer Haven, a Kerykeion-class submersible battleship, which served Liquid as HQ, Broken Pony practiced in the Virtual Range.
“Take that! And that!” She fired her P90 at the virtual “enemies” used rockets, kicked or bucked them. For groups of enemies, she would either took control of them, making them killing each other, used her wings for a bombing run or used her scorpion-like tail as a ferocious melee weapon.
“That was fun! Can’t wait for the next carnage! She exclaimed happy before holding her head it pain.
You don’t need or want it. We just want to end it, that someone frees us from this suffering. A voice in her head voice to her.
Be quiet! I need it! To kill Snake! Only his death can free me!
Oh, really? What about Edward then?
“E-Edward…” the former young pony spoke out quietly before letting out a scream and passing out.
Liquid and Screaming Mantis had watched everything. “Her old personality interferes too much with her new one and objective. I must take care of that.”
“Do that, Mantis. She will be more effective that way.”
“What about Edward, that PMC that went rouge?”
“He’s no threat to us as he only wants to have Noi back. In fact, by helping Snake, he helped us without knowing it. I would like to meet him personally, as it is interesting that the nanomachines in his body can still operate while being disconnected. He is not to be harmed but make sure that her old personality doesn’t interfere anymore.” Liquid leaved.
The beast lifted the still unconscious filly over to her. “This won’t hurt a bit.” She touched the filly’s forehead with Mantis Doll.
Then she gently laid it down. “Wake up.”
Broken pony obeyed and got up with a yawn. “Where am I? What am I doing in this armor?” She looked around.
“Broken Pony.” Mantis voice was commanding and the foal stand at attention. “What do you feel towards Snake?”
“Rage against him and joy to see him suffer!” the small yet deadly soldier exclaimed.
“And towards Edward?”
“Sorrow and fear that I could accidently hurt or kill him.” Pony replied in a scared and sad voice.
“There is nothing to fear, we won’t hurt him. If you have to fight him, then fight him with non-lethal means. Now come, we need you to search for Big Boss’s corpse. Raven will come with you.”
“Okay. Last one is a rotten carrot!” While her old personality was no more, her childlike behavior was still there. The task in Eastern Europe would be difficult for her and Edward should they meet.
As Edward scouted ahead, he checked his radio. “We got reports about resistance activity near South Station.”
As the transmission ended, he spotted a man in the distance, wearing a black trench coat, looking around, checking his back. “Taking a stroll after curfew?” The PMC asked himself.
“This guy has to be a resistance member. Let’s tail him.” Snake had switched to his camo suit.
“Right. You look creepy with that FaceCamo.” It looked a little bit scary when the camo was all black, hiding Snake’s face.
The man they tailed whistled as a broadcast started.
“May I have your attention, please. This is a public service announcement from the regional representatives of Raven Sword. A curfew is now in effect for this area. Please be advised that violators are subject to immediate execution upon site. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation, and apologize for any inconvenience.”
Edward followed the man, while Snake took a separate way to clear the way.
The young man got to cover as the member turned around. Seeing that none was tailing him, he continued his stroll through Midtown. He looked carefully after each corner.
Tries to be sneaky but yet whistles so everyone can hear him. Great idea, really. The PMC trooper thought in disagree and disbelief.
He followed the whistling man into a park, Snake had cleared the way by putting all PMCs to sleep. He had disguised himself as one of the Statues in the park, by putting his left hand behind his back, the right hand on his head like he was saluting or covering his face.
To be sure it was really Snake, he activated his night vision. One of the statues glowed from body heat. I can see you.
Without warning, the civilian started to run towards the podium. “Now that’s cuttin’ it close.” He relieved himself.
The Brite turned around as he heard a noise. He saw a suspicious individual, dressed in a fedora and trench coat leaning against the hedge.
It disappeared from sight as he came closer to investigate. Dismissing it, he continued to follow the trail.
“That was close.” Broken Pony let out a sigh of relief as the PMC moved on and her camo deactivated.
The two men followed the resistance member out of the park to a café. Snake hoped on an empty podium, posing as statue as the target came back to look at a picture of a woman on a window.
Edward acted like he was walking away, his back turned. The man in black trench coat tripped getting Edward’s attention. “You’re alright, sir?” He gave him his hand.
“I think so.”
“Good. Now, move along, my buddies aren’t so friendly and look the other way as I do.”
“T-thanks.” The member moved some stairs down.
Snake looked at the picture. “It’s Akina!” Edward didn’t knew her but wasn’t interested how Snake knew her.
A searchlight was scanning the area. It was shining on Edward. Covering his face with his left hand, he waved to show he was friendly and the light moved away. He distracted the PMCs at a roadblock by asking if they had found something, so Snake could move past. They said nothing was out of the ordinary. Then he joined Snake.
They moved under a bridge where a canal was. The tailed man moved backwards into the canal to make sure he wasn’t followed.
On the street again, the member accidently walked into 2 PMC soldiers. “Hey, you! Freeze!” one PMC ordered, the man held his hands in surrender.
“I’ll take from here.” Edward walked to them.
“Uh…okay.” The soldier walked away, Edward took his prisoner away around the corner. He heard how the soldiers hit the ground, sleeping by Snake’s Ruger.
“You’re free to go. Don’t get caught again.”
“Thank you. Wait, you’re the same guy that helped me up, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
The man sneaked past some other PMC’s and moved into a backyard.
He came out disguised as PMC trooper, still whistling.
Snake took another way to avoid the vehicle patrols. The PMC soldiers greeted Edward and let the disguised member pass. Can’t believe they fall for that! The young man thought as the PMC soldiers could identify each other with the System and should know that this whistling PMC was not one of them.
Eventually, the false PMC leaded them to a Church, where he switched to his normal clothes again.
“Stay back while I handle this.”
“Ok Snake, I wait here.”
The resistance member looked around, making sure none followed him.
As he opened the door, Snake ambushed him, using him as shield.
While Edward waited outside, he could still hear what was going on inside.
“Who’s there?” a resistance soldier asked.
“I'm here to see Big Mama.” Snake answered.
“Is this the guy?”
“What do you think?”
“I didn't hear him coming at all. He's gotta be the one.”
“Yeah, but look at him - He's ancient.”
Then there was the sound of CQC, Edward first thought about helping Snake but dismissed it, as he had the feeling that he was watched.
On a roof, Broken Pony had followed Snake and Edward. She watched everything with her scope. “They’re in a church. Request permission to engage.”
“Negative. Wait until our other scout confirms that it is the hideout.”
“Understood.” While her rage towards Snake made her Impatient, as she saw Edward looking in her direction, she became sad and scared about hurting him. “Please, Daddy…Don’t force me to hurt you…”
Edward waited for a few minutes outside and was getting worried.
Then finally, Snake came out and made a sign to get in.
He leaded the young soldier to a woman with blue eyes and blond hair. She was wearing a red coat and biker boots. “May I introduce Big Mama, who is…also my mother. “Snake sounded a little bit dubious.
“What?” Edward couldn’t believe his ears.
“Yes young man, I’m his mother. What’s your name?”
“E-Edward, Ma’am. I support Snake to free a friend of mine who got kidnapped by Liquid.”
Snake and Edward followed to a library of the church.
The elderly woman told both that the man who wanted her dead was Liquid. Snake’s twin. He was once Ocelot but Liquid had taken control of his soul. And now he’s locked in a bitter Struggle with Zero.
Zero was the founder of the Patriots. It all happened 40 years ago.
The woman said, during the cold war when the United States and the Soviet Union were still at odds, the Patriots were born. And she played her part, as she was one of the founding members.
Zero created the Patriots to manage and control the American State. This control endured long after the end of the Cold War. The Organization became an empty shell, continuing to function through Als.
The Als were responsible that the war economy was created, and they started the Son of the Patriots System.
Big Mama was partly to blame. She had some guilt for the creation of the organization.
It all started when she first met Snake’s father Big Boss.
Back in 1964, she was ordered to take part in a CIA op called Operation Snake Eater.
The Soviet Union was developing a new weapon at the time. Big Mama’s mission was to support a certain agent, which later became Big Boss. She knew him as Naked Snake at the time. A name which would be given to his son.
The Commander of this mission was a man called Zero, the head of Special Unit FOX.
Back then, she worked as double agent for the Chinese. Her objective was to secure the location of the Philosophers' Legacy. It was a massive cache of hidden wealth collected by the allied powers in World War II. It was on a microfilm that she should acquire.
She failed, and was expelled from China. After years on the run, she met Big Boss again in Hanoi.
Zero used the massive founds in the Philosophers' Legacy, to found the Patriots. They should carry out the final wishes of a legendary hero. The initial membership consisted of Big Boss, Zero and their weapon expert and medical expert Sigint and Para-Medic. And Ocelot who stayed on the Soviet Union as informant. Who was now Liquid.
After Mama met Big Boss again, she joined the Patriots. The goal of the Patriots was a unity of thought and awareness. Zero believed that the Boss, a legendary hero from World War II, known as the mother of Special Forces wanted it so.
To honor the Boss and in order to lead the people, The Patriots needed a special kind of icon, which turned out to be Big Boss, as he shared more of the Boss’s life than anyone else.
However, as time and politics changed, so changed Zero, who became a prisoner of his own lust for power. This caused Big Boss to leave the Patriots.
To ensure that the icon lived on, a new project was started by Zero. Les Enfants Terribles.
The goal was to create a clone of Big Boss, the ultimate soldier. It was led by Para-Medic. Big Mama served as surrogate mother, and gave birth to Liquid and Snake.
For Mama, it didn’t matter that they were clones or that their DNA was manipulated, they were born the same way, as any other normal child.
However, this was the final straw for Big Boss and finally broke away. He was determined to oppose Zero’s plan.
But that caused Zero to finally lost control. He wanted an orderly world, one governed by rules. With the rising of digital technology, the Patriots brought an entire planet under their control.
Zero and Big Boss misinterpreted the Boss’s will. And their absolute reverence for her drove them apart. So began the war between Zero and Big Boss.
Big Boss returned assumed command of FOXHOOD with a plan to stop Zero. In Outer Heaven, and then Zanzibarland. He plotted coups d’état against Zero.
Edward was fascinated as Big Mama turned to Snake. “But you – Solid Snake, his own clone – foiled his efforts both times.”
Then she told that Zero recovered his body, as Big Boss was an irreplaceable friend for him.
Because of Big Boss’s betrayal, Zero lost his belief in everything – nations, organizations, individuals. Instead, he set up a network of Als, which was the Foundation stone for the SOP System.
In this System, Big Boss is trapped in a brain dead prison.
Big Mama leaded them outside, while explaining that after Ocelot lost his right arm and replaced it with Liquid’s arm, his body was taken over by Liquid's thoughts and spirit. He may be Ocelot in physical form, but his mind is Liquid’s.
They walked to the backdoors of a van. “This is his pyx.” The woman opened the door.
Inside was a body on life support. As Snake tried to touch it, the corpse twitched in a spontaneous reflex. “Creepy.” Edward lightly shivered in fear for a moment.
“His body is alive, but his consciousness is locked away by nanomachines. So technically speaking, he’s not really brain dead. We can’t allow Liquid to inherit the same sins that corrupted Zero…” the woman walked back into the church with them.
Inside, Snake’s and Edward’s radio ringed. Otacon reported that Naomi was gone.
While Snake talked with Otacon about it, Edward took notice of the same suspicious individual, dressed in a fedora and trench coat walking by he saw earlier in the park.
He tapped a resistance member on the shoulder and pointed to it.
“Hey you!” the member shouted as the individual walked in. “Come here!” He stooped it and took the hat off, only to see there was no head but a hand.
The Paradise Lost Army fell in fear in his back, firing his Vz-83 at the person.
3 small, black spheres with a large, blue “eye” and three organic-looking arms dropped the disguise.
“What the hell is that?” Snake drew his pistol as Big Mama pushed him aside.
“Move!” She destroyed all three with her C96 Type 17 Mauser pistol, firing sideways.
The PLA member breathed heavily as he calmed down. “Scarabs…Unmanned Scouts.”
“They’ve found us. We’re moving out.
“Edward, Snake, The PMCs are converging on your location. Damn it! They’re sending in Gekko! They’ll be on you in less than five minutes!” Otacon warned as they moved outside to the van.
“We’ll escape through the canal route using the real van. Get it ready. Hurry!” Edward, get in the van, Snake and I escort you.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
While he got into the passenger seat on one of the vans, he head Big Mama say, “All of those children were orphans. They work in arms factories, and when they grow up, they want to join a PMC.
They seek revenge on other companies…PMCs that killed their parents and use their earnings to support their younger siblings.
There are countless child soldiers like these in the PMCs. Nowadays, anyone with a computer can get combat training.
The FPS games these children love are distributed for free by these companies. Of course, it’s all just virtual training.
It’s so easy for them to get absorbed by these war games. And before they know it, they’re in the PMCs holding real guns.
These kids end up fighting in proxy wars that have nothing to do with their own lives. They think it’s cool to fight like this. They think that combat is life. They don’t a reason to fight. After all, for them it’s only a game.”
This reminded Edward of himself. Why he joined the PMC Praying Mantis. Big Mama’s explanation was very accurate. And it also showed that he got into that circler of Children soldiers too.
Some members got onto Triumph Speed Triple motorcycles, while Snake and Big Mama used a Triumph Bonneville T100.
Very good taste for a woman of her age.
Edward smirked as the driver of the van asked, “You’re ready to rock?”
“Hell yeah!” He cocked his MK.17 and got his Mosin-Nagant out.
The vans escorted by the motorcycles left the church. That will be a though and great escape.
“Gekko!” the driver reserved, Edward leaned out of the Window to fire his Mosin-Nagant, as he didn’t want to kill any of his comrades except for the FROGS.
The Escape started bad. As they moved out, one of the vans got kicked to the side by a Gekko.
“Gekko!” the driver reversed, Edward leaned out of the Window to fire his Mosin-Nagant, as he didn’t want to kill any of his comrades except for the FROGS.
He fired at the PMC soldiers, Big Mama and Snake got separated for a moment by a Gekko.
They caught up however.
In a small street, 2 Gekko blocked the way and surrounded them.
Edward putted his comrades to sleep. “Help me!” a motorcycle driver yelled before he got crushed by a Gekko.
After the way was clear, the van took a sharp left to the west of the riverside.
The driver took another left, a Humvee armed with an M2 Browning HMG .50 caliber Heavy Machine Gun of Raven Sword chased them.
Edward took the gunner out. At a bridge, a FROG jumped on the roof of the van.
“Take that!” The PMC soldier fired his Mk.17 through the roof, killing the female soldier.
The Humvee crashed into a house wall.
“Checkpoint!” The van driver made a 180 as two Humvees formed a roadblock.
However, another two blocked the other way so they were trapped. Again, the young man took the gunners out.
Big Mama used a ramp to jump over the first roadblock, Snake took the PMCs out.
“Hold on!” The driver broke through the roadblock.
Another Frog jumped on the roof, this time, Snake took care of it.
