Adult-FanFiction.org : Games

Brothers in Arms	By : ktatters Category: +M through R > Metal Gear Views: 3912 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Metal Gear, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 28
- 29
- 30
Sunday Morning

It's a poor workman who blames his tools - Unknown

His hands worked over the other man's chest confidently. He was held up by the man beneath him, and he let his fingers linger over his bottom's nipples. He wasn't a bottom in the traditional sense, though the first man knew he'd be mounting the second; his arms were strong, and he knew control intimately.

Perhaps, Ocelot reasoned during his more coherent moments, the control he gave so willingly during his weaker moments was only because he received so much during his waking hours. He didn't think about it for very long.

Big Boss was holding him suddenly with only one arm, a testament to his strength. His other hand reached up to brush Ocelot's face gently before he let the other man drop nearly on top of him, catching him into a kiss the made a lie of his earlier gentle touch. Ocelot grinned into the kiss and savagely pulled the eye patch off of his commanding officer, then kissed it gracefully. He loved the scar. It marked Big Boss as it had always been meant to, marked him as Ocelot's, no matter what anyone else thought. No one had ever understood that-- his kisses and his touches made up for the deep mar on the man's face, and only Ocelot had the ability to make up for that angry eye.

Big Boss' arms crossed around Ocelot's back, rubbing in a sort of semi-massage up and down Ocelot's back. Really, it was more down than up, and Ocelot took the chance to let his hands rub down Big Boss' chest, raising himself on his knees to get more access, kneeling over Big Boss like some penitent man hoping for redemption by administering to the wounded.

But Ocelot was not here to repent.

His nails scratched their way down Big Boss' chest, and the other man gasped in appreciation, squeezing Ocelot tightly in response. Ocelot grinned and pulled his nails up so that he barely grazed them across the low rise that even now was straining towards Ocelot's stomach. Ocelot leaned down to suck Big Boss' lips; the other man responded by eagerly pressing his tongue into Ocelot's mouth. Reluctant to give Big Boss the chance at an offense, Ocelot pushed his own tongue down, deep into Big Boss, then pulled the man's arms from around him and pushed them down onto the tabletop.

Big Boss ignored Ocelot's implicit command and pulled his arms out of Ocelot's grasp, joining them around bare shoulders and using them to push Ocelot's mouth harder onto his own. Ocelot pushed down on the wood to create some distance between them.

He was already hard, the kissing having broken down his already weak resolution to take a longer time than ever before, but suddenly Big Boss' hand swept down, a finger pushing into him and touching a certain sensitive spot he had an uncanny knack of hitting every time he did. The burst of pleasure made Ocelot thrust forward, burying himself deep inside Big Boss without even aiming.

Big Boss made a little moan in the back of his throat, one hand still seeking that pleasure zone inside of Ocelot while the other held their mouths firmly together. Ocelot smiled around the kiss, and began to quite determinedly think of his old Colonel Volgin in a tutu he'd once caught the man wearing as he thrust harder and harder into Big Boss, varying his angles by degrees until, finally, Big Boss' eyes crossed and he lost his concentration.

"Ocelot," gasped Big Boss, the hand on Ocelot's head falling away. "More..."

This command, Ocelot took. He sped himself faster and faster until Big Boss' body shook from the pleasure, and when he saw that Big Boss was close to the edge of his desires, he let himself drop the image of his former commander in return for the much more arousing one of Big Boss, teeth grinding together. "Let go," demanded Ocelot.

Big Boss moaned again, trying to keep it in.

Ocelot felt himself nearing completion. His hand went down and stroked Big Boss. And apparently, it was too much for the old man: he came with everything that was left in him. Ocelot grinned triumphantly and let himself come, then rolled out of his commander and lay on the table beside him, waiting for the stars to fade.

"Let's go for number four," said Ocelot, panting.

"Bed next," agreed Big Boss breathlessly.

It had certainly been a long night, and Big Boss was really starting to feel his age. Ten years ago, a couple dozen nights like this one wouldn't have tired him in the least; now, it felt as though these last two nights he'd been through the wringer. Not that battles with nuclear-equipped monstrous robots or mind-blowing sex were things he'd ever really want to avoid, of course, but at his age, he was starting to feel the after-effects a bit more clearly.

