Author's note: I'd first like to thank those that reviewed my first chapter (ok, so it was a prologue). I was shocked that I got 4 reviews in one day from posting it. It really makes me even more motivated. And remember, constructive criticism is ALWAYS welcomed, like ways on how I can improve on so forth. Enough of me, on with the fic.
* * *
The airport was unusually empty. Of course, it was September; kids were back to school and adults were back to work. There was no intent of traveling for anyone. Vacation was over. And it was most definitely over for one man.
Leaning against a post, Solid Snake stood there, arms folded across his chest, head down. His apparel was different from what it was three months ago. It looked as though he was a normal civilian wearing cargo pants, long sleeved top, and a black trench coat to top it off. He wasn't off duty anymore; he was now on a mission.
It had only been three months since the events that took place at Shadow Moses. It was a time to not forget, though her wanted to dismiss the memories every time they came to his attention. He felt as though if he wasn't taken away from his Alaskan home and put into that mission, myriad things wouldn't of happen. He couldn't think of all of those myriad things, but he knew someone's life would have been spared.
"Attention. Flight 313 from New York to London has arrived." The overhead suddenly boomed on suddenly.
Using the back of his foot, Snake pushed off of the post and came to an upright stand, hands slipping into his pockets as he walked towards the gate. He came to a stop in front of the gate, chewing impatiently on his gum, in need of a cigarette. After a few minutes, the gate had opened, letting lose a whole crowd of people. He let out a sigh, waiting for one particular person to come out.
"Snake!"
A voice had came to his attention and caused his vision to close in on where the voice was coming from. Walking quickly towards him was who he was indeed looking for.
"Otacon." Snake let a slight smirk slip onto his lips, his voice deep as usual.
Hal Emmerich, who insisted Snake to call him Otacon, was who helped him out half way through his last mission. Otacon was responsible for building Metal Gear Rex, one of the Metal Gears that had been built over many years. It had appeared that Otacon had just come in from his flight. Why him and Snake had to go on separate flights was something that was oblivious to Snake.
Another question Snake had been why were they there. All he was told was to meet up with Otacon in London and he'd explain the rest.
"It's been a while, Snake." Otacon had that same smile on his face that Snake couldn't forget. "Yet three months sure does fly by, doesn't it? How've you been? Have you waited-"
"Otacon, I should be the one asking the questions." Snake interrupted, walking along, still wanting that cigarette of his.
Giving a deep sigh, Otacon picked up his carry-on luggage and followed Snake quickly, pushing his glassed back onto the rim of his nose.
"Wait, Snake, no one informed you of what's going on?" Otacon asked in quite astounded tone.
"Well, all I know it that you know why we're here and that's about it." He answered roughly.
Otacon just shook his head.
"Not here, Snake." He replied with a hint of stress to his voice. "People can hear us. We're going to have to wait until we reach the hotel."
A curse softly escaped past Snake's lips. He looked of to the side, rather pissed off.
"At least explain WHY we were on separate planes." He demanded.
"I thought that would have been a no brainer!" Otacon chuckled gently, but ceased when Snake gave him a look that sent chills down his spine. "We don't want people to get suspicious."
"Suspicious?!" Snake exclaimed. "Of what? Nothing of Metal Gear ever happened in London… Or unless…"
Otacon remained silent as they reached the luggage claim. The two of them stood in silence until a shrilling buzzer went off, the cycle of the luggage claim area starting. Only a few minutes had passed by and both Otacon and Snake picked up their belongings, Otacon carrying at least four big pieces of baggage. What was inside was still unknown to Snake.
* * *
"Bloody hell, I'm going to be late!"
Running down the London streets a young lady hurried through the crowds, holding her unbuttoned jacket close to her. She breathed heavily in hopes that she'd reach her destination in time. After many apologies to those she accidentally ran into, she had finally reached to her goal. Starbucks Café.
Entering from the back, she panted heavily, leaning over, holding herself up by placing her hand against the wall. She flicked a single curl away from her face, wiping away a few sweat drops from her forehead. Suddenly, she felt an unhappy presence before her. Lifting her head up, she saw her boss stand before her.
"Claire!" a tall, scrubby man bellowed at her. "How many times have you been late for this job of yours?!"
Claire stood up straight, flipping her light auburn hair over her shoulders. Opening her eyelids, she revealed the dark emerald eyes behind them, looking at her boss. She tried to remain calm, but the look on his face terrified her.
"They say you're the daughter of one of the richest men in England itself and you can't manage to get here on time?!"
"I am sorry for my actions, sir." Claire lowered her head, disappointed in herself. "But I am unable to provide myself with a ride of some sort."
"Ha!" her boss spat at her. "Can't afford a ride? Not even a cab? You act as though you're from a lowly working class! Act your status, woman and go get the people out there their coffee!"
The boss walked out of the backroom, slamming the door as he left. Claire just let a sigh get out of her. She felt bad that she couldn't get a ride. Her father was always busy with work and the cabs were always unavailable. Though she didn't mind running to work; she had been used to running by now.