The driver drifted to maintain control in the curves, all other motorcycles were taken out until Big Mama and Snake were left.
They got to a bridge at the east of the Riverside, as Raging Raven with Broken Pony appeared above them.
“There you are, Snake! Where’s your anger?! Show me your rage!”
“Yeah, let your anger flow!” Pony fired one of her missiles, Raven her Milkor MGL-140 grenade launcher.
The explosion made Edward stumble as the van was drifting hard to the left, taking a separate way from Big Mama and Snake.
“Chase the van, I get Snake!” Raven shouted in rage.
“Will do!” Pony replied using her wings. It was fun for her to fly.
“I got bad news…The decoy vans have all bitten the dust. They will be focusing on you now.” Otacon reported to Edward.
“Incoming!” the driver warned as he saw Noi in the mirror.
He cheered as Edward destroyed the missile she was firing at them with his Mk.17. “Excellent! Nice shooting!”
A Humvee started to chase them, coming out of a Side street.
Edward managed to take the gunner out before he could fire and operated the bolt.
The SUV still chased them and tried to ram them in the side. The van took a hard right into an alleyway; the PMC driver tried to do the same but lost control and crashed with the rear into the wall.
Broken Pony fired again missiles, Edward destroyed them.
Two Humvees formed a roadblock, Edward neutralized the gunners before the van broke through.
Broken Pony fired another missile, it missed and sent two PMC Humvees that were intercepting towards the van into the air.
Edward kept his head low as the driver did a drift to evade the crash.
Everything went in slow-motion as the young man putted the gunners to sleep.
After killing some Haven Troopers, they were reunited with Snake and Big Mama.
As Big Mama drove beside the van, Edward and the driver gave a thumb up to show there were fine.
“I have you now!" Noi flew behind them and fired a missile.
It hit the street between the van and the motorcycle, causing the van to flip over and crashed into a building.
As Noi realized that she may have killed Edward, she landed on a building and sobbed. “I’m so sorry…this wasn’t supposed… to happen…” Her sorrow was replaced with joy, as her HUD showed that Edward had survived without a scratch. “Thank Celestia!” she exclaimed relieved as she joined Raging Raven.
“The van crashed inside that building.”
“Good work. Get into a sniping position, I will Lure Snake into your line of fire.”
“Yes, Ma’am! But don’t hurt Edward, okay?” She begged in fear.
“I will try not to kill him.”
Noi flew on a building where she had a perfect view of the crash side and equipped her WA2000 sniper rifle. “You won’t escape this time, Snake.”
Edward got out of the wreck, dazed, holding his head. While he survived unharmed, the driver had no such luck.
“I’m so sorry…” Big Mama sobbed.
“I’m fine.” Edward made the cross out of respect as Snake took the FN FAL from the body and gave it Big Mama.
“They’ll be coming to search the van.”
“We’ll take care of it. You stay here – keep watch.”
“I’ll contact the children. Please. Come back in one piece.”
“We will, Eva.”
The building was approximately five stories tall. Edward equipped his Mosin-Nagant. “Ready to hunt some birds?”
“Yes.” He took the stairs up with his PMC ally.
Upstairs, Edward noticed that Snake started to cough and collapsed. He rushed over to him and gave him a syringe. “Don’t’ think you can drop dead on me now.” Edward helped Snake up.
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
The wall got blown up and Raging Raven flew through. “Give me your anger, Snake! Let it boil to the surface! Let your fury flew freely! Anger begets anger! Come on, show me your rage!”
She tried to burn him with her rocket fuel from her jetpack but Snake and Edward dived to the side.
“Rage! Rage! Ready yourself! Here I come!” Raven flew to the top floor of the building.
As they moved to the top, Raven and her drones destroyed parts of the walls, giving Pony more sight to shoot Snake.
Her shot missed and her OctoCamo made her impossible to spot.
Raven crashed through another wall to fire her grenade launcher, but Edward was faster and fired a tranquilizer round on her.
In response, she covered herself with her wings as protection.
As she flew into the sky, Edward aimed down the scope and fired.
She flew down again. “Snake!”
Noi waited impatient for Snake to show up. When she saw that someone came into her view, she prepared to fire. She aborted as it was Edward. “I can’t…I just can’t…” Her hooves started to shake. Yet this accidently caused her to pull the trigger “NO!”
The filly watched, helpless, as Edward was thrown to the ground, crumpling against the floor and lying still.
The gun in her hooves fell limply as she stared.
“Edward...no...Oh Edward, I'm sorry!”
Then there was a movement.
Edward's head rose, glancing at the bullet hole poking through the brickwork inches from where his head had been, leaving a smoky trail that drifted around his face.
He sighed with relief, heart-pounding.
"Too close."
Raven attacked again, this time she got hit by Snake. “Damn it! I’m overheating!” Raven’s rockets were overheating, forcing her to make a temporary landing in order for them to cool down.
The two men got up to the top floor and went prone to avoid the Sniper Fire.
Edward aimed down the scope as he saw raven resting on a roof, surrounded by her Sliders, giving away her position.
After Edward had fired, Snake screamed, firing the M60E4 he acquired in South America at the drones, destroying some of them.
Enraged, Raven crashed through a wall. “Show yourself!”
The young soldier sneaked up and fired another round.
Raging Raven screamed and landed on the first floor where the fight had started.
“You bastards…I’ll never forgive you…Never!” She moaned in pain. “I can feel the anger building up inside…Eating away at me.” She covered herself with her wings as Ravens surrounded her, causing both to raise their arms as protection.
“No…No…I’ll never forgive myself. I don’t want to be angry. I don’t need anger. I’m not angry.” The woman shed her flight suit. “I’m scared!”
She started to panic. “Help me! The birds are pecking at my flesh! And my soul! Please, please make them stop! I don’t need more hate! I’ve had enough! Help!” She collapsed.
“Let me out of this cage. I don’t need these wings. I don’t need this rage.” She looked at Snake. Raven had black hair and brown eyes. “Come. Let your anger flow.” She danced towards Snake.
Both men backed up while firing tranquilizer rounds at Beauty Raven.
Sounds of screams of pain, anger and sounds of beating echoed through the building.
At the top floor, Snake collected an action figure of Raging Raven’s customized battle suit. Like with Laughing Octopus, glass shattered as Raven passed it.
After some non-lethal rounds, Raven collapsed into the fetal position, with a peaceful expression on her face.
Snake inspected her grenade launcher as Drebin called.
“Way to bring down that bird, you two.”
“Drebin…” both men spoke in union.
“And you got yourselves a souvenir, too. A grenade launcher. Nice! That’s a real user-friendly weapon. I’ll launder this one free of charge. But give it back to me once you’re done with it. A weapon with that many decades of rage stored up inside it – now that’s a collector’s item.”
“How old was she?” Snake asked.
“I'd say about 20. But she had years of soldiers' rage hidden away in that youthful body of hers.”
“Soldiers?” Edward asked.
“Yeah. The soldiers of Aceh, a place that hasn’t seen peace in a long, long time.
She was captured by one side or another, and kept caged up like an animal along with God knows how many other kids.
It’s unknown whether her captors were with the government or the rebels.
In any case, they got their kicks by abusing these helpless little kids day after day after day.
That constant barrage, that battlefield rage, slowly built up inside their bodies…Their minds.
The kids tried to keep each other’s spirits up, always clinging to the hope that someone would come to their rescue, barely surviving off scraps of food.
But those soldiers didn’t stop. They called the kids parasites and shit-eating ravens. Beat ‘em even harder.
Then one morning, the soldiers just up and left, leaving the surviving kids to be eaten alive by the birds.
Almost like one of those sky burials.
One by one, their bodies were picked apart by ravens’ beaks, until finally the flock came for her.
But by some miracle, their beaks cut their bonds instead.
And like that, she was liberated.
In that instant she was filled with an uncontrollable rage, and it smothered her soul.
She ripped the ravens pecking at her to pieces and then went after the soldiers.
And when she finally caught up with them, she waited until nightfall like a hunter awaiting its prey.
They say that when a raven cries, a man dies.
And that’s exactly what happened that night.
Screeching and cawing, she killed every last living being in the camp, both the soldiers and the civilians they’d enslaved.
In her eyes, there was no longer a difference.
The cruelty her friends had suffered, the pain and humiliation she’d endured…Hers was the distillation of the rage that decades of war had imparted on those soldiers.”
“It was her strength – and her greatest weakness.” Snake said to Drebin.
“You two are something else. You managed to cleanse Raven of her rage.”
At this point, Edward didn’t listen anymore. It scared him what Noi had experienced and if she could ever be recover from it.
Downstairs, Big Mama apologized to them as all vans were decoys. But the pyx was safe. Land and air routes were cut off but a cruiser was waiting for them at the river.
Edward assisted Big Mama, while Snake opened a Gully cover as the underground aqueduct leaded to the river. They climbed down, unware that they were watched by Broken Pony.
“They want to escape through the underground aqueduct to the river where the pyx is.”
“Excellent. Meet up with us. Then you will be witness of the Guns of the Patriots.”
“On my way.” Noi moved out, sobbing lightly. “Edward…Daddy…please don’t die…”
Edward assisted Big Mama, also known as Eva through the underground aqueduct, while Snake with his M4 equipped, took the lead.
“Liquid!” Snake exclaimed as his enemy was calmly smoking a cigar.
“Not bad.” Liquid enjoyed the cigar.
“Where’s the pyx?” Eva asked him.
“That no longer matters.”
“Where is it?” Eva asked and collapsed crying and sobbing as she saw that her cruiser was destroyed, still burning.
“Is that it…?” Snake asked his brother.
Out of nowhere, FROGS surrounded them, Vamp, Naomi and Noi revealed themselves on Liquid’s modified CB90.
“Naomi told me everything. And now, thanks to her, I finally have it. The thing, I’ve sought for so long…Big Boss. Put down the guns, both of you. It’s already too late.” Liquid sounded triumphantly.
“You almost did it. But it looks like I win after all.” He walked closer to Snake. “Cigars…Father’s favorite. What do you say? Care for one last Smoke?” He offered it Snake, showing respect to his enemy.
“You think you’re Big Boss now?” Snake countered as Liquid blew the smoke into his face, causing him to cough.
N-Noi?” Edward asked as he saw her on the PT.
“D-daddy?” she replied scared as Vamp held her back.
Liquid was amused. “So you’re the PMC soldier who helped my brother all along. Where is your loyalty to your boss?”
“Loyalty? I’m only loyal to my family and her! And you will pay for what you’re done to her!” He exclaimed angry.
“In that case, I make you a deal: Join me and you will get her back.”
“You’re really think that I would join you after what you did to her?! No freaking way!”
“Then, I’m sorry, soldier.” Suddenly, Edward froze, unable to move, the nanomachines told his body to do so. For some reason, he could feel that it came from Noi.
Liquid used this moment to disarm Snake, ramming his brother’s stun knife into his right shoulder.
“Nice try…But when it comes to CQC, I’ve got the upper hand.”
“Even if you do get a hold of the System, you’ll only have one part of the Patriots’ Al…The military part.” Snake grunted in pain.
Liquid chuckled. “What of it, brother?” He pulled Snake up, which was painful for him. “It’s only matter of time before I have anything.” He shocked Snake with the stun function.
“Remember GW? The Al they think they lost? It’s mine – a part of my army.” He shove Snake away.
“Impossible! We destroyed it!”
Liquid then replied that GW was just cut in little pieces, pieces that he was able to reconstruct. Snake’s brother stowed it away inside JD’s network. That way, JD couldn’t recognize GW as threat. Once JD was destroyed by Liquid with a nuclear strike, the Patriots’ network would be his.
“You’re planning to rebuild the Patriots?” Edward asked Liquid.
“Soldier, I and Snake were created by the Patriots. We’re not men. We’re shadows in the shape of men.”
He started to beat Snake and blocked every counterattack. “We’re freaks who never should have existed! We’re a System…insurance that future generations never prosper.” He shocked Snake again.
“The Patriots saw fit to create us, and in doing so became our only reason d’etre.”
He then said he would kill Zero and Big Boss to become a Patriot himself. It all began with those two, that his and Snake’s purpose was to fulfil their destiny.
He shocked Snake a third time until he collapsed. “Take that Snake, make him suffer, Liquid!” Broken Pony cheered.
“Tell me Edward, what’s your secret? I could use a man like you in my team.” Liquid tried to convince him to join.
“Runs in the Family. I will make you pay for hurting Noi!”
“Noi? I’m afraid; she’s no longer the child you used to know. But I give you one last chance. Join me, and together, you and her can be free from the System!”
“I’m already free from it, what else could you give me?” He taunted his former boss.
“A comfortable life with her once it is over.”
“Thank you for the offer but I need some time to think about it,” The PMC replied sarcastically.
“So be it.” Liquid took an apple EVA lost from the ground and gave it the filly that was happy for getting the Apple.
She let go of Edward, he collapsed as his body had cramps.
“The time has come for you to witness…Witness our moment of triumph!” Liquid clenching his right hand before he got on his boat with his FROGS “Let’s go!” he commanded and the boat started the engine, driving away.
As Edward recovered and got up, he heard Noi’s voice. “I’m so sorry, Liquid forced me to do this…”
I don’t know if she’s speaking to me via the nanomachines or if I just imagine it, but I will safe her!
Noi enjoyed the ride but hoped Edward would understand.
As the boat leaved the underground aqueduct, a spotlight turned on from starboard.
While her helmet offered some Glare protection, she still covered her eyes with one hoof.
“Hold it right there, Liquid!” Meryl shouted via megaphone.
He didn’t stop, 5 Mark V Special Operations Crafts operated by Meryl’s U.S. Army/Marine joint unit intercepted his boat.
The boats surrounded Liquid’s boat, 3 US military helicopters, which were a fusion of the UH-60 Blackhawk forward fuselage, with the Kamov Ka-50 (and its variants) for the coaxial rotor and tail flew over his boat, snipers armed with M82 Anti-materiel rifles on board.
On a bridge, 4 Humvees with US soldiers, armed with XM8s stopped and got into position.
The US boats also activated spotlights, making it very uncomfortable for Noi as he shielded her eyes with both forelegs.
“All of you, drop your weapons and put your hands up!” Meryl ordered as Snake and Edward helped Eva on her boat.
Then it drove over to Liquid’s CB90. He was unimpressed and raised his hands to make a gesture.
“Aim!” Meryl ordered and drew her Desert Eagle.
“Liquid! Stop!” Snake shouted.
“No!” Edward was worried that Noi could get hurt in the crossfire.
“Fire!” Meryl gave the order as Liquid made a pointing gesture.
The spotlights turned off. Meryl and the US soldiers tried to fire, but their weapons made only clicking sounds as if the safety was on.
Edward couldn’t fire, he didn’t want to risk hurting Noi.
“The system is mine! Your weapons and guns are no longer your own! Behold…Guns of the Patriots.” Snake’s brother gestured his hands in a shooting manner as if firing with handguns, pointing at a helicopter. “Bang! Bang!”
