Metal Gear Solid V: Chronicles of Outer Heaven (MGS/Valkyria Chronicles)

Non-Cannon omake…Snake Versus Snake…

Passing the Torch.

______________________________

Ahab was tired…It had been a hard fight, but they got it done…the world's black markets now had less nukes then the diamond dogs had before they got rid of it. Now it was time for him and the rest of his men to relax after this hard fight. Ahab had to stifle a small smile in the chopper at miller's reaction to him bringing back not only the armor and heavy weapons, but also some of the better recruits that were graded at least A++ by his "scouting".

As it were, the helicopter was now closing in on motherbase, already he could see multiple other craft landing the troops, even some of them were already landed…strangely enough a ship was also docked at the base, it was a cargo ship by the looks of it…while it did give him some alarm bells ringing he could guess that since the base was not on fire or exploding (at the moment) that miller would explain it.

No sooner had he noticed this he noted that they were nearing the main command center for mother base where he could see Kaz and Ocelot standing with a few of the diamond dogs that had been left behind to defend motherbase.

With the copter going for a drop he leapt off and fell into his customary crouch before walking to them.

Already Kaz was hobbling towards him with a smile…at least he was before he stopped for a moment and shouted an alarm-

"BOSS LOOK OUT!"

Too little…too late…

As he began to move to the side to dodge what could be a sniper's bullet he felt a sharp sting in the back of his neck, quickly he reached back and ripped it and a small bit of skin out. Taking note of the small tranquilizer-like needle he could only growl before tossing it towards Kaz to catch and get to the infirmary, already he was reaching for his radio to sound the alarm…before a click from ocelots drawn and ready guns stopped him.

"What the hell are you doing you damn cowboy?!?" Kaz snarled as Ocelot held the guns to his head, as well as his protégé's aiming their own rifles at their comrades with shock written on their features.

"Sorry Sub-commander, but I'm under the Boss's orders." Ocelot said with a complete straight face for once, already that sent alarm bells to Ahab, but it was what he said that had both men and the rest of the diamond dogs not following Ocelots' example to freeze in confusion.

"What the hell do you mean, Big boss is right here!" Kaz shouted as he readied himself for a moment…he may not be in the best shape but by god he will give that damn bastard as much of an ass-kicking as he could give, he still had a few tricks up his remaining sleeve to show that damn cowboy!

"He means me." A voice called out from behind one of the buildings…and very slowly like as if time itself slowed down…a VERY familiar man stepped from the shadows of the building…looking slightly older…but no mistaking it was the very same face that Ahab now had…Only without the scars and the bits of shrapnel in his head and body.

He was also wearing a long trench coat and a classic red military hat on his head…

It was the Original Big boss…and he was back…

"It has been some time Kaz…Ahab…" Big Boss whispered but yet still somehow to be able to be heard by everyone nearby, and what a crowd was gathering, at least a hundred men either escorted by force or by themselves and their groups, some carried their I-droids and were filming this…no doubt sharing either under Ishmael's orders or for their teammates.

"Ishmael…why?" Ahab whispered shock still on his features with his quite question.

"It was always going to end this way, at this point there can only be one boss…what happens now depend on how the title of big boss goes, either your way…"

It was then big boss then took off his hat and threw off his trench coat, revealing his old stealth suit, and from one of his pouches he pulled a VERY familiar bandana out and tied it to his forehead.

"What are you damn well saying?!?" Ahab growled…everything he had done, all that he sacrificed…his life, his work, his very being to become big boss's phantom…and now he is being backstabbed by the very man he worked so long to help!?

"It should be obvious why I am here Ahab…there can only be one Big Boss, now that torch must either be kept by the old or inherited by the new. There are no other options…" As Ishmael said this he reached the helicopter platform and stood on the opposite side of Ahab.

"Let's finish this" Ishmael whispered softly before he hardened his face-

"SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT VENOM!"

