Hexcalibur
Not So Ordinary Sword
- Location
- Somewhere
- Pronouns
- It
So, it's like showing of an iPod to people that only have at best a walkman?
A Weapon to Surpass...(Metal Gear Solid/Battletech)
- Thread starter orwellianorator
- Start date
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
No. It's like showing an iPod to someone who has a walkman, offering them the plans to make the iPod, and then casually mentioning that you not only have the means but also the ability to hand-make the iPod. You're just offering them the plans because it's a little annoying to do it yourself.
When Otacon gets his hands on enough industry to start cranking microchips and other MGS level electronics to mass produce Idroids and other devices(like computers) that were normal in their world but are basicly technomagic to Battletech setting they will make SOOO Much Money!
And get Tons of both enemies and allies too.
Like, Comstar is going to go apeshit when they find out that Snake is spreading around SL era tech like its candy instead of doing the usual thing and hoarding it like a Dragon. Add his advanced tech thet is completly Alien to their SL era tech and makes them skreech like monkeys that some Periphery hicks somehow have tech better then Star League at its heighest and problems are coming.
Returning to Idroids, even if they sell them at bearly over the cost of production the demand will be So Big that they will have to print them 24h/7 for the next century to even make a dent in the consumers base.
Idroids alone are going to be the must have of basicly everyone in any kind of proffesion everywhere, the same for normal civilians.
Its basicly a license to print money.
They are hundreads of bilions of people in IS alone, add Periphery and Deep Periphery and you have such huge market that they will Never run out of customers.
And the best thing is that the tech of Idroids is so Alien to Battletech that even Clans and Comstar that are objectivly the most advanced factions will have a terrible time trying to even understand how they work, lets not even talk about reverse engeneering.
And get Tons of both enemies and allies too.
Like, Comstar is going to go apeshit when they find out that Snake is spreading around SL era tech like its candy instead of doing the usual thing and hoarding it like a Dragon. Add his advanced tech thet is completly Alien to their SL era tech and makes them skreech like monkeys that some Periphery hicks somehow have tech better then Star League at its heighest and problems are coming.
Returning to Idroids, even if they sell them at bearly over the cost of production the demand will be So Big that they will have to print them 24h/7 for the next century to even make a dent in the consumers base.
Idroids alone are going to be the must have of basicly everyone in any kind of proffesion everywhere, the same for normal civilians.
Its basicly a license to print money.
They are hundreads of bilions of people in IS alone, add Periphery and Deep Periphery and you have such huge market that they will Never run out of customers.
And the best thing is that the tech of Idroids is so Alien to Battletech that even Clans and Comstar that are objectivly the most advanced factions will have a terrible time trying to even understand how they work, lets not even talk about reverse engeneering.
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orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
Not really, at least not for the iDroid.
See, the iDroid, being from the 70s, is both fully capable of being produced with inner sphere tech (as they already have all the necessary components for the whole thing- optics, holograms, transistors, microelectronics, etc.), and has products that already exist and fill the niche, though none that put them all together.
And their hologram tech far surpasses Metal Gear universe, almost to the level of a star trek holodeck.
Like Battletech computers are INCREDIBLY highly advanced, where modern and Metal Gear tech surpasses it is in versatility. Your phone, for example, is a phone, a camera, a computer, a game console, and an MP3 player at the same time. BT tech is incredibly high performance machines with ONE purpose. You dont have a computer that analyzes battle data, creates targeting solutions, and communicates with your friends, you have three.
The only really revolutionary is the holographic lighter, the rest all exists but hasnt exactly been put together. Thats the REAL selling point. It's like those lighter phone apps but it really lights shit, its amazing.
Arimai
Curmudgeon
Snake is far from stupid. Nor is he this dense. He should know all this already before he went out to trade. He's already given away some of his better bargaining for nothing. Does he have brain damage? No Tier One operator is stupid. The recruitment and training process weed the stupid, and the clumsy out.
What's worse is that in Snake's case he is a genetically engineered, clone of the original with enhanced physical and mental functions. His clueless portrayal and inability to understand the locals nor the value of his goods is extremely unbelievable for a character of his backstory.
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orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
You mean the guy with Echolalia? With all kinds of forms of control in his DNA and Blood? The guy who was surprised at the Surveilance Camera in a Nuclear Facility? The clone of the autistic man who still believed in Santa at 39? That guy? The guy that frequently has to have the details of everything outside his narrow field of interest of guns, fighting, and killing explained to him?
You can be the most skilled soldier in the world and not know how to react when people call you by a title that you don't really care about or think you earned, especially when you grew up in America where the closest thing to actual feudalism is a corporation or the British.
The Evening News
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
July 14th, 2976
"Hello everybody, this is The Evening News, the most popular source for news in the Commonwealth. I'm your host Diana Loxley, and tonight's top story: Who is Baron Sears?
Also known to go by the name, 'Snake', a Mr. David Sears was granted the title of Baron by planetary governor Duke Wagner of Winter on February 15th for, quote, "providing immeasurable aid to the people of the Inner Sphere". This, not two weeks before Archon Giovanni Steiner held a press release, unveiling the rediscovery of the lost Jamerson-Ulikov Water Purifier. The Archon made no move to provide any clues as to how the rediscovery was made, only indicating that it was 'a true act of humanity's from an individual that did not wish to be named at this time.
Baron Sears has caught the Commonwealth by storm, despite the fact that nobody seems to have met him. Some people even seem to think that the man is a hoax, and even more cheer his name, and yet he has never once made a public appearance, nor has he ever accepted any invitations from his fellow nobility. Our top team of investigators and reporters has provided us with all the evidence, from eyewitness testimony, to photographic evidence, video footage, publicly available documents, and more.
First, our analysts have put together a rough timeline for his escapades. His origins before February are unknown, but what is known is that on February 14th, Mr. Sears stopped a gang shootout while taking his ground vehicle driver's license test, protecting his driving instructor from any harm, and later that day saved a restaurant cashier from a group of robbers. Eyewitness testimony later put him at the Winter City Police Department during the gruesome attack on its facilities, where he supposedly took down at least seven attackers on his own while rescuing an unidentified woman. This is what an anonymous bystander had to say to our interviewers.
"Mr. Sears? Oh, the guy with the eyepatch! He's a hero, I tell ya. We were under fire by two separate black ops squads, assaulting an unprepared police force, when BAM, guy's first mate, started pulling some crazy shots and was taking out the dracs, and then he just ran outside. I thought he left, but then they stopped attacking just long enough to watch Mr. Sears kill like six guys while jumping from the second story, and then a d*mn Packrat came by and made an APC eat sh*t. That guy saved our bacon, I'll never forget it."
"The next confirmed sighting of The Mysterious Mr. Snake was in the Australia system, where the Skye-based Ear Candy Company says that they hired the Baron's jumpship to deliver the hit band "Judy and the Dragoons" to their upcoming concert on Solaris VII. An insider source inside the ECC revealed to our reporters that the extensive collection of ancient Terran music recently revealed to the public was none other than a gift from the enigmatic baron.
Our final and confirmed sighting of Baron Sears was at Coventry Metal Works nearly three months ago, where both the president and CEO signed a contract with Philanthropy to supply them with parts needed to continue their dedicated anti-piracy operations. Morgan Zurich had this to say when asked about their interaction.
"Ah, Baron Sears was a remarkably… intense man. I couldn't possibly betray his trust by discussing our deal, but we here at CMW are extremely grateful for the contributions Mr. Sears has made to reverse the decline of technology we face as the years march on."
"You heard it here, folks. The Baron Sears is an enigma, a 'philanthropic' man of mystery, right here in the Lyran Commonwealth. We will now be opening our lines to you, the viewers, to ask for your theories on the origin of Baron Sears. Caller number one, you are on the air."
"I- I am! Awesome!okay, so hear me out, I'm pretty sure that guy Snake is a spy from another dimension, sent to disrupt the inner sphere by handing out advanced technology for everybody to fight over. Eventually when he gets entrenched, he's gonna introduce war machines the likes of which we've never seen! Viruses, nanomachines, metal-"
"I… see. Thank you for your time, Caller one. Caller two, you're live."
"Thank you Diana! I love your show, the Evening News is a must watch for me every day! So, I think the Baron is a dreamboat, a hunk of a man who is just so overwhelmed with his ideals of kindness, that he'll only reveal himself to the woman he takes as his wife! I really want to meet him!"
"Thank you Caller two, I think we all agree that we would love to meet him. We have time for one more, let's hear your theory, Caller three."
"Ah, there's not a single doubt in my mind that that guy, Snake, is a former black ops. Maybe he was a Star League officer frozen on ice that woke up, maybe he's some rogue agent from somewhere that just found a Star League cache. What I do know is that the man was going around handing out Star League tech for peanuts, and he's one dangerous mother*cker."
"Alright everybody, you heard it here on The Evening News. Is the Baron a spy? A lost Star League officer? Or something more outlandish? We'll leave deciding which one to pick, up to you, dear viewers. I've been your host, Diana Loxley, and this has been our top story. In other news, Magnets: How do they really work? We-"
Snake cut off the television broadcast in the hotel of his room in Solaris, where Billy and Nicky are hunched over, Laughing their asses off.
"This isn't funny, you two! Why am I on TV!?"
The two just fell over, laughing even harder.
"Hello everybody, this is The Evening News, the most popular source for news in the Commonwealth. I'm your host Diana Loxley, and tonight's top story: Who is Baron Sears?
Also known to go by the name, 'Snake', a Mr. David Sears was granted the title of Baron by planetary governor Duke Wagner of Winter on February 15th for, quote, "providing immeasurable aid to the people of the Inner Sphere". This, not two weeks before Archon Giovanni Steiner held a press release, unveiling the rediscovery of the lost Jamerson-Ulikov Water Purifier. The Archon made no move to provide any clues as to how the rediscovery was made, only indicating that it was 'a true act of humanity's from an individual that did not wish to be named at this time.
Baron Sears has caught the Commonwealth by storm, despite the fact that nobody seems to have met him. Some people even seem to think that the man is a hoax, and even more cheer his name, and yet he has never once made a public appearance, nor has he ever accepted any invitations from his fellow nobility. Our top team of investigators and reporters has provided us with all the evidence, from eyewitness testimony, to photographic evidence, video footage, publicly available documents, and more.