The rotors of the helicopters stopped and they crashed into the water, the soldiers diving in panic to cover.
Liquid laughed triumphantly. “Die!” Making the handgun gesture again, the FROGS and Noi fired with their P90s at Meryl’s boat. Noi tried her best not to hit Edward.
Good for her, he was not hit at all, using the cabin for cover.
Then Liquid pointed the “handgun” to his head as if he committed suicide. “Bang!”
All his enemies got disconnected, holding their heads, screaming and moaning in pain as all previously suppressed emotions were released.
Again, the man known as Liquid laughed in triumph. Then he made two “handguns” and his small army massacred the US forces, Broken Pony laughed sadistic and smiled, enjoying the carnage as she fired her P90.
Liquid called out to the sky, “Do you see this, Zero? We are victorious! Behold! Guns of the Patriots!” He clenched his hand.
Edward, like through a miracle, wasn’t hit at all as they ceased fire.
Then, he noticed that a stray shot had hit him in his left arm.
The modified CB90s tank turret aimed at Rat Patrol 01S boat. “Out of my way!” Liquid shouted.
The explosion from the shot from the turret threw all except Eva and Snake over board.
The CB drove close to the damaged and burning boat.
“Let them have it. We don’t need it anymore.” Vamp obeyed Liquid and threw the pyx into the fire.
Big Mama leaped into the fire in a futile attempt to retrieve the body, Snake attempted to pull her away.
Liquid drew a Thor .45-70. “So long, Snake!” He shot the biomort in the head, ensuring its destruction, triggering a fiery explosion that caught Snake, badly burning the left side of his face.
“Edward!” Noi jumped into the water, to safe him from drowning.
Her armor was waterproof to some extent and the helmet supplied her with oxygen.
Her human stepfather was sinking, passed out as his head hit the hull very hard before he was fallen into the water.
She grabbed him by his right arm and used all her strength to get him out of the water and on land.
“Edward! Daddy!” She called out but he wasn’t responding. “No!” She pressed her forelegs on his chest and performed CPR.
“Daddy…Don’t give up on me.” It didn’t work and he stayed lifeless. “D-daddy…”
Suddenly, the still unconscious soldier spat out water.
“Daddy, you’re alive!” She was very glad that her life saving efforts weren't in vain.
Her HUD showed that he was stable, so she went back on the CM90 as Snake screamed “Otacon!” as the Mk.II jumped on Liquid's boat unseen.
Sometime later, Edward regained consciousness on the Nomad, learning that Eva had died.
Sunny had made him some eggs which he enjoyed as he watched the video feed from the Mk.II with Otacon and Snake.
“We’ll launch a stealth nuclear warhead at JD.” Liquid revealed his plan.
“I thought you couldn’t control a nuke with GW.” Naomi saw this as a problem.
“We can’t. We’ve taken over their guns and heavy weapons, but the WMDs are still under JD’s control,” Liquid took his glasses off, “That’s where REX comes in. I know where to find nukes they don’t control. Vamp, how long until REX is ready?”
“All that’s left is the final check. We’ve identified JD’s location through GW. An abandoned 20th century satellite orbit, disguised as debris.”
“A clever place to hide,” Naomi commented.
“Satellite orbit...”
“With the stealth nuke, there’s no need to worry about the Patriots intercepting it. By the time they realize what’s happening, it’ll be all over,” “Vamp explained.
“Once JD – the core Al – is destroyed…GW’s priority will raise to 1. And all the systems under JD’s control will then ours to command. Now go. Prepare our Haven.” Liquid ordered.
“Yes, boss,” Vamp replied as Noi bumped in the Mk.II “What the devil is this…?!" He asked before the feed cut off as it got bucked away by the filly.
After it ended, Edward looked after Sunny. “The eggs were delicious.”
Sunny smiled. “Thank you. Can you do me a favor?”
“Yes?” Edward was eager to hear it.
“Tell Naomi I cooked them right.”
“Of course, my dear.” He ruffled her hair.
“Oh, before I forget, a package came for you.” He gave him a packed almost too big for her.
“Thanks.” When he opened it, the young man couldn’t believe his eyes. Inside the package were the cold weather gear of his father of his time as Arctic warfare trooper in the Next-Generation Special Forces, and the engraved AM D114 Pistol from his time in the Diamond Dogs. There was also a letter from Edward’s mother.
Dear Edward,
I know it’s a while since we wrote each other and it feels like forever. While tiding out the attic, I found your father’s old uniform and sidearm. After I heard what happened to you, I thought I send them too you, thinking they could be useful.
I’m so proud of you that you helped that little child in the Middle East, father would be too. I wish you luck that you can save her. I would like to meet her when this is all over.
Sincerely, your mother
He wondered how his mother knew about Noi until he saw the Postscript.
PS: A woman named Meryl informed me about the child
The young man putted the uniform on, it fitted perfectly. A new voice downstairs said where his next destination was.
“A long-forgotten base, in US territory, outside the Patriots’ control…The place where Liquid made his debut…His monument. Off the Alaskan coast, in the Fox Archipelago…”
“Shadow Moses Island.” Snake and Edward said in unison.
Shadow Moses Island. The place where everything began for Snake, and where everything ended for Edward’s father.
Edward found himself in the desert, wearing the uniform of a Soviet soldier consisting of khaki fatigue pants, green striped telnyashka, combat boots and a field cap, as weapon, an AK-47 in his hands.
A Gas covered the area, it was more a thick cloud of cyan mist.
It looks like a sandstorm, but it can’t be… The solder thought as he tried to find shelter from it.
After sometime, he came to an Army camp of the soviets. “Hello? Anyone there?” He called out but it was abandoned.
Then, he spotted 4 humans in the distance, they walked in a slow, stumbling motion.
“Edward, watch out – it’s the Skulls…!” A familiar voice warned him via radio.
“Father?” The young man wondered as he heard his father.
“Yes, it’s me, my son. Run, you won’t have a second chance in a direct fight with them!”
As his father warned him, the skulls’ eyes glowed bright and they leaped at an incredible speed and height and distance that made it appear as though they were flying or gliding for a short time.
Edward uses his binoculars to get a closer look. The Skulls wore technologically advanced suits, with a gas mask covering their mouths and headphones on the head. Only their eyes and forehead with a 2 on it were visible.
Edward heard a grunt of pain out of one of the many tents.
Turning his head, he saw how a soldier stumbled out, gasping for air and collapsed.
The soviet soldier twitched and rose again, but he looked different.
He had deathly pale skin, whitened pupils, blackening around his eyes and mouth, slight sores near the neck, enlarged veins, and several small blue orbs emitting from his head.
Like the Skulls, the soldier had a zombie-like gait.
There were Zombie-like groaning noises and other infected soldiers came out of the surrounding tents.
They surrounded Edward.
Then, three of the Skulls pulled bullpup assault rifles out of their hands while the fourth jumped into the air to strike the PMC soldier with a machete.
Edward didn’t know how he did it, but he countered by grabbed the machete and jamming it through the Skull’s neck. That Skull fell to the ground, the glowing eyes ceased to glow.
On a table was a RPG-7. The young man grabbed it and fired a rocket on the remaining Skulls who were close standing to each other.
The explosion didn’t take them out but damaged them heavily. Then he fired some rounds into their heads.
They also fell to the ground. He noticed that the infected soldiers also fell to the ground, reverted to their normal state, albeit in a state of deep unconsciousness, as Edward checked one soldier’s pulse.
What the…? The young soldier couldn’t believe his eyes. The Skulls he defeated got up while regenerating their bodies and vanished.
“Don’t tell me…you took them all out?! That’s incredible, son!” His father was impressed.
But then, Edward heard a moaning from behind.
Turning around, an infecting Noi with an animalistic sprint charged at him.
The infected filly knocked him to the ground, trying to feast upon him.
The man struggled against it. How can a filly be that strong?!
It was all in vain as she went for his throat.
Edward awoke with a gasp, Snake too.
“Everything all right, Snake?” Otacon asked as he piloted the helicopter towards Shadow Moses.
“I was having that dream again.” He replied.
“I had a very weird dream.” Edward checked his Mk.17.
“We’re here. Shadow Moses.”
At the cold and frozen Island, the PMC opened the door, Snake took the new Mk.III in his arm and jumped with Edward out, only to threw out his back.
“You ok?” Edward helped him up.
“Yeah, I just slipped a little. Have to hurry…Not much time left.”
“Meet the Mk.III. It’s our last replacement, so try not to break it,” Otacon introduced the new robot to them.
“Who, us? Never.” Snake putted the robot on his feet.
“One more thing…I don’t see anybody around, but there are unmanned sentries patrolling the area. Be careful out there.” Otacon flew away.
Before they moved out, Snake noticed Edward’s gear. A snow white uniform with a matching balaclava. “Is this the uniform of an Arctic warfare trooper of the Genome Soldiers?”
“Yep, my father used to be one…before he died here,” Edward sounded a little bit sad.
“Sorry to hear that. I…”
Snake’s buddy waved his left hand. “Don’t be, you only did your mission and duty. My mother and I were never informed how he died. Plus, he never supported the plan of the Sons of Big Boss, he only wanted to keep me and mother safe. I don’t blame you or anything.”
Otacon interrupted them. “The heliport is to the west of there. Head west and find that heliport.”
“Ok, let’s move out.” Edward cocked his rifle.
They moved west, avoiding a Gekko on the way to the Disposal Facility.
“Do you hear…music?” Edward looked confused around.
“I do…just like old times.” Snake smiled.
Then he had a flashback that his comrade was able to hear too.
“It’s Snake. I’m in front of the Disposal facility.”
“Excellent, Snake.” His commander replied.
“How’s that sneaking suit working out?” a female voice asked.
“I'm nice and dry, but it's a little hard to move.”
“Bear with it. It’s designed to prevent hypothermia. This is Alaska, you know.”
“Take it easy. I’m grateful.”
“Interesting,” Edward commented as they came to the heliport where another Flashback started.
“A Hind D? What’s a Russian gunship doing here?” Snake’s voice echoed.
“Wow… He must be crazy to fly a hind in this kind of weather.” A young female voice was impressed.
“…Who’s that?”
“Nice to meet you, Snake. It’s an honor to speak to a living legend like yourself. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…”
After that, Snake walked to the left into an open storage room. “A surveillance camera?” Snake’s voice echoed as he spotted an old surveillance camera on the wall. It broke and fell on the ground.
“Guess that camera has reached the end of its purpose.” Edward looked at the remains of the camera before following Snake through a vent.
The Veteran of the Shadow Moses incident found a SOCOM under a M548/M1015 Full Tracked Cargo Vehicle. “Just like old times.”
Otacon noticed that the hanger door was open. “It looks like the hanger door is open a little bit, at least. You can get in that way if you want.”
“I don’t think that is a good idea. It’s the easiest way to get in, yes, but they could expect us from there. Let’s find another way in,” Edward suggested.
“Yes, follow me.” Snake took the stairs up and entered another vent.
Edward heard Snake muttering, “Overhead view - just like old times… Now you’re talking! Overhead view! That’s more like it.”
Inside the vent, they both heard another flashback.
“Snake, this is McDonell Miller. Campbell told me about the situation here. I thought I might be of some use.”
“There’s no one I’d rather have in a foxhole than you.”
“Well I know lots about survival in a harsh environment.”
They got to the tank hanger where Scarabs guarded the area.
“Could you be Snake? Are you Solid Snake? The legendary Solid Snake…! You!?” a female voice was fascinated
“Don’t worry. You land back on them once you meet me. The reality is no match for the legend, I’m afraid.”
“I unlocked the cargo door for you.”
“Where are you?”
“Where – I – can – see – ya.”
“Don’t move around too much.”
Snake and Edward went prone to avoid the Dwarf Gekko, Snake found a Suppressor for his newly acquired pistol.
After this was done, they crawled outside to the canyon, avoided two Gekko and listened to another Flashback.
“Snake, be careful! There are claymore mines around there.” A male voice warned.
“Who are you?”
“One of your fans.”
Edward crawled with Snake through a hangar door into the Nuclear Warhead storage building.
Even though Edward’s face was covered by the white balaclava, Snake could still see that he was fascinated by Shadow Moses. “Impressed by Shadow Moses Island?”
“Well, I’m just wondering why they leaved everything untouched after all those years after the incident. Hadn’t it been better if they demolished the weapons here or made a restricted area out of it?”
“Maybe, but I think they saw no longer use in it after the incident.”
Otacon called both.
“OK, we’ll go through the door all the way at the back.”
“Otacon, last time around we had a few complications and wound up going through the commander’s office in the basement,” Snake pointed out.
“That’s right…I remember now. But there’s no need to go all the way down here this time, right? The back door takes us straight where we need to go.”
“Good point. I have no desire to take the long way.” Edward didn’t want to waste time.
“OK, then. Let’s get to the back door.” But it was locked.
“Uhh, Otacon…the door is locked,” Edward reported.
“Security is shut down altogether. The lock can’t be released without activating it. We’ll have to log in somewhere. I’ve got it. My old office is close by. With the power on, you should be able to unlock the door from here.
And if we check the facility records, we can find out REX’s status and who’s been in and out. You remember where it is, Snake?”
“I’m not senile yet.”
“Just to be safe, I’m marking it on your map. You old geezer.” Snake coughed. “The password is 48273. Think you can remember that?”
“I told you, I’m not senile…yet.”
“Plus you have me, just in case.” Edward added proudly.
Otacon then told that he engaged the generator. Energy output was low, but it should be enough to power the elevator.
The elevator stopped, they came across a hallway with blood and bullet holes on the walls where screams of soldiers being killed echoed.
“That was…creepy.” Edward shuddered as they entered the office.
Otacon looked with the Mk.III around. “Hold on. I want to check security.” He showed with the robot that he wanted to be on the desk to turn the power on.
As Snake took him up, he coughed and got a seizure. He accidently knocked the Mk.III down.
“Are you all right?” Snake, are you OK?” Otacon was worried.
Edward reacted quickly, injecting the drug inside Snake’s neck.
“Don’t think you can get away that easily.” The young PMC then got the robot back on his feet.
“That password I told you before…You remember it, right?” Otacon asked, Snake tipped his forehead as he tried to think. “’Cause I completely forgot. Can one of you punch it in for me?”
A Touchscreen appeared on the screen of the Robot. “It’s a five-digit number…”
Edward punched the password 48273 in. A loading screen appeared after he hit enter, then in green “ACCESS PERMITTED.”
“Nice job,” Otacon complimented the young man.
The computers in the offices came to life.
Otacon groaned. “This version is totally obsolete. It’s going to take a little work.”
Edward looked around, thinking how it was for his father back then as Snake and Otacon had a conversation.
“This is the room where we first met, huh?”
“Yep.”
“It’s not conjuring any unpleasant memories, is it? Or do you feel unpleasant, Edward?”
“Actually no. It was the place where my father died, yes, but I was never told how he died. So, I don’t blame Snake for his death or anyone else.”