What followed next was the two men, in the similar likeness beginning a hard CQC contest unlike anything the Diamond dogs had ever watched, even those keeping their guns on their comrades (though in retrospect by some of the men, they were far fewer…and indeed most of them had the MSF patches on their uniforms or were being trained by Ocelot).

(If you guys really wish to see this kind of fight reference Metal Gear Solid 4 SS vs LO for the fight, move up until the beating LO gives SS on the ground with his false arm, and ignore the healing item being used.)

After knocking Ishmael away, and slowly getting back up Ahab could only snarl softly…



(Play the theme song of the final fight of MG4)

"ISHMAEL!!!"

"AHAB!!!"

___________________________

What followed next was a few minutes of harder CQC, their movements began to slow as each blow took it toll on the two men. Kaz could only grit his teeth harder with each blow, every hit pounding in his mind, how could Big Boss do this? Which one was the real one!?! Why hadn't they come out of this? Did Big boss really know where he was…and why did he leave him with the damn soviets!?!

Kaz just couldn't believe his old friend would abandon him…something like that…it was like Big boss was a radically different person then the man who made the MSF! But…but…didn't he call the other look-alike with the shrapnel in his head Ahab? If so, if so…then maybe he was the one he could follow. His bitterness slowly aching in his heart and mind, but…didn't Ahab go to him? Didn't all the times in mother-base mean something to him? And if this Big Boss was to carry the torch…did that mean that he was also big boss? If so then maybe…maybe Big Boss was torn into two pieces.

Like himself, the past was fighting the present, the ironic phantom fighting for the future while the real one was fighting for the pas-

Kaz the understood…he understood what was going on right now, why Ocelot was baring the way, the damn cowboy KNEW that this was going to happen…the damn cat always playing like a snake.

He may hate all this, everything about it but he bitterly understood.

"Stand down men…" Kaz muttered softly to the confusion of some of the diamond dogs that had been carefully reaching for their secondary weapons.

"I said stand down…right now, this is Big Boss's fight." Kaz growled out louder as he glared at ocelot who now had a smirk on his face, a small one but one that also acknowledged that he knew as well. To symbolize this, he twirled his Revolvers thrice and tossed them into the air before catching them with opposite hands and putting them into their classic cowboy Holsters for his revolvers.

"About time you got it" Adam stated as he calmly returned to looking at the fight between the two big boss's and with a short wave from his left hand the members of the MSF and his own Protégés lowered their own weapons and looked to the fight.

And what a glorious fight for the ages it was, Expert CQC combat, each blow their taken and rolled with to minimize risk and pain as well as injury. Each blow ducked, dodged, or deflected to prevent the other from getting the advantage.

Until both men Slammed their fists into each other…the Synthetic arm versus the Flesh and bone arm…

What followed next was several kicks from different angles all blocked and used as a distraction for the blows to the gut and chest that knocked them a few steps back from each other. After assessing each other for a moment they charged in a slammed their fists again into each other's faces.

Adamska could only watch with internal glee at the showdown, the drama, the sheer scope of this was beyond anything he could ever hope for (well besides a true wild west fight between all nations, a real cowboy setting, but he could settle for this fight!!!). With a wince he noted that both the Big boss and the Phantom Boss rested each other's heads against their opposite…before they reared back and slammed with a heck of a headbutt against each other. If either of those two had been any older they would be at a severe disadvantage…so why was he getting the chills and feeling a curious excitement from watching this?

With every blow soldier from both sides winced and grumbled, some were even beginning to question who to follow…better clean this up before things get to out of hand.

"LISTEN UP!" Adamska shouted while the two bosses still tried to kill each other with CQC while gaining the attention of the nearest soliders.

"Whatever happens, we all signed up to follow big boss, whoever wins this little fight becomes the real big boss, it doesn't matter if he has a damn piece of metal in his head or not, he is still the big boss, the legend reborn!" Adamska smiled as he waved his arms around him, it was time to get into his little personal hobby of "Hamming things up" as Big boss always told him he did.