First, our analysts have put together a rough timeline for his escapades. His origins before February are unknown, but what is known is that on February 14th, Mr. Sears stopped a gang shootout while taking his ground vehicle driver's license test, protecting his driving instructor from any harm, and later that day saved a restaurant cashier from a group of robbers. Eyewitness testimony later put him at the Winter City Police Department during the gruesome attack on its facilities, where he supposedly took down at least seven attackers on his own while rescuing an unidentified woman. This is what an anonymous bystander had to say to our interviewers.
"Mr. Sears? Oh, the guy with the eyepatch! He's a hero, I tell ya. We were under fire by two separate black ops squads, assaulting an unprepared police force, when BAM, guy's first mate, started pulling some crazy shots and was taking out the dracs, and then he just ran outside. I thought he left, but then they stopped attacking just long enough to watch Mr. Sears kill like six guys while jumping from the second story, and then a d*mn Packrat came by and made an APC eat sh*t. That guy saved our bacon, I'll never forget it."
"The next confirmed sighting of The Mysterious Mr. Snake was in the Australia system, where the Skye-based Ear Candy Company says that they hired the Baron's jumpship to deliver the hit band "Judy and the Dragoons" to their upcoming concert on Solaris VII. An insider source inside the ECC revealed to our reporters that the extensive collection of ancient Terran music recently revealed to the public was none other than a gift from the enigmatic baron.
Our final and confirmed sighting of Baron Sears was at Coventry Metal Works nearly three months ago, where both the president and CEO signed a contract with Philanthropy to supply them with parts needed to continue their dedicated anti-piracy operations. Morgan Zurich had this to say when asked about their interaction.
"Ah, Baron Sears was a remarkably… intense man. I couldn't possibly betray his trust by discussing our deal, but we here at CMW are extremely grateful for the contributions Mr. Sears has made to reverse the decline of technology we face as the years march on."
"You heard it here, folks. The Baron Sears is an enigma, a 'philanthropic' man of mystery, right here in the Lyran Commonwealth. We will now be opening our lines to you, the viewers, to ask for your theories on the origin of Baron Sears. Caller number one, you are on the air."
"I- I am! Awesome!okay, so hear me out, I'm pretty sure that guy Snake is a spy from another dimension, sent to disrupt the inner sphere by handing out advanced technology for everybody to fight over. Eventually when he gets entrenched, he's gonna introduce war machines the likes of which we've never seen! Viruses, nanomachines, metal-"
"I… see. Thank you for your time, Caller one. Caller two, you're live."
"Thank you Diana! I love your show, the Evening News is a must watch for me every day! So, I think the Baron is a dreamboat, a hunk of a man who is just so overwhelmed with his ideals of kindness, that he'll only reveal himself to the woman he takes as his wife! I really want to meet him!"
"Thank you Caller two, I think we all agree that we would love to meet him. We have time for one more, let's hear your theory, Caller three."
"Ah, there's not a single doubt in my mind that that guy, Snake, is a former black ops. Maybe he was a Star League officer frozen on ice that woke up, maybe he's some rogue agent from somewhere that just found a Star League cache. What I do know is that the man was going around handing out Star League tech for peanuts, and he's one dangerous mother*cker."
"Alright everybody, you heard it here on The Evening News. Is the Baron a spy? A lost Star League officer? Or something more outlandish? We'll leave deciding which one to pick, up to you, dear viewers. I've been your host, Diana Loxley, and this has been our top story. In other news, Magnets: How do they really work? We-"
Snake cut off the television broadcast in the hotel of his room in Solaris, where Billy and Nicky are hunched over, Laughing their asses off.
"This isn't funny, you two! Why am I on TV!?"
The two just fell over, laughing even harder.
Reunion
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
July 15th
Solaris City, Solaris VII
Solaris System, Lyran Commonwealth
Snake followed Nicky through the streets of Solaris, the cluttered, neon covered streets reminding him so much of Blade Runner, particularly in the level of human misery that the lower classes had descended to. He looked at the trash on the roads and in the alleys, the homeless and crippled living on the streets begging and scrounging to survive, and he gritted his teeth while he kept the boy in his sight. The scale of it was worse than he'd ever seen and it bothered him to just walk by without being able to do anything. Snake made a promise to himself to come back when he wasn't keeping a child from getting kidnapped or worse, as he watched Nicky run down a narrow alley.
Cursing as he pushed past a couple people and ran down the alley, Snake spied Nicky climbing up a drainage pipe that clearly wouldn't be able to follow. Looking around at the filth ridden backstreet, Snake didn't see a ladder or dumpster to climb, but he looked at the space between the walls and then about fifteen feet up the building at Nicky, who was laughing and pointing down at him from a balcony.
"You need some help, old man? Maybe an elevator?" The boy mocked Snake, not maliciously but out of the mistaken belief that Snake couldn't get up to him to discipline him and he wanted to push his limits.
He would show the child his foolishness.
Backing up a couple steps, Snake looked at Nicky with a predatory smirk, thinking about all of the up-downs and suicides he was about to put this boy through for being a pain.
Dashing forward at speeds an ordinary person would never be able to match, Snake sprinted at the end of the alley, a solid brick wall that looked sturdy enough to take some abuse. Running right up to the wall, Snake leaped more than six feet into the air before his feet hit the wall, running up the bricks another four or five before jumping off with explosive force. Snake turned his body in midair, catching a pole sticking between the two buildings with one hand and flipping himself up to the ledge that Nicky was resting on in one smooth motion. The boy squeaked as Snake landed up in front of him so suddenly, falling to the ground as he tried to get away from the adult he had just been making fun of.
"You think you're funny? What if that thing fell? What if there were people in this alley? I can't keep you safe if you run off," Snake said sternly as he picked the boy up, brushing the dirt off him. "Now, what's so special about this balcony?"
Wiping his teary eyes and acting as if he got some dust in them, the boy turned away from Snake and looked up at the solid metal door leading inside the rundown building.
"This is Katya's place," Nicky said, sniffling as he wiped his eyes on his shirt. "She was always nice to me, let me stay here sometimes and gave me food when she got money from winning in the arenas. They snatched me when I was on my way to meet her last year. She's a mechwarrior, so I figured that if she came with us…"
"Ah, come on, kid, chin up. We're here now, so everything will be fine, we just have to talk to her and I'm sure we can-"
Snake was interrupted as the door burst open and a dark skinned woman in a towel holding a gun rushed out, hair still wet from a shower as she started to shout and point the gun at the two of them.
"What the hell are you people doing on my-" the woman, Katya, stopped suddenly, eyes wide as she stared at the little boy who had only just stopped crying, but now had fresh tears flowing down his face. His fists were clenched by his sides and his nose ran freely as he cried, seeing the closest thing he had to a mother in over a year.
"H-hey, Katya…"
"Nicky!!!" She shouted, barreling past Snake and pushing the gun into his hands as she rushed to the boy pulling him into a tight hug as he began to sob. "Oh baby, I missed you so much, I've been so worried!" She cried, making Snake feel somewhat awkward just standing there as a third wheel to such a tearful reunion. He looked at the pistol in his hands, a laser pistol that looked like it had seen better days, and glanced into the dingy apartment where Snake saw at least two men coming to look at what was happening.
"Kat, what's going on? Is something wrong?" One of the guys called out with a very light Slavic accent as he shuffled up to the doorway, holding his robe shut with one hand and a bat in the other, only to gape as he noticed the crying woman and child, dropping his bat as a smile grew on his face. "Nicky, is that- Holy shit, Vlad, Nicky's back! He's alive!"
"Da? You're not lying to me, little Nicky has returned?" An older, grizzled man with a limp, wearing a sweatsuit, moved forward as fast as he could, laying his rifle against the wall and brushing past the younger man to look at the boy, before whooping and grabbing the younger man, spinning in joy. "Oh happy day! Wonderful, Boris, go let everybody know that the boy is alive, I will go start the preparations for the celebration!" And with that, the older man Vlad hobbled off as fast as he could, singing loudly and happily in Russian.
Boris, the younger man, looked over at the two who were absolutely not about to be done any time soon, before turning to Snake and holding out his hand. As soon as he went to give him a handshake though, Snake was pulled into a tight hug by a nearly naked man that smelled of Vodka.
"Thank you so much, sir," Boris said as he squeezed him tightly and slapped Snake on the back, much to the soldiers great discomfort. "Please, be welcome in our home. I, uh, need to go get changed." He said, releasing Snake and bending down to pick up his baseball bat, gesturing to the apartment before he rushed off into another room, once more leaving Snake alone with a crying mother and son.
Solaris City, Solaris VII
Solaris System, Lyran Commonwealth
Snake followed Nicky through the streets of Solaris, the cluttered, neon covered streets reminding him so much of Blade Runner, particularly in the level of human misery that the lower classes had descended to. He looked at the trash on the roads and in the alleys, the homeless and crippled living on the streets begging and scrounging to survive, and he gritted his teeth while he kept the boy in his sight. The scale of it was worse than he'd ever seen and it bothered him to just walk by without being able to do anything. Snake made a promise to himself to come back when he wasn't keeping a child from getting kidnapped or worse, as he watched Nicky run down a narrow alley.
Cursing as he pushed past a couple people and ran down the alley, Snake spied Nicky climbing up a drainage pipe that clearly wouldn't be able to follow. Looking around at the filth ridden backstreet, Snake didn't see a ladder or dumpster to climb, but he looked at the space between the walls and then about fifteen feet up the building at Nicky, who was laughing and pointing down at him from a balcony.
"You need some help, old man? Maybe an elevator?" The boy mocked Snake, not maliciously but out of the mistaken belief that Snake couldn't get up to him to discipline him and he wanted to push his limits.
He would show the child his foolishness.
Backing up a couple steps, Snake looked at Nicky with a predatory smirk, thinking about all of the up-downs and suicides he was about to put this boy through for being a pain.
Dashing forward at speeds an ordinary person would never be able to match, Snake sprinted at the end of the alley, a solid brick wall that looked sturdy enough to take some abuse. Running right up to the wall, Snake leaped more than six feet into the air before his feet hit the wall, running up the bricks another four or five before jumping off with explosive force. Snake turned his body in midair, catching a pole sticking between the two buildings with one hand and flipping himself up to the ledge that Nicky was resting on in one smooth motion. The boy squeaked as Snake landed up in front of him so suddenly, falling to the ground as he tried to get away from the adult he had just been making fun of.