“I was attacked by Frank Jaeger.” Otacon sounded scared.
“Yeah…”Snake remembered, “I remember.”
“If you hadn’t shown up when you did…It gives me the shivers just thinking about it.” The Mk.III's head lowered in fear.
“Snake, you saved my life.” Otacon was still grateful.
“Naomi hated them for what they did to Frank’s body…But it was me that crippled him up in the first place. She must have hated me, too.”
Their friend couldn’t hear the rest of the conversation as he leaned on a locker and heard a flashback.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Snake.” A robotic voice echoed.
“Who are you!?”
“Neither enemy nor friend.”
“Gray Fox…Colonel, that ninja is Gray Fox.”
“Ridiculous. You yourself…in Zanzibar Land…”
“Yes, he should have been killed. But, he’s still alive.” Naomi’s voice echoed.
“What!?”
“They were using a soldier for their gene therapy experiments.”
“How long are you gonna stay in there?”
“Are you one of them?” Otacon’s voice echoed at Snake’s question.
“No, I’m not. I always work alone.”
“Alone? Are you an Otaku too?”
“C’mon get out.”
Gene therapy experiment? If Liquid experimented on Noi then I hope there is a way to repair the damage he did to her.
“I just had a look at the security access logs…As I thought, people coming and going at frequent intervals. In fact, the records show some recent activity.” That tore Edward out of it and he looked with Snake at the monitor.
“It’s an image taken a few hours ago by a surveillance camera up ahead.”
It showed Vamp, Naomi and Noi. “The beauty and the beasts,” Snake commented.
“They’ve been through here. And from what we’ve gleaned from the security records, it can only mean one thing…They’re headed for REX’s old underground hanger.”
Otacon said as Edward putted the robot down on the ground,
As the Engineer had opened the door on the first floor, Snake commented that it made him almost nostalgic for the days when you needed a keycard for every door.
The computer programmer responded that it’s been nine years, that all you really have to do is reinterpret the old technology on terms of the new and that getting old wasn’t that bad.
Edward suppressed a giggle as that reminded him when his father told how annoying it sometime was to always get the keycard out of the pocket for every door.
They moved back to the elevator but a Gekko dropped through the sealing, blocking the way.
“That Gekko is blocking the way. Got an idea, Snake?”
“Yes, Edward. Watch this.”
Snake putted a PlayStation 3 controller out and steered the Mk.III to the other side where the generator of the electric floor was, once the Gekko had its back turned.
Seriously? A PlayStation 3 controller? Edward shook his head in disbelief.
As the floor was activated and the Gekko ended up paralyzed and screaming before collapsing and then exploding.
“Ok, let’s move.” The PMC pushed the elevator button.
Back at the first floor, they vaulted over the catwalk as the robot worked on the door to open it.
The elevator they just had taken moved again and another Gekko came out.
“The Mk.III is totally defenseless while working on the door. Distract it!” Otacon warned.
“Do you thinking what I’m thinking?” Edward equipped his Mosin-Nagant, Snake Raven’s Grenade launcher.
The Gekko jumped down his back to them. Edward fired some at the legs as they were semi-organic nature and was susceptible to it.
After 3 to 4 shots, the Gekko fell over on his back, screeching like a wounded, frightened animal, making Edward feel sorry for it.
After Snake fired 4 shots with on the Gekko, it elicited a loud groan and exploded.
“Ok, it’s open now.” They moved out to the snowfield and Communications Tower.
Sometime earlier, Broken Pony and Crying Wolf walked through the snow to their position to intercept Snake. Wolf stopped and knelled down.
“Come, climb on, no need to walk, young member, no need to walk.”
Noi climbed on her back and held on as Wolf started to run.
The filly laughed. “This is so much fun just like with Raven! I just wish she would be still with us…”She was sad, then angry. “But that is one more reason to make Snake pay!” she exclaimed.
“That’s right, we will make him cry!” She stopped to let her down.
The suit the foal was wearing kept her warm, even in this blizzard.
You wouldn’t mind if I take a look around, do you?” She asked her larger friend.
“Not at all, I call you if he comes.”
And so, Noi explored the snowfield with her childlike curiosity. Her helmet had night vision, so she could see perfectly even in this kind of weather.
At the side of the Tower, she found a crashed helicopter and heard an echo of his crash nine years ago.
“C’mon! Fly! Damn!! Snake!!”
“See you in hell…Liquid.”
This flashback made her buck the snow in anger. “Snake your death will be slow and painful!”
Then she walked to a filled-in trench leading up to the Comm Towers.
She heard a gunshot and a woman let out a cry of pain.
“Snake, leave me and run…”
“Meryl…”
“War is meaningless. Nothing comes out of war. Snake, please! Save yourself! Go on living and don’t give up on people! Don’t forget me!”
This scared her. “Please, Carrot Top…sister….Please, don’t forget me…”
After that, she walked to the exit of one of the Towers where her ears heard another Flashback.
“Snake!! What was she fighting for!? What am I fighting for!? What are you fighting for!?”
“If we make it through this, I’ll tell you!”
“Okay. I’ll be searching too.
This Flashback made her sad as it reminded her of Edward.
“D-daddy…please…stay alive…” She whimpered before she had an idea. “Oh, I know!”
She trotted back to Crying Wolf and built a snowpony. “What’s that?” The B&B member asked confused.
“A snowpony! Do you like it?” Broken Pony asked, jumping up and down in joy.
“Yes, it looks pretty nice.”
“Do you think Edward will like it too?” Noi asked sad which made Wolf cry. "What’s wrong?”
“It’s just…Your friend… reminds me of someone I used to love but I lost him… But I promise, not to hurt your friend…So you won’t suffer the same fate as I once had.”
The filly couldn’t reply as her night vision spotted two lifeforms in the distance.
“Looks like Snake showed up after all! Let’s make him cry!” She exclaimed getting ready, to make him cry, until his eyes would be red.
Edward and Snake walked through the snow, a wolf howled in the distance. Snake popped his back while Edward rubbed his hands. While the uniform kept him warm, it was an old habit when he was a kid.
In the distance, Crying Wolf opened her armor and raised her upper body up to use her railgun. Noi acted as her spotter.
“Standby…six, two, three degrees…Range: 200 meters. Fire when ready…” She checked the distance with her HUD linked to her WA2000
“Snake…Found you…” As Wolf took aim, Broken Pony noticed that she was wearing a sealed suit and a white helmet, which covered her left eye, with a scanning lens on her right eye that she used alongside the telescopic sight of her rail gun.
Snake collapsed and groaned in pain but got up as Edward was worried about him.
“Cry…Cry for us.” Wolf aimed at Snake, making sure that Edward wouldn’t be harmed. “Go on…Let us hear you cry!” She fired.
Snake and Edward dived away from the shot, Snake threw his back out.
He attempted to grab his M4 but a second shot strayed his shoulder and he had to roll away to avoid getting crushed by a falling tree.
He spotted Wolf in the distance, Noi on her back. “Come…Show us your tears. Let them flow! Cry…Until your eyes run red!” She closed her armor and ran away, Noi riding with a smile on her back.
The middle-aged man tried again to reach for his rifle but another shot kept him from doing so.
Edward had recovered and looked up. “FROGS.” He muttered as server of them moved in. Snake fired blind with his Operator, Edward did the same with his Makarov before they both managed to get their rifles.
“Sad…So sad…So very, very sad…So sad I could die!” Noi’s voice echoed.
Wolf howled as Edward fired at the Haven troops. Seeing a supply truck nearby to the east of his location and crawled under it. A good Sniper position. They can’t see me but I can see them. He thought as he equipped his Sniper Rifle. While the blizzard made it difficult to see anything, the Mosin-Nagant was equipped with a Thermal Scope by Drebin somehow between this and Eastern Europe.
While Snake lured Wolf out, the young man waited for the moment to strike.
Once Crying Wolf was in sight, Edward fired a shot as she was exposed. She retreated and he played the waiting game.
As the PMC soldier heard the wimping sounds of Crying Wolf, he contacted with his radio Rosemary, a Psychological counselor that got introduced to him after getting on the Nomad with Snake as they had escaped out of South America.
“The Beast is crying... In psychology, crying is thought of as a way to freely express and release feelings.”
“I know I experienced this myself. I guess something sad in her past?” Edward guessed.
“Bingo. That Beast cries and cries without stopping. There must be some intense sadness in her, the stress of which is tormenting her mentally and physically. Crying is the only way she can deal with it.”
I guess that is why Noi cries when she sees me. She must be sad as she misses her sister and probably me in some way.
Then, the Sniper saw a glint in the distance. It was Noi, searching for Snake with her rifle. “I can't do it!” He exclaimed upon having her in his sight.
“I can’t do it!” She exclaimed in union as she spotted him, the foal couldn’t bring herself to pull the trigger. The human was like a father for her. The child didn’t want to hurt him in fear she would lose him. Plus he was a victim of Snake.
Good that the truck protects me from the blizzard. Edward was glad about that. Suddenly, Crying Wolf stopped next to the truck, opening her armor to look for Snake. Now! Edward fired a round, her armor collapsed and Wolf climbed out.
She collapsed on the ground, wimping. Edward crawled out as Snake joined him.
The woman slowly got up, her helmet fell off. Wolf had black hair.
“I hear them…I hear the cries…The cries of babies. Stop it!” She shouted at nothing. Stop crying! Please! Please, stop crying!” She collapsed. Suddenly, the beauty crawled backwards. “No, wolf…Go away. Don’t come any closer. I’m sorry. I was so scared. Forgive me. I’m sorry.” She hugged her knees, sobbing. “You can cry if you want to. Cry if you need to.” She looked up at Snake and Edward. “No…I don’t need tears anymore. I’ve cried myself dry.” She got up. “So cry…As much as you like. I…Will be there to listen.”
The two men nodded at each other. Now they had to defeat the beauty form of Wolf.
Snake walked backwards and bumped into an action figure of Crying Wolf’s customized battle suit. He collected it.
While they fought Wolf with non-lethal means, the cries of babies, the growl of Wolves and the sound of Thunder echoed through the snow-capped landscape.
As with the other Beauty and Beast members, Crying Wolf collapsed into the fetal position, with a peaceful expression on her face after she got hit by several non-lethal rounds.
While Snake took the rail gun, Edward checked for hostiles before they got called by Drebin.
“Yo, you two. I finished laundering that rail gun you picked up right now. Knock yourself out. It’s on the house.”
“Thanks.” Snake thanked him.
“Time for another bedtime story. This one’s about Crying Wolf.
“You don’t need me to tell you there’s whole nations in Africa tearing themselves apart in the name of ethnic cleansing. Well, she was born into that environment.
When she was a little girl, her village was attacked by rival armed factions. Her parents and siblings were slaughtered, and she was left a refugee.
She took her last surviving relative, her baby brother, and ran as far as she could away from the war zone.
One day, they came across an enemy unit, so she took her brother and hid in an abandoned shack.
And then her brother started to cry…She knew that if the soldiers heard the noise, they would find them and kill them both. So she wrapped her hand as tight as she could around his mouth.
As the footsteps gradually went away, she came back to her senses. Her brother wasn’t crying anymore. Horrified, she pulled her hand away, covered in sweat and spit. He wasn’t breathing.
They say wolfs eat their own pups when they die. She was spotted wandering through the thick of battle carrying her dead brother in her arms. She had visions, too – a wolf walking alongside her.
Every night, the wolf would howl and cry, just like her brother did that day. Eventually, she made it to a government-run refugee camp. But by then, her brother’s body had rotted away.
The camp was crowded with refugees like herself, and little children like her brother. Day and night she was tormented by the cries of the babies.
The wolf that followed her heard her sorrowful screams and answered.
He made his way around the camp. And one by one…He silenced the children.
She tried to stop it, but she was powerless to stop the wolf. A few days passed, and on the eve of the enemy’s raid, there wasn’t a child left. The adults who survived were torn up pretty bad.
Of course, there never was any wolf in that camp. She was the one who killed those babies. But she couldn’t bring herself to admit it.
She couldn’t bear the thought of herself going from one baby to the next, howling like a wolf, snuffing out their little lives.
And she never did, even as Crying Wolf, a lonely beast forever stalking the battlefield.
Snake, Edward, fighting with you made Wolf finally accept what she’d done. She was cleansed by you. If the cries she heard of children on the battlefield have been silenced, it’s because of you. You ought to be proud.”
While Edward was proud, this reminded him when he was in the building with Noi in the Middle East, defending her from the militia. He hoped that her young heart could take it after she would realize what she’d done.
Rose called him. “Edward?”
“Yes?”
“I'm glad to see your safe. You're not hurt too seriously, are you?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“I was listening to the BB's stories, too. It's heartbreaking...”
“I know.”
“They've suffered such unimaginable trauma. Hearing the cries of phantom infants in your head, facing flashbacks of uncontrollable rage... These are textbook clinical cases for us counselors.”
“PTSD.” Edward figured it out.
“Absolutely. I can't believe anybody would coerce them into entering battle in their state...”
“Me too but Liquid managed to do it somehow.”
“Without the proper treatment, their symptoms will worsen, eventually leaving them unfit for combat entirely. And that can't be good for their commanding officer...”
“Yes, until someday, nothing good remains, that they are just…”
“Edward, I reason I called you is, I will do anything I can do to help cure Noi from her trauma. You have my word. A sweet child like her doesn’t deserve something like this. You have my support.”
“Thanks Rosemary, I appreciate it.” I really hope Noi can be cured from it. I will never forgive myself it she’s forced to be trapped in that trauma…
The howl of a wolf tore him out. He saw a wolfdog hoisted up Crying Wolf’s body onto its back before walking off into the blizzard.
I hope we could help you. He felt sorry for her.
Inside the Blast Furnace, Otacon called them both.
“Hold it Snake. Time to change the disc. I know, I know ... it's a pain. But you need to swap disc 1 for disc 2. You see the disc labeled ‘2’?”
“Uhh…no.”
“Huh? ...Oh wait! We're on PlayStation 3! It's a Blu-ray disc. Dual-layered too - no need to swap.”
“Plus we’re actually on PC as it is a Fanfiction story with this as crossover,” Edward added but Snake was not amused.
“Damn it, Otacon, get a grip!”
“Yeah, what an age we live in, huh, Snake? Wonder what they'll think of next!”
Edward suppressed a giggle as he was lightly amused by it.
Broken Pony retreated and reported. “Snake defeated Wolf.”
“You will get him eventually. Meet up with Vamp ad Naomi, we have what we need.”
“Understood. Snake, you will pay for forcing Edward to help you! B-but what if I k-kill him by accident?”
Inside, Edward peeled around the corner. “There are way too many Scarabs to ho through unnoticed.”
“I got this.” Snake equipped a Chaff grenade. He threw it through the door. The Scarabs were stunned by it, “dancing” in circles.
The two men vaulted over a catwalk and moved past them to an elevator.
Inside it, another flashback started.
Snake. I’ve got something to tell you about Naomi Hunter.”