He stood up and stretched bonelessly before looking back at the bed. Ocelot was dozing still, apparently content to catnap the morning away on Arthur's side of the bed. Snakes liked something more of an early start to their day, taking the opportunity to move about while the sun was high, so Big Boss made a small internal memo to himself about having housekeeping change the sheets and quickly pulled on a uniform.

He opened his door and was quite surprised to see a pint-sized soldier standing watch. "Luther?" he asked with slight concern. "Why are you here?"

The boy gave a child's version of a salute. "We've got him downstairs," said the little boy with a proud smile.

Him? Him who? thought Big Boss, confused for a moment before thinking back to the events in the early evening. Oh, Monkey. "Good," said Big Boss with a smile. If he was downstairs, it meant he'd come without a fight. He'd almost regretted sending only the two boys to get Monkey when he'd thought about how dangerous it might be. Cooling his heels in the hallway downstairs was good for a man who'd been talking about his betters under his breath. "Maybe he can give me an explanation," Big Boss muttered as he started to walk down the stairs.

"Boss," said Monkey excitedly as soon as he'd walked into view of the other man. Big Boss stared at him and started laughing quietly. The man was covered head to toe in pink paint and popcorn. Big Boss was unclear as to where the boys had found either of those items, but it was certainly one of the funniest things he'd seen in a fortnight. "These little-- child soldiers of yours-- they need to be taught some manners!"

"I like them how they are," said Big Boss with a crooked smile. Now then, what to do... He could allow Monkey to have a shower and remove the paint, or he could leave him like this... Well, the shower would mean he walked past Ocelot in Arthur's place, so he probably couldn't let that happen after all. "Let's take a walk around the compound," he said. It probably wouldn't put his security man off-balance too much, but it would have a good effect on morale for the rest of the men, and even most hardened mercenaries needed a boost every now and then.

Monkey saluted, but the look on his face turned even more sour as they walked out the door. It might have been just past dawn, but there were plenty of soldiers out who paused in their duties to snicker at the pink-washed man walking by. Most of them were quick enough to turn back to work when they noticed who was walking by his side.

"I didn't tell them to cover you with paint. No reason to look so upset with me," said Big Boss after a moment as they walked down the road to one of the larger main buildings.

"Yes, sir," said Monkey. His expression didn't change.

Ah, well.

"Those boys tell me you talk to yourself," said Big Boss conversationally. "Are you finding things too stressful? If you need a vacation..."

"I wasn't talking to myself," said Monkey quickly. "I was just... thinking out loud."

Big Boss nodded and closed his eyes briefly. "You know, thinking out loud when an enemy agent is out and about on the base is very dangerous."

"Yes, sir," said Monkey, his tone suddenly much softer. "Maybe you're right, sir. Maybe I do need a holiday."

"Good," said Big Boss with a decisive nod. "Where would you like to go? I hear the Victoria falls are an excellent tourist place, if you like that sort of thing."

"I've always wanted to travel around Africa," said Monkey, a pensive look appearing on his face. "Maybe I could see several places."

"So what were you thinking about? The boys didn't hear much except for mumbling."

"Ah... well, I'm not exactly sure when I was talking, sir, so..."

"I suppose you had a lot on your mind that morning," said Big Boss with a smile as he opened the door to the general office building. "Hello, Monica." He waved and led the way into his office. "Now, where did I put it?" He looked under his desk. "Here it is. Towel?" he asked. Monkey looked at him uncomprehendingly. "To wipe the paint off," offered Big Boss helpfully.

Monkey nodded and smiled weakly. "Thank you, sir," he said, taking the towel and wiping his face.

Big Boss pressed a button on his desk, and clumsily managed to push a second one as well. "Monica, bring me a leave of absence form." He smiled at Monkey. "Paperwork's a chore, but Arthur'd kill me if I let the accounting get out of whack. He gets paranoid about his budget being cut. I wonder why?"

"He's an idiot, sir," said Monkey. "He's been dragging you down for years."

Big Boss raised an eyebrow. "That might be true, but then... he's also the designer behind Metal Gear, and I'm confident that that's going to be a key element in my future plans."

"Yes, sir," said Monkey, a doubtful look on his face. "If you really think we have to start trusting static weaponry over the flexibility of the human body."