"You think you're funny? What if that thing fell? What if there were people in this alley? I can't keep you safe if you run off," Snake said sternly as he picked the boy up, brushing the dirt off him. "Now, what's so special about this balcony?"
Wiping his teary eyes and acting as if he got some dust in them, the boy turned away from Snake and looked up at the solid metal door leading inside the rundown building.
"This is Katya's place," Nicky said, sniffling as he wiped his eyes on his shirt. "She was always nice to me, let me stay here sometimes and gave me food when she got money from winning in the arenas. They snatched me when I was on my way to meet her last year. She's a mechwarrior, so I figured that if she came with us…"
"Ah, come on, kid, chin up. We're here now, so everything will be fine, we just have to talk to her and I'm sure we can-"
Snake was interrupted as the door burst open and a dark skinned woman in a towel holding a gun rushed out, hair still wet from a shower as she started to shout and point the gun at the two of them.
"What the hell are you people doing on my-" the woman, Katya, stopped suddenly, eyes wide as she stared at the little boy who had only just stopped crying, but now had fresh tears flowing down his face. His fists were clenched by his sides and his nose ran freely as he cried, seeing the closest thing he had to a mother in over a year.
"H-hey, Katya…"
"Nicky!!!" She shouted, barreling past Snake and pushing the gun into his hands as she rushed to the boy pulling him into a tight hug as he began to sob. "Oh baby, I missed you so much, I've been so worried!" She cried, making Snake feel somewhat awkward just standing there as a third wheel to such a tearful reunion. He looked at the pistol in his hands, a laser pistol that looked like it had seen better days, and glanced into the dingy apartment where Snake saw at least two men coming to look at what was happening.
"Kat, what's going on? Is something wrong?" One of the guys called out with a very light Slavic accent as he shuffled up to the doorway, holding his robe shut with one hand and a bat in the other, only to gape as he noticed the crying woman and child, dropping his bat as a smile grew on his face. "Nicky, is that- Holy shit, Vlad, Nicky's back! He's alive!"
"Da? You're not lying to me, little Nicky has returned?" An older, grizzled man with a limp, wearing a sweatsuit, moved forward as fast as he could, laying his rifle against the wall and brushing past the younger man to look at the boy, before whooping and grabbing the younger man, spinning in joy. "Oh happy day! Wonderful, Boris, go let everybody know that the boy is alive, I will go start the preparations for the celebration!" And with that, the older man Vlad hobbled off as fast as he could, singing loudly and happily in Russian.
Boris, the younger man, looked over at the two who were absolutely not about to be done any time soon, before turning to Snake and holding out his hand. As soon as he went to give him a handshake though, Snake was pulled into a tight hug by a nearly naked man that smelled of Vodka.
"Thank you so much, sir," Boris said as he squeezed him tightly and slapped Snake on the back, much to the soldiers great discomfort. "Please, be welcome in our home. I, uh, need to go get changed." He said, releasing Snake and bending down to pick up his baseball bat, gesturing to the apartment before he rushed off into another room, once more leaving Snake alone with a crying mother and son.
Smoked
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
Snake watched as everybody celebrated the little boy's safe return, Nicky's words about his 'contacts' echoing through his memory as he examined the nearly two dozen somewhat homeless looking gladiators, impressed that the boy was telling the truth all those months ago. Snake wasn't exactly surprised, considering the boy's criminal nature, but it was never more apparent than when he had to stop people from giving Nicky cigarettes.
"These will kill you," Snake said matter-of-factly, looking sternly at Nicky as he crushed the tobacco stick under his boot, the groaning body of a gladiator looking approvingly up at Snake as he held his ribs while everybody else laughed and cheered. The boy pouted at the soldier, growling cutely as he stomped his foot in indignation. Well too bad, Snake thought smugly, no underage smoking while he was around.
"You motherfucker, Keith!" Katya, wearing a tank top and overalls, yelled as she stomped over to the downed man and began using a broom to beat him with the fury of a woman scorned. Snake quietly smirked at the scene before him, lasting a good twenty seconds before she just started pushing him out of the middle of the floor with the cleaning implement. The entirety of the group, hardened warriors all, were laughing hysterically at the man's misfortune. "The next time you offer that boy a cigarette again you won't get off so easily!"
"I didn't think you could get more crazy, Katya. It usually takes half a bottle of Vodka before you break out the weapons!" The older man, Vlad, chortled cheerily as Katya turned to glare at him, taking a drink from a flask as she ground her teeth.
"You fuckers are all bad influences, and you better keep an eye open while you sleep!" She said angrily at the mirthful gladiators, apparently so used to her threats that all it did was make them break into more chuckles.
"Yeah, you fuckers, you're a bad influence!" Nicky called out in defense of the woman that he saw as a mother, unintentionally undermining Katya's point, much to her embarrassment and everybody's amusement.
Snake simply cuffed the boy on the back of the head and pointed at the ground, glaring at him until the boy begrudgingly started doing push ups. Nicky knew the drill, every time he swore in front of Snake, the man made him stop what he was doing and give ten pushups for every curse Snake caught him uttering. He'd teach this boy manners if it was the last thing he did.
"Holy shit, the new guy actually got Nicky to listen? Katya, you better marry him fast, before I do!" One of the men called out, much to the lady's increasing chagrin as she held back the obvious string of profanity she wanted to unleash on the man.
"Uh, sorry, but I don't date tomboy," Snake joked, unaware of the trigger he had just pressed. A chorus of "Oooooooooo"s echoed through the room as the woman snapped the broomstick in half with her incredibly muscled arms as she wheeled around on the solder with fire in her eyes.
"What did you just call me? I'm the model of femininity! I'll bury you, asshole!" She raged as Boris surged out of the crowd to grab her by the shoulders, holding her back from lunging at Snake. "Let me at him, I'll whoop his ass!"
'Talk about a bad influence,' Snake thought as he watched Katya pull against the man, Nicky sitting there on the floor with a shit eating grin on his face.
"Don't do it, Katya, he'll smoke you!" The damn troublemaker said with the most innocent tone of voice, belied by the mischievous look in his eyes. "There's no way you could beat the Old Man."
The boy played her like a damn fiddle as she wrenched away from Boris and began emptying her pockets and taking off her earrings.
"Let's go, pretty boy. Your fancy little eyepatch won't keep you from an ass kicking!" She seethed as the group surrounded them, chanting 'fight' as they were encircled in an impromptu fighting arena. Billy had warned him that people on Solaris were different, but this wasn't what he had in mind.
"Don't hurt her too bad, Old Man!" Nicky, the little provocateur knew exactly what to say to push her buttons, and she got into a fairly proper boxing stance and rushed across the impromptu ring as Snake raised his arms in a standard muay thai guard just in time to block her first punch with his elbow. Dropping low, he popped her once in the solar plexus faster than she could react, and then stepped forward and pulled her into a hip throw. She hit the ground before she could even react, gasping for breath as she rolled around on the floor, wheezing. All total, the 'fight' lasted all of six seconds, and there was a short pause where everybody sat stunned before the crowd of gladiators cheered like crazy.
"Little Nicky warned you, Katya!" Vlad laughed, having pulled a bottle of Vodka from somewhere and started pouring shots. "You did indeed, 'Get smoked'!"
The woman muttered, red faced and embarrassed as Boris and Snake helped the woman back onto her feet.
"You've got some moves, I'll give you that. I could still take you in the Are-!" At that, she cut herself off and had to hold back tears, the mood seeming to grow far less cheerful and more tense, as more than one of the mechwarriors clenched their fists and seethed with anger. "Nevermind, just forget it."
"Wait, what? You can't just leave it like that, you're the best mechwarrior I know!" Nicky said, confused as to why everybody seemed to be acting this way.
"Ah, Nicky, it's… kind of a long story, things have changed since you left, in a bad way," Boris said, softly ruffling the little boy's hair.
"What do you mean? What happened?" Nicky asked desperately, pulling away from the man and holding onto Katya's leg as he begged for answers.
"My Firestarter, they-" she sobbed as tears slid down her cheeks, bending down to give the little boy a tight hug. "They scrapped her! Because I wouldn't go on a date with the Valentino boss's son!"
"These will kill you," Snake said matter-of-factly, looking sternly at Nicky as he crushed the tobacco stick under his boot, the groaning body of a gladiator looking approvingly up at Snake as he held his ribs while everybody else laughed and cheered. The boy pouted at the soldier, growling cutely as he stomped his foot in indignation. Well too bad, Snake thought smugly, no underage smoking while he was around.
"You motherfucker, Keith!" Katya, wearing a tank top and overalls, yelled as she stomped over to the downed man and began using a broom to beat him with the fury of a woman scorned. Snake quietly smirked at the scene before him, lasting a good twenty seconds before she just started pushing him out of the middle of the floor with the cleaning implement. The entirety of the group, hardened warriors all, were laughing hysterically at the man's misfortune. "The next time you offer that boy a cigarette again you won't get off so easily!"
"I didn't think you could get more crazy, Katya. It usually takes half a bottle of Vodka before you break out the weapons!" The older man, Vlad, chortled cheerily as Katya turned to glare at him, taking a drink from a flask as she ground her teeth.
"You fuckers are all bad influences, and you better keep an eye open while you sleep!" She said angrily at the mirthful gladiators, apparently so used to her threats that all it did was make them break into more chuckles.
"Yeah, you fuckers, you're a bad influence!" Nicky called out in defense of the woman that he saw as a mother, unintentionally undermining Katya's point, much to her embarrassment and everybody's amusement.
Snake simply cuffed the boy on the back of the head and pointed at the ground, glaring at him until the boy begrudgingly started doing push ups. Nicky knew the drill, every time he swore in front of Snake, the man made him stop what he was doing and give ten pushups for every curse Snake caught him uttering. He'd teach this boy manners if it was the last thing he did.
"Holy shit, the new guy actually got Nicky to listen? Katya, you better marry him fast, before I do!" One of the men called out, much to the lady's increasing chagrin as she held back the obvious string of profanity she wanted to unleash on the man.
"Uh, sorry, but I don't date tomboy," Snake joked, unaware of the trigger he had just pressed. A chorus of "Oooooooooo"s echoed through the room as the woman snapped the broomstick in half with her incredibly muscled arms as she wheeled around on the solder with fire in her eyes.
