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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
- 6
- 7
- 8
"Your jacket, sir," said Kayin from behind him. Big Boss turned and reached for it, but Kayin pulled back. "I wonder, sir, why it was in the lab."
Big Boss smiled very slightly, his eyes narrowing as he shrugged. "I must have left it there this morning when I stopped you from beating your scientists." Big Boss stepped forward and grabbed Kayin's wrist, squeezing tightly enough to make the other man drop the jacket. He caught it with his other hand before it fell and let go of Kayin. "I wonder what you were doing there, with all your people sitting in the mess hall. You can't have been supervising a clean up of the sabotage. And I--" Know. "--doubt that you're--" Stupid enough. "--the kind of man--" To go alone. "--to do work in an unsafe environment."
Kayin stared at him, his lips squeezing together unattractively. "I wonder if someone wasn't encouraged to sabotage my labs."
"I wonder that myself," said Big Boss, his single eye staring a hole into Kayin's head. "No one knew Emmerich would be checking. Someone could have gotten all those scientists killed."
Kayin shook his head. " Injured, maybe. But their plan fell through when Emmerich got scared of what he did. I'd be willing to be that not a one of them would have gotten killed."
Big Boss smiled again, partially in relief. He didn't want to risk any of the scientists. "But if they were, I know who wouldn't be mourning."
"The detritus of Russia isn't worth my grief."
"They're still your men, Kayin, whatever you may think of them. I think you forget that too easily. Your men, and more importantly, your responsibility."
Kayin nodded, his eyes fixed on Big Boss' face. "I won't forget my responsibilities, sir." He smiled. "Or my loyalties."
Big Boss gave the smaller man a humorless grin. "Good. Then we both know where we stand."
"Sir." Kayin gave a very formal salute and Big Boss answered it.
Kayin turned to walk away, his hand on his firearm. "Oh, Lieutenant?" Kayin looked over his shoulder. "Get that siren turned off." Big Boss walked past Kayin towards the mess hall. "Whoever you saw is probably halfway to Riyadh by now."
He could hear Kayin gritting his teeth behind him and he stopped when he heard the other man's hand find the gun. He stood quite still for a moment. His breaths were normal even as he tried to decide whether or not the other man was willing to go through with it. He was spared having to toss the man to the ground when Kayin's boot squeaked as he turned abruptly. The footsteps disappeared quickly out of the building.
Big Boss nodded to himself. It was as he'd expected: Kayin didn't have the intestinal fortitude to draw his gun on a man of Big Boss' caliber, not to his face and not even to his back.
The men inside the mess hall were another story entirely. The blaring siren was probably giving them both the fear and the courage to draw their guns on anyone who was at all suspicious. Big Boss shrugged his jacket on and took a look at the room.
It was a fairly large room, with a number of circular tables. The kitchens were attached at the far end, but there were currently metal screens down over the counters. There was also not a drop of water on any of the tables.
The soldiers were on alert in the mess hall. Arthur was sitting tensely in a group of five others at one of the tables, all of them as poor at acting as he was. They would have been very good if they were trying to get attention.
"You," said Big Boss, standing beside one of the nondescript Russian soldiers milling about with his hand on his gun. This particular one was gazing at the tensest men in the room. "Have you seen anything suspicious?"
"Sir!" All the scientists looked up except for Arthur, whose shoulders pulled even further back as he looked down. The soldier noticed it and continued in a quieter voice. "Some of the scientists have been going quiet whenever we go near them. We think they might be hiding the intruder."
Big Boss nodded. The scientists were all looking at Arthur again. "Any of you talked to them about it?"
"No, sir," said the soldier. "We've been hoping they'll let something slip. If-" Big Boss put a hand up as the siren turned itself off. He put it down after a moment, and the soldier continued more quietly, "if they say anything, we'll be ready, sir."
"I'll talk to them. I want all of you to back off and don't focus on any of them. Got it?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. Go tell the rest of them." The soldier saluted. Big Boss took out the gun and twirled it around his finger for a moment while he waited for the soldier to reach a group of soldiers. They talked together briefly and the soldier moved on to another group.