"That is a good point," said Big Boss, leaning back. "Well, you'll be out of here on a nice vacation soon." Big Boss smiled and picked up a report from the pile on his desk. "Before you do though-- There's just one thing that's bothering me. It's probably nothing."

"What is it, sir?"

"Bleach and toilet bowl cleaner."

"I'm sorry. What?"

"It seems your department has been using an excess amount of bleach and toilet bowl cleaner."

"Really? My department?" asked Monkey with a confused look on his face.

"Yes," Big Boss nodded. "In fact, it's over three gallons of each. Can you explain that?"

"Hm." Monkey sat back and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, Sasaki, I'd guess. The man has some issues. I've even told him to go to the doctor but--" The man shrugged.

"3... gallons... of bleach...?" asked Big Boss skeptically.

"He is a very sickly young man."

"I see. Do you know, there's an interesting fact about bleach and toilet bowl cleaner. In the right combinations, you could make it into a bomb."

Monkey nodded cautiously. "You could," he said quietly.

Big Boss raised an eyebrow and watched Monkey impassively.

"Sir, the papers," said Monica as she walked through the door. "Also, Dr. Emmerich is on hold. Line 2."

Big Boss took the papers and looked at the phone in annoyance. Why the hell was Arthur calling?

He glanced at the papers to make sure they were the ones he wanted, then picked up the phone. "Just a minute," he said to Edik, "and we'll get this out of the way."

He pressed the line button. "Hello?" he asked into it, letting his impatience seep through the line.

There was a pause as the voice went through the line. "Boss? I had to call you-- uh... well, you see, Julie and I were talking, and um... well... shethinksHalwouldbebetteroffstayinghome."

Big Boss let his brain filter the information for a moment. "What?"

"It's just that... Hal is in a very upset state right now. It seems his school year didn't go as well as he'd hoped, and he hasn't been making any friends. Julie thinks it would be counter-productive to have him leave before exams are over. And Emma's still in school too--" Arthur paused and a tinny sigh came across the line. "It just isn't a good time."

"Not a good time ?" Big Boss turned away from Monkey and counted to ten, then twenty. "Not a good time? I am so sorry, Mr. Emmerich, I see that your luxury hotel reservation can be moved to the twenty fourth of September. It's never a good time, Arthur. You get your family on that plane and you get back here, or else ."

"Or else what?" Arthur asked curiously.

Big Boss' mouth opened and shut a few times. "You're stealing some of my best planes in the middle of a crisis, Arthur."

Arthur laughed a little. "It's always a crisis. I'll send them back if you need them."

"I don't need the planes , I need you and your family here ."

"Well... I'm sorry, Boss, but Julie and I discussed this."

"She's a Patriot spy , Arthur. You will get back here, or I'll send someone--"

Big Boss could almost hear the man shaking his head on the other end of the line and he knew he'd made a mistake before Arthur said the first word. "I can't believe you're jealous of her! You're a control freak, you know that? I can't believe you--"

"What's more important to you, me or Julie?" asked Big Boss finally, letting some of the hurt seep into his voice.

That led the other man to pause for a moment. "Well--" Arthur's voice at the other end sounded confused momentarily, but gained strength for his next statement. "But Hal is important. And we don't think it would be good for him."

"Arthur--"

"Look, this isn't up for discussion. I'm not coming back right now."

"You're right that it isn't up for discussion, Arthur. It's not safe --"

"I can't talk to you when you're like this! Julie says it's--"

"Julie again? Can't you think for yourself , Arthur?"

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, and then a click. "Arthur? Arthur!" Big Boss slammed the phone down in disgust. "I can't believe him. At a time like this he's going to--" Big Boss cut himself off and looked back at the vacation papers.

Monkey. Still in the room. Right.

"All right, Monkey. Let's get these filled out."

"Sir," said Monkey with a smile.

Big Boss picked up a pen and put it to the paper with another glance at the man. "All my senior staff," he muttered. "Inconsiderate--" He shook his head again. Damn him! As though Big Boss didn't have enough on his plate with the sabotage coming from Monkey's department, dealing with Grey Fox and Petrovich, and his clone being sent to the base tomorrow. "Not to mention the lousy job Ocelot's doing..."

"What was that, sir?"

"Ocelot," said Big Boss absently as he wrote the date on the form. "I've decided to send him back out into the field and call in another operative to help here. He's not achieving expectations... Let's see, a week should be enough..."