"What did you just call me? I'm the model of femininity! I'll bury you, asshole!" She raged as Boris surged out of the crowd to grab her by the shoulders, holding her back from lunging at Snake. "Let me at him, I'll whoop his ass!"
'Talk about a bad influence,' Snake thought as he watched Katya pull against the man, Nicky sitting there on the floor with a shit eating grin on his face.
"Don't do it, Katya, he'll smoke you!" The damn troublemaker said with the most innocent tone of voice, belied by the mischievous look in his eyes. "There's no way you could beat the Old Man."
The boy played her like a damn fiddle as she wrenched away from Boris and began emptying her pockets and taking off her earrings.
"Let's go, pretty boy. Your fancy little eyepatch won't keep you from an ass kicking!" She seethed as the group surrounded them, chanting 'fight' as they were encircled in an impromptu fighting arena. Billy had warned him that people on Solaris were different, but this wasn't what he had in mind.
"Don't hurt her too bad, Old Man!" Nicky, the little provocateur knew exactly what to say to push her buttons, and she got into a fairly proper boxing stance and rushed across the impromptu ring as Snake raised his arms in a standard muay thai guard just in time to block her first punch with his elbow. Dropping low, he popped her once in the solar plexus faster than she could react, and then stepped forward and pulled her into a hip throw. She hit the ground before she could even react, gasping for breath as she rolled around on the floor, wheezing. All total, the 'fight' lasted all of six seconds, and there was a short pause where everybody sat stunned before the crowd of gladiators cheered like crazy.
"Little Nicky warned you, Katya!" Vlad laughed, having pulled a bottle of Vodka from somewhere and started pouring shots. "You did indeed, 'Get smoked'!"
The woman muttered, red faced and embarrassed as Boris and Snake helped the woman back onto her feet.
"You've got some moves, I'll give you that. I could still take you in the Are-!" At that, she cut herself off and had to hold back tears, the mood seeming to grow far less cheerful and more tense, as more than one of the mechwarriors clenched their fists and seethed with anger. "Nevermind, just forget it."
"Wait, what? You can't just leave it like that, you're the best mechwarrior I know!" Nicky said, confused as to why everybody seemed to be acting this way.
"Ah, Nicky, it's… kind of a long story, things have changed since you left, in a bad way," Boris said, softly ruffling the little boy's hair.
"What do you mean? What happened?" Nicky asked desperately, pulling away from the man and holding onto Katya's leg as he begged for answers.
"My Firestarter, they-" she sobbed as tears slid down her cheeks, bending down to give the little boy a tight hug. "They scrapped her! Because I wouldn't go on a date with the Valentino boss's son!"
Well, someone is begging to get 'Smoked'.
Also I really like the Nicky family being so lively, it really fits with his character.
Also if Snake wants I can guarantee that he could make a bank on bets if he decided to fight in rings.
Its Solaris, you can win tons of money and hardvare if you win fights.
Plus it would giv him excuse to beat and then rob blond the shady gangs and mafia when they invevetebly would try to force him to lose or try to stiff him on the bets revards.
Also I really like the Nicky family being so lively, it really fits with his character.
Also if Snake wants I can guarantee that he could make a bank on bets if he decided to fight in rings.
Its Solaris, you can win tons of money and hardvare if you win fights.
Plus it would giv him excuse to beat and then rob blond the shady gangs and mafia when they invevetebly would try to force him to lose or try to stiff him on the bets revards.
Last edited:
TheOmnimercurial
Dragon Bard
- Location
- UK
I love the idea of Snake robbing the Crooks of even their hair pigmentation!
^_^
I was thinking about correcting it, but its more fun this way😆.
TheOmnimercurial
Dragon Bard
- Location
- UK
Especially with how important Hair is in the Future of the 80's! ^_^
Chopshop
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
"The Valentinos?" Snake repeated, eyes narrowed at the implications of what he heard.
"They're a gang in the downtown area, some old Mafia type operation, and they've been clawing for more power every day," Boris said, eyes downcast as he explained the situation to Snake. "When my sister caught a winning streak and started gaining popularity, she caught the attention of Antoni Valentino, the son of Marco Valentino. He's been trying to force her to go out with him, petty shit at first, but then they started targeting some of us. They forced Drake over there to sell his Locust to pay a huge fine, and they sabotaged Rick's Griffin before an exhibition match and cost him his sponsors."
"And last month, he challenged me in the arena," Katya spat, distraught at the memory. Hugging Nicky tightly, she reached over the table they were sitting at and grabbed a towel to wipe her face. "I should have known that he had an ace up his sleeve. I don't know how, but the bastard somehow got ahold of a Jenner, and had it modded with a supercharger and extra SRMs."
"It was a slaughter," Vlad said, solemnly. "From the start, Katya hit him maybe twice before he blew her arms off, and it was all downhill from there. He knocked her down and stomped her mech into scrap, even after she ejected. He paid a fine, of course, but it wasn't even a fraction of the price of a new battlemech."
"We have our savings, and everybody has been chipping in to try and help out, but he's started escalating again. Our bookies started blacklisting us, so we can't do any betting, and they began vandalizing our property," Boris slammed his fist on the table and gritted his teeth. "It's not fair, damnit! We were doing great, and that cocksucker had to ruin it because my sister wouldn't put out for him."
"He's an arrogant jackass!" Vlad spat as he interjected, taking another drink from his flask. "They act like just because they have money they can do whatever they want, and it's working! He had the gall to even try and buy my niece for the night, like a common hooker!"
Nicky cried pitifully as he embraced the woman, nose running and smearing snot across Katya's shirt. He looked up at Snake with his puffy, red eyes, and the soldier couldn't help but sigh as he was reminded that despite Nicky's actions and attitude, he was still a little boy.
"We can help them, right Old Man?" Nicky asked, lip quivering with emotion. Snake wasn't exactly the best role model, but he always had a soft spot for kids and the misfortunate.
"Yeah, buddy, we can help them. But first," Snake paused as he looked around the table, the mechwarriors being split between hope and cynicism, before he continued. "I'm gonna need a good mechanic."
-----
Snake stood outside the entrance to a garage that looked like it hadn't seen a proper cleaning in a hundred years. The windows were boarded up, and although the sign on the door said 'Open', the place was as silent as a grave. Snake slowly walked forward, pushing open the door as a little bell rang to indicate his presence.
"I'm on my way, just a minute!" He heard a woman call from the back, the sounds of metal crashing and cursing clearly spreading through the empty building. After a few moments, Snake saw a large, quite buff hispanic woman come around the corner, rubbing the top of her head. "Howdy, niceta meet ya, how can I help you today?"
Snake cleared his throat awkwardly, looking around at the dusty shop before speaking up.
"This is Sal's Salvage and Repair, right?" Snake asked, somewhat wondering if he had the right place. "My name is Snake. Some… friends of mine, Boris and Katya recommended this place to me."
The woman's face brightened as she nodded furiously, taking Snake's hand and shaking it vigorously.
"Oh my God, I'm Sally, Kat sent you!? How is she doing? I haven't seen her since that arena match…" she trailed off nervously, before releasing her grip and chuckling uncomfortably before waving it off. "Anyway, yeah, this is Sal's. My grandad ran the shop for a long time, but he retired and moved to Canopus two months ago and left the place to me. I haven't had many customers yet, but I'm one of the best mechtechs on Solaris!" She proclaimed proudly, jabbing a thumb to her chest.
"If I wanted my mech to go faster, how would I do that?" Snake asked, interested in her capabilities. He was already interested in poaching her for Philanthropy, as he thought Otacon could use a trained robot technician.
Sally hardly had to think about her response before she spoke up.
"Only real way is to hook a supercharger up to the fusion engine, and as long as you're not retarded about using it, the risk is usually minimal." She said bluntly, before pausing a moment. "Technically, I think the Star League came up with a few other methods, but nobody knows how to make MASC upgrades anymore, so that's something you might only see once in a lifetime.
"MASC?" Snake muttered to himself, before shaking his head and pushing on. "How much would you charge to install a supercharger?" He asked, interested in any upgrades he could get for his machines. More speed was always good for a war machine, Snake mused.
"It all depends on how much of a bitch it is to cut out the armor and get to the engine electronics," she replied immediately. "Can't give you an estimate, because every mech is different, but if you can tell me more about your ride, I could probably give you a guess."
Snake nodded before he pulled out his iDroid, flicking on the holographic projector and pulling up the schematics for the Hussar HSR-200Db. "This is what I want you to take a look at. It's fast, but I want it to go faster."
Looking back up from his iDroid, Snake sighed in relief as the woman didn't seem to be terribly shocked, just incredibly focused on the image in front of her.
"Buddy, I think you're gonna be my new best friend," She said, looking away from the hologram into Snake's eyes.
For some reason, looking into the eyes of a girl who wasn't even half his age, Snake felt fear.
"They're a gang in the downtown area, some old Mafia type operation, and they've been clawing for more power every day," Boris said, eyes downcast as he explained the situation to Snake. "When my sister caught a winning streak and started gaining popularity, she caught the attention of Antoni Valentino, the son of Marco Valentino. He's been trying to force her to go out with him, petty shit at first, but then they started targeting some of us. They forced Drake over there to sell his Locust to pay a huge fine, and they sabotaged Rick's Griffin before an exhibition match and cost him his sponsors."
"And last month, he challenged me in the arena," Katya spat, distraught at the memory. Hugging Nicky tightly, she reached over the table they were sitting at and grabbed a towel to wipe her face. "I should have known that he had an ace up his sleeve. I don't know how, but the bastard somehow got ahold of a Jenner, and had it modded with a supercharger and extra SRMs."
"It was a slaughter," Vlad said, solemnly. "From the start, Katya hit him maybe twice before he blew her arms off, and it was all downhill from there. He knocked her down and stomped her mech into scrap, even after she ejected. He paid a fine, of course, but it wasn't even a fraction of the price of a new battlemech."
"We have our savings, and everybody has been chipping in to try and help out, but he's started escalating again. Our bookies started blacklisting us, so we can't do any betting, and they began vandalizing our property," Boris slammed his fist on the table and gritted his teeth. "It's not fair, damnit! We were doing great, and that cocksucker had to ruin it because my sister wouldn't put out for him."
"He's an arrogant jackass!" Vlad spat as he interjected, taking another drink from his flask. "They act like just because they have money they can do whatever they want, and it's working! He had the gall to even try and buy my niece for the night, like a common hooker!"