“What about her?”
“She might be a spy!”
“To kill me? Is that all you cared about?”
“Frank Jaeger,” Naomi’s voice echoed, “the man who you destroyed, was my brother and my only family.”
“Gray Fox?”
“You killed my benefactor and sent my brother home a cripple. I vowed revenge.”
“But I can’t go yet. I still have a job to do.”
“I vowed revenge…”
Edward groaned. “I hope that was the last flashback. It must be exhausting for the author to write all these.”
As the elevator door opened, a Gekko had his back turned. They waited until it moved away.
Then they moved to a conveyor belt, crawling through it to avoid the sentries.
At the end of it, another Gekko blocked the way. Edward just fired a few rounds with his Mosin-Nagant to make the Gekko collapse.
As the way was free, they moved to the underground base.
“Finally, it’s just up ahead. The hanger is just a little bit further. Stay on route,” Otacon informed them.
Snake threw another Chaff grenade as the stairs to the hanger where guarded by more Scarabs.
“REX is on the floor above you. Use the lift,” The former chief engineer of REX advised them as they reached the underground supply tunnel.
The little robot activated the lift.
Edward let out a whistle as he saw REX. It was untouched and it the same state after Snake destroyed the Nuclear-armed bipedal tank nine years ago.
“So this is REX. Never thought I would see it with my own eyes. That must been in deployment for years.” The young man was impressed.
“Well, its designs go back in the early 1960s when its original designer had the idea for it. Look! The rail gun’s been removed! Liquid doesn’t need the whole REX to launch his nuke…He only needs the rail gun.” Otacon pointed the missing weapon on Rex out.
“Damn it! Has it already been shipped?” Snake asked.
“Hang on, I’ll check.” The Mk.III used an interface on one leg of REX.
I’m afraid so. Unfortunately for you...The rail gun is no longer here.” Vamp was on another entrance up high, Naomi hugged him Romantic while Broken Pony stood by his side. She showed no emotion but looked down at Edward as Vamp continued
“This grave will be your grave…Ad my Queen and Princess wishes.” He patted Noi, she giggled. “The Suicide Gekko are on their way. Soon, there’ll be nothing left of this place. Edward, you’re free to go. Orders by Liquid.”
“Gee thanks.” He replied Sarcastic.
“Snake, Edward, I think I might be able to get REX working. I just need some time!” The Mk.III climbed up to the cockpit of REX.
“We’ll leave the rest to you.” Naomi leaved.
“But please don’t hurt daddy.” Noi pleaded.
“I won’t, promise.” Vamp jumped down. "Excellent…You’ll amuse me until they arrive.”
The PMC chocked his Mk.17. “Mortal or immortal, I’ll bring you down either way! You will pay for doing this to her! Show me what you got, Vamp!”
“Come on, kill me…”Vamp jumped around to get some room to attack.
“Let’s kill that monster and get Naomi and Noi back!” Edward fired enraged at Vamp as he closed in on Snake which also fired with his M4 at Vamp.
Shortly before the “Immortal” man could hit Snake, he rolled out of the way.
Vamp jumped away after his attack had failed to repeat it.
He never changed his tactic but as he superhuman level of pain tolerance, the “immortal” man could take a lot of punishment.
Running low! As Edward noticed that his ammo was getting low, he switched to his Makarov and fired at Vamp, once empty, he switched to his GSR. When this pistol needed to be reloaded, the young soldier drew the engraved AM D114 from his leg holster and fired at Vamp.
Snake was also low on ammo, so he used his M60E4.
“Enough…” Vamp tried to throw a knife but fell to the ground as Edward scored a headshot on him.
He and Snake remembered Naomi's words during their escape from South America, so Snake grabbed Vamp in a CQC hold, so Edward could inject him with the nanomachine suppressor.
“What have you done?” Vamp asked as he held his neck.
“There…Now you’re a mere mortal – just like the rest of us.” Edward showed him the syringe.
“Clever…But can you kill this mere mortal?” He taunted.
There was an explosion and several Suicide Gekko moved in. A Suicide Gekko was a Gekko that carried nuclear demolition charge in the head but had apart from the standard internal mounted machine gun, no other weapons.
“Engaging self-destruct sequence. Self-termination preparations complete.” The female warning voice of the Gekko warned.
“Look out! They’re rigged to self-destruct!” Otacon warned.
The Countdown started. “5 4 3 2 1-“ Suddenly, something cut the heads of the Gekko off.
“That was bloody close,” Edward commented relieved. It was Raiden who did it.
“Snake, Edward…Sorry to kept you all waiting.”
“You ready for this?” Snake was unsure about Raiden’s condition.
“Sunny gave me the go-ahead.” He replied as Vamp jumped on REX’s head. More Gekko broke through the ceiling of the hanger.
“How about it, undying man? Care to die, too?” Vamp taunted Raiden.
“Sorry…But I can’t die just yet.” Raiden pointed his sword at him.
“Then kill me.”
“This one is mine. You keep those Gekko at bay.” The Cyborg-Ninja jumped also on REX Head.
“Here.” Snake gave Edward a M82A2 Anti-materiel rifle, while he equipped Wolf’s rail gun.
“Thanks. These Gekko won’t know what hit them.” He aimed down the scope.
“Otacon, we’re gonna buy you some time.” Snake said to him.
“I’ll do my best!”
Before Vamp and Raiden started their fight, Vamp noticed something about his opponent. “Wait…You're a scout, too, are you not? Then let us duel with blades.” He drew one of his knifes, Raiden dropped his sword and did the same.
While they started their fight, Edward and Snake destroyed the Gekko that came into range.
“I like this rifle.” Edward was happy at his new weapon, as it could destroy a Gekko maximum of two shots to the head. A fully charged shot from the rail gun had the same effect.
The Suicide Gekko were either attacking or arming themselves for self-destruction.
“Those are Suicide Gekko. They blow up, and they take us with them. You got to keep them back!” Otacon worked as fast as he could.
While Snake and his buddy held off the Gekko, Raiden gained the upper hand and stabbed Vamp into the gut. “Kill me…”He pleaded and Raiden responded by cutting Vamp down.
Vamp staggered and fell off of REX's head onto the floor, mortally wounded.
“Get out of the way!” The Mk.III had managed to reactivate REX, firing his missiles at more Suicide Gekko, destroying them and the entrances they were coming from. Edward and Snake were missed by inches.
“This thing might come in handy after all.” Otacon was proud. He lowered the machine so Snake could climb into the cockpit later on.
Edward looked at Vamp. He was still alive but in severe pain as his nanomachines were active again.
“He was never immortal.” Naomi joined them. “His natural healing abilities were enhanced by his nanomachines inside his body. But after so many battles…He’s finally reached his limit.”
Vamp reached his hand after her. “Doctor…Ease my pain.” She kneeled down to him.
“Naomi…Sunny asked me to tell you something. I cooked them right,” Edward told her.
“I see.” Naomi smiled and cried a tear of joy. “Good for you, Sunny. You finally did it.” She got up and pulled a syringe out. “No. I can’t safe you.” The woman looked at Vamp, then at the little robot. “You have to trust me, Dr. Emmerich. Give this to him. Not for Revenge, but to end his suffering.”
Before he could do it, Vamp took the nanomachine suppressor by force and injected himself. He permanently disabled his nanomachines and began experiencing massive convulsions.
“Now you can return to your true self. You can be at peace.”
“I can…die?”
“Yes.” Vamp died finally for good.
“Forgive me.” Naomi sobbed.
“This doesn't change anything. Why?” Dr. Emmerich wondered.
“We can’t…Erase the past. Nor…Can we forgive it. And so the only thing we can do…is end it.” She grabbed the syringe.
“Snake…Liquid’s down below us. He’s stolen the Patriots’ System…Slipped out of their sight, and taken their ark. A warship…Unfettered by land…Law…Country…Or network. The only place where they are truly released from the shackles of the Patriots…The place where they can be free. Outer Haven. Liquid plans to launch the nuke from that ship.”
She then told that Snake had given life for fulfilling his purpose and when it was over, he had no choice but to accept death. That they are only given life so that they could atone for their sins. His life was created for that very purpose. They all must atone for their own sins. They must not pass them on to the next generation. They must not leave them for the future. That was Snake’s true fate. One that even he couldn’t defy.
The hanger rumbled and she gave the syringe to Edward.
“Vamp and I…We are the same. We’re living corpses...Our bodies kept barely alive by nanomachines.”
“Then you…” Edward couldn’t finish it.
“Cancer. I shouldn’t be alive right now. The nanomachines have kept it from progressing…But there’s nothing more they can do. With the nanomachines gone…Time will unfreeze and begin to flow again.”
“What are you saying?” Otacon asked.
“Edward, forgive me for what happened to Noi. Like Vamp, she’s one of my sins too. I let it happen instead of preventing it. I’m responsible too that the sweet, innocent child is now a cold and heartless war machine, capable of more destruction than the B&B Corps could do together. Forgive me for everything.”
“I forgive you.” Edward injected her with the suppressors.
He caught her and laid her gently to the ground.
Hal cried. “Naomi…Why?”
The woman looked into the Mk.III monitor. “Give my best to Sunny. You have such beautiful eyes. I can’t live with such a sin like making a war machine out of a child.”
“Why does it always end this way? Just when I thought I was ready to fall in love.” He sobbed as Snake and Raiden got into the cockpit of REX as more Suicide Gekko entered the hanger.
Snake yelled at him to pull himself together.
“Snake…You’re right. I haven’t lost everything yet. I’ve still got a job to do.”
“That’s right. We need you.”
“I’m done crying. I don’t have any more tears to shed. We have to get out of here.”
"And how am I supposed to get out of here?” Edward asked as REX hadn’t enough space for all of them.
“I have already thought of that.” A gate opened, revealing a M151 Military Utility Tactical Truck, M.U.T.T. for short. Its key was in and the Petrol tank was full.
Edward got in, started the engine and followed REX out.
As Naomi took her last breath, she spoke, “Promise…Promise me…You’ll carry on…Our will. And save Noi.”
Snake took in the supply tunnel all Gekko out with REX that where in his way, so Edward could follow.
Halfway through, Raiden stayed back to slow the Gekko down.
Despite heavy resistance, they made it to the exit at the port area, as the Gekko were no match for REX.
Just as they made it out, the Gekko detonated, the combined blasts from the Suicide Gekkos caused the tunnel to collapse and buried Raiden.
Rex and the jeep came to a halt with screeching brakes. Edward jumped out to get Raiden out of the ruble.
There was a strange sound. “What’s that?” Edward wondered.
Out of the water jumped Metal gear RAY, an amphibious Metal Gear design created by the United States Marine Corps, originally developed as a countermeasure to the abundance of Metal Gear REX, piloted by Liquid.
Noi was standing on top of the tunnel roof, watching like an eagle waiting for it’s pray. Ray roared.
“Brother! It’s not over! Not yet. Moses! Where our fates were born. And where yours ends, Snake!” Liquid shouted before an epic battle began.
Edward, even it looked epic, didn’t pay much attention to it as he worked on freeing Raiden.
Broken Pony cheered on Liquid. “Show him whose boss! That old metal has no chance against you! I never saw such an awesome and epic battle before!” Her voice was full of excitement like only a child could be. Edward hoped that Noi wouldn’t suffer like Vamp when the Nanomachines got disabled.
Yet, because Otacon had secretly uploaded a program into REX during its development, a “Street Fighter” program as he called it, REX damaged RAY heavily.
Every time Snake uses the program, Liquid complained ,”Damn it! What?!”
“Not fair! Boo! Cheater!” Noi mocked Snake.
But with that advantage, REX could beat RAY but both collapsed due to heavy damage. The impact shocks sustained by REX's frame during the battle caused Snake to injure his shoulder.
Both pilots climbed out. “Snake!” He stretched out his arm in pain.
“FOX…” Snake began.
Time seemed to stop for a moment before Liquid exclaimed, “DIE!” and collapsed.
But he immediately raised himself from the ground. “Think again! Sorry, but this won’t work this time. Behold!” He laughed and escaped to the pier, the filly followed him.
Snake struggled to chase him as he noticed a figure emerging from the ocean moments later. It was Outer Haven, the hull displayed the likenesses of Big Boss and Les Enfants Terribles, in the style of Mt. Rushmore. “This is…Outer Haven?” Edward was so shocked and impressed that he had stopped his rescue attempt.
Liquid used a crane to get onboard while Noi used her wings.
“This is the liberty we’ve won for ourselves! Outer Haven! And with this weapon, I will destroy JD! Then…Everything ends, and everything begins! But as for you, brother…You’ll stay here to mark this island’s watery grave!” Liquid shouted triumphantly as he set Haven on a collision course with Shadow Moses' supply port, in order to crush his brother. “Die Snake!”
“Roadkill, Snake!” Noi cheered, jumping up and down. To avoid that Edward would die too, she used her control ability to guide him to safety. His body cramped and he collapsed in pain as he was out of danger. “For your own safety.” She said to him in his mind.
Snake had a seizure, unable to move. Raiden managed to get free by cutting off his own arm and using his cybernetically-enhanced strength to stand in the ship's path, and prevented Snake from being crushed.
Seconds before Raiden's strength yielded to Haven, Snake managed to get away. Edward saw this and was shocked as Raiden got crushed under the ship.
My god… An explosion tore him out of his shock.
“Mhm?” Liquid and Broken Pony looked towards the source of the noise. It was the USS Missouri, a WW2 battleship, commanded by Snake’s old friend Mei Ling. After Liquid took over the System, the Missouri was the only ship in the entire U.S. Navy that was unaffected, having never been implemented with the system due to its age and its time as a museum.
“Hah! Worthless fossil!” Liquid was not impressed as he got under deck with Noi to let Outer Haven dive.
Onboard the 71-year old battleship, Mio briefed the crew, consisting of US soldiers, Otacon, Snake, Meryl, Johnny and Edward. The PMC soldier had switched to his Praying Mantis uniform.
Mei told them all, that Haven was heading southward through the Pacific at a speed of 33 knots and that the Missouri was falling behind at a rate of two nautical miles every hour.
Otacon asked if this ship could go any faster but Mei replied that this was as fast as she’ll go.
Then she continued and told that Liquid's target was JD, a US military satellite disguised as orbital debris. In order to use the rail gun, Haven had to surface.
Akiba calculated that JD’s next perigee was in 15 hours, 6 minutes and 12 seconds. The Chinese-American woman confirmed it and said that Haven would hold position in the Bering Sea, 494 miles from the Being Strait, since JD would be over it in 15 hours.
As Liquid couldn’t use the rail gun until JD was at perigee, the Missouri could use that time to catch up.
The cover of the Raven had to be open to launch the nuke, which was the only chance to get into the ship and destroy GW from the inside with a worm cluster. Snake commented that this ship was Liquid’s own Death Star, Edward suppressed a chuckle at the Star Wars reference.
