Part 54: Nebuchadnezzar Boss Fight

Part 50: Nebuchadnezzar Boss Fight



Metal Gear smashes its way into Nebuchadnezzar's dark palace, lit only with green torches. There are no guards, no staff, no servants…just the king himself slouched on his throne.

Give it up, Nebuchadnezzar! Stop making all those weird soldiers appear, or I'll turn you into a smudge!

Hmph. What makes you think it's me? They're tearing up my own useless soldiers. I have no control over them.

Occam's Razor. You're the only one around they could be coming from.

Perhaps they came about because I feared it. Snake, don't you think it's a bit odd that I understood what you meant by "Occam's Razor?" How are we able to understand each other? Don't we speak different languages? Aren't I separated from you by thousands of years?

That…is kind of odd.

I'm from so long ago…how much about me is man and how much is myth? I remember being afflicted… plagued with dreams of the future. And for my cruelty to the Hebrews, I was cursed by their god to wander the land as a beast for years. But when it was over, I was still king, and not a day had passed.

Hmm…

Was that just a story I've confused for reality? Was it all a dream? Maybe it never happened. Or maybe it's still happening.

Nebuchadnezzar rises from his throne.

Maybe I'm not a king, but a beast, dreaming it's a king.

Snake blinks.



And in that eyeblink, Nebuchadnezzar is replaced with a towering monster with golden eyes.

What the hell!? How did you--

GRARRR!

The beast slashes at Metal Gear with metallic silvery claws, raking the armor and knocking one of Metal Gear's cannons off.

Shit! Take THIS!

Metal Gear kicks the beast away squarely in its face. Snake launches his missiles at the monster, but its mouth opens wide--impossibly wide--and it devours them in one gulp.

Ssssnakkkkeee… you are brave to face me, little man…

What are you talking about? I--

Snake is not in Metal Gear. He is on foot, in the shadow of the behemoth.

What!? KAAAZ! WHERE'S METAL GEAR!?

Snake, you said you wanted to keep it mothballed.

No I didn't!

Kaz's voice takes on a mocking tone.

I told you and TOLD you to take it, but you didn't listen! Why didn't you listen to me? The only reason I exist is to back you up!

The monster-Nebuchadnezzar thunders forward and lashes out at snake with its claws, snarling and spraying black spittle everywhere.

But really, you've never had an idea that I didn't give you. How much of you is really you inside that hollow head of yours, "Boss?"

STOP! Oh, you BASTARD! How dare you turn HIM against me!

Snake deploys the recoilless rifle strapped to his back and fires it at the beast's legs. The darker stuff near the creature's rear parts seems to be weaker than its front parts, and it splinters slightly.

GRAARR! SNAAAAKE!

Feet of clay, huh?

Snake tosses the empty recoilless rifle aside and charges down one of the darker hallways, kicking over some green torches and putting on his NVGs.

You're SO special, Snake! I was supposed to be a leader of my own troops but your spotlight shone so greatly I might as well have stayed in the kitchen!

Shut up.

I wanted to make the world a better place, but you're just using me the way Hot Coldman was…the way everyone was. If I had known what a monster you were, I would have rather died when Coldman threw me down those stairs!

Stop!

You stopped worshipping your mentor when you saw her throw her life away for world peace a second time. If it had been your personality in Peace Walker, you would have relished the chance to fight forever, wouldn't you? The earth would be a radioactive wasteland if you had your way! The Boss would be so ashamed of you!

SHUT UP!

The monster rounds the corner of the hallway and see's Snake's signature cardboard box.

Heh-heh-heh-heh.

The monster raises up one gleaming claw and slams it down on the box--which explodes, blowing off two of its fingers!

GAUUUUWWWWRRARRRR!

Trap-box, asshole!

Snake leaps out of the shadows and runs past the screaming monster. He slaps a C4 brick on the back of its rear-right leg as he goes.

Snake, you're soooo cool! Nobody can beat you! I want to be just like you when I grow up--disfigured and bitter and homeless. And thanks to you making me a child soldier I'll be all that and more!

SHUT UP!

Snake detonates the C4 and the monster's rear leg, made of weaker stuff than its upper body, shatters!

Gotcha!

The peace you know you will be fleeting… Illusory. They will use you, disgrace you, and then, finally, discard you like they would a cancer to society. As long as your army is needed, the world will never know true peace. This is the path you have chosen!

HRRARRRRRRR!

Snake loses it and leaps at the monster--but the monster's not there. He's fighting Nebuchadnezzar, punching and kicking the shit out of him.

Hahahaha--hack! Yess…yess… if only we could murder all the evil out of the world, it would have been dead long before even Hammurabi was born. Yet we keep trying, just as you do.

Snake roundhouse-kicks Nebuchadnezzar to the ground and stomps on his face--but then it's Nebuchadnezzar stomping Snake's face in, as if someone reversed their positions with a flick of a switch.

You see? Pointless. This living, waking nightmare will never release us.

Waking nightmare, huh? Then…

Snake twists Nebuchadnezzar's foot, hurling him to the ground.

We need to sleep.

Snake pulls out his tranquilizer gun and shoots Nebuchadnezzar…then he turns the gun on himself.

Wait! NO! Don't DO THAT! YOU FOOL! You'll destroy us all!

Snake fires! The world seems to shatter. Then, everything is normal again--Snake's in Metal Gear, Nebuchadnezzar's on his throne, like the fight never started.

Don't you understand, you fool!? I'm a living illusion, a man who is as much myth as reality.

If you're not real, how could you run a country?

That's what I'm trying to tell you! You can't punch a dream! The two of us could not interact if only one of us was real. If you're real, I'm real, but--

But if you're not real, I'm not real.

I'm

Not

Real…

aaaaAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!



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>S3 Module 4489 Ver. 9.990 reboot



What's…what's happening?


To Be Continued!