Nicky cried pitifully as he embraced the woman, nose running and smearing snot across Katya's shirt. He looked up at Snake with his puffy, red eyes, and the soldier couldn't help but sigh as he was reminded that despite Nicky's actions and attitude, he was still a little boy.
"We can help them, right Old Man?" Nicky asked, lip quivering with emotion. Snake wasn't exactly the best role model, but he always had a soft spot for kids and the misfortunate.
"Yeah, buddy, we can help them. But first," Snake paused as he looked around the table, the mechwarriors being split between hope and cynicism, before he continued. "I'm gonna need a good mechanic."
-----
Snake stood outside the entrance to a garage that looked like it hadn't seen a proper cleaning in a hundred years. The windows were boarded up, and although the sign on the door said 'Open', the place was as silent as a grave. Snake slowly walked forward, pushing open the door as a little bell rang to indicate his presence.
"I'm on my way, just a minute!" He heard a woman call from the back, the sounds of metal crashing and cursing clearly spreading through the empty building. After a few moments, Snake saw a large, quite buff hispanic woman come around the corner, rubbing the top of her head. "Howdy, niceta meet ya, how can I help you today?"
Snake cleared his throat awkwardly, looking around at the dusty shop before speaking up.
"This is Sal's Salvage and Repair, right?" Snake asked, somewhat wondering if he had the right place. "My name is Snake. Some… friends of mine, Boris and Katya recommended this place to me."
The woman's face brightened as she nodded furiously, taking Snake's hand and shaking it vigorously.
"Oh my God, I'm Sally, Kat sent you!? How is she doing? I haven't seen her since that arena match…" she trailed off nervously, before releasing her grip and chuckling uncomfortably before waving it off. "Anyway, yeah, this is Sal's. My grandad ran the shop for a long time, but he retired and moved to Canopus two months ago and left the place to me. I haven't had many customers yet, but I'm one of the best mechtechs on Solaris!" She proclaimed proudly, jabbing a thumb to her chest.
"If I wanted my mech to go faster, how would I do that?" Snake asked, interested in her capabilities. He was already interested in poaching her for Philanthropy, as he thought Otacon could use a trained robot technician.
Sally hardly had to think about her response before she spoke up.
"Only real way is to hook a supercharger up to the fusion engine, and as long as you're not retarded about using it, the risk is usually minimal." She said bluntly, before pausing a moment. "Technically, I think the Star League came up with a few other methods, but nobody knows how to make MASC upgrades anymore, so that's something you might only see once in a lifetime.
"MASC?" Snake muttered to himself, before shaking his head and pushing on. "How much would you charge to install a supercharger?" He asked, interested in any upgrades he could get for his machines. More speed was always good for a war machine, Snake mused.
"It all depends on how much of a bitch it is to cut out the armor and get to the engine electronics," she replied immediately. "Can't give you an estimate, because every mech is different, but if you can tell me more about your ride, I could probably give you a guess."
Snake nodded before he pulled out his iDroid, flicking on the holographic projector and pulling up the schematics for the Hussar HSR-200Db. "This is what I want you to take a look at. It's fast, but I want it to go faster."
Looking back up from his iDroid, Snake sighed in relief as the woman didn't seem to be terribly shocked, just incredibly focused on the image in front of her.
"Buddy, I think you're gonna be my new best friend," She said, looking away from the hologram into Snake's eyes.
For some reason, looking into the eyes of a girl who wasn't even half his age, Snake felt fear.
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
A Royal Hussar with a Supercharger plus Snake as a pilot.
Prepare to get kicked to death, fucko.
A Royal Hussar with a Supercharger plus Snake as a pilot.
Prepare to get kicked to death, fucko.
I forsee much bruised and shattered egos and bodies in near future.
Couldn't happend to more deserving people.
Upgrade
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
Snake had told Sally the address of the spaceport his ship was docked in, and while she rushed into the back to "slip into her work dress", Snake had opted to wait in the truck that he had bought from Billy's brother, Richard, after he had moved onto the ship. He liked having a normal, ordinary truck that made him nostalgic for Earth, and driving around in military vehicles was the opposite of subtle. The bullet holes in the tailgate and body of the truck just gave it more character, Snake thought, and Richard seemed to think it was a pretty good deal. The radio even had a port that fit one of his iDroid attachments, so he had started fiddling with the thing right before Snake heard loud, clanging footsteps coming from the inside of the shop.
As the door opened and Sally stomped outside, Snake looked at the mechtech with surprise as she revealed the bulky, noisy, and quite large exoskeleton she was wearing. It reminded him of the powered armor that some PMCs used to wear, and he was extremely glad he brought the truck. Rolling the window down, Snake watched as the woman slowly ambled towards his vehicle, holding a large wooden crate and wearing some type of large satchel with wires leading into the exoskeleton, probably the power source.
"Sorry, had to get my work dress," Sally said, lifting up a polarized welding face shield. "My gramps gave it to me when he retired to Canopus. This thing has been in our family since before the Succession Wars." She patted the chestpiece affectionately, smiling widely.
"Well it certainly looks like it," Snake snarked as he pointed a thumb at the bed of the truck. "You're definitely not fitting in the cab, so just hop in the back."
"You betcha," she agreed, walking around to the back and slowly climbing into the bed of the truck while the vehicle groaned under the weight. The frame of the truck creaked worryingly as she laid down, but she clamped her armored gauntlets into the truck and called out to Snake. "I'm good, let's go!"
Snake sighed at the new, hand shaped indents on the sides of his truck, and turned the ignition before driving away. He hoped she did good work, at least.
-----
Snake watched as the mechanic shouted at the mechwarriors she had shanghai'd into helping her. It looked like it was going to take more than four hours; one to go over the engine schematics and determine the proper placement of the device, and three to actually cut out a section of armor in the rear left torso and install the supercharger. After she stopped staring at him with predatory interest over the engine blueprints, she explained that the device acted much like the ancient ICE supercharger still in use on the drag circuits, disabling the engine limiters to allow it to move at a vastly increased speed.
"Look, I'll warn you right now, this engine is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I've only ever read about extra light fusion engines, but I feel confident that I can do it." Sally told Snake over the holographic display, gazing at the mech with a strange look in her eyes, before taking a deep breath and turning back to the man. "The problem, and I cannot stress this enough, is that disabling the limits on your engine can do horrible, awful things to it. Before I go ahead, do you really want to go through with this?"
"Absolutely," Snake nodded, watching the woman cringe before she nodded with a grimace. "Gotta go fast, you know? If he can't hit me, then he can't win."
"He? Who…?" Sally trailed off before she gasped dramatically. Her eyes grew wide and she leaned back and pointed at him in an almost accusatory manner. "If Katya sent you, then- don't tell me you're gonna fight Antoni Valentino!?"
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Snake said with humor in his voice, crossing his arms. This wasn't the first criminal enterprise he's had to take down, and they don't even have a nuke this time. Clearing his throat, he spoke up once again. "More seriously, you're not exactly a part of my team, so I-"
"Pleaseletmejoin!" Sally shouted so fast as she cut him off, both hands clasped as if pleading. "I swear, I'm the best damn mechanic on the planet but nobody in this shithole even visits the shop now that my gramps left! And if you're going after the Valentinos, then please let me in on it!"
Well, Snake hadn't actually anticipated that she'd basically beg to join him, he kind of thought that he'd have to try harder to find a decent technician, but he could tell she wasn't a spy, so he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"As long as you're willing to work to help better your fellow man, then feel free. Welcome to Philanthropy." Snake nodded as he held out a hand for a handshake, remembering belatedly what her hands did to the truck. Thankfully, Sally had more control than that, so after a painless, if firm, handshake, she began pumping her arms in celebration, punching the air.
"Fuck yeah! As long as you let me work on these beauties, I'll do whatever you want, Boss!" She met Snake's eyes as she tore her gaze away from the holographic diagram and licked her lips. "And I do mean, anything."
"Hrrmm, well you might regret saying that," Snake said, purposely tiptoeing around the blatant minefield placed before him. "After all, I'm probably going to run you into the ground, then push you even harder."
"Don't make a promise you can't keep, Boss," Sally giggled and winked at him, before turning and shouting at the mechwarriors. "Alright, everybody, we need to get this thing hoisted up! Jake, you get the crane, Taylor, go grab the boom lift! Double time, people!"
As the door opened and Sally stomped outside, Snake looked at the mechtech with surprise as she revealed the bulky, noisy, and quite large exoskeleton she was wearing. It reminded him of the powered armor that some PMCs used to wear, and he was extremely glad he brought the truck. Rolling the window down, Snake watched as the woman slowly ambled towards his vehicle, holding a large wooden crate and wearing some type of large satchel with wires leading into the exoskeleton, probably the power source.
"Sorry, had to get my work dress," Sally said, lifting up a polarized welding face shield. "My gramps gave it to me when he retired to Canopus. This thing has been in our family since before the Succession Wars." She patted the chestpiece affectionately, smiling widely.
"Well it certainly looks like it," Snake snarked as he pointed a thumb at the bed of the truck. "You're definitely not fitting in the cab, so just hop in the back."
"You betcha," she agreed, walking around to the back and slowly climbing into the bed of the truck while the vehicle groaned under the weight. The frame of the truck creaked worryingly as she laid down, but she clamped her armored gauntlets into the truck and called out to Snake. "I'm good, let's go!"
Snake sighed at the new, hand shaped indents on the sides of his truck, and turned the ignition before driving away. He hoped she did good work, at least.
-----
Snake watched as the mechanic shouted at the mechwarriors she had shanghai'd into helping her. It looked like it was going to take more than four hours; one to go over the engine schematics and determine the proper placement of the device, and three to actually cut out a section of armor in the rear left torso and install the supercharger. After she stopped staring at him with predatory interest over the engine blueprints, she explained that the device acted much like the ancient ICE supercharger still in use on the drag circuits, disabling the engine limiters to allow it to move at a vastly increased speed.
"Look, I'll warn you right now, this engine is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I've only ever read about extra light fusion engines, but I feel confident that I can do it." Sally told Snake over the holographic display, gazing at the mech with a strange look in her eyes, before taking a deep breath and turning back to the man. "The problem, and I cannot stress this enough, is that disabling the limits on your engine can do horrible, awful things to it. Before I go ahead, do you really want to go through with this?"