"Yes, sir, more than enough," said Monkey.

"Medical leave would require a checkup-- We don't need that, do we?" It would only slow down procedures, and the financial backers weren't likely to worry as long as they had accurate statements done up by accounting... Besides, Edik had managed to tip off Grey Fox; he probably didn't deserve paid leave.

"Sir... if the problem is in my department, I shouldn't take any time off," he said. Big Boss raised an eyebrow at the man. "You're going to be short-handed without Drs. Emmerich and Petrovich, or Sub-Commander Ocelot."

"The whole Metal Gear project is going to be postponed for now," said Big Boss in annoyance. "We won't be making our deadlines whether you're here or not."

"Sir, I know my people. Anyone you bring in here is going to have a disadvantage if they can't work with me to ferret this person out. If we want to be back on schedule--"

"We're not getting back on schedule without my scientists." Big Boss put the vacation papers down. "I can't keep you working if you're giving out secrets to anyone with the skill to skulk in a doorway."

"I understand sir... but it's just overwork. A good night's sleep will combat it."

Big Boss shook his head. It was far too risky. Any good, loyal officer should know that. "They're moving faster than I expected. Solid Snake will be here tomorrow, and I can't afford any more screw-ups."

"Yes, sir," said Monkey. "I want to help though. You don't really want me taking a vacation at a critical time, do you?" He paused and Big Boss took the vacation papers back. "I could go for Dr. Emmerich. You wouldn't need to send anyone else while you're dealing with the Patriot's plot."

Big Boss paused. Get Arthur? Someone in Monkey's department had set them up the bombs. The Patriots were acting against him. Arthur had run off, and there was no way he could trust just anyone to go and pick him up... And right now, he wasn't sure he should trust anyone at all . If even Arthur was turning against him thanks to the Patriot's intrigues... Maybe it would be better if no one left the base.

The Patriots had connections everywhere, of course, but if he could jam communications immediately and didn't let anyone leave the base, they wouldn't know Arthur and his family weren't on their way back. They wouldn't even know whether or not their spy had been caught.

"I want to know who's behind this, Monkey," he said finally. "Go figure it out."

Monkey stood and saluted. "You won't be sorry for this decision, sir!"

Big Boss nodded and waited for the man to leave. "I'd better not be," he muttered to himself before picking up the phone. It was time to stop these radio transmissions, and there was still one more man who had a proven ability to do that. "Bludstun? Seems I've finally found a job for you."

Ocelot was not happy.

When he'd woken up in the morning, he'd been resolved to speak to his supposedly external contact, but the radio was filled with static. Thinking to fall back on his secondary plans, he'd picked up the telephone only to find that the lines were dead. All of them.

This was not a part of his plans. Any deviation was going to require serious explanations to his other superiors, explanations he already thought were being stretched to the breaking point, and he didn't like having to do that for no reason. Explaining why Big Boss' plans had worked when they weren't supposed to, that was easy-- sorry, I'm a failure. A blow to his pride, but not so bad in the grand scheme of things. Explaining why he was out of contact with everyone while that happened, though... That was more complicated, especially when he didn't have an explanation himself.

And things got worse from there. He'd found a damning little piece of paper lodged in his underclothes. New orders from above-- Big Boss must die-- Lalilulelo. Of course, it hadn't said it like that, it had been much more circumspect and it had been in code, but the point was that things like this simply shouldn't be hiding in his boxers when he woke after sleeping with Big Boss for any one of a dozen entirely different, disturbing and valid reasons.

Not happy was an understatement.

This mission was not supposed to be about killing Big Boss. Ocelot wasn't qualified to do that. No one was qualified to do that, unless they did it while the other man was drugged into a sound sleep, and even then Ocelot wouldn't give the advantage to an assassin. Sabotaging Metal Gear because it was too powerful: that Ocelot could understand. Getting rid of the designers of Metal Gear was an almost noble goal, frankly, with peaceful coexistence a final far-off solution. Ocelot would not have been implicated in it at any rate, so it was a damageless solution as far as he was concerned.

But now-- They were upset. That had to be the reason. Ocelot's operatives had failed to inflict serious damage on the Metal Gear, and they hadn't gotten any of the Metal Gear scientists out of the way either. It served him right for not choosing soldiers, but Big Boss didn't let many people up the ranks if they had pasts...