The questioners started to quite down as they stared at Adamska as he began to weave his theatrics…

Kaz only sighed lightly as he watched the fight, hoping beyond all hope that his Big Boss…the one that came for him, that was the ideal that the real boss was all along was passed onto the current boss.

Because that was the boss that cared for his men, that didn't leave them behind, that rescued and saved as many as he could, that dealt justice when it was needed and didn't kill unless he had to.

The Big Boss that was the real legend like Ocelot said, but it was more than just the legend, but living up to the Ideas of The Boss…

____

Ahab was having a hell of a time, each blow burned a little of his energy away, each fist he gave to Ishmael felt like the fire in him was slowly being put out. But each time…he couldn't help but wonder…

Why was big boss doing this!?

That was before there was a lull in combat, and then pain unlike anything he felt before hit him like that damn White Death Bear.

With a pained groan he nearly collapsed to his stomach, every inch of himself in agony…while Big boss just chuckled.

"Feeling it already huh? Guess that dose of FOXDIE Prototype really does the trick…" Ishmael smirked as Ahab looked at him with a glare in his eyes.

"Feeling curious huh? FOXDIE is the successor of the parasites that the patriots tried to use but deemed to destructive and prone too much collateral damage…thankfully I was able to get the prototype before they could complete it…if you manage to beat me, Ocelot has the cure for it." Ishmael continued with a gesture towards Ocelot which Ahab noticed merely nodded his head a small bit.

If he ever got out of this, he was going to have to have him watched for a good while, and his soldiers too.

As it was he could only groan as he slowly and painfully got back up onto his feet from his knees.

"Still wanting to go on? Very well…lets go Venom" Ishmael growled as he settled back into his stance for CQC.

What followed next was as if both fighters got their breather and got back into the harsh reality of CQC, fast paced and brutal.

It wasn't until Ocelot noticed a very familiar shape slowly making its way towards the fight, and with a quick draw from his gun he gave a small whistle as he aimed at the shape.

Quite noticing that her possible ally, now potential target because of this mess…but then again, she had been assigned to kill the big boss. Right now, however there were two of them, but her Partner was being fought by her old target. she was thankful the children were busy with D-Dog so that Wolf wouldn't notice what was going on, or that wayward child called Eli.

Knowing that she could not speak English without the parasites killing everyone she quickly tossed the tranquilizer dart gun towards the two men in hopes that her partner could use it to take out the competition and her old target, and knowing the game was up she turned back visible under the eyes of the diamond dogs and under the target of Ocelot's gun.

"There you are, and while I won't say that it's a surprise, don't interfere, again would you?" Ocelot asked with his damnable smirk on his face.

With a soft hum she could only look on as the two men noticed the gun coming their way, and with a glance at each other moved their combat to where the gun would be.

What followed next was an interesting introduction to how to use a pistol that only shot one round at a time and how to use your enemies' movements to not only reload but also ready the next round.

10 Shots were fired, 5 each from both men as they disarmed, aimed, dodged while the other shot, and repeat the motions in different ways.

At the men got to their 4th round of this Cookie emerged from his part of the command center only to see the mess going on and before he could start arguing or shouting what the damn hell was going on he noticed a very familiar sting on his left arm…and with a groan he noted he had gotten hit with the damn tranquilizer round.

First there were two snakes, then suddenly there were former MSF soldiers rounding up the bases nearest Diamond dogs, and now he got hit by a damn tranquilizer round. The only way this shit could get worse is if suddenly that brat white mamba got a twin with the "dominant genes" somehow…

____

Elsewhere a young white mamba finally met his counterpart…and he already hated him.

With a scowl he glared at the near look-alike, but already he JUST KNEW this guy was his "Brother" …the one that got the best genes…the one who had the better destiny between the two of them!

Already he had challenged the kid to a fight, and frankly he was a little surprised he knew some form of CQC…

Though to call it that would be laughable as it was just two kids trying to fight as soldiers but ending up as rough-housing children and resorting to fist fighting. Already they had to be pulled apart twice by a third silent boy that hadn't really joined in the fight but watched from a distance keeping all the other kids in line.