"Absolutely," Snake nodded, watching the woman cringe before she nodded with a grimace. "Gotta go fast, you know? If he can't hit me, then he can't win."
"He? Who…?" Sally trailed off before she gasped dramatically. Her eyes grew wide and she leaned back and pointed at him in an almost accusatory manner. "If Katya sent you, then- don't tell me you're gonna fight Antoni Valentino!?"
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Snake said with humor in his voice, crossing his arms. This wasn't the first criminal enterprise he's had to take down, and they don't even have a nuke this time. Clearing his throat, he spoke up once again. "More seriously, you're not exactly a part of my team, so I-"
"Pleaseletmejoin!" Sally shouted so fast as she cut him off, both hands clasped as if pleading. "I swear, I'm the best damn mechanic on the planet but nobody in this shithole even visits the shop now that my gramps left! And if you're going after the Valentinos, then please let me in on it!"
Well, Snake hadn't actually anticipated that she'd basically beg to join him, he kind of thought that he'd have to try harder to find a decent technician, but he could tell she wasn't a spy, so he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"As long as you're willing to work to help better your fellow man, then feel free. Welcome to Philanthropy." Snake nodded as he held out a hand for a handshake, remembering belatedly what her hands did to the truck. Thankfully, Sally had more control than that, so after a painless, if firm, handshake, she began pumping her arms in celebration, punching the air.
"Fuck yeah! As long as you let me work on these beauties, I'll do whatever you want, Boss!" She met Snake's eyes as she tore her gaze away from the holographic diagram and licked her lips. "And I do mean, anything."
"Hrrmm, well you might regret saying that," Snake said, purposely tiptoeing around the blatant minefield placed before him. "After all, I'm probably going to run you into the ground, then push you even harder."
"Don't make a promise you can't keep, Boss," Sally giggled and winked at him, before turning and shouting at the mechwarriors. "Alright, everybody, we need to get this thing hoisted up! Jake, you get the crane, Taylor, go grab the boom lift! Double time, people!"
Test Drive
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
After Sally had completed the installation and gotten paid, Snake showed her to her new quarters and went to his cabin to change into his cooling suit. It wasn't exactly stealthy, but he appreciated the fact that it was incredibly comfortable. He grabbed the helmet off his desk, looking into the mirrored visor as he remembered when Hal gave it to him all those months ago. Not for the first time, Snake felt a longing for his best friend, and he made a promise that he'd pick up something special to make it up to Hal.
Shaking off his melancholy, he made his way to the mech bay, where the war machine stood proudly, painted in the black and white of Philanthropy, with their icon proudly painted on the side.
'Damn, she did good work,' Snake thought, looking at the newly modified Hussar in the light. The new addition was hardly noticeable, though Snake didn't work with mechs very often and still hadn't reached the point where he memorized all the makes and models.
Despite that, he couldn't help but feel a little giddy as he climbed up a little hatch into the war machine. The cockpit interior looked quite nice, very much like a helicopter cockpit, he thought. At some point, somebody thought they were funny and hung one of those 'new car' air fresheners above the front control panel, which Snake actually kind of appreciated. 'The more things change,' he thought, 'the more things stay the same.'
The man sat down in the pilot's chair, plugging the cooling suit into the port on a side panel of the seat. He slipped on the neurohelmet, adjusting some of the features like the seat before he hit the startup sequence. Lights flickered on and text began scrolling down the visor of his helmet as he began running diagnostic checks, the digital voice of the computer announcing in his ear.
Reactor: Online
Sensors: Online
Weapons: Online
All Systems Nominal
Snake tightened his grip on the twin joysticks, pushing the displays in his HUD out of the center of his vision with a thought. The helmet was functioning more than properly, feeding the sensor data into his head. With a thought, he flipped through all the diagnostic results before detaching from the berth, stomping forward. The balance on the machine was strange, but his training with Billy and his prior experience piloting helicopters and REX had ensured that he was more than comfortable guiding the large machine towards the exit ramp. In fact, Snake was still more than impressed at how much easier it was to pilot with the neurohelmet. Of course, it couldn't compare to REX in literally any category except speed, but that was kind of the point, looking at the design documentation. The machine had two arms, two legs, moved fast, and had a big gun; it wasn't exactly rocket science.
Stepping out of the dropship into the sunlight, Snake was greeted by cheering. His crew, Nicky's large, extended family, and Sally all stood there, applauding at the appearance of the sight of a pristine SLDF Royal Hussar, proudly displaying the symbol of his, no, their organization. The mechwarriors in Nicky's group were going crazy, pointing at him and shaking each other with huge smiles and wide eyes.
"Looking great, Boss!" Billy said over the radio, waving at him. "We have the runway reserved for a while, so why don't you take her for a quick spin before you really cut loose? Give us all a show, yeah?"
Snake grinned as he adjusted his grip and the machine changed its stance, responding to his thoughts.
"My pleasure," Snake said, stomping forward slowly at first, walking past the crowd of people before he began to really pick up speed. Thirty, sixty, ninety, he quickly picked up speed and was cruising along at over a hundred kilometers an hour, practically dancing down the runway with surprising grace. Considering that it was little more than an engine with legs, it was a good sign that it could walk, but he wanted it to run.
"You wanted me to show off? Watch this," Snake said before he took a deep breath, focusing himself on the maneuver he was about to try, and if he messed up he was going for a tumble.
The Hussar crouched its legs and turned its body on an angle, skidding along the ground as if it were drifting before pivoting on one leg and blasting back down the runway. This time he really opened the throttle, letting the machine accelerate to its full running speed of over a hundred fifty kilometers an hour.
Well, it's former full speed, Snake thought, glancing at the icon that floated at the corner of his vision. The supercharger, or more accurately, limit disabler, had been installed perfectly. With all systems in the green, Snake mentally triggered the command, and immediately the Hussar picked up speed, pushing all the way past two hundred kilometers an hour as he blew past the cheering group of people. Sure, it wasn't the fastest thing Snake had ever driven, but it was the fastest thing on two legs.
With the limiters disabled, the heat was quickly starting to rise. It wasn't uncomfortable in the cockpit, yet, but his neurohelmet was starting to send him alerts, so he disabled the supercharger and slowly brought it back down to its normal speed. Taking a wider turn this time, instead of pivoting at a hundred kilometers an hour, Snake piloted the machine back to the ship as his heartbeat started to slow back down.
Reaching the Dropship, Snake crouched the mech and put it on standby, wiping a bead of sweat off his nose as he unplugged his suit and climbed out of the cockpit.
"What the hell was that?!?" Snake was greeted by an angry technician, Sally looking very annoyed with him. "The ankle actuators on this thing aren't designed to drift like a sports car! Fucking mech jocks, I swear…" she trailed off as she pushed past him to look at the potentially damaged legs.
"Old Man that was sick! You ever thought about trying the race circuits?" Nicky asked with bright, gleaming eyes as he rushed over to Snake and grabbed his leg.
Rustling the boy's hair, Snake smiled before he answered, glancing up at Katya.
"Sure, but maybe after I do a little… house cleaning, you could call it."
The watery smile on Nicky's face brightened up an already sunny day.
Shaking off his melancholy, he made his way to the mech bay, where the war machine stood proudly, painted in the black and white of Philanthropy, with their icon proudly painted on the side.
'Damn, she did good work,' Snake thought, looking at the newly modified Hussar in the light. The new addition was hardly noticeable, though Snake didn't work with mechs very often and still hadn't reached the point where he memorized all the makes and models.
Despite that, he couldn't help but feel a little giddy as he climbed up a little hatch into the war machine. The cockpit interior looked quite nice, very much like a helicopter cockpit, he thought. At some point, somebody thought they were funny and hung one of those 'new car' air fresheners above the front control panel, which Snake actually kind of appreciated. 'The more things change,' he thought, 'the more things stay the same.'
The man sat down in the pilot's chair, plugging the cooling suit into the port on a side panel of the seat. He slipped on the neurohelmet, adjusting some of the features like the seat before he hit the startup sequence. Lights flickered on and text began scrolling down the visor of his helmet as he began running diagnostic checks, the digital voice of the computer announcing in his ear.
Reactor: Online
Sensors: Online
Weapons: Online
All Systems Nominal
Snake tightened his grip on the twin joysticks, pushing the displays in his HUD out of the center of his vision with a thought. The helmet was functioning more than properly, feeding the sensor data into his head. With a thought, he flipped through all the diagnostic results before detaching from the berth, stomping forward. The balance on the machine was strange, but his training with Billy and his prior experience piloting helicopters and REX had ensured that he was more than comfortable guiding the large machine towards the exit ramp. In fact, Snake was still more than impressed at how much easier it was to pilot with the neurohelmet. Of course, it couldn't compare to REX in literally any category except speed, but that was kind of the point, looking at the design documentation. The machine had two arms, two legs, moved fast, and had a big gun; it wasn't exactly rocket science.
Stepping out of the dropship into the sunlight, Snake was greeted by cheering. His crew, Nicky's large, extended family, and Sally all stood there, applauding at the appearance of the sight of a pristine SLDF Royal Hussar, proudly displaying the symbol of his, no, their organization. The mechwarriors in Nicky's group were going crazy, pointing at him and shaking each other with huge smiles and wide eyes.
"Looking great, Boss!" Billy said over the radio, waving at him. "We have the runway reserved for a while, so why don't you take her for a quick spin before you really cut loose? Give us all a show, yeah?"
Snake grinned as he adjusted his grip and the machine changed its stance, responding to his thoughts.
"My pleasure," Snake said, stomping forward slowly at first, walking past the crowd of people before he began to really pick up speed. Thirty, sixty, ninety, he quickly picked up speed and was cruising along at over a hundred kilometers an hour, practically dancing down the runway with surprising grace. Considering that it was little more than an engine with legs, it was a good sign that it could walk, but he wanted it to run.
"You wanted me to show off? Watch this," Snake said before he took a deep breath, focusing himself on the maneuver he was about to try, and if he messed up he was going for a tumble.
The Hussar crouched its legs and turned its body on an angle, skidding along the ground as if it were drifting before pivoting on one leg and blasting back down the runway. This time he really opened the throttle, letting the machine accelerate to its full running speed of over a hundred fifty kilometers an hour.