The plan was to get a Strike Team with catapults onboard, once Haven’s armored cover opens. Bad was that the corridor leading to GW was defended by directed-energy weapons that emitted certain types of microwaves. At that frequency, the waves would evaporate any living person within range.
Snake joked that you’d to have a death wish to go in there and that it sounded like the perfect job for him.
The outside was defended by Liquid’s soldiers, the inside by unmanned weapons. As Snake asked where she got all this information, she replied that Naomi left it for them.
Otacon told that all internal data from Haven came from her. This entire operation was based on the data she left them. On which side was she actually? Edward wondered.
“Attention!” Mei tore him out. “Listen up! A wise man once wrote…’The tongues of dying men enforce attention, like deep harmony. Where words are spent, they are seldom spent in vain.’ Any other questions?”
Snake raised his hand. “Anybody got a smoke?”
Edward suppressed a giggle. Even in times like this, he can’t stop.
Then the Strike team prepared for boarding the Haven. The young man joined the rest as Hal talked with Snake.
“Without the System to protect them, everybody’s losing their nerve. They say SOP’s aftereffects are so bad that a lot of soldiers are deserting.”
“The only people I have left to rely on are Meryl and…him.” Snake said as Johnny tried to take Meryl’s hand but she blocked it.
“And me,” Edward added.
“Can’t forget the past, Edward?” Snake asked as he noticed the Praying Mantis uniform.
“It all began that way, it will end that way. Plus you have to distinguish me somehow from the others.”
“So, Edward, what have you planned when this is over?”
“After this is all over, I go back to London with Noi, visiting my mother. You two?”
“I haven’t thought about yet,” Dr. Emmerich replied.
“Me either.”
Drebin joined them, saying that he laundered the US-soldiers’ IDs and gave them new, naked weapons, including the catapults the Strike Team would use.
His business was been slow ever since Liquid gained control of the System. As all weapons all over the world were locked now, the only customers left were Snake and his friends. So he made a trip out here, just for them.
He gave Edward his Soda and refilled all his ammo, free of charge, given the situation. “Thanks.”
And lit Snake’s last cigarette. He gave it to give it Drebin’s monkey.
They got on the catapults as Snake’s commanding officer, Roy Campbell informed them about Outer Haven.
“Liquid’s warship – Outer Haven – is a modified version of a Metal Gear model stolen from the Patriots. Inside it’s crawling with IRVING and other unmanned weapons. According to Naomi’s data, Haven is crewed by a battalion of enhanced soldiers…Each culled from the best the PMCs have to offer. If Liquid’ succeeds in destroying JD and gain control of the Patriots’ System…He’ll make Haven his flagship, and his PMCs will spread like wildfire across the globe.”
The Haven emerged. “And then mankind’s armed subjugation will begin.”
“Captain, Haven sighed.” An officer reported to Mei.
“Prepare to fire main gun!”
Some US soldiers panicked at the sight of the enemy vessel.
“Listen closely…This is our last chance to stop Liquid from enslaving the planet.”
“Edward, thank you for helping us through all of this.” Hal said to him.
“I do this not for any of you, or for me, but for Noi.”
“Failure will spell doom for the human race. You’ve got to stop them from using that rail gun…Then annihilate GW.” Campbell said via radio.
Commencing fire to defend against Haven's missile barrage and deployed Metal Gear RAY units, the Missouri collided into the other vessel, plowing along its side, allowing the Strike Team to get onboard Haven.
After deployed, Edward caught himself by rolling. Sports lessons in school paid off today!
Snake landed with the Mk.III next to him.
“Where are Meryl and Johnny?” Edward asked as Meryl radioed in.
“Sorry, it’s my ankle. I think I can walk.” She let out a cry of pain. “Hurts more without SOP.”
“Makes you feel alive, doesn’t it? Where’s Johnny?”
“He fell into the ocean, Edward. I’ll catch up soon. You two go ahead!” Screams and gunshots were on Meryl’s side, then static.
“Look like it’s all up to us now. Let’s do this. For Noi!” Edward exclaimed, ready for this final mission.
Onboard Haven, Otacon welcomed them. “Good job. You’ve made it on board. Welcome to Haven.”
There wasn’t time for a tour, as Haven troopers deployed in large numbers, meticulously searching every nook and cranny of the ship for intruders, never breaking formation nor letting down their guard. Edward and Snake were surrounded.
“They’re well organized, I’ll give them that.” The PMC soldier took a Sniper on the top catwalk out with his Mosin-Nagant, while Snake took care of two FROGS that had jumped down on their level, not noticing the intruders before it was too late.
While disliking them greatly, Edward was still horrified that the Haven Troopers were fully carbonized within seconds after death. Hope that doesn’t happen to Noi. That and other worries about her couldn’t get out of his head.
Still, he stayed focused to finish the mission.
Moving to the far side of the ship, taking out more enemy soldiers without being noticed, they came to a watertight door with a circular handle, guarded by two Gekko.
They got destroyed by the fire of the Missouri however, allowing the team to procced.
Edward covered Snake as he used the handle to open the door.
After getting inside, they used a lift that leaded to the Command center of the ship.
It contained a holographic globe at the center of a large amphitheater-esque area, with rows of desks with computer monitors.
“Meryl!” Snake exclaimed as she was lying on the ground, unconscious. Edward checked her pulse. “Only knocked out.”
A Stun grenade was thrown, but Snake and his comrade evaded it and fired at the enemy, Snake his M4, Edward his Mk.17.
Having fought them before, the young man had enough experience to deal with them.
Moving from cover to cover, switching to his Makarov when his rifle had to be reloaded, and even blind firing to defeat them.
Despite their large numbers, The FROGS got all killed by Edward and Snake.
Two Haven troopers, one to the left, one to the right of Edward were lying on the ground, still alive trying to shoot him with their sidearms. He killed the soldier on the left with his GSR, holstered it and drew his father’s sidearm to kill the other.
“Never had such a great battle before.”
“Snake…Edward…” Meryl awoke and tried to get up, but she grunted in pain. The woman got slowly up if she was held by strings.
Meryl pointed her Desert Eagle at Snake. Suddenly, Snake dodged a yellow whisping orb.
Someone laughed. “I know your wavelength. It brings back memories.” Edward looked around to see where the voice came from but couldn’t see anything.
“It can’t be,” Snake muttered.
Meryl then pointed it to her head as if she wanted to commit suicide. “Meryl, don’t!” Snake exclaimed as someone shot the strings off.
It was Johnny. Meryl got up. “Watch out!” Edward raised his rifle as two deceased FROGS got up, a blue glow was around them. They fired their P90s on a zombie-like manner at Meryl and Akiba who dived to the ground as Snake and Edward took them out.
“You…Psycho Mantis?” Snake couldn’t believe it as he and Edward saw a ghostly image of Psycho Mantis behind Screaming Mantis.
“No, that was another me. Can you hear the screams? They cry for battle! Let me hear you scream! Howl! Roar! From the very depths of your soul!” Her voice was a mix between hers and Psycho Mantis.
She used two yellow orbs on Johnny and Meryl. The woman got up, but it had no effect on Akiba as he had no Nanomachines inside his body.
“What’s this…?” Mantis tried it again, to no avail. “I see.” She flew above the holographic globe and used blue orbs on the dead Haven Troops.
Edward noticed that the blue orbs came from a doll that looked like a man in a black raincoat, the orbs that affected the living, came from a doll that looked like Psycho Mantis.
That has to be her weakness! If we can shoot off the dolls, we maybe can use them against her! Edward tapped Snake on the shoulder and pointed at the dolls. He nodded and suppressed his nanomachines, so that Mantis couldn’t control him, Edward did the same.
Snake disabled Meryl’s nanomachines while Edward took care of the “Zombies.”
Then he aimed at the doll that affected the dead. With the Laser Sight and the Red Dot Sight, plus the grip, He could easily hit the doll from a distance.
“Sorrow! My doll!” Mantis yelled as her doll was hit but still attached.
Snake managed to get some hit on the Mantis doll. “My doll! Mantis!”
In response, Screaming Mantis used Meryl to attack Snake. Mantis laughed, taunting at him but he disabled the Nanomachines of Meryl again.
Distracted by that, Edward managed to shoot the doll that she called “Sorrow” off. He dived after it as the leader of Beauty and the Beast Corps teleported after it.
Still he could collect the doll. To counter her loss, Screaming Mantis ordered Meryl to commit suicide, but like in 2005, Snake prevented it.
“Snake!” Mantis teleported to him for a melee attack but rolled out of the way and shot at the puppet.
It fell off and he grabbed it.
“Time to give her a taste of her own medicine!” Edward exclaimed as Snake used the doll against her.
Despite her bond with Psycho Mantis and her strong mental force, she was unable to suppress her nanomachines, and Snake ironically destroyed her using the Psycho Mantis doll.
She fell to the ground stopping inches before the ground in midair. Her power suit flew forcefully away from her body, her arm blades narrowly missing Snake's and Edward’s heads and sticking into the core of the command center.
After the whirl storm was over, Edward got out of his protecting pose and took a closer look. The beauty form of Mantis was showered with white flower petals as she heard laughing, white snow as she hears crying and howling, and finally, white feathers rained down on her while hearing bird caws when she leaped up.
Mantis had blue eyes and black hair. The woman panicked.
“I hear them in my head…The screams!” She exclaimed, taking a step forward. “Make them stop! I don’t want to hear them anymore! I’m scared…” She crawled backwards against the wall and held her head in pain.
“I’m so scared. My head hurts – it hurts! I’m sorry! Have mercy!” She got up and banged at thin air as if she banged against a door. “Let me out of here! I can’t breathe!” The woman collapsed on the ground.
Then she got up. “Now…Get out of my body. Forgive me. Set me free!” Screaming Beauty exclaimed.
While fighting her with non-lethal means, screams echoed through the room. Glass shattered as she passed it, Snake also collected an action figure of her.
The screams almost drove Edward crazy. But good for him, Mantis elegantly assumed the fetal position. ”Okay, now...What?” He was surprised as Screaming Mantis's armor reformed itself and began floating before them.
“Excellent, Snake!” A voice praised him. Above the armor materialized the disembodied spirit of Psycho Mantis.
“Psycho Mantis?” Unable to believe his eyes, Snake stepped back in shock, Edward did the same.
“You don’t seem to believe your own eyes. Very well…I’ll show you the power of the world’s greatest mind reader and psychokineticist! I’ll start by reading your personality. Or rather, your past. “That’s right… This is no trick. It’s true power.” He raised his arms.
“…What?! Where is your data… Where is it saved?! There’s no memory card!” He realized that this couldn’t work.
“Damn! Your skills have improved. Or rather, your hardware…How about this, then?!” Mantis exclaimed. “Witness my psychokinesis…Put your controller on the floor. Put it down as flat as you can…That’s good. Now I will move your controller by the power of my will alone!”
While Psycho Mantis showed his power, Edward thought not impressed, He’s not realizing that we’re on PC and there is no way to make the mouse vibrate, doesn’t he?
“What?! No vibration either?!”
As his body began spasming uncontrollably and the armored pieces of Screaming Mantis fired off in multiple directions as the spirit of the once great psychokineticist disappeared, defeated for good, Naomi’s voice echoed, “No more messages for you.”
“The spirit of the warrior will always be with you.” The two men looked up to the upper balcony of Outer Haven, where a ghostly man in a black raincoat, identical to the sorrow doll and another ghostly men in the uniform of an Arctic warfare trooper of the Genome Soldiers, smiling down on them.
Drebin radioed in. “So, you bested the screaming Beast. That doll you just picked up lets you manipulate anybody who’s got nanomachines in ‘em.
Sounds like something the devil’s cooked up, if you ask me.
Mantis came from South America. She was born and raised in a county wracked by never-ending civil wars. Her village was attacked by enemy forces and burned to the ground. That was when she was still a little girl.
Hunted by enemy death squads, she was separated from her family. She barely managed to escape with her life… Ended up in the basement of this one building.
It was full of corpses that had been dumped there. Almost all of them had been tortured to death.
She was petrified with fear.
And then she heard the sounds of heavy boots on the floor above her, followed by shrieking screams, the kind that would make every hair on your body stand straight up.
She had stumbled across a makeshift torture chamber. Somebody had locked the door, and she was trapped.
It was dark. It was dank. And it was full of wretched stench. She couldn’t sleep with the screams of torture victims all around her.
All she could do was sit curled up in one corner of the room, trembling.
A week passed, then ten days. She managed to keep hydrated by drinking the filthy water pooled up on the floor, but there was no food.
Being trapped in that kind of place, half-crazy from hunger, did a serious number on her mind.
Did you female mantises eat their mates? The screams went on day and night. She covered her ears but it didn’t help.
And then, she was saved…By a little black mantis, that taught her how to block out the screams, how to plug up her inner ears.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Snake asked.
“I’m saying, Snake, that when she couldn’t stand the hunger any longer , she started to feeding in the corpses…But only the male ones.
She didn’t realize who was doing it. In her mind, it was a female mantis, devouring her mates. It was like one big, twisted waking dream.
There was no mantis, of course. It was all a hallucination. Nothing more than some story spun by another person she’d created inside.
Her unstable mind was what made her so vulnerable. Later they ripped out what was left of her psyche with drugs and hypnosis, and implanted the persona of Psycho Mantis.
It wasn’t her will that controlled the BBs. It was Psycho Mantis, half-assimilated into her soul, pulling the strings. Screaming Mantis was just another puppet.
Anyway, she survived several weeks down in that hellhole and finally got back to the surface. But the screams in her head didn’t subside.
They would always be with her… Only this time, they weren’t real.
The inner earplugs didn’t work anymore. The black mantis had disappeared.
There was no place to escape. Which is why she was always screaming – to drown out the ones in her own head. But it’s over now. You freed Mantis from that dark nightmare.”
“Wait, if she was controlling the others, what about Noi?” Edward asked worried.
“Well, without Mantis, she could be more dangerous. You better be careful.”
Snake helped Meryl up as more FROGS arrived.
Snake apologized that he brought her into this, she sobbed and said that she had this time his back.
“We’ll meet again…on the other side…Go. Hurry!” she had her Desert Eagle ready.
Edward said to her, “Thank you for helping me in the Middle East. I will never forget this.”
“And I will never forget you or Noi.”
The two advanced towards the server room while Meryl held the Haven solders back.
Edward and Snake encountered Scarabs in the missile hangar, a long hallway that contained several rows of missiles, but used his last Chaff grenades to disable them, so they could get past.
In a small corridor, Snake got a seizure as several Haven Troopers armed with blade closed in.
Edward aimed and pulled the trigger, but the Mk.17 made only a clicking sound. “Damn…it!” He tried to fix it by desperately pulling the charging handle but to no avail.
“The shots…They’re not working.” Snake was in too much pain to get up.
They came closer as an armless Raiden jumped through the door. The Haven Troopers stopped.
The cyborg held his sword between his teeth, lighting flow visible through his body.
“I am lighting…The rain transformed.” The lighting killed two enemy soldiers, the rest backed up in fear as the sprinkler system went on.
