Fan Fiction ❯ Metal Gear Solid: Sovereignty ❯ Found and Lost ( Chapter 14 )

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Chapter 14: Found and Lost

Snake pressed his forearm down on Peacemaker's throat. "FBI?! Impossible!" Snake accused,
not willing to give the terrorist an inch.

"Look–" John gagged, unable to speak with the forearm pressed against his windpipe.

Snake, ever so slightly, loosened his grip on the cowboy's neck.

Peacemaker once again tried to speak, "If you let me explain–"

"No! I'll kill you right here if you don't tell me where Metal Gear is."

"What other reason would I let you get the upper hand?" Peacemaker questioned. "When I was
within moments of killing you."

Snake didn't have an answer for that, but didn't let it show, "Lies!"

"Five months ago the FBI sent into motion a new program, Operation Encroach. The Bureau
planted seeds into some of the notorious mercenary groups throughout the world in order to keep
tabs on possible national security threats."

Snake lessened the pressure on Peacemaker, who's argument became more and more plausible.
The operative thought about it more, if Peacemaker wanted to kill him, he had more than one
chance.

Snake removed his forearm from the cowboy's neck and still stared him down, "FBI, huh?"

John breathed a sigh of relief, glad Snake finally believed him, "Yeah, five months ago I joined –
or more like fought my way in – New Dominus under the alias of Peacemaker. I went through
weeks of training beforehand. Had to play to the part, and play it well."

"Why the Ocelot getup?"

"I needed a gimmick. My dad loved old spaghetti westerns and we always used to watch them
together. So I figured I saw enough of them to know what I'm doing." John got a good look of
the bandages wrapped around Snake's forehead, "Sorry about that, really, but I had to do it, for
the good of the mission."

"I could have died." Snake replied coldly.

John simply shrugged the shoulders.

Snake understood the cowboy's job, if a man's life was in the way of him completing a mission,
Solid Snake would take that life.

"But if you are FBI, why didn't you try to stop the launch."

John sighed, obviously disappointed with himself. The pain of blaming himself over the millions
of lost lives, evident on his face. "I had no idea. Gangstein, Helena, and Trammel were the only
ones who knew about it. They got hold of Metal Gear before I reached this rank."

"Let me ask you this: How did they steal a 40-foot nuclear battle tank from a government
facility?"

John could do no more than chuckle, "I have no idea."

"Then what was this?" Snake asked .

"What?" Peacemaker inquired.

"You attacking me?"

"Oh," John couldn't help but smirk, "nothing wrong with going toe-to-toe with Solid Snake. I've
respected you for years. I never believed the things they said about you on the news. I'm a ‘see it
for myself' kinda guy."

"Thanks."

Snake locked eyes with the FBI agent, still contemplating the truth behind his words. Although
still suspicious, Snake rose to his feet and Peacemaker followed suit.

Upon closer inspection, John couldn't help but notice the sheer pain on Snake's face, and that
was only what Snake let creep out.

"You really don't look good, man. Are you sure you can keep going?"

Never a man who revealed his true emotions, Snake scoffed, "I'll be fine."

"Here," John said as he reached into his pant's pocket and pulled out a card key. "Take this."

Snake, hesitantly, grabbed the level six security card, still leery of the cowboy.

Peacemaker explained, "Take the door over there, it leads outside. Walk for about 60 meters and
you'll find the elevator."

Snake looked at the card in his hand then to Peacemaker, "why should I believe you?"

John smirked, "you really don't have a choice."

For the second time, Snake had to admit it, the cowboy was right.

John turned, picked up and clasped on his belt, and lightly placed his hat over his long, brown
hair. He began walking toward the door he entered through.

"Where are you going?" Snake inquired.

John slightly turned his head to Snake, but kept walking, "I can't be seen with you, and I have
some business to take care of."

Snake watched as John left the room, still pondering the question, Who is this guy... really?

The operative, card key clenched in his right hand, made his way to the level 5 door. He slid the
key through the side slot and the door slid open. Snake stepped out onto the gloomy scene
outside. The clouds blanketed the morning sky, it would rain soon.

The snow field in front of him was completely empty. In all directions, as far as the eye could
see, the sky and snow combined for a sea of gray.

It was indistinct at first, but after a few dozen meters of walking, Snake could make out the
silhouette of the elevator, standing alone in the center of the vast field. He approached the large
square device, a large six on the silver metal doors. The operative slid the card key through the
slot at the side of the doors, and as they slid open, he entered.

Inside the elevator, Snake, surveyed the panel at the side. It had only two options, up and down,
he chose the latter. The lift shook and the commando began the descent, deep into the earth.

Snake waited and waited, the ride seemed to go on forever. It was a combination of anxiety and
angst. He wasn't afraid, just leery of the situation in front of him. It first started when the sentry's
were taken out of their patrols and relocated down into the maintenance facility, which meant
nearly every sentry in the facility would be in that underground hold. That fact wouldn't make the
operative question his mission, but it meant something was going down. Then there was Metal
Gear. In his current state it would be nearly impossible to disable the mechanical beast. But that
wouldn't stop him from trying, even in the most extreme situation, the will of a soldier was never
broken.