Well, it's former full speed, Snake thought, glancing at the icon that floated at the corner of his vision. The supercharger, or more accurately, limit disabler, had been installed perfectly. With all systems in the green, Snake mentally triggered the command, and immediately the Hussar picked up speed, pushing all the way past two hundred kilometers an hour as he blew past the cheering group of people. Sure, it wasn't the fastest thing Snake had ever driven, but it was the fastest thing on two legs.
With the limiters disabled, the heat was quickly starting to rise. It wasn't uncomfortable in the cockpit, yet, but his neurohelmet was starting to send him alerts, so he disabled the supercharger and slowly brought it back down to its normal speed. Taking a wider turn this time, instead of pivoting at a hundred kilometers an hour, Snake piloted the machine back to the ship as his heartbeat started to slow back down.
Reaching the Dropship, Snake crouched the mech and put it on standby, wiping a bead of sweat off his nose as he unplugged his suit and climbed out of the cockpit.
"What the hell was that?!?" Snake was greeted by an angry technician, Sally looking very annoyed with him. "The ankle actuators on this thing aren't designed to drift like a sports car! Fucking mech jocks, I swear…" she trailed off as she pushed past him to look at the potentially damaged legs.
"Old Man that was sick! You ever thought about trying the race circuits?" Nicky asked with bright, gleaming eyes as he rushed over to Snake and grabbed his leg.
Rustling the boy's hair, Snake smiled before he answered, glancing up at Katya.
"Sure, but maybe after I do a little… house cleaning, you could call it."
The watery smile on Nicky's face brightened up an already sunny day.
The Chapter Where The Most Highly Anticipated Character Appears
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
Snake pulled himself over the edge of the fifteen story building, the main base of operations for the Valentinos, and hid behind a lush planter. His mission? Infiltrate the building and extract the target without being seen. He had declined to bring his Nighthawk suit, and instead opted to climb up the side of the building with minimal gear. It was too bulky, too eye-catching for an op like this. The gloom of the night hid him despite the shining neon lights below, the claw-like attachments stowed away as he snuck across the rooftop.
The Valentino family consisted of the don, Marco, his underboss and son, Antoni, and his four most trusted capos. None of them was his primary target, though if he had the opportunity to capture the don he would take it. His true target was the younger son of the don, the seventeen year old Luca Valentino. Considered something of a black sheep because of his disdain for the criminal empire, he was still doted on by his father despite not being allowed to leave the building. He hadn't been seen outside more than twice after a string of drive-by shootings wounded him in retaliation.
Since then, Marco Valentino had crushed the surrounding gangs ruthlessly, but still kept his son in a gilded cage. Snake had heard rumors that the boy had tried to escape multiple times in the last month, and he couldn't think of a more perfect way to send a message.
Standing by the door was a bored gangster, smoking a cigarette while he tapped on some kind of bulky cell phone that reminded Snake of a Nokia. The man's lack of awareness was abhorrent, and Snake sneered as he drew his tranquilizer pistol and fired a dart into the man's neck. He dropped nearly instantly, falling over out of the light illuminating the sole entrance into the building as his phone clattered to the ground. Stalking over and dragging the man back out of sight, Snake searched him, pulling a ring of keys and a gaudy, flashy pistol out of the man's jacket. Scoffing with disgust, Snake racked the slide and disassembled it, leaving it in pieces in a nearby trash can. Creeping over to the door, Snake began checking keys, unlocking it on his third try, and as he slowly pushed the door open, he was greeted by a well lit stairwell heading all the way to the ground floor, devoid of people this far up. He could hear the echoes of footsteps much further down, and breathed deeply in relief.
Snake slipped through the door, closing it gently before descending down the stairs. Luca was supposed to be on the northwest corner of the fourteenth floor, so he proceeded with caution, keeping an eye on the floors below as he crept downward. Reaching the fourteenth floor, he silently checked the door, and upon finding it unlocked, quickly cracked it to peek around for guards.
Though Snake could hear music coming from a couple floors below, this one seemed much more sedate, with only a couple of men walking around in different patrol routes. Waiting for one to pass by the door to the stairwell, Snake popped out like lightning, grabbing the man into a chokehold and pulling him back through the door, away from prying eyes. Holding a knife to the man's throat, Snake quietly began to make demands.
"Talk, where are the others on this floor?" He growled, just barely grazing the man's artery with his blade.
"Oh god… four of us was patrolling the halls, two guys are guarding the kid's door, and two more are with the kid," he whispered, tears beginning to stream from his eyes as he gave up his buddies. "Please don't kill me," he pleaded, timidly.
Snake didn't even respond, tightening his grip as he choked the man out, knocking him unconscious quickly and silently. Using the Solid Eye to analyze the man and see if he had any particularly useful qualities, Snake could only grimace at how truly abysmal he was. With a sigh, he threw the man over his shoulder, opening the door once again and creeping into the hall. After he checked for observers and made his way over to what looked like a utility closet, Snake stuffed the body inside and popped a tranquilizer into his leg before he shut the door, turning around and holding his pistol at the ready.
Quietly moving through the floor, Snake peaked down each hall as he made his way over to the northwest corner, waiting for the patrolling guards to turn around before silently dashing past them. As he went to turn down the final corridor, however, he quickly had to duck back around before he was spotted by an approaching guard and the two standing in front of the door at the end of the hall. Quickly looking for a hiding spot, he checked a nearby door only for it to be locked. Cursing silently, Snake turned and almost frantically began looking for a hiding spot before he found the most beautiful thing he had seen in a long time, just lying folded up on a trashcan. A smile spread across his face as his eyes began to glisten with emotion.
"You're perfect," he breathed, before springing into action.
----
Lorenzo was practically whistling as he walked down the hall, having been given the gravy shift. This floor was the easiest patrol in the building, the only thing he had to do was keep the kid from sneaking out, and keep assholes from getting in. There weren't even residents on this floor, all the rooms had been turned into different entertainment for Luca since he couldn't leave.
Lorenzo felt bad for the kid, he really did, but the Don had the final word, even if Antoni acted too damn smug about his relative freedom. 'Guess that's what happens when you become a mechwarrior,' Lorenzo thought, frustratedly, 'you get full of yourself.'
Turning the corner, he was greeted by the sight of a cardboard box sitting at the door to the kid's weird dress-up room. Groaning at the laziness of some of the other grunts, he walked over to the door and tried to open it up, only to take as he found it locked. Throwing up his hands, he nudged the box with his foot, not particularly wanting to touch his creepy animal suits before he shrugged and walked past it to continue his patrol.
"It's just a box," Lorenzo said, slipping his hands into his pockets right before he felt a sting on the back of his neck and everything went black.
The Valentino family consisted of the don, Marco, his underboss and son, Antoni, and his four most trusted capos. None of them was his primary target, though if he had the opportunity to capture the don he would take it. His true target was the younger son of the don, the seventeen year old Luca Valentino. Considered something of a black sheep because of his disdain for the criminal empire, he was still doted on by his father despite not being allowed to leave the building. He hadn't been seen outside more than twice after a string of drive-by shootings wounded him in retaliation.
Since then, Marco Valentino had crushed the surrounding gangs ruthlessly, but still kept his son in a gilded cage. Snake had heard rumors that the boy had tried to escape multiple times in the last month, and he couldn't think of a more perfect way to send a message.
Standing by the door was a bored gangster, smoking a cigarette while he tapped on some kind of bulky cell phone that reminded Snake of a Nokia. The man's lack of awareness was abhorrent, and Snake sneered as he drew his tranquilizer pistol and fired a dart into the man's neck. He dropped nearly instantly, falling over out of the light illuminating the sole entrance into the building as his phone clattered to the ground. Stalking over and dragging the man back out of sight, Snake searched him, pulling a ring of keys and a gaudy, flashy pistol out of the man's jacket. Scoffing with disgust, Snake racked the slide and disassembled it, leaving it in pieces in a nearby trash can. Creeping over to the door, Snake began checking keys, unlocking it on his third try, and as he slowly pushed the door open, he was greeted by a well lit stairwell heading all the way to the ground floor, devoid of people this far up. He could hear the echoes of footsteps much further down, and breathed deeply in relief.
Snake slipped through the door, closing it gently before descending down the stairs. Luca was supposed to be on the northwest corner of the fourteenth floor, so he proceeded with caution, keeping an eye on the floors below as he crept downward. Reaching the fourteenth floor, he silently checked the door, and upon finding it unlocked, quickly cracked it to peek around for guards.
Though Snake could hear music coming from a couple floors below, this one seemed much more sedate, with only a couple of men walking around in different patrol routes. Waiting for one to pass by the door to the stairwell, Snake popped out like lightning, grabbing the man into a chokehold and pulling him back through the door, away from prying eyes. Holding a knife to the man's throat, Snake quietly began to make demands.
"Talk, where are the others on this floor?" He growled, just barely grazing the man's artery with his blade.
"Oh god… four of us was patrolling the halls, two guys are guarding the kid's door, and two more are with the kid," he whispered, tears beginning to stream from his eyes as he gave up his buddies. "Please don't kill me," he pleaded, timidly.
Snake didn't even respond, tightening his grip as he choked the man out, knocking him unconscious quickly and silently. Using the Solid Eye to analyze the man and see if he had any particularly useful qualities, Snake could only grimace at how truly abysmal he was. With a sigh, he threw the man over his shoulder, opening the door once again and creeping into the hall. After he checked for observers and made his way over to what looked like a utility closet, Snake stuffed the body inside and popped a tranquilizer into his leg before he shut the door, turning around and holding his pistol at the ready.
Quietly moving through the floor, Snake peaked down each hall as he made his way over to the northwest corner, waiting for the patrolling guards to turn around before silently dashing past them. As he went to turn down the final corridor, however, he quickly had to duck back around before he was spotted by an approaching guard and the two standing in front of the door at the end of the hall. Quickly looking for a hiding spot, he checked a nearby door only for it to be locked. Cursing silently, Snake turned and almost frantically began looking for a hiding spot before he found the most beautiful thing he had seen in a long time, just lying folded up on a trashcan. A smile spread across his face as his eyes began to glisten with emotion.
"You're perfect," he breathed, before springing into action.
----
Lorenzo was practically whistling as he walked down the hall, having been given the gravy shift. This floor was the easiest patrol in the building, the only thing he had to do was keep the kid from sneaking out, and keep assholes from getting in. There weren't even residents on this floor, all the rooms had been turned into different entertainment for Luca since he couldn't leave.
