Part 27: Napoleon Boss Fight for Reals?

Part 27: Napoleon Boss Fight For Reals?

MSF's troops, tanks, salvaged flying platforms, foot soldiers and Metal Gear itself approach the final base, a research outpost in the mountains near Karakorum. Almost all resistance has been eliminated, and the base itself is surprisingly clean and well-maintained. It looks futuristic, even.

Welcome, brave warriors and Big Boss.

I'm tired of your tricks. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just blow this place to smithereens from a distance.

How about two? I'm totally unarmed, and I may know a few secrets you'd like to hear. Send in your scouts first if you don't believe me.

Dammit…Stealth Squad, check it out, but be careful!

The Sneaking Suit-equipped squad roadie-runs into and through the entrance of the research base, observing really careful door-checking protocols and covering their corners as they go.

For starters, during my excavations I found many documents from the future. I told you this, yes? Including documents about everyone's deaths from the future…including yours. Would you like to know how you died in the old history?

Ugh… I don't like where this is going…

"A coward dies many deaths, the valiant die but one," is that right? Well, you die many times in the old history, Big Boss. It's not just cowards who die more than one death. It's villains, too. Their first death is when everything good in them dies.

This place is totally clear and secure, boss. You'll want to come in here to see this.

It's a trap. There's bombs in there or something.

Not according to the particle scanners.

Rrr…fine! I'm heading in there. Keep your guards up!

Metal Gear's pod opens up and Snake heads forward into the facility just as carefully as the troops who've gone before him, while everyone else waits outside pointing their guns and cannons at the building.

Inside, the place is stark white, and looks like it's never been touched by human hands. The floor tiles are in a hexagon pattern and there's HD TV monitors attached to all the walls, displaying Napoleon's image.

You're quite close to that first death, aren't you, Snake? You must have been…"taken"…just before everything truly went to hell for you. How many lives have you already sacrificed for your "peace?" You could have comfortably remained on the defensive after defeating the Aztecs, yet on you pushed. Then again, that might be what they want…after all, the world's greatest military leaders gathered together in one spot? Sounds like a contest to me. One I hoped to win.

Where are you?

Right in the next room.

Snake cautiously pushes through the double doors leading to the infirmary. Wrapped in plastic upon a slab in front of him is a dried corpse.

Here is your emperor. Kill him, if you will.

He's been dead for weeks!



The Napoleon on the omnipresent monitors continues talking.

Cancer, just as in the old history. A miserable and unfitting death for someone like me, wouldn't you say? But I found another way…heh. Dr. Strangelove must be commended for her contribution to my immortality.

I knew it! Where's the computer core? I'm blowing that thing to pieces!

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Snake shoots out several of the monitors with his assault rifle.

Where is it?

Boss, we've already checked. There's nothing but medical monitors in this building, nothing like the computer cores Strangelove used to make AI Pods!

No, but you did find several open, "empty" canisters, didn't you? What was the name of those technical documents Strangelove found? "Nano-technology?" They came from here.

Microscopic machines…

Invisibly small, carried through the air, capable of interfacing with nearby electronics.

No! Everyone, outside!

Snake and the Sneaking Squad rush back out through the facility as the monitors power down.

It's true. I didn't have any weapons left. However, you've thoughtfully brought every last one of your weapons here!

Outside, they see the mechanized army Snake's built, with all the modernized, computerized tanks, VTOLS, flying platforms and Metal Gear still pointing their guns at the building. The machines shift.

Here is your emperor. Kill him, if you will.

Here is your emperor. Kill him, if you will.

Here is your emperor. Kill him, if you will.

Here is your emperor. Kill him, if you will.

Here is your emperor. Kill him… if you can! Hahahahahahah!

Awww, shit! Scatter!

MSF's human troops scramble in all directions as their machines turn upon them! Tanks begin rolling around trying to crush the footsoldiers and firing their cannons. Gunships and VTOLs hunt down the ones going for the trees and Metal Gear itself begins smashing the ones taking hard cover behind the concrete structures of the building.