When nearly half of the soldiers were carefully directing their attention elsewhere, he walked to Arthur and his compatriots. He put his hands on the table between Arthur and one of the other scientists. The men stared at him, the fear in their eyes speaking volumes. "You gentlemen look tense." Arthur's eyes went to the jacket and he swallowed hard. "Are you all afraid of alarm sirens?"
The eyes went to Arthur, who spoke hesitantly. "They don't tend to bode well for us." Arthur's eyes went around the room, pausing on several of the soldiers before returning to Big Boss himself. His eyes focused again on the jacket and the insignia of rank displayed prominently on it before he spoke. "None of us have done anything wrong," he said, looking at each of the other scientists in turn.
Big Boss nodded. "I believe you. The problem is, Arthur, that the soldiers don't." Arthur looked at him uncomprehending. Big Boss could almost hear his thoughts: the only one who knew exactly where he'd been for the past hour and a half, and with the jacket on it was quite clear that there were no secrets, was the only one who believed he hadn't done anything wrong. "The soldiers here think you all know something about that siren. Do any of you know?"
The group looked nervously at Arthur again. "No," said Arthur for the group. "We were all sitting right here, except for two of us, and the guards were the ones who brought them in." Arthur grabbed a peanut from the table and nervously held it out. "Would you like one?"
Peanuts? Why in the world would he want a peanut? With so little water, why did they have salted foods on this base in the first place? Big Boss raised an eyebrow and looked down at the table. When he realized what he was looking at, he had to stifle his laughter. He couldn't contain his grin as he took one of the breadstick walls from the main building.
The scientists were all staring at him in horror, especially the two on either side of him. "Arts and crafts are a fun past time, but you could use your time better by focusing on your jobs."
"Our jobs?" The man on his other side spoke up. "The lab is closed. We can't do our work. This is just..."
"This is a weapons design facility," said Arthur quietly.
Big Boss nodded. "So it is." Big Boss took another breadstick from the main building. "I'll clear up this misunderstanding with the guards. In the meantime, all of you should stay alert." He straightened and patted Arthur on the shoulder. "No telling who might be willing to ignore orders."
"Where's Kayin," asked Arthur casually as Big Boss turned to leave.
Big Boss turned back. "The alarms are turned off in the main building. He should still be there. But you should probably clean up." He grinned. "No telling what some people might think of your artistic vision."
He walked away and caught the attention of the same guard as before, calling the man over to him. He could hear one of the scientists over his shoulder. "What kind of idiot is that CO?"
He kept himself from tensing as he waited for Arthur's response. "He wants to believe the best of us, I think." The voice sounded a little bit distant. He heard Arthur shake himself. "He's right though. We need to hide this stuff. And we should start concentrating on the things we know. We aren't soldiers, we're scientists. We have to leverage that."
Maybe he also should have mentioned that they needed to be quieter? They didn't seem to have any concept of the word. Big Boss let out a breath as the guard finally arrived next to him. "I'm going to take care of the situation with the scientists. I want you to inform the rest of the men that they aren't to approach any of them. If someone scares them, I'm not going to be able to find out who sabotaged the lab, so it's really important that you tell them to stay away, you got it?"
The soldier nodded. "Are there any other orders, sir?" Big Boss shook his head, and exchanged a salute with the man.
He gave Arthur and his men a final glance over his shoulder before leaving the mess hall and the soldiers' barracks. His walk through the outside areas was hot, but uneventful.
The white walls of the main building were bright in the sunlight. Inside, it was crawling with guards looking for orders. Big Boss ignored them and continued to the map room where he found Habil and Kayin whispering to each other.
Really, it was at each other, and more spitting than whispering. Big Boss doubted their words would be heard by the average soldier on the base, but he wasn't the average soldier. His ears barely had to strain to hear Kayin say, "His jacket was there, he was wearing it the last time we saw him, there is no other explanation."
"He's above me in rank, and he is allowed to go wherever he wants on this base."
Enough. Big Boss walked in. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. Thank you for turning the siren off, Lieutenant." Kayin let out an angry puff of air as his brother saluted. "Can either of you tell me exactly why it was on?"