Lorenzo felt bad for the kid, he really did, but the Don had the final word, even if Antoni acted too damn smug about his relative freedom. 'Guess that's what happens when you become a mechwarrior,' Lorenzo thought, frustratedly, 'you get full of yourself.'
Turning the corner, he was greeted by the sight of a cardboard box sitting at the door to the kid's weird dress-up room. Groaning at the laziness of some of the other grunts, he walked over to the door and tried to open it up, only to take as he found it locked. Throwing up his hands, he nudged the box with his foot, not particularly wanting to touch his creepy animal suits before he shrugged and walked past it to continue his patrol.
"It's just a box," Lorenzo said, slipping his hands into his pockets right before he felt a sting on the back of his neck and everything went black.
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
The box is never gone, as long as you hold it in your heart
Extraction
orwellianorator
Yoshikage Kira did nothing wrong.
- Location
- Morioh Town
Grabbing the newly unconscious man before he could hit the ground, Snake moved the man towards the wall and hid his body in the large trash can he had pulled the box from. The man would be asleep for more than long enough, and the garbage was as good a place to hide as any. Quickly breaking the cardboard box back down and stuffing it into his pack, he peeked around the corner to examine the two door guards. They were professionals, actually vigilant in their watch, unlike the rest of them. He realized that it was going to take more than a cardboard box to fool these guys. Feeling around in his pockets, he cursed when he didn't have any empty magazines, but he found something almost as good.
"If it's good enough for 47…" Snake muttered, pulling a large one kroner gold coin out of his pocket. Hefting it in his hand, Snake quickly ducked out from around the corner and tossed it in an arc above the guards' lines of sight. The coin flew down the hall, impacting a piece of art that fell off the wall and clattered loudly. Both guards quickly drew their guns, moving to examine the noise. Too bad for them that that was playing right into his hands, Snake thought as he rounded the hall and popped both guards in the back of the head with tranquilizers. They both quickly tumbled to the floor loudly, collapsing in the hallway.
Snake prowled over to the bodies, gun at the ready as he kept an eye on the door. Dragging them behind a pair of decorative plants for at least a little concealment, the soldier had only just finished when the boy's door opened up and he heard someone speak.
"Hello?" Snake heard, whipping out his tranq gun just in time to nail the guy in the face as he stepped into the hallway, drawing a sound of alarm from the remaining guard in the room. Snake quickly rushed to the doorway, coming face to face with the last guard. Grabbing the man's balls, Snake squeezed them to disable him and quickly knocked the incapacitated man unconscious, probably to his relief.
Grabbing both guards, he dragged their bodies into the room before he shot a tranq into the last guy's neck. Wouldn't do to have the guy wake up before he was finished, after all. Tranq pistol at the ready, Snake proceeded further into the apartment, nodding in approval at the boy's taste in artwork. There were lots of buff men along the walls, with various combinations of animal features and in various states of dress. Quickly snapping a picture of one of them on his Solid Eye, Snake proceeded into the living room area, where he was assaulted by something metal to the back of the head.
"Eeep!"
Turning around slowly, Snake glowered at the teenage boy wearing cat ears and fishnets and holding a frying pan of all things. Putting up his pistol, Snake reached over and took the cooking implement from the stunned teen.
"Not a very nice way to greet somebody here to rescue you," Snake growled, the teen's face growing red as he flushed under the soldier's gaze.
"A-ah, sorry, uh, hi, I'm Luca, you can take me wherever you want," he said, absently, avoiding meeting Snake's eye as he shuffled in place. He seemed nervous, though that was understandable considering that Snake was here to kidnap him.
"Good. Sorry about this, just stay quiet," Since the target was willing to be extracted, the soldier wasn't about to waste any more time.
"Wait wha- Ah!" Luca squeaked as Snake lifted him up and threw him over his shoulder, growing very tense as Snake pulled a note out of his pocket and threw it on a nearby table. Rushing to the doorway, Snake peeked out of the apartment before quickly making his way back through the corridors. Passing by the trash can with the one guy's body, Snake dashed across the open hallways as quickly as he could without raising the alarm. Eventually, he got back to the stairwell, slowly pushing the door open to take a peak for any guards. The people down on the lower floors were still just as oblivious to his existence as they were around minutes ago, and he was perfectly willing to keep it that way.
Quickly climbing the stairs, Snake reached the top floor and was climbing up to the roof when he heard the door on the fifteenth floor open and people walk out. He was out of line of sight, but he could hear as footsteps started moving towards his position. Pushing the roof access door open with haste, Snake rushed out into the open air and dove behind a large planter on the opposite side of the roof from his first victim just in time for the door to once more open, revealing a grizzled older Italian looking man, stubble growing from a shaved head and an actually quite luxurious mustache on his face. He walked out onto the rooftop, suspiciously regarding the empty space, before he started looking around for whoever opened the door.
Luckily, he had turned towards Snake's victim's hiding spot, turning away from the soldier's position long enough to catch a tranq dart in the side of his neck. As the man fell to the ground, Snake let out a sigh of relief as he was fairly certain that he was basically free and clear, as long as he escaped with the target in the next minute or so. Gently placing the kid on the ground, he was even more flushed than he had before Snake picked him up.
"How do you feel about balloons?" Snake asked, cutting straight to the chase.
"What? Balloons? Uh, they're okay, I guess?" Luca seemed genuinely confused, before answering in the affirmative.
"Good. Again, sorry about this," Snake apologized, before quickly strapping a Fulton Recovery Device to Luca's chest, stunning the boy for a moment as the balloon inflated and shot up into the sky, a cheerful scream echoing through the air. Quickly running over to the two unconscious men on the rooftop, Snake extracted the two of them before deploying one on himself, the balloon pulling him up into the sky just in time for Snake to watch the rooftop door burst open and tiny people rushed out, like ants from an anthill.
'Mission complete', Snake thought as he rapidly ascended to where the dropship was picking up the target. He hoped that the rest of the operation went just as smoothly.
"If it's good enough for 47…" Snake muttered, pulling a large one kroner gold coin out of his pocket. Hefting it in his hand, Snake quickly ducked out from around the corner and tossed it in an arc above the guards' lines of sight. The coin flew down the hall, impacting a piece of art that fell off the wall and clattered loudly. Both guards quickly drew their guns, moving to examine the noise. Too bad for them that that was playing right into his hands, Snake thought as he rounded the hall and popped both guards in the back of the head with tranquilizers. They both quickly tumbled to the floor loudly, collapsing in the hallway.
Snake prowled over to the bodies, gun at the ready as he kept an eye on the door. Dragging them behind a pair of decorative plants for at least a little concealment, the soldier had only just finished when the boy's door opened up and he heard someone speak.
"Hello?" Snake heard, whipping out his tranq gun just in time to nail the guy in the face as he stepped into the hallway, drawing a sound of alarm from the remaining guard in the room. Snake quickly rushed to the doorway, coming face to face with the last guard. Grabbing the man's balls, Snake squeezed them to disable him and quickly knocked the incapacitated man unconscious, probably to his relief.
Grabbing both guards, he dragged their bodies into the room before he shot a tranq into the last guy's neck. Wouldn't do to have the guy wake up before he was finished, after all. Tranq pistol at the ready, Snake proceeded further into the apartment, nodding in approval at the boy's taste in artwork. There were lots of buff men along the walls, with various combinations of animal features and in various states of dress. Quickly snapping a picture of one of them on his Solid Eye, Snake proceeded into the living room area, where he was assaulted by something metal to the back of the head.
"Eeep!"
Turning around slowly, Snake glowered at the teenage boy wearing cat ears and fishnets and holding a frying pan of all things. Putting up his pistol, Snake reached over and took the cooking implement from the stunned teen.
"Not a very nice way to greet somebody here to rescue you," Snake growled, the teen's face growing red as he flushed under the soldier's gaze.
"A-ah, sorry, uh, hi, I'm Luca, you can take me wherever you want," he said, absently, avoiding meeting Snake's eye as he shuffled in place. He seemed nervous, though that was understandable considering that Snake was here to kidnap him.
"Good. Sorry about this, just stay quiet," Since the target was willing to be extracted, the soldier wasn't about to waste any more time.
"Wait wha- Ah!" Luca squeaked as Snake lifted him up and threw him over his shoulder, growing very tense as Snake pulled a note out of his pocket and threw it on a nearby table. Rushing to the doorway, Snake peeked out of the apartment before quickly making his way back through the corridors. Passing by the trash can with the one guy's body, Snake dashed across the open hallways as quickly as he could without raising the alarm. Eventually, he got back to the stairwell, slowly pushing the door open to take a peak for any guards. The people down on the lower floors were still just as oblivious to his existence as they were around minutes ago, and he was perfectly willing to keep it that way.
Quickly climbing the stairs, Snake reached the top floor and was climbing up to the roof when he heard the door on the fifteenth floor open and people walk out. He was out of line of sight, but he could hear as footsteps started moving towards his position. Pushing the roof access door open with haste, Snake rushed out into the open air and dove behind a large planter on the opposite side of the roof from his first victim just in time for the door to once more open, revealing a grizzled older Italian looking man, stubble growing from a shaved head and an actually quite luxurious mustache on his face. He walked out onto the rooftop, suspiciously regarding the empty space, before he started looking around for whoever opened the door.
Luckily, he had turned towards Snake's victim's hiding spot, turning away from the soldier's position long enough to catch a tranq dart in the side of his neck. As the man fell to the ground, Snake let out a sigh of relief as he was fairly certain that he was basically free and clear, as long as he escaped with the target in the next minute or so. Gently placing the kid on the ground, he was even more flushed than he had before Snake picked him up.
"How do you feel about balloons?" Snake asked, cutting straight to the chase.
"What? Balloons? Uh, they're okay, I guess?" Luca seemed genuinely confused, before answering in the affirmative.
"Good. Again, sorry about this," Snake apologized, before quickly strapping a Fulton Recovery Device to Luca's chest, stunning the boy for a moment as the balloon inflated and shot up into the sky, a cheerful scream echoing through the air. Quickly running over to the two unconscious men on the rooftop, Snake extracted the two of them before deploying one on himself, the balloon pulling him up into the sky just in time for Snake to watch the rooftop door burst open and tiny people rushed out, like ants from an anthill.
'Mission complete', Snake thought as he rapidly ascended to where the dropship was picking up the target. He hoped that the rest of the operation went just as smoothly.