Soon, my colonies will reproduce and the wind will blow me all over this new technological world you have created, Snake. I've adopted your winning strategy: making my enemies provide me with all I need to win.

Strangelove, will the failsafe still work?

It should…according to these documents, nanomachines are tiny and sensitive to EM waves.

Good!

But, Snake…you'll…

Snake runs full tilt towards Metal Gear, even as his men are being chopped apart by helicopter gunfire around him.

Hahahahaha! One man, on foot? You're no match!

I train against giant robots, buddy. Especially my own.

But can you do it amidst this chaos?

Crush him!

Three tanks shift their attack and converge on Snake, intending to crush him. Snake doesn't slow down--he runs straight towards one's side as it narrowly misses him. It swings its barrel around to the side in an attempt to club him, but Snake grabs the swinging barrel of a tank's turret and flips onto the top! Then he runs over its top and off its backside, leaping onto the handlebars on the leg of Metal Gear!

What?! Get off!

Asshole, I designed this thing to be taken down by me if someone else stole it.

Snake climbs up the handlebars on the side of Metal Gear. The massive war machine twists and shimmies to shake him off, but he clings to its side like a stubborn leech.

You face not one, but many, Snake!

DIE!!

A helicopter gunship aims at the side of Metal Gear Snake's clinging to. But then…

I got this!

… a Stinger missile shoots it down! What's left of Snake's men are fighting back with all the firepower they have.

Go for it, Boss! Finish this guy!

Everyone… I don't have time to evacuate you… I'm sorry…

It's okay, Boss. Just do it! We're dead anyway if we can't stop him!

What is this!

Snake continues climbing the back of the war machine as it lurches around trying to dislodge him.

I'm detonating Metal Gear's nuclear payload manually, right here. The EMP will fry all your nanomachines for miles around, Napoleon. You're finished.

You'll die too!

Maybe it's better that way. You were right about one thing… I'm close to becoming as bad a monster as the guys I fight. Hell, I'm even using nukes myself now. Better I go out now than become a bigger monster.

Snake reaches the launcher hatch and unsteadily sticks his control keys into the port on the side.

Everyone…take care.

He twists the final key.



Snake!

SNAKE!

SNAAAKE!
























Hmm… what an interesting outcome.

What? Who are you? I can't see anything.

There's nothing to see. Don't worry, Snake. You may have died, but you won the war. Good job.



You're the guy Ashurbanipal was talking about… the "author" of this tale.

That's one way of putting it. More like the casting director--I had no control over what any of you did.



When faced with obvious threats, you responded accordingly. You did well, in that case, but this wasn't just to see your military might. I wanted to see if history would repeat itself…if you'd do the same things if thrown into another extreme situation where you had lost almost everything. You followed a similar path, but managed to keep yourself from becoming a true villain, by the skin of your teeth.

This was… a test?

I suppose you could say that, but it wasn't just a test of you, Snake. There's far more going on than you currently imagine, and I'm not doing this out of idle curiosity. It's necessity. We need this, you and I, or we'll both perish.

What's…what's going to happen? To them?

To your team? In that world, they'll be fine. They'll all be fine. The ones that lived, anyway. But…we're not done. I make legends live again, Snake, as you well know. I can give you one more shot, and give back all the people you've lost, but you need to promise me you'll see it through to the end. If you do that, I'll tell you everything, I swear.

Hmm…setting me up against more warlords, huh?

Perhaps, but next time not everyone may be a threat. The threats may be less obvious than you comprehend, as well. Who's to say? Keep going, and find out.

Fine. But you'd better not be dicking me around…or I swear I'll find a way to kill you, even if you're God.

So be it!



…ugh? Where the hell are we?

Snake! You're awake. There was some kind of huge storm. Mother Base got wrecked. WHat's left of the base, and our army, got washed up on shore…somewhere…

Oh, man…

THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END