"My brother overreacted to something he thought he saw," said Habil with a forced smile. He straightened his jacket.
"Overreacted?" Kayin stared at the Major. "I did not overreact to anything. Someone sabotage my labs and-"
"Your labs, now they're yours?" Habil turned on his brother. "You don't do a damned thing in them for the two years we've been here except for using them as an excuse to find yourself human punching bags, and like an idiot I damned well let you do it, and now you're saying they're your labs as though you've been in charge of anything? Oh that's just-"
"I've done everything around here!" Kayin took a step towards his brother, but his intimidation tactics didn't work as well on a trained military man as they did on cowed scientists. Habil stood his ground, the two of them glaring bullets into one another. "Who repairs the lines when they go down? Me. Who makes sure the scientists are doing their jobs? Me. Who organizes all the missions we get? Me, that's who!"
" You? Kayin, if I weren't around, you'd never have made it past Corporal. You don't contribute a damned thing except for the science, and I could just as easily get that from Russia. You're the most interchangeable part of this machine! You are absolutely unnecessary!"
Kayin's mouth snapped shut and he walked out, brushing past Habil on his way. Habil's teeth ground together and his hand clenched into a fist.
"The nerve of him... Just because he's my brother doesn't give him license to... to..."
"To speak to you like that?"
"To speak to you like that!" Habil's eyes rose and met Big Boss'. "You're a war hero! A thousand of him wouldn't be worth one of you!" Habil put a hand to his head and began to massage it slowly. "I don't understand why he's become so... intractable. Brothers are supposed to stand up for each other, be loyal to each other, and instead..."
Big Boss nodded consolingly and put a hand on the other man's shoulder. "Any man who would put his personal ambitions above his loyalty to his country and his family is not worth worrying about."
"You're right. I've wasted too much time worrying about that unappreciative... insolent..."
"You can say it," Big Boss said. Just a little more encouragement.
"Traitor." The word tumbled into the room with finality.
Big Boss put on a serious look. It was what he'd been waiting for: the chance to suggest he be held away from the radios and soldiers and scientists. "We need to arrest him. Keep him under lock and key until a court martial can be assembled. We might have to send him back to the motherland, but we can't do that until this mission is finished. Radio silence still holds. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," said Habil. "I need to set the orders up. Assign someone to watch him. Confine him to quarters." His voice was disappointed and Habil took off his jacket and stared at the command insignia. Big Boss nodded at the other man.
"It's for the best."
"Sir." Habil saluted slowly.
Big Boss watched the other man leave then sat down in a chair. He put his arms heavily onto the table, closed his eyes and yawned. Too long. Too long since he'd last slept, too long since he'd been on a full mission without backup, too long since he'd last seen Arthur Emmerich...
Arthur Emmerich...
The man was wonderful. He'd picked up on almost all the little cues Big Boss had given him, listened in to the most important conversations on the base, and best of all, he actually thought about what he was doing. No blind soldier, to do what he was told and no more. Arthur really was an officer.
Big Boss could just imagine what they would accomplish together. Arthur could create his weapons, Big Boss would go out again on real missions, not just these spy ones... Arthur's face smiling as he published a paper, Big Boss clapping a hand on his shoulder... the two of them on a mission, because Big Boss could see that Arthur was the kind of man who'd want to join him... It would mean training. Arthur on a treadmill or an exercise bike, pumping iron, earning muscles through his sweat...
And then there would be that magical day when he was able to do almost everything Big Boss himself could do and they would go on a mission together. He'd always wanted a partner in the field. Arthur had no training, and look how good he was! Big Boss could already see it.
A mission in the arctic, perhaps, to secure a nuclear payload from one of the suppliers. Arthur would be dressed in a parka, holding in his complaints about the cold while his face turned rosy, checking on the status of the materials while Big Boss stood guard.
What was that in the snow?
He tapped Arthur on the shoulder, and the other man instantly followed Big Boss' line of sight. They had a bond, an unspoken communication: Arthur's hand went to his gun and they both looked around, alert for any signs of life. Big Boss motioned for Arthur to stay where he was, and the scientist nodded, pulling his gun out while his eyes followed Big Boss' every movement.