No good. He had to think of a way out of this-- but first, he had to see Big Boss. Which meant he needed an excuse. What did he have to give the man? Not head again, he'd done that enough last night. He grinned.

There was always the note. It would be simple enough to dirty the meaning. It would open a whole new can of worms of course, and Ocelot was already of the opinion that it would be better to take out his Patriotic friend without the help of the older mercenary.

He could give up one of his operatives, of course. That was something he felt he should do anyways. The pair of them were of less use than an indian's feathers to a cattle rancher. The woman had given him decent enough information, but the man-- Still, no. Giving them up should wait for after he'd discovered who the Patriot agent was, or when he needed to distract Big Boss. Nothing quite that drastic was needed right now.

It had to be something to placate Big Boss. It couldn't be something to annoy the Patriots. What could he--

Ah. Petrovich's arms dealer contact.

"No one likes a free agent," muttered Ocelot with a briefly ironic smirk.

Your Mother's Sword

"History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it." -- Churchill

"Would you say," asked Ocelot as he threw open the doors and entered the room, "that you are a good judge of character?"

Big Boss spun his seat around and lit a cigar with a smile. "Ocelot. I was wondering when you'd wake up. Cigar?" He inhaled to get the thing to light properly and motioned for Ocelot to sit down. Ocelot reached over and took one from Big Boss' cigar case, lit it, and then took his own deep breath.

"Well?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"You're about to tell me some high level member of my staff has been against me the whole time?" asked Big Boss, his smile becoming a touch more genuine. "You've found my saboteur?"

"Yes to the first, almost to the second. I've found Petrovich's dealer. He lied to us: it is someone on this base."

"Who is it?" asked Big Boss, keeping his excitement down. The traitor was going to pay dearly. Give him to Arthur for one of his little tests. It was his work they were stealing. Or even to Ocelot as a present for finding him. The man enjoyed his little... sessions . Both of Big Boss' lovers enjoyed their work far too much. "Is it Monkey?"

"You already knew," said Ocelot, disappointment in his voice.

"Suspicions for the past year," hissed Big Boss, "so I've kept him as close as I could... Fed him information, but none of it was acted on. Couldn't get rid of him either. The man's been too valuable in certain areas..."

"Really? I didn't see any."

" You wouldn't," said Big Boss. "He's good with the men, keeps morale up better than you would. They see him as being more on their level than men like you or me. His management skills over the years have been exemplary. More than that--" Big Boss picked up Monkey's vacation papers and crumpled them into a ball. "Do you know how much it hurts morale to have people suddenly vanish? Makes the men scared if people don't have reasons for being killed by the higher ups. I'm not running a cult, I'm running a military organization. It's why I need proof before I act. Tell me you have proof, Ocelot."

Ocelot reached into his coat and pulled out a tape cassette. "Yes, Boss. Right here. Petrovich confessed it all."

"How much help did you give him?" asked Big Boss curiously, but when Ocelot opened his mouth to answer, Big Boss waved a hand. "Thanks, but on second thought, I don't really need the details."

"Squeamish," accused Ocelot.

"Hardly," said Big Boss with a grin. "Get back out there, Ocelot. Find out who's been doing the sabotage."

"Yes, sir," said Ocelot with a salute as he stood. He walked towards the door, then paused, hand still on the doorknob. "Boss, why did you think it was Monkey?"

"There's a leak in the high levels. It's not me, it's not Arthur. You don't know enough. Who's left?" Big Boss said with a shrug.

"Good thinking, sir," said Ocelot blandly. "I'll just go and investigate a little more."

Big Boss nodded absently and picked up the phone. "Monica, I need you to get in touch with Monkey. Have him come to my office."

"Yes, sir," said the tinny voice through the line. "Is there a reason I can give him?"

"Hm. Just tell him it's regarding an urgent matter requiring his attention," said Big Boss. He put down the phone as the door closed with a soft click. "Ocelot, come back," he called with just enough volume to be heard through the heavy metal. The door opened again. "My clone will be here in another--" Big Boss checked his watch. "Three hours. I expect you to be in my office for that."

"Sir." Ocelot gave another salute and walked out.