That was fine for Eli for now, he could deal with him later…for now…he had to take down his "Brother"!

____

Back to the fight, things had not looked up, even with the inclusion of the tranquilizer round gun.

Already Ahab could feel the so called "FOXDIE" in his body, every ache being more and more pronounced with each second, while Ishmael seemed to be slowing down as well. Then he caught it, a flinch of pain…as if…

….so that was it…why he mentioned that ocelot had the cure!

"So…*huff*…Your also infected, aren't you?!" Ahab growled out painfully as another round of pain hit him.

"Heh…*huff*…your…pretty…good." Ishmael snarled out as he got ready for their third round.

So that was it huh…they both now were infected and had to deal with this…

But at least now, they could finish this…if Big Boss wanted to end this one way or the other…maybe he could-

No…that wouldn't be right…he had to be better…some part of him rebelled at the thought of giving up for the sake of big boss…as if someone else was guiding his thoughts. His phantoms seemed to calm and allow him to think clearly for the first time since before when he was doing surgery on paz…

Yes…it was like that time…now he knew…he had to fight, not just for himself, but for her dreams, for his men, for his closest friends…

And put a rest to his phantoms of his past.

With his resolve steeled he readied himself to put himself fully into the task at hand.

He never noticed that Ishmael had seen this resolve…and was pleased. Everything…everything has gone according to plan.

With a roar both men charged each other for one last round of CQC, everyone never noticed a simple move done by Ishmael that had ocelot smirk even wider as he did his own signal.

With a thunderous round of CQC, both Big Bosses were sent sprawling onto the ground…

And as Ahab struggled to get up, Ishmael stayed down for the moment before he chuckled.

"That…ha…. was good…your ready…" He mumbled out loud much to Ahabs confusion as he now slowly and with pained grunts stood up…revealing now through it all he had a type of make-up on that kept him seemingly younger then what he really was.

With a confused stare Ishmael smiled at Ahab.



(play the theme for the epilogue for MGS4)

"What do you mean?!?" Ahab grumbled out as he readied himself in case for another trick.

"Everything you have done up until now…was your doing, not mine…while you played the role of the phantom, I finally found what I was looking for all this time, with the members of the MSF that you see before you…ironic that the attack on outer heaven all those years ago, did not totally kill everyone as we had believed. Only enough to make everyone think we were dead…but now? They will now have a new home…under a better Big Boss." Ishmael said as he looked at his doppelganger…no…the one who embraced what The Boss always dreamed of. He knew she wouldn't have approved of what he had done, but then again, she herself was not completely pure…he knew this for certain.

"You and the others may not have known this, but as you and Kaz as well as Ocelot did your duties here, distracting the patriots, I was able to gather the former MSF under your shadow and deliver finishing blows to each of the Patriots that Zero and his own members were leading, one after another…" he continued with a look to the horizon…

"It's funny…all this time I thought he feared me…or hated me…turns out it was neither…too bitter, and angry, like a demon." Ishmael whispered as he looked at the horizon.

"As things stand, you aren't infected with FOXDIE…" Ishmael began for a pained groan echoed from him that had Ahab momentarily move towards him until he held a hand up.

"I was" that statement alone seem to ring out from the small impromptu arena that had been set up.

"During the final moments-ugh…of the fighting I was doing, I learned many things…and dealt with the men responsible for the orders of the attack on Outer heaven all those years ago…" Ishmael groaned as he stood back up, and after another moments hesitation Ahab moved closer carefully before he was pulled closer to the original big boss.