And move Big Boss did. He zigzagged back and forth to catch sight of the people who'd been following them since they'd left the plane almost three miles back. When he was sure he'd pinpointed all of them, he motioned again to Arthur. Five fingers.
Arthur nodded. Big Boss had handled more, but he could see the worry his partner was suppressing in the other man's eyes. He gave Arthur a smile, and Arthur shook his head and smiled back, the fear not faded but leashed. He was fine.
It was nice to have someone who cared. Big Boss tightened the suppressor on his weapon and crept toward the first man and put his gun into the small of the man's back. "Speak!" he commanded.
"We were sent..." The sound of two gunshots rang through the empty snow field. Big Boss fired his weapon into the man and ran back to Arthur. His partner was clutching his arm, weapon at the ready, a man down in front of him. Big Boss watched the blood dripping with absolute fury. His teeth clenched, his eyes widened, he shook. How dare they do this to his partner!
With barely a glance to their locations, he took out two of the soldiers. The last one was still out there, hiding himself, but Big Boss was not going to accept that. His hands tightened around his gun as he scanned the area.
"I'll get him," said Arthur. He'd already bandaged his wound, but Big Boss pushed him back and gave him a sharp shake of his head. He wouldn't let the man get hurt again, wouldn't let him hurt himself by taking on something he couldn't do... "You don't trust me." The other man's eyes were sparkling with hurt and anger and determination. Big Boss couldn't take his eye off of Arthur's face, his fury draining away from him like water.
The last shot shocked his head off the table. He was up and running before the echo died, his brain returning to consciousness without even fully recognizing that he had fallen asleep. Kayin- it had to be-
He was shocked to find a group of soldiers around a group of scientists, menacing them with their weapons in the main courtyard. What kind of discipline was there on this base? "What are you wasting bullets on?" he roared.
"We were just going to see if we could fix things at the lab," said Arthur quickly, addressing Big Boss rather than the soldiers.
"You were trying to sneak out," said the apparent leader of the group.
"He's the only one who does that," scoffed one of the scientists beside him. "And even he's not going to do it when someone's sabotaging things. None of us want to get killed, not even him."
"We all saw how you escaped. We're not letting that happen again, none of us care about your excuses," said another guard. "All of you are staying on this base!"
"That's enough," said Big Boss quietly, pushing the guard aside with a show of strength that threw him to the ground. "Are you insubordinate or simply idiots? I gave specific instructions regarding these men."
"Kayin-"
"Kayin has been relieved of duty," he said through clenched teeth. Several of the guardsmen looked at each other. Big Boss had a sudden idea of exactly who had set up the draconian patrolling routes on this base. "Anyone who doesn't want to share in his court martial is free to leave right now."
The guards looked at each other for a moment, then come to an unspoken agreement and dispersed. Arthur and his group stayed still until Big Boss turned his eye on them. He was quite certain they could all still see the anger. The scientists suddenly found they had things to do and very quickly left. Even Arthur took a step back, but his eyes fell on the jacket again and he took a deep breath and stood his ground.
Big Boss didn't have anything left to say. He'd put the cards on the table. It was really just a question of whether or not Arthur liked the deal. As for Arthur, he was silent for a full minute, just staring at the jacket, obviously trying to compose a question in his head.
When he spoke, it was quiet. "What exactly is it you want?"
Big Boss smiled softly. "I think you already know." His words were no louder than Arthur's, pitched so that they wouldn't carry.
"I might. But it would be easier if you'd say it out loud."
"It might. But it's not going to happen."
Arthur nodded. "Well... I guess I'll see you tomorrow." His eyes fell. "Maybe you'll have your answer tomorrow. About my loyalties."
Big Boss nodded slowly. There was really only one reason to say that. The scientists would be attempting their escape tonight. And this? This was Arthur's way of asking for backup. Right. "I'm sure you'll tell me tomorrow. In person."
Arthur nodded and swallowed hard. "I guess I'll try."
Whatever happened tonight, Arthur was a true officer, and Big Boss probably wasn't going to see him again before he completed this mission.
Big Boss saluted.
- 6
- 7
- 8
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Brothers in Arms