The elevator finally came to a stop and the doors opened. Snake stepped off the lift and entered
the threshold in front of him.

_____________


First Lieutenant Miller sprinted through the field where he fought the terrorist, Peacemaker, and
headed towards the hangar. Beads of sweat trickled down his face as he ran, his heart pounded,
his mind was set on one objective, getting to that hangar before the Russian colonel.

The agent reached for the door, and feverishly turned the knob. Locked. Miller cursed under his
breath as the knob only shook in his fist. With no time to waste he decided to take drastic
measures. The lieutenant raised his right leg, his knee touched his chest plate and thrust it
forward into the metal door. The first strike just damaged the hinges, it was the second that
completely ripped the door off it's bearings.

Miller rushed into the hangar, but froze immediately. Not all of the sentries were in the
underground facility. The agent stood on raised steps that lead down onto the ground floor.
Across the hangar was the man he recognized from the images his mission specialist, Jessica
Langley, had showed him. Finally , his mission objective was only a few dozen feet away, the
man he'd been searching for, Colonel Iosif Dzhugashvili.

A group of four sentries surrounded the colonel. From his vantage point, the colonel wore a
brown leather jacket, a Russian beret on his head, his large mustache visible even from this
distance. Two other sentries stood around the SU-27 jet, another one was in the cockpit prepping
it for launch. Another sentry stood at the side of the large hangar doors activating the mechanism
to open the large doors. A loud mechanical whirring resounded throughout the hangar, and the
doors slowly split apart.

The sound of Miller kicking down the door got everyone's attention. "Over there!" one of the
two sentries standing around the jet yelled.

The two sentries and three of the other Russians that were escorting the colonel, lifted their AK-
74s and ran after the ninja. The other escorting sentry stood in front of Dzhugashvili, protecting
his commander. The colonel, half-crouching, began running to the jet, the sentry followed the
colonel and at the same time never removed his eyes from the cyborg.

Something had to be done and fast.

Miller leapt from his position, executed a twist somersault, and landed in the middle of the five
Russians running toward him, after which all five stopped. At first no one moved, until the sentry
closest to Miller took a step forward. The operative unsheathed the katana from his back and in
the same motion spun to the right and slashed off the advancing sentry's right arm.

A Russian behind him began firing. The first bullets pinged off Miller's armor, but he knew
eventually the suit would wear down. Scott bent his knees and propelled himself into a backflip.
He landed behind the firing sentry, whose neck was violently snapped within seconds. The gut-
wrenching crack sent shockwaves through the other three sentries. Agent Miller would take
advantage of this.

The cyborg, majestically, made his way to the nearest sentry. The sentry raised his assault rifle
and pressed the trigger, but before the bullets ever left the barrel, Miller, moved the gun's barrel
in the other sentry's direction, who soon became riddled with bullets and fell into a bloody heap
on the hangar floor. The ninja raised his free arm and crashed his elbow into his nose, breaking it
immediately. The Russian fell to the floor writhing in pain.

And then there was one.

The ninja, holding the sword out in front of him, came toward the last remaining sentry. The
Russian began trembling uncontrollably, fearful for his life. His eyes grew wider as the ninja
came closer. Suddenly, the ninja disappeared from the Russian's eyes.

The guard then felt something on his shoulder. He turned his head to find the daunting helmet of
the exoskeleton only inches away from his face. The sentry began to scream, but it was too late,
everything turned black and his lifeless body slumped to the floor.

"Stop, American dog!"

Agent Miller turned to the source of the shouting.

Colonel Dzhugashvili was climbing the ladder into the Sukhoi jet. The large doors were now
fully open and the SU-27 was revving up for an exit.

Miller was twenty meters away from the jet, but closed that gap immediately. He ran for the jet,
as the three remaining sentries in the hangar released a hail of the AKS-74U's 5.45x39mm
bullets straight at the cyborg. The rate of fire of 700 rounds per minute times three, equals a force
too much even for the exoskeleton. He raised his arms in an attempt to protect himself, but it is
was for naught. He was forced to run behind a nearby object, but when he reached it, he realized
it was a fuel tank. Not a good idea.

But unfortunately for Agent Miller it was too late. The sentries' vision were obstructed by the
plane, and didn't see the fuel tank. A barrage of bullets pierced the tank and the gallons of the
gasoline inside.

Miller turned away from the tank and sprinted in the opposite direction as a ball of red and
orange flames erupted from the container, knocking the operative clear off his feet. He landed
eight meters away from the explosion. Pain surged throughout the lieutenant's body. He tried to,
but even getting up was an impossible task. His mission objective was getting away and there
was nothing he could do. He couldn't move, couldn't even see, his helmet was severely damaged
and he saw nothing more than static, which soon faded to complete darkness.