Part 22: Genghis Boss Fight

22. Genghis Boss Fight

A lone rider on horseback approaches the center of a grassy field. Snake rides up to the horseman on a horse of his own, alone.

So, Big Boss…you've come. Good.

You said that if I killed you in honorable combat, you'd release Dr. Strangelove to my custody?

I still have a few loyal retainers hidden throughout the world…but no. Dr. Strangelove is being coerced to work for Napoleon on one of his projects. The nature of the project eludes me, but I know where it is being made. Defeat me and the location will be yours--a retainer will tell you if I die too quickly to do so myself.

Why do you want to die?

Snake…I've spoken to those who came after. I refused to believe it at first… but either every liar in the world tells the same lie, or it's the truth. My empire… in the old world, it did not last. Nor could it last in this one. Everything… everything I have done… all, for nothing.

I don't know about that.

My people were nomads, Snake, so perhaps we were always unsuited for creating lasting things… but… I am an old man. And an old man often wishes for his actions to survive him in meaningful ways. I took care to completely crush my enemies, and yet it is they who outlasted me in the end. It seems violence alone cannot ensure prosperity.

Even though it's combat that's what we're best at.

You understand! Snake, in the hands of Napoleon, I would either be publicly executed or imprisoned for all time. Humiliated, poked with sticks, jeered at as a toothless old lion in a circus.

So you'd rather go down fighting, huh?

Ah… the days when all I had to do to prosper was kill those who opposed me… such a hard-scrabble life, and yet, so straightforward. I want to taste that just one last time…

Snake shifts in his saddle.

Well, what if you're not such a toothless old lion? What if you get lucky and kill me in this duel?

Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Ahhh, excellent. A man who knows his limits is far more dangerous than one who doesn't. Hmm… I would dearly enjoy commanding a nation again to get my revenge on my enemies, but I doubt your second-in-command would accept me as his superior.

Snake smirks.

He might! He's kind of a "let the boss take the crazy risks while I do all the planning" type of guy. Long as you're good to the troops they'll tolerate all sorts of crazy stuff… mostly because they're all kooks themselves.

Hah! A fool who takes pride in being a commander of fools? I'm starting to think more and more that I can surely defeat you in battle.

It's on, then. You're a pretty killer shot with that bow from horseback, right? I'm not so hot with a bow, but I'll limit myself to a pistol.

Even more unfounded confidence! If you were wise, you'd use every weapon at your disposal. I won't hold back.

Kaz's voice crackles over the radio.

Boss, are you sure about this?! This is Genghis Khan! The biggest conquerer the world has ever known!

No, he used to be the biggest conquerer in the world. Now he's an old guy looking for one more piece of action. I became Big Boss taking on guys like that.

Show me what you've got!



Genghis and Snake spur their horses, then veer off parallel to each other towards some grassy knolls.

How steady is your aim, Snake?

Genghis looses two shots at Snake--the first nicks his horse, the second hits Snake in his left shoulder but mostly just sticks in his shoulder armor, fortunately. Snake unsteadily aims with his pistol and fires back…once…twice…one shot seems to nick Genghis in his side.

This is hardly a warm-up, Snake!

Genghis inhales sharply and looses three arrows in rapid succession. Something shifts in Snake, because suddenly he seems to be more on-the-ball. He fires back, shooting the arrows out of the air!

Ahahahahahaha! EXCELLENT! I feel like a young man again!

The two men ride up to a dry grassy mini-valley between the gnolls. Genghis suddenly strikes a flint and lights an arrow on fire in a practiced motion, and shoots the ground!

I use whatever weapons I can, Snake…and the land itself can be a weapon!

The ground lights up around Snake, as the hidden oil slick ignites in a long strip, cutting off Snake from Genghis and circling in front of him, trapping him!

Dammit!

Genghis looses more arrows at Snake, and but Snake quickly leaps out of the saddle and uses the horse as a shield. The beast takes three arrows to the side and one to the head, killing it!

The battle is mine now!

Well, if it's down to fighting dirty, I can do that too!

Snake takes another shot with his pistol to make Genghis duck, but he's not really aiming. Hiding behind the corpse of his horse, he quickly pulls out all the explosives he's carrying and starts by pitching a smoke grenade. The barrier of smoke mixes with the flames to completely conceal the two from each other for the moment.

Are you going to hide forever? The wind is blowing in your direction. Soon you'll roast!

A second grenade lands by Genghis's horse's hooves, but this one is a flashbang. At the blast, the horse screams and rears up on its hind legs, sending Genghis off its saddle and crashing to the ground, hard.

Gotcha!

Snake tosses another grenade--this one's a conventional explosive, and its blast momentarily extinguishes a small portion of the wall of flames. Snake dives through and rushes up to Genghis, who's wheezing on the ground.

Guh…wuggh…gaaah… I can feel your bullet… it's taking the life from me… you won with the first shot… damn. Done in by a snake's poison…

Snake grabs Genghis by the shoulders and drags him away from the fire.

What are you doing? I'm dead already…

Not quite.

Snake hauls Genghis over to a bare patch of ground where the fire won't spread and props him up on a rock. Then he reaches down to Genghis's side and pulls out a small dart.

Some snakes use slow poison to kill…but I prefer the stuff that just makes you take a nap for a short while. You'll be fine.

What…why?!

Just felt like it.

I am Genghis Khan, the greatest and most terrible warlord in the world! And you would spare me!?

You want an honorable death? There's no such thing. And I'm sick of killing people who're already looking for an excuse to die.

How DARE YOU!

Hey, who dares, wins.

Genghis is stunned…then he gives a confused chuckle.

But…what will become of me?

First, you're going to tell me where Strangelove is. Then… well. You know my style. I recruit my enemies when I can.

I!? Serve YOU!?!

Hey, hear me out. You're a little behind the times, so I'm not so sure you'd make a good general for modern tactics. Kind of banged-up for battle, too. But I've got a perfect idea…you want to be the uncontested master of all you survey? An unholy terror to your subjects, the conquerer of men? I can do that.

Genghis is totally lost.

…what…do you mean?

*********

Kaz and Snake are taking a coffee break in one of Mother Base's offices, overlooking the training grounds outside where recruits are hustling.

I can't believe you did that.

Seemed like the perfect job to me.

Temujin is astride another horse outside, riding behind some running recruits.

FASTER, YOU FOOLS! THREE MORE LAPS! OR I'LL TRAMPLE YOU ALL! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Besides…if there's hope for a guy like that, then there's hope for a guy like me.

We need to get ready for the next invasion…

Yeah…Strangelove's lab is in Karakorum… but who knows what we'll find there…

To Be Continued!