Big Boss sighed and sat back in his seat. Monkey. "I knew he'd have something to do with it. There was always something wrong with him." That begged the question though: if he'd always known, why had he promoted the man? No, he hadn't always known. Something must have changed in the last year. He'd been progressively less able at his job.

Big Boss had thought he had something to do with the Patriots though. He'd been feeding him false information for months. It was a little disappointing that he'd been doing it for nothing. Just a run of the mill traitor looking to make himself rich. Really, if he'd just spoken to Big Boss about it, he might not have been in this situation.

Of course, the Metal Gear specifications were going to be worth one hell of a lot of money once the robots had some proven battle experience. Quite a bit more than Big Boss was likely to pay. Even if he only got preliminaries...

Big Boss leaned back in his seat and stared at the paperwork again, then picked up the phone. "Monica?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I need you to file some paperwork." A long suffering sigh and then a click. Monica was in his office in less than thirty seconds. Big Boss stood, grinned and handed her a stack. "Inventory reports," he said.

"I'll file these after I've tracked down Monkey," she said, almost falling over under the weight. The papers were up to her eyes.

"You do that," said Big Boss. He opened the door for her and closed it afterwards, then went back to his desk and pulled out his hidden, unread copy of Big Guns . Oh, Arthur would be mad if he knew that Big Boss was looking at someone else's work, but the pleasure more than made up for it. Ocelot would never understand either: there was only one that he liked, and even Big Boss had to admit that it was a beauty.

Ah, but the long barrels-- the holsters on the shiny belts-- oh, now that was a rocket launcher. Straps. Oh, hard and fast, but with a grip that could harden the most inexperienced rookie-- And ammo, oh, the ammo! Sprayed across the page like Rambo's wet dream. And what was this? A full page spread of-- an antique? That did not deserve a full page, Big Boss thought crossly. Why, he had one that was probably just as old, and in better condition.

"I should invite them down here," he muttered, "and show them what a real man has in stock." He could even show off Ocelot's-- decorations notwithstanding, a perfect example of what should be in this sort of magazine.

And then came the articles. Big Boss perused them slowly, analyzing them for any tips he might have missed, for any tricks he could try with Ocelot during their next encounter. Shooting in the back, standard and not really very fun-- But this double somersault move might be just the thing. In fact, if he tightened his grip... yeah, that would be real good; he'd never see it coming, but hell, he'd sure feel it...

He almost laughed at the tiny little pistol on the next page. If it were his, he'd keep it tucked away where no one would see it. It wasn't the kind of quality that he'd come to expect from this magazine. No, Big Boss wouldn't be caught dead with this kind of equipment.

The next page held an ad for portable beds, a kind of camping adventure thing. They wouldn't last a night, the way Big Boss liked to do things. Another page turn, and long, hard, darkness stared him in the face. The perfect sight. Big Boss' gaze lingered on the advertisement that featured the hottest set of pokers he'd seen in a while. A shaggy bear carpet, a fireplace-- this hunter had had a good night.

Arthur didn't make a sight like that. Maybe there was some way Big Boss could convince him... No, it was as unlikely as getting Ocelot to try something truly original. The truth was, neither of them was as adventurous as Big Boss was when it came to their weaponry. Big Boss would have tried to teach them, especially Ocelot who was much more open to such things, but even Ocelot wouldn't let him use his gun with enough roughness to demonstrate the techniques properly.

The knock at his door completely threw him out of his fantasies of leather and metal. "Who is it?"

"Monkey," said the voice outside the door.

Ah well. It was hard to put it down at this point, but-- He'd certainly been reading this magazine for long enough. He put the thing into his drawer again and positioned himself carefully behind the desk before looking at his watch. Taken her long enough to find him, hadn't it... Only fifteen minutes and Solid Snake would be here...

"Come in, Monkey," said Big Boss with a smile, keeping his voice open and friendly. Never tell them that you're about to trap them.

Monkey opened the door and sat down in the chair. "What is it you needed to speak to me about, sir?"

Big Boss smiled humorlessly at the man. "Ocelot brought me this tape. He said it was relevant to your work. Let's listen together."

Big Boss put the cassette into the tape player, pressed play, and waited.

After a minute, he pressed rewind, slightly confused to hear only static. He pressed play again. "What the hell is Ocelot playing at?" he muttered as the static continued.

