Part 15: Alexander Boss Fight

15. Alexander Boss Fight:

Snake and a whole regiment of his troops, some of them recruited straight from the enemy, march into Neo-Athens, a reproduction of the old Greek city made out of salvage. Standing unafraid in front of the Parthenon is Alexander and only a few of his loyal soldiers in armor. He's beaming brilliantly.

Alexander the Great, you're under arrest for…a whole bunch of crap.

Really? Care to enumerate my crimes?

Turning our allies against us, for one. Industrial espionage. And--

And have I actually raised my sword against you? My troops are merely defending themselves against your aggression. It was you who initiated the open conflict, wasn't it? You invaded us.

Alex smiles brighter now. The world seems to tilt.

You seem to have gone out of your way to get your men killed in battle, Snake. You could have survived quite comfortably if you had remained on the defensive, but ever since your fight with Montezuma, you've struck outwards, conquering, putting your people's lives at risk…when you weren't forcing your enemies into your service, turning them against their own comrades.

Snake's soldiers are restless.

How many among you have had to kill a friend because of this man? Do you think their families would forgive you? Do you think he cares?

Everyone's staring at Snake.

No…not again…



One of my men is standing amongst you right now. His instructions are to kill you…for your betrayal."



He's lying! Don't listen to him!

He's going to kill us! He's going to kill us!"



Your enemy is standing right beside you. Is it you? Or perhaps you?! This planet is like a giant bomb. See how easily it blows itself to bits with a single nuclear warhead! Or rather…a single bullet! There he is… it's the enemy!

Snake. We don't need to fight. There's no point, yes? Bend your knee, for once in your life.

Never!

[He stretches his arms wide, laughing] You see? This man is like a dog with a taste for blood. He won't stop until someone puts him down.

It's a trick! Don't listen!

Everything seems to wobble and some of the soldiers look like they're ready to faint.

There's only one person here who needs to die in order for you all to live your lives in peace…and it's the man forcing you forward. Kill him.

One soldier points his musket at Snake, but before he can fire, Snake strikes. He rips the musket out of the soldier's hands and knocks him to the ground with a decisive blow. Fighting erupts between the men, some leaping to Snake's defense, others trying to kill him. Snake expertly disarms and flips over a dozen men to the ground like playing cards, but the chaos is overwhelming.

Heh. I'll leave it to you, then.

Alexander walks back into the Parthenon, while his personal guard rushes forward to join the fray.

ALEXANDERRRRRR!

Snake charges towards the Parthenon and smashes his way past Alexander's guards, CQCing them to the ground before they can even blink. Snake stops once he enters the halls, though, as the temple has undergone some redecorating. Piles of salvaged electronics are everywhere, turning it into a maze. Alexander's voice rings out from somewhere within.

I have to give you some credit, Snake! Very few people are able to look me in the eye and resist me.

I fought someone like you before.

I see…or maybe it's because you only have one eye.

Hmph. That gorgon on your chest isn't for show, is it?

An appropriate symbol. Your strategies and mine aren't so different. The key to conquering the world isn't merely through force of arms…it's getting others to fight for you. I turned many of my enemies into allies. Sometimes they'd join me without a single drop of blood. Am I really so despicable to you, then?

Yup. Because you don't actually care about them. I do.

Hah! Snake, do you really think you have a chance against me? One of my ancestors was the strongest man in the world. The other, dipped in the river of death to ward it off.

Your great-grandfather was dunked in the Styx? Big deal. I've walked straight through it myself.

Then you'll soon be in familiar territory!!!

Snake hears a scuff on the floor and dives to the side, dodging a downward sword blow from a translucent blade. He moves to aim his musket, but he loses sight of the transparent Alexander as he ducks away behind another pile of machinery.

The hell…

I've found things…technology that grants us magic like the heroes of old.

Snake, he's using some kind of…cloaking device. If you can't use your eyes, use your other senses.

Yeah…I can turn this around on him, too.

Snake pulls out a few smoke bombs, lights and tosses them. They burst, filling the halls with smoke.

Gugh…gaaah!

Alex's silhouette appears, choking, in one of the clouds. Snake shoots his gun, but the shot misses. Snake rushes forward to club Alexander with the butt of his musket and gets a few good hits in before Alexander manages a nasty swipe with his sword, driving Snake off. Alex again vanishes into the maze.

I really cannot wait for us to reinvent rifling…these muskets suck compared to real guns.

Sorry, Snake. This guy's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve…but I bet you can trick him harder. He's not used to dealing with people who can think clearly in his presence.

Exactly what I was thinking, heh.

The transparent Alex stalks through the maze, being careful this time to not make a sound, glancing nervously down the corridors. He passes right past one pile of salvaged military gear, not seeing Snake, who happens to be wearing camouflage that exactly matches its coloring. Snake strikes from behind and grabs Alex in a CQC hold!

NO! AUGHGGH! GET OFF!

Alex's helmet gets knocked off and the stealth generator attached to it fizzles as its casing cracks apart, ruining the device. Now visible, Alex twists and smashes Snake against a crate, loosening his grip. The two men rise to face each other.

You peasant! How dare you!

We're all peasants on the battlefield.

GRAAAUGH!

Alexander loses it and rushes Snake blindly with an overhead swing. Snake catches Alexander's wrist with one hand and jabs his knife into Alexander's torso with the other. Alexander looks so surprised he's hurt.

Sorry, kid. Game over.

But…but…I was supposed to win… my destiny…

Alexander falls back onto the ground and his sword clatters uselessly to the side.

This isn't… but… my glory…

Never lost a thing in your life, kid? There's your problem. Spoiled rotten.

Noooo…impossible…Snake! Even should my body die, my glory will remain! In the hearts and minds of everyone who admires greatness, I will shine like a beacon. Nobody will have it in themselves to hate me…no matter the bloodshed I caused…hahahaha. You cannot tarnish divinity, even with murder!

Snake's not even listening. He's walking away, picking up his musket and reloading it.

Snake! Don't you turn your back on me! Come back here and listen to my final words! I command you! I COMMAND YOU! SNAKE! How dare you ignore me! SNAKE! Snakee… snake… please…

Snake heads into one of the back rooms where all the power cables lead.

But…there are so many worlds out there…and I haven't even conquered one…



Inside the back room, which even has a few scavenged computers put together, is a slumped figure in a wheelchair.

Huey!

…snake? Is that you?

It's me. What's going on? Did he hurt you?

He…he didn't need to. I couldn't resist him, Snake. He…wanted me to recreate Metal Gear for him. Of course, I didn't have enough resources to, but…

Don't worry, Huey. Let's get you back home…and try to make the most of this mess…and deal with France…



To be continued!