"And only now I have these things to say…don't waste your life fighting…when the time comes…put down the gun…and live. You have already started this. Don't waste this chance, I wasted my chance with my vengeance, and I wont regret that…only it had to be done…as it was Zero was starting research into AI, to run the network without shape or form…something that would have twisted and perverted The Bosses dreams…and the thing she treasured most" he snarled as he coughed lightly…

"Loyalty" he whispered and with this Ahab looked around, the men seemingly knowing…just knowing…that it was now over, that the title of Big boss was being handed down. And had settled into a resting state, his comrades…Ocelot was looking uncharacteristically sad in some way while quite looked somewhat relieved…

And Kaz was looking…perplexed…and considering something he hadn't known. Off in the distance he saw Huey looking from a platform gripping the rails…he seemed more nervous then ever before, but also relieved. He was going to have to deal with that mess after this.

"Everything has its beginning Ahab, but it doesn't start at one" Ishmael began again with his explanation as they began to walk towards a portion of the walls…only now did anyone noticed a elderly man seemingly unknowing of the world…his body looked frail and weak as if it had been aged to much in to short of a time.

"It starts long before that, it is born from Zero" Ishmael continued as they both neared the comatose zero in a wheel chair, A sense of pity was emitting from him. Ahab could only stare with an uncertain look in his eye as he looked at the former big boss as he stared at his former comrade and betrayer…

"In the chaos, zero becomes one, then one becomes two…two becomes ten…and ten become that monster 100. Taking it all back to one, solves nothing, so long as zero remains one will eventually become 100 again, and so our goal…everything we both have done…was to erase Zero." Big boss stated as he stared down at the man in the wheel chair, before starting to circle around it, at this time Ahab finally noted that there was the sound of a wheeze and the beeps from a heart monitor over the waves.

"Even the mighty patriots began as a single, simple man…that man's desires grew huge…bloated. He would have absorbed the newer technology and begin to manipulate the economy, I don't know how much damage he could have done…but I have no doubt the world would be in ruins by the time it was done. We almost realized to late, that we had almost created a beast."

"We had helped turn Zero into…100" at this Ishmael began to move to be behind zero in his wheel-chair.

"His sin's, was ours…and for that reason…I'm taking it upon myself, to send Zero…back to nothing." Ishmael ended with a form of regret in his voice as he turned the oxygen tank off and held the slowly squirming gasping man in a tight grip until he passed away.

"You're going back to zero as well Ishmael?" Ahab asked as Ishmael walked a bit away from Zero to look at the sunset.

"I was erased once before…today marks the second" Ishmael said as he looked at Ahab with a hint of regret in his eyes.

"The FOXDIE I had put into your body…was a lie. It was never the FOXDIE, but a cure for it and the vocal cord parasites it was derived from…the cure was in the form of an infectious ailment, one that settles in the body after a brief time of pain. With time, that Virus will begin to replace the parasites, every moment you speak, the virus spreads…and with time the vocal cord parasites and FOXDIE that would have resulted from that research, would die with it as well…besides for me-UGH!" Ishmael groaned out after his explanation with Ahab quickly moving forward, the only reason they had not been interrupted so far was after a quick look towards Kaz's direction Ocelot standing in the way with his revolvers…

"They used indirect means, to kill me!" Ishmael groaned out as he struggled to stand up despite the pain.

"The damn patriots, to bury me…did it again. In the end, they were like nothing more than a program…All they would have done would have been to repeat the same pattern over, and over, and over again!" he groaned out as Ahab tried to help him up…

"Take me over to the edge…let me talk to her one more time…" he whispered out loud, each breathe labored from the effort it took to fight off the Prototype-FOXDIE.

Again, he began to speak as Ahab took Ishmael over to the edge of the platform…

"Don't…waste…your…life…fighting…" with labored breathing he continued as Ahab almost all but dragged him over to where Ishmael had pointed too.

"I never thought of you as a phantom, but I always respected you as a soldier, and as a man. Maybe if you had been in my place back then, maybe you wouldn't have made the same mistakes as I did." Ishmael said as he looked sorrowful at his bandanna he had slipped off off…

"Ever since the Day I killed The Boss…with my own hands…I…was already dead." He growled out as he clenched his fist harder, straining the bandanna's material.