Monkey sat back, watching politely. "Technical difficulties, sir? Maybe I can help."

"No, thank you," said Big Boss, staring at the tape. He picked up the phone. "Monica, get Ocelot over here."

"Sir, he's just--"

The metal door opened as Ocelot strode through, cocky as ever. "I'm here for-- why's he still here?"

"Your tape, Ocelot," said Big Boss, throwing it at the other man. "It's empty. Care to explain?"

"Empty? But--" he cut himself off and stared at it for a moment, then glanced briefly at Monkey. "No, sir. No explanation."

Big Boss shook his head in frustration. "What did you do, forget to press record?"

"No, I--" Another sidelong glance at Monkey. "That must be it, sir."

"Sit down," said Big Boss with a wave of his hand. "How dare you make accusations like that without even checking that your proof is on here? Are you trying to make me look like a fool, Ocelot?"

"No, sir," said Ocelot quietly.

"Then how do you explain this?"

Ocelot glanced at Monkey again. "Can I speak with you alone, sir?"

"No," said Big Boss. "I'm tired of your little distractions. Every time something comes up that you don't want to talk about, you play these little games, and I'm tired of it. You have something to say, you can say it here and now ."

Ocelot paused, then smiled thinly and nodded. "Yes, sir. But you ought to know that I've found the identity of the saboteur."

Monkey turned to look at Ocelot, Big Boss glared. He was changing the subject-- "And is your evidence as useless as this tape?"

Ocelot glanced at the tape and put it down on the desk carefully. "I have a paper trail," he said. "One of them is a Geoff Bludstun. Works in inventory. He's been making false reports of what's been ordered for months." Ocelot handed several sheets to Big Boss from out of his pocket.

Big Boss looked them over carefully. Reports, duly signed and dated, and then altered.

"You'll find that Dr. Bludstun also helped Dr. Emmerich in setting up the papers for Grey Fox."

"And the other?" asked Big Boss, anger in his voice. Another fool that Arthur was going to try to save. He had to be dealt with immediately.

"Your secretary. She's had access to all your information for--" Ocelot paused. "Years."

"But why would she--"

"Sir," said Monkey. "The radio."

Big Boss looked at the thing. FOXHOUND channels? He was here already ? "Damn it," Big Boss muttered, the flipped the switch.

"This is Snake." Big Boss sighed and stared at the radio. Everything always happened at once, didn't it... "Can you hear me?" Snake asked after a moment.

Monkey grabbed a pen and scribbled something down on a scrap of paper. "This is Big Boss..." He stared at Monkey's paper for a second and then read it. And read it again. He closed his eyes and shook his head, trying to decide on the next course of action.

He had to finish his briefing to Snake, and then he had to get rid of Ocelot. "Operation Intrude N313," he said, projecting himself as well as he could. "Penetrate the enemy base Outer Heaven and destroy the ultimate weapon: Metal Gear. First, try to make contact with our missing man, Grey Fox. Then search for Metal Gear. You can contact me on frequency 120.85."

Big Boss set the radio to the receive position and looked at the paper again.

"Ocelot, go take a break."

"But--"

"I've had enough of your failures for now. Get rid of the saboteurs, and come back when you're done. Dismissed."

Ocelot stared at him for a moment, then stood up, his mouth pursed. "Fine," he said, then walked out the door, slamming it in his wake. Only seconds later, the sound of a gunshot found it's way through the heavy metal doors.

Big Boss took a deep breath and sighed as he glanced at the paper. Monkey reached over the desk and pressed the button that stopped the office recording devices. "Exactly how many nuclear weapons are we talking about?" asked Big Boss calmly.

Notes
1. Yes, there was a Columbo reference. Kudos to anyone who recognized it for what it was.
2. Many, many, many apologies for the reference to everyone's favourite Zig.
3. Sex scene written by request of Kuuru-chan.
4. I considered putting these two chapters together, and waffled about the whole thing for a while-- then I decided to just do it. I'm impatient, I guess. Next week will be the last chapter.
5. I couldn't use the exact script. "I feel asleep" is not, after all, great dialog. But... for everyone's reference, and also because I always seem to lose the link: http://db.gamefaqs.com/computer/msx/file/metal_gear_dump.txt
- 28
- 29
- 30
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Brothers in Arms