Part 25: Into Neo-Mongolia

Part 25: Into Neo-Mongolia



We've wiped out most of his ground forces protecting Paris and Orleans…They're pretty smashed up, but we've kept casualties to an absolute minimum. We're doing a great job of capturing enemy troops instead of simply killing them.

It's all over but the crying. By the end of the month the war should be officially over, thank God.



Alright, check this out: It's two thousand years in the future! The world's been blown up four times, and it's gotten weirder every time they rebuilt. Now they have both science and magic, and have to deal with magical crime, and magical disease! Enter the heroes: magical super-doctors who battle evil and sickness. There's love and laughter and heartbreak--

--who the hell would read that? I can't even tell what genre that is! Make up your goddamn mind!

Oh, and one of the doctors knows a spell that disintegrates clothing!

…ugh, you've clearly gone too long without coffee.



Okay, Stealth Troops, listen up. You're not equipped to take over enemy territory, but you are geared for anti-personnel attacks and diversionary measures--sneak in and play havoc with the enemy troops and let the main forces worry about invading the cities. I hope you all like eating live snakes 'cause that's what you'll be having for dinner.

*snicker*

That was not a double entendre, Wombat! Just for that, you're in charge of collecting wild beehives.

Awww…

Your mission is to infiltrate French territory, and find and extract Dr. Strangelove. I've been on extraction missions for top-level scientists before. You need to be careful. I fully expect her to be guarded by at least four terrorists with bizarre weapon skills and/or apparent superpowers.



Snake. With the defeat of Napoleon's flying machine, many of the French are surrendering and ceding territory to us… but I suspect this is merely an attempt to buy time. Whatever Napoleon's secret project was, it's still being worked upon in Karakorum…

What were you having Strangelove work on?

Whatever she wished. My other scholars learned much from her, but the true aim of her research eluded me.

That VTOL…it looked like it was being controlled by a miniaturized AI pod. The circuitry is more advanced and smaller than what I'm used to working with, but I recognize the handiwork. It's her. Strangelove built it.

Oh, no…

What is this?

Dr. Strangelove was working the field of thinking machines, Genghis. She developed a way to create a machine that could almost perfectly imitate the thoughts of a human--and not just any human, but a specific human. My old mentor… and she was forced to load it into the frame of a huge battle machine, larger than a building.

You come from a terrifying future, Snake.

Well, it's not all bad. We have TV!

Heh…well, more to the point… it looks like that Vic Viper was being run by one of Strangelove's AI, but one based off of Napoleon's mind. A war machine with the mind of history's greatest strategist is really not the kind of thing I want to contemplate.

Well, we blew it up. That had to have been Napoleon's ace in the hole--if he had any more tricks up his sleeve we would have seen them by now, right?



Huey, I want to build another Metal Gear…and I want it to be nuclear-equipped.

Snake, you can't be serious!

Look, I've got a bad feeling about this… like there's something awful on the horizon. I want something that can take anything out in an emergency, got it?

…I will, if you promise me you'll do everything you can to avoid firing it off.

You've got it.



Awwright, better tanks!

These tanks aren't that much more heavily-armed than previous models, but what they are is faster and that's important.



I sweetened Wellington's disposition towards us!

How?

Lots of steak dinners, like you said!

Well, good. Maybe I can trust you after all.



I have also been successful in swinging votes our way.

And you didn't have to kill anyone to do it?

Uhmm… not this time…

Good!



And I have also completed my mission! Haha, soon I too will be able to fend off giant robots with just my pinky finger like you, Snake!

Hey, hey, don't get ahead of yourself. I just make it look easy.



Snake, we've got reports that Napoleon's forces are digging up uranium deposits. That can only mean one thing…

Dammit… he is going for nukes.

Our forces are still recovering from the last main push, and a lot of them are tied up in peacekeeping in the seized cities. We still haven't even rebuilt Zeke yet.

I know. Gaaah, the good old days when all I had to do to push research forward was to kidnap guys with balloons…



What the hell are you doing with the food, Skunk?

I've done it…my masterpiece! The ultimate portrait of life…in fruit!

It's pretty, I'll give you that, but don't waste food! I'm putting you on beehive collection duty with Wombat!



Sir, sir! I've got evidence that Napoleon isn't just working on nukes… he has nukes.

Dammit… we may need to push forward before we're ready… everyone, begin plans for a new invasion. And get everyone outfitted with the best stuff we can make!



One step ahead of you, boss. We've got upgrade stations all over France and friendly territory now. They only need to trade in their old gear.



Finally…we can start putting Metal Gear back together…oh, I hope this doesn't blow up in my face like every other project I've worked on…

Boss! Our stealth team found Dr. Strangelove during an infiltration mission!

You did!?



She's kind of banged-up. She got wounded in the escape attempt. We'll need time to revive her enough to debrief her…but in the meantime, we should get ready for war. Napoleon's definitely planning on starting a nuclear offensive!



It's done, Snake… Metal Gear is complete. This model is designed for a human pilot, and I've keyed it to your biometric data. It can only be piloted by you.

Good… troops, listen up. These weapons are powerful…more powerful than any other the world has ever seen… but that doesn't make them invincible. With the right smarts and the right tools, anything can be overcome. Napoleon may be on the ropes, but he's making a ploy to hit us hard, using nukes. He'll reduce this world to ashes if that's what it takes to rule it…so we're going to make sure he can't. Are you ready? This war may be the last any of us ever fight…so let's make it a good one.

We're ready!

Yeah! Let's do it!

To Be Continued…