"Boss" Ishmael whispered to the winds as they began to pick up softly. Ahab could see the beginnings of a small fog coming in…

"You were right, its not about changing the world, it's about doing our best to leave the world…it the way it is. It's about respecting the will of others and believing in your own. Isn't that what you fought for?" Ishmael whispered as he struggled into a standing position after push Ahab away.

"At last, I understand the meaning behind what you did. At last I understand the truth behind your courage." Ishmael groaned out as with labored breathes and apparent great effort in staying alive, he clicked his heels together, and with his right hand…slowly lifted it into a straight salute posture.

And with a great release of his breathe and blinking in the sunlight as he stumbled slightly, he continued with his speech.

"its almost time for me to go, and with me the last ember of this fruitless war between the patriots and the MSF, my own private war against cipher, dies out. And at last those old evils will be gone, Once the Source of evil returns to zero…A new one…a new future…will be born." Ishmael said as he slowly turned his head towards Ahab and the rest of the diamond dogs and old MSF soldiers.

"That new world-" he began again with a pained whisper that seemed to echo across Motherbase "-Is yours for you all to live in. Not as a snake, but as a man." Ishmael said as he raised his hand for his phantom…no his living legacy for this new world to come into being, to take…and as he did…the FOXDIE struck again, leaving him in agony as he slowly fell to his side, almost falling off the edge of the helicopter platform until Ahab grabbed him and pulled him into a sitting position next to him.

A whine from behind them noted that D-dog was there along with the others…some MSF soldiers seem to be struggling in trying to not head straight to the platform for medical intervention. Heck even Kaz and ocelot looked like they were barely holding themselves back. Quite like her name-sake watched the proceedings with a calm look of interest but was also holding the children that had come to investigate the situation back.

With a pained gasp of breath Ishmael continued against all the odds…

"Know this, Zero and I…The Patriots and the MSF…we all fought a long bloody war for our liberty. We Fought to free ourselves from nations, and systems, and norms and ages. But no matter how hard we tried, the only liberty we found was on the inside…trapped within those limits. The Boss and I may have chosen different paths…but in the end, we were both trapped inside the same cage, Liberty." He said with a few groans during the explanation.

With a calm look despite the suffering he was going through, Ishmael in his sitting position looked at Ahab. Their single eyes both locked onto each other…

"But you, you have been given freedom. Freedom to be outside. You are nobodies' tool now, no one's toy. You are now no longer a prisoner of fate, you are no longer a seed of war. It's time for you to see the outside world with your own eyes. Your body, and your soul is your own." Ishmael finished as he slowly lifted a cigar from his pocket to his mouth.

"Forget about us…Live for yourself." He finished as he raised a Zippo lighter to his mouth to light the cigar, but with clumsy fingers it fell away from his hand.

"And find…A new lease on life." Ishmael whispered as the cigar fell from his mouth, and with a tear from his eye, he could barely lift his head to the sunset.

"Boss, you only need one snake…No…the world would be better without snakes." He whispered out with pained breaths. He could feel his end coming soon, and yet…Ahab came to his own decision and reached for his own cigar and the fallen cigar and Ishmaels zippo, after lighting both, he gave one to Ishmael and one for himself.

With a soft surprised look on his face Ishmael turned his head towards Ahab with a small smile on his face after removing the cigar from his mouth.

"This is good, Isn't it?" with that Ishmael, the original Big Boss closed his eyes and the cigar fell from his hand.

From the scene the men and women out, the new outer heaven could almost see the shape of a women sitting next to the two Big Boss's reach out at take Ishmaels hand…and then she was gone.

With that, Ocelot allowed the medical team to rush towards both Ahab and Ishmael, and then when they got there they only shook their heads after checking on Ahab. Already D-dog had rushed over as he walked towards them…

The new world that has come…will need them to finish the job they had started.

And unknowing to the Diamond dogs, with the Fulton Wormhole almost to completion…something was reaching out for them, to bring them to that new world. But not in the way the Ishmael had intended to give them.