Snake regained his strength and Edward fixed his rifle as Raiden electrocuted another two soldiers.
“Snake, Edward…Leave this to me. I’ll go to the server room.”
“The corridor’s full of microwaves. One of us is enough,” Snake protested.
“My body is a machine. I can take it.”
Snake replied, “Your body is a machine…But your heart is human. You’ve got a life to go back to.”
“She means nothing to me now.”
"Edward, Raiden. You still have your youth. Don’t waste it. You can start over. From here on, this is my fight.” Snake said to both of them, telling Raiden that they tore the world apart that he made Raiden’s life a living hell. That it was his duty to put an end to all of this.
“All right. I’ll make sure they don’t get through.”
“And I cover you until you reach the corridor.” Edward aimed at the Haven Troopers, ready to fire, but they did nothing to prevent the intruders from passing through. Just pointing their blades at them.
Reinforcements arrived but Raiden kept them at bay as The PMC soldier and old hero moved on.
“Wait, another Command center?” Edward looked confused around as several Haven Troopers jumped down from the upper balcony.
While Edward putted a bullet into their heads, they only flinched. “What the?”
“They’re dead.” Snake pointed out as blood ran down their heads but they were still standing, standing like Zombies.
“Snaaaake!! I’m afraid I can’t let you past here! You’re not going any further. I have been awaiting your arrival Snake. I wanna feel our blood washing away the hurt and pain I feel, the pain you inflicted, Snake. Only by washing away the pain, will I become whole again. Make me whole, Fix me!!!!!! Die!!” Broken Pony yelled as she jumped down from the balcony.
Snake and Edward nodded at each other, tranquilizer guns ready. Noi charged at Snake, the dead Troopers fired their P90 at him. He evaded it with a roll as Edward took care of the undead.
“Hold still! So I can free daddy from you!” she screamed in anger as she missed. The foal was way too fast to be hit. “Let’s play hide and seek!” She used her camo to vanish.
The two men carefully looked around. Then she deactivated her camo to do a bombing run with her wings. Snake barely avoided it, Edward was not in the radius at all. The young man could see that she thought that Snake forced him to work together and did not want to hurt him at all.
After landing, the foal fired with her P90, hitting Snake with a stray bullet into the leg. “Time to free my daddy!” She lifted her scorpion-like tail up to bring it down with considerable force.
However, Edward uses this to fire a round on her with the Mosin-Nagant. She dodged it and activated her camo. “She’s too fast!”
“The doll could help.” Snake got up and equipped the Mantis doll.
“But you aren’t a skilled Psychokinesist! You could kill her!”
“I only slow her down so you can hit her.”
“Okay!”
As once as she tried to attack again, Snake used the doll on her. “What’s happening?” Noi wondered as her could only move at slow speed. She got hit by a tranquilizer round. “Ow! Don’t hurt me!” She cried in a very scared and sad voice.
That caused Edward to tremble a little bit as she got up and retreated, while using a smoke screen and her OctoCamo.
Snake looked around as the foal charged at him from above with her wings. He dived to the ground to avoid it.
Noi accidently crashed into Edward, knocking him down. “Noi, stop this while you still can!”
“Da-daddy…” she sobbed as Snake took advantage and hit her with his Ruger. The filly jumped into the air from the hit. “Snake!” She charged at him again but was slowed down by the doll. “Stop cheating you coward!”
After she got hit by Edward again, her and Snake noticed that her attacks get slower, making the doll unnecessary.
Her charge was too slow, she got hit again. Then she tried to fly, But Snake was faster and hit her into the chest with his Ruger.
She let out a cry of pain and grabbed her helmet. “Can’t breathe! Please, no, I beg you!! Please, just no more of this! Please! Please, don’t let him hurt me! B-but I told you everything I know! Please, don’t do it! Please! Mercy!”
After removing the helmet, letting the liquid in it splash down her body, she gasped for air looking around and finding both Snake and Edward in her eyes. The helmet and other gear clattered to the floor as she took a cautionary step forward. As she did she looked at them with the saddest eyes. Her tail was cut short.
“Do you still... Love me?” She stumbled a few more feet.
"I thought you were my friends....” Tears rolled down her face, “like a father." she whispered as she grabbed her head and let out this blood curling wail.
“Please Love Me!” She screamed as she continued to walk slowly forward.
They backed up and shot at her with their tranquilizer guns. The room echoed with the sound of electrocution, followed by screams of pain, crying, insane laughter and angry shouts of Noi.
After some rounds, Noi let out a scream and ran crying into Edward’s arms. “I regret everything! Everything!” He-he t-tortured me!”
Edward responded by stroking her mane. “Shh…it’s over, shh…”
Snake holstered his weapon as Drebin reported in.
“I’m surprised that you managed not to destroy the sweet innocent pony she once was.”
“Drebin. What is it?” Snake asked him
“You wanna know how a sweet innocent pony got turned into a war machine that cause more havoc on the first day of operation than all the BBs put together.
But how you may ask yourself, well, I'll tell you.
After being kidnapped by Liquid, that sweet girl was locked into a cell, petrified with fear with he would do with her. All she could do was sobbing and calling out for her family and you, Edward.
Then Liquid decides to interrogate her, using the same device Ocelot used on you Snake 9 years ago. Your friend Naomi tried to stop it, but there was nothing she could do.
10000 watts are enough to incapacitate a grown man. He left it on for 10 seconds and listened to her screams. Ocelot’s mind tried to take over and stop him as it reminded him of someone else, but, it only made it worse.
In the struggle, the interrogator set the machine on Maximum.
It killed her, but luckily, Naomi could revive her, but the damage was already done.
Having a near-death experience, was the first step of damaging her mind.
Naomi did what she could to make Noi feel better, but she got relocated to the lab in South America.
Finally alone and realizing that she had no knowledge about your mission, he tortured her just for his amusement for hours.
After being in pain and screaming in agony for hours, she curled up in one corner of the cell crying.
But then, her mind snapped, or rather broke, realizing who brought her into this.
You, Snake. You helped creating this beast.”
“Do you blame for this?” He sounded offended.
“No, but you unintentionally created Broken Pony.
But still, the fear of never seeing her family and friends again, the sadness of missing them, the anger towards you and the joy of seeing you suffer made the perfect combination of all the other BBs. Her broken mind no longer able to process her emotions. But it’s over now. You both freed that sweet child from her prison.”
A WA 2000, an expensive, yet rare and valuable weapon. A collector item. This one was specially modified for her to use and can fire explosive rounds.”
“The last of the Beasts.”
“You got it, pal. Well, I’m done playing storyteller for a while. Now get going. GW is waiting. And this time, you get to make up for the ending.”
After Drebin was done, Snake saw how Noi was still crying, her head buried into Edward’s chest. “I’m deeply sorry that I brought you into this.” Snake felt guilty.
“Don’t be, without you, I had been already dead.” He rocked the foal.
There was the sound of boots. “Damn, more of them! Go, I hold them off! It was an honor to fight with you.”
Snake just nodded and went for the server room as Edward putted Noi into cover behind a wall.
He fired with his Mk.17 at the Haven Troopers. After running out, he switched to his GSR, fighting the countless waves of FROGS, Noi covered her ears.
The young soldier suffered countless gunshot wounds but he kept fighting to buy time for Snake and to protect Noi. After running out, he even used the WA2000 and the explosive rounds were very effective.
But eventually, the pain became too much and he collapsed.
As the Haven Troopers were closing in to deal their finishing strike, Edward clenched Noi protectively, crawling backwards against the wall. She had her eyes closed, not wanting to die. Time stopped and she heard her heartbeat at the imminent death, her life flashed before her eyes.
Edward closed his eyes too, ready to die, to protect her.
But death never came as they heard screams.
Slowly opening their eyes, they saw that the FROGS went into hysterics as their nanomachines shut down, meaning that Snake was successful.
But it also affected Noi. She screamed in pain, her voice was a mix of fear, anger, laughter and crying. “Make it stop!” She held her head in pain, Edward hugged her tightly.
“I’m here for you.” She writhed in pain before she fell lifeless to the ground. No! Don’t die on me! Despite the pain, Edward managed to get a hand to check her pulse. Nothing. His heart skipped a beat. No… He thought, in shock, seeing that it had killed her. “Noi…” Then, a weak, yet stead pulse. He let out a quiet yet relieved sigh as fortunately, the filly breakdown was non-fatal, despite her young mind not able to take it, having passed out.
Before Edward passed out from exhausting, he grinned. “You did it. You bloody did it, Snake.”
Despite successful in destroying GW, Liquid was still not defeated. Far from it.
On the top of Outer Haven, he and Snake still had a score to settle.
During their last fight, Ocelot's personality slowly began to resurface as the fight progressed, using his signature hand gestures and moves that he remembered from his fight with Big Boss back in 1964. But eventually, despite all this, he got defeated by Snake.
Believing that he succeeded in his plans, Ocelot had some last words.
“This is only the beginning, Snake. America will descend into chaos…It’ll be the Wild West all over again. No law, no order. Fire will spread across the world. The people will fight…And through battle they will know the fullness of life.
At last…Our father’s will…His Outer Heaven…is complete. Somewhere out there…I know he’s laughing.” Liquid chuckled.
“We are beasts created by man. Unless the light is put out…The shadows cannot be erased. So long as there is light…Erasing shadows will do no good.” He gasped as Liquid persona was now fully gone.
“I am Liquid's doppelganger. And you are his. Just like your father. Please, tell Edward I’m sorry for what happened to Noi. I tried to stop it but Liquid was stronger. And that he is just like you and his father…pretty good.” He made his signature hand gesture as the same phrase echoed from his encounter with Big Boss in 1964 and Solid Snake in 2005 before dying.
While Snake was glad it was finally over, he wondered if they did the right thing. What did they lose? What did they save?
Edward woke slowly up with a groan and also moaned in pain. As the man opened his eyes with a light blurry vision, he came to in a hospital room, the sound of two ECGs filled the room.
He was bandaged around his torso. Noi was in a bed next to him, still unconscious but alive.
Edward smiled, seeing that Noi had survived.
Hearing footsteps, Sunny and Otacon walked in. The young girl carried a plate with eggs in her hands.
“Ah, you’re awake. Glad you’re made it. You took more punishment than a man can live through. The doctors said you almost died, weren’t it for the nanomachines. Before you’re asking, Snake is in another room.” Hal explained.
The young man was only interesting about Noi’s condition.
“How about Noi? Is she going to be alright?” He asked with worry.
Hal looked sad at her. “Her breakdown was non-fatal but she has suffered a severe case of PTSD. But don’t worry, Rosemary will treat her. The doctors also found out, that her body naturally adopted the nanomachines for some reason. A second immune system so to speak. While they don’t control her emotions anymore, it still optimizes oral intake and excrements, adrenaline and endorphins to some extent. Like with you.”
“At last her nightmare is over.” The former PMC soldier was relieved.
The filly stirred in her sleep, smelling the fresh made eggs. “Uh, my head…what happened?” Noi rubbed her head.
“Noi, I’m so glad you’re alright.” Smith smiled at her.
“DADDY!” She hugged him with tears of joy. “I’ regret everything! Everything! H-he t-to…” she buried her head into his chest.
“Shh, it’s over. No more tears.” He patted her back.
“Yes Noi, you’re safe now. I’m Sunny and this is my uncle Hal. I made you some eggs.” Sunny putted the plate down.
“Thank you, Sunny.” After the foal had eaten them, enjoying it with a smile, she and Sunny had a happy conversation.
Hal and Edward smiled at them, knowing they would be great friends.
“Oh, before I forget, Johnny and Meryl are going to marry, and you’re invited.”
“How could I refuse?” The young Brite felt honored to be invited to a wedding.
While recovering, Hal told them, that the virus they had uploaded, didn’t destroyed Patriots' system entirely. Instead of plugging the world into chaos, Sunny had programmed the worm to remove their control while preserving the energy and resource networks essential to modern society, allowing the U.S. to truly live free for the first time in many years. But it had also its negative side. Many PMC units and armies were suffering from symptoms of SOP withdrawal syndrome, deserting, not knowing how to continue.
The wedding was beautiful. After being given clearance to land at an airfield, the Nomad was used as a chapel for the wedding of Meryl and Johnny.
Edward was wearing a black suit and was happy for Johnny, who was wearing a white suit, nervous. Also attending were Otacon, Sunny, Mei Ling, Jonathan, and Ed, who acted as the master of ceremonies. Noi was also there, having a happy and excited smile as Roy lead his daughter down the carpet, the crowd applauded.
ED took the word.
“Dearly beloved…We are gathered here today to join these two in holy matrimony. Let us give thanks for the life they will soon share…And pray they have love everlasting. Now, let’s send this new team on their first mission.”
Johnny did not know what to do.
“Hey. Go on! Do it!” Ed motivated Akiba to kiss the bride.
But before they could do so, a Stryker blared his horn, driving at the crowd and come to a stop with a 180 in front of them.
“Just in time.” It was Drebin. “And I brought gifts.” His Stryker switched to a lighter color, the slogan, “Eye Have You” got replaced with “Drebins we have yours.”
The hatch opened, revealing white flowers. “A couple of flowers, compliments of DREBINS.” The former gun launderer snipped his fingers and the flowers provided a shower, Noi and Sunny giggled, trying to catch them. “And…A little extra from me.” Snipping his fingers again, doves flew out of his APC. He had also brought champagne bottles.
The now married couple kissed.
Edward and Noi danced with the other guests, enjoying the celebration. Seeing the colonel smiling, Edward walked over to him.
“You can be proud, Edward. You helped us all in stopping a crisis that could have doomed the world. You have my thanks.”
Leaning against the ICV, grinning at Noi dancing happy together with Sunny, Edward replied, “I only did it for her. She was what was driving me. Without her, I had been probably killed by the militia or by the shutdown.”
Campbell putted a hand on his shoulder. “You can be proud of yourself. And I can tell that you make a good father for her.” He smiled at Edward.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Got any plans?”
“Yes. Go back to London and my mother, taking care of Noi and trying to live a normal life as it is possible without the System.”
“A wise choice. You’re still young. Enjoy your life, make the best out of it.”
“I will.”
Edward walked over to Noi and Sunny, there were watching the sunset together.
“The sun is so pretty.”
“Yes, Sunny. But the stars at night are even more beautiful.” Noi replied.
Hal joined them and Edward asked, “Do you know where Snake is? I want to thank him for everything.”
“Me too! After all, he helped me too!” The young pony exclaimed happy.
Hal struggled to find the right words. “He…needs to be alone.”
“I wonder if I’ll ever see him again.” Both children said in union.
“Snake…Had a hard life. He needs some time to rest.” Emmerich took his glasses off and sniffed while having his back to them.
“Are you…crying, uncle Hal?” The young girl asked.
“No…” Hal putted his glasses back on, facing them again. “I’m not crying.”
His glasses weren’t positioned correctly, causing Noi and Sunny to giggle.
Noi took Edward’s hoof, Sunny, Hal’s hand. They watched the beautiful sun together.
Now that the SOP was gone, Edward wondered what his future would be and bring.
The Colonel offered to bring Edward and Noi to London with the Nomad. They accepted, as so, Noi could spend more time with her new friend and Rosemary could treat Noi’s trauma.
The psychological counselor decided to use Narrative Exposure Therapy, letting Noi tell her entire life history.
“I was born in Ponyville. My parents died when I was still a baby, so my big sister took care of me. She is a surrogate mother for me. In Kindergarten, I got to know three unicorn foals, Ruby Pinch, Tootsie Flute and Dinky Hooves. We became friends and are ever since. At a party, I got to know the Cutie Mark Crusaders, a group of filly’s who founded a club that helps getting other foals their Cutie Mark, their special talent. They offered me, Dinky, Tootsie and Ruby to be members and we accepted.” While she told more, she listened to Calling To The Night, as it was very relaxing for her. Music was always a good stress relief.
“My advice, Noi, watch TV or a movie. Look at paintings or pretty scenery. Listen to music. Or sometimes it helps if you stand by a river or a pond. It helps get your mind free.”
“Thank you, Rosemary.” Noi smiled, letting the woman know that she appreciated her help and that the therapy showed first successes. Having Edward by her side or playing with Sunny helped Noi too. Still, it would be a long way to cure her trauma.
In London, Sunny and Hal accompanied the two to Edward’s home. Noi enjoyed the sights of the city while they traveled.
“I can’t remember the last time when I was home.” The young man mumbled as he knocked on the door.
A woman with brown hair and brown eyes opened the door. “Hello? Edward?” She was surprised.
“Yes mother, it’s me.”
She hugged him. “I missed you so much! Come in, you’re sure have a lot to talk about. Your friends are welcome too.”
Inside, the children played a clapping game while the adults enjoyed tea and crumpets. Hal and Edward told Caroline what happened to Noi. She looked with sympathy at the playing foal.
“That poor child. But I’m so proud of you, Edward. Your father would be too.”
“Thank you, mother.”
In the evening, Sunny and Hal left, Caroline said that they were always welcome.
Noi enjoyed dinner. “It was very good, Ms. Smith.”
The woman smiled warmly. “Caroline is just fine, my dear. Leave the cleaning to us, make yourself comfortable in the living room.”
Noi smiled and walked into the living room. As the mother and her son had finished cleaning, their hearts melted.
Noi was fallen asleep on the floor, a drawn picture in her hooves. She had drawn her sister Carrot Top and Written Script. Carrot had a Brown-orange mane, green eyes and a Light yellow coat. She had as her name suggested three carrots as Cutie Mark. Under her were the words “Sister” and “Mother.” Written Script had a purple mane, green eyes and a grey coat. He had a scroll as Cutie Mark. He had the word “Brother.” Above the, was written “I miss you.”
The elderly woman hung the picture on the fridge up while Edward tucked the sleeping foal in. As she was in the guest bed, Edward whispered “Sweet dreams.”
The young man had forgotten how his room looked like. A TV with a shelf with video games to the right of it, an armchair on a carpet in front of the TV. The bed had a nightstand. On the night stand was a picture of his parents and him when he was 8 years old, during a party. He smiled at the warm memories. Good times. The video games were the same who woke his interest in PMCs.
In the night, he awoke by a scream. Running into the guest room, he saw Noi trembling, crying from a terrible nightmare. Without a word, he took her on his arm and patted her back. She cried herself to sleep. “You can sleep with me."
The trauma had left its scars, both humans could see it. His mother gave him a weak smile. “Poor child. But you’re a good father for her, I know it.”
In the morning, Edward woke up as the foal came in with a breakfast tray, on it a glass of juice and toast. “Good morning Edward, I made you breakfast.” She had a smile on her face.
It tasted very good. “Thank you sweetheart, it was very delicious."
Noi blushed. “Glad to hear it. What do you want to do today?”
“What about showing you the city? London has many sights to offer.”
The filly gave him a grin. “I would like that.”
“Have fun!” His mother called out as they left.
The child enjoyed the tour. She was impressed by the London Eye and the Elizabeth Tower.
“The tower looks so beautiful.” She looked at in in awe.
“Indeed. The origin for the name Big Ben is not entirely clear, but there are two theories. One, it is named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the First Commissioner of Work at the time the bell was installed. Or second, after Ben Caunt, a Heavyweight boxer who had his last fight in 1857, where the bell was created. The Latin inscription "Domine salvam fac reginam nostram Victoriam primam" ("God protect our Queen Victoria the First") is placed under each of the four dials. In order for the clock to function properly, four mechanics are responsible for it, they are called ‘The Keeper of the great Clock.’ The fine tuning is traditionally done with penny coins, which are placed on the pendulum in order to change the center of gravity and thus the oscillation duration.”
“Interesting.” For Lunch, they had fish and chips. The young man couldn’t remember when the last time was he had eaten that. Noi enjoyed it with a smile despite it was not very healthy.
They returned home, Sunny and Hal visited them again. Noi was pleased. She and Sunny listened together to Heavens Divide. For the filly, it was a beautiful song. Hal and Edward enjoyed some tea.
“Edward, I wanted to ask you something.”
“Yes, Hal?”
“Since Snake hasn’t much time left, I wanted to be his witness. I know where he is.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice. I still need to thank him.”
“Me too!” Noi exclaimed.
They travelled to Arlington National Cemetery, a graveyard for fallen soldiers and veterans, as well as a burial place for U.S. Presidents.
Edward waited with Noi outside as Hal talked with Snake.
“Snake, wait up! You forget these…” He was about to give Snake his cigarettes.
“No thanks. I’m quitting.”
“Snake?” Hal was confused, this wasn’t the Snake he knew.
“These things will kill ya.”
“Where will you go? Our fight is finished. There’s nothing left for us to do.”
Snake countered, “No. There’s one thing I still have to do. I have to see this age off. See what the future brings.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ll go with you.”
“Otacon, I’m gonna be dead soon. You don’t have to come.”
“You said it yourself, Snake. There’s nothing inside you can pass on to the next generation. No genes, no memes…You’re man-made…You’re a beast.”
“I know…A blue rose. There’re won’t be any happy ‘Beauty and the Beast’ ending for me. What little time I have left will be spent living…As a beast. A shadow of the inside…Of the old age.”
“Exactly. That’s why you need me. As a witness.”
“A witness?”
“Yeah. Someone on the outside to bear witness to your final days. Someone to pass on your story…Not that I’m the only witness.” Hal pointed to Edward and Noi who smiled at Snake. “But I’ll remember everything you were…And stick to you with the end.”
“Otacon…” Snake couldn’t say anything.
“Besides, you wouldn’t let me suffer Sunny’s eggs alone, would you?”
“And, Snake, Thank you. Thank you for everything. For me and Noi, you’re truly a hero.” Edward saluted.
“And I must thank you for helping me.” Noi hugged his leg. “But I hope you can forgive me for trying to k-kill you.” She had regret and fear in her voice.
Snake saluted Edward, having a happy smile on his face. “It’s alright, Noi. It’s over. Don’t think back. Look forward. And you can call me David.”
They walked to the Nomad as Sunny exclaimed proudly, “Come quick! They’re ready! They look…yummy. Sorta like the sun. It’s rising again.”
A few weeks passed. Sunny along with Hal and David visited regularly Noi and Edward. They were pleased every time. Rosemary did also regularly Therapies with Noi to make her feel better. She made good progress. The foal and former PMC heard that Raiden whose real name was Jack, was in a hospital where he was fitted with a new cybernetic body that featured artificial skin, giving him a somewhat more human appearance. But it would take a month to leave the hospital and it was top secret where the hospital was.
Johnny and Meryl enjoyed their honeymoon, they had sent Noi and Edward a postcard that said we’re doing great, we’re hope you’re doing fine, like we.
Drebin and all of the other Drebins in the world had taken over the gun laundering business and formed their own "company," called DREBINS, and thus didn't have any hard feelings for Snake or Edward for shutting down the Patriots. They viewed the Patriots' demise as liberating, venturing into new businesses besides gun laundering
One morning, Edward saw Noi quietly wiping as she enjoyed the sunset. “What’s wrong, Noi?” He asked with concern.
“I miss my sister and friends. I appreciate what you did for me though.” She sounded like she was about to break down.
He thought for a minute, trying to find the right words. “Noi, no matter how long it’s gonna take, they will look for you, I know it. If I may ask, how was your life in Equestria?”
She replied sad yet calmer, “Good. A life like every foal should have. A caring family and friends. The games I’ve played with Sunny remind me of the games I play with Ruby, Dinky and Tootsie. I also enjoy helping my sister with the carrots.” At this moment, she got it what Edward tried to do with her. Giving her hope. It was not worth giving it up. “And you’re right. I must have faith! I have to believe in it!”
“That’s the spirit!” Edward smiled at her as the filly let out a sigh.
“I always enjoy watching a sunset or a sunrise, especially with Carrot Top. I just want to see them again.”
As they enjoyed the sunrise, there was a knock on the front door. “Who could that be so early in the morning?” Edward wondered.
As Edward opened the door, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Before him stood a white Alicorn and a blue Alicorn, behind them were an Earth pony mare, a unicorn stallion and six foals. The man assumed they were Princess Celestia and Luna, Noi’s sister Carrot Top and Written Script and her friends.
“Sorry to bother you sir, but we’re looking for a lost foal, is it here by any chance?” Celestia asked.
The former PMC blinked to make sure it wasn’t his imagination. The ponies weren’t fading. “You mean Noi, right? She’s here, yes, I found and took care of her. My name is Edward Smith.”
He stepped aside to let them in. Noi was sitting on the couch in the living room. "It’s for you, Noi.”
The foal was confused at first but it got replaced by joy as she her sister and friends. "Sis! Guys!” She exclaimed happy, hugging them.
“We’re missed you so much! I can’t tell you how happy we are to see you again safe and sound!” Tootsie cried tears of Joy.
“Me too!” The young Earth pony replied. Both humans smiled at the sight that Noi was finally reunited with the ones she loved.
“We must thank you, Mr. Smith. We will be forever grateful that you took care of her.” Carrot Top smiled at him.
“I did only what I had to do. How did you found her?”
Luna spoke up, “Teleport magic has a fail-safe mechanism when a lifeform gets teleported. First, it leaves a trail that allows other magic users to track the teleported lifeform. Second, in case a teleport goes wrong, the same safe-safe mechanism teleports the teleported life form to the nearest civilization, which are the humans. And, as princess of the night, I can hear the dreams of our ponies. This helped us to find her too.”
“So, my dear subject, what have you experienced with Mr. Smith?” Celestia asked in her mother voice.
Sweetie Belle noticed that Noi started to tremble and tears formed in her eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“I-I don’t wanna talk about it.” She got hugged by Edward to comfort her. He patted her as he spoke, “Let’s just say, something that you shouldn’t see.”
“Friends are here to help each other.” Tootsie assured her friend.
“And we crusaders won’t leave a member behind!” Scootaloo raised a hoof into the air.
“My dear subject, you won’t have to tell if you don’t want to, there is another way.” Luna spoke calmly and touched Noi’s forehead with her horn.
Everything went white, then, they found themselves in a desert city, transparent. “Where are we?” Dinky looked around until she saw a Stryker APC stopping in front of her and soldiers got out.
They saw everything, from the beginning in the Middle East, to the end in the Bering Sea before they were back in the house.
“Oh my…” Written Script covered his mouth in shock. Celestia putted a wing over the CMC, Luna over the other foals who had their mouths open in shock.
“I-I never w-wanted t-to…” Noi was about to break down as her sister hugged her.
“Shh my dear, it’s over. Mr. Smith, I must thank you for risking your life to save her. I owe you one.”
“Edward is just fine and you owe me nothing. I just did what I had to do. What I believed was right.”
“Indeed you did, my boy.” His mother was proud.
“So, what happens now?” Edward wondered.
“Given what happened to Noi, we have to change things.” Luna explained, knowing it wouldn’t be easy.
“Can I spent some time with him before we go back home?” Noi yawned.
“Of course.” Celestia smiled at her.
As it was still early in the morning, the humans and ponies breakfasted together. The children had oatmeal and juice, while the adults enjoyed some tea.
In the noon, Sunny, Hal and Snake visited and were surprised about at first but understood.
While sad that Noi would leave, Sunny was happy that Noi would be now home, where she really belonged to.
As the humans said good bye to her little friend, Celestia however said, “You three are always welcome to visit Noi.” She floated some sort of device over to Sunny who took it.
“What about me?” The young Brite asked the princess of the sun.
“Well, given how closer you are to Noi, I think you and your mother should go with us to Equestria. Noi could better recover from her trauma that way.”
“I would like it. After all, I’m like a father for you, right Noi?” He smiled at her, she returned it.
“Yes, daddy!” she exclaimed happy, Caroline let out a tear of joy.
“Edward, I’m with you no matter what. And I would like to be Noi’s grandmother."
“And we will inform Rosemary, so she can help to treat her trauma. She has treated her before, so she has the most experience with it,” Hal corrected his glasses, smiling.
“Edward, your caring for Noi honors you. Stay that way, soldier.” Snake saluted him.
“I will, Snake.” He returned it.
“Goodbye Noi, until we meet again.” Sunny gave a last hug before the horns of the Alicorns lighted up and a white light blended them.
Back in Equestria, Written Script apologized to Noi. “I’m sorry Noi, I’m so sorry that I brought you into this.” He had regret in his voice.
To his surprise she hugged him. “It’s okay Written Script, It was an accident, don’t blame yourself.
“So Crusaders, Ah don’t know when Sunny will visit but Ah think she makes an excellent addition to our club, don’t you agree?” Abble Bloom asked.
“Yes she will!” The others agreed.
“Come Daddy and grandmother, I show you Ponyville!” Noi was overjoyed to be home again, eager to show them her hometown.
One month later
Edward and his mother enjoyed their new life, every second of it. He himself was a member of the Royal Guard, Caroline worked in Sugarcube Corner.
They also helped out in the garden, enjoying it.
Carrot Top and Written Script enjoyed their company, happy to see that Noi was happy with them in the family.
Sunny, Hal and Snake along with Johnny, Meryl and Raiden, came regularly to visit. The young foal was pleased every time. She also did regularly meetings with Rosemary. It was still a long way until she was completely healed, but they made progress.
The nanomachines optimizing oral intake and excrements, adrenaline and endorphins, were very useful in fitness and in exams.
Right now, Edward had his break at Sugarcube Corner as Noi with her friends walked in. “Daddy, Grandmother!”
“Hello again, sweetheart, how was school?”
“Great, Daddy!” They enjoyed some milkshakes and left.
The two humans watched after them until they were out of sight. They enjoyed every minute of this new life. Free from the System, free from Control, they could finally live a peaceful life without War.
For Edward, this was his truly personal victory. A victory of that even his father would be proud of.
“The spirit of the warrior will always be with you, my son.” He heard the voice of his father as Echo. “Always.”