She dismissed the thoughts from her mind, flipping her hair again and sliding a green apron on her once she removed her jacket. With a spare elastic she had in her pockets, she tied her wavy hair up into a messy bun, only the tight, natural curls left to hang in front of her face. She looked at herself in the mirror and gave a fake smile at her reflection. With that, she walked towards the door, ready to encounter her day at work.
* * *
A black cab had come to a stop in front of one of the many hotels in London. Snake and Otacon opened the doors, getting out of the cab, looking up at the enormous building in front of them.
"We'll be staying here from now until the mission is complete." Otacon mentioned to Snake, and then went back to the cab to give the driver the money owed.
While Otacon tried to figure out the difference from dollars and pounds, Snake quickly searched for his pack of cigarettes. Once he had found one, he brought it to his lips, lighting it in a rush, then took a deep, lengthy drag of it, puffing out the smoke he had inhaled afterwards. Some people in front of the hotel had come to the cab, taking out the luggage from the trunk. Snake watched them, taking a few more quick drags of his cig, then tossed it to the side without any thought. By then, Otacon came to his side.
The two of them entered the hotel, marveled by how extravagant it was. Diamond chandeliers hung from the vast ceiling, illuminating the whole room. The walls were wallpapered with golden sheets. The floor reflected off all of what was going on above. It was simply clear that this was no ordinary hotel.
"I hope this isn't coming out of our pockets." Snake noted, looking around still.
"Don't worry, Snake, everything's already covered. All we need is our keys." Otacon walked with Snake to one of the desks to claim their room keys.
The two of them received their keys and then they walked off to the elevators. Thankfully, they were the only ones in the elevator. It gave them a chance to talk.
"Alright. We're away from the airport and anyone else that might be to our concern." Snake said impatiently. "What is going on, Otacon?"
Otacon took in a deep breath and then started talking as the elevator doors closed.
"As you know, I was the one who helped create Metal Gear Rex." Otacon started. "Well, I wasn't able to do it all on my own."
A semi-shocked expression was placed onto Snake's face.
"Yeah, there's someone out there who has probably even more brains than I do." Otacon felt ashamed. "No one knew how he found out about Metal Gear-"
"But he probably did some business in the black market, right?" Snake placed the words into his mouth.
"Exactly!" Otacon expressed. "He had found out about the entire thing with Metal Gear Rex and offered to help. Him and I worked together on it, though nobody knew about that part."
"He was probably secretly trying to get money." Snake rolled his eyes.
"That's the thing though… He wasn't in it for money."
"He… wasn't?" Snake sounded even more surprised.
"No. No one really knew why he was in it. But all that I know is that he left us right after Metal Gear Rex was created, as if in case we were to get founded out, he wouldn't take any of the blame. But now that he's left, I had a weird feeling about something…"
"That this guy might know too much about Metal Gear?"
"Enough to create another one."
Snake looked away, cursing again.
The elevator doors by then had opened. Otacon and Snake walked out, walking down a hallway to their rooms.
"But why would he want to create another Metal Gear?" Snake asked, rather puzzled.
Otacon came to his room, opening the lock on his door then opened it, letting Snake follow. Once they were inside, he closed the door shut. Otacon's room was rather spacious. It was a typical hotel suite; bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living area. His belongings were already there to his luck. Otacon rested on a couch as Snake stood, looking out the window.
"This man that we're talking about…" Otacon went on. "His name is Xavier Wellington. He came from a poor family, but his smarts in school and college were what led him to success. He started up his own business and received huge amounts of money. He's probably one of the richest people in England or even all of Europe for all I know. He was a pure genius and still is."
"There's a very fine line between a genius and a madman." Snake remarked to Otacon.
"Yes… that's what worries me." Otacon nodded in agreement. "He always talked about how his money wasn't buying him to power that he wanted and that in a world like today, brain power is nothing. Now and then, he'd start acting maliciously. He said dictators were his heroes, for they controlled the world with so much power that people would do anything for them."
"I'm getting a sense that this Xavier person is looking at Metal Gear for that power that he wants." Snake added on.
"That's what I fear as well. England wasn't involved with Metal Gear until Xavier came into play. Little was known about him except that he was mad rich and cared for his family greatly."
"A family guy, huh?"
"It seems like it. But ever since his wife was murdered, he sunk into a deep depression. He mentioned how much he missed her now and then. But ever since her death, he started wanting this power and tried hard to create something that would grant him this power."
"That power could be Metal Gear, Otacon."
"Yes, and that's why we're here."
Otacon stood up, walking over to his belongings that were dropped off. He started unpacking.
"Your mission, Snake, is to investigate Xavier Wellington's home and try to see what he's plotting." Otacon told him. "For all we know, he might not be plotting anything. But we need to be safe."
"That's an easy assignment." Snake grinned.
"That's not it though." Otacon looked over his shoulder to Snake.
"Then what else?" Snake turned around to look at Otacon.
"If he is plotting something… you must destroy any evidence or materials that were used for the creation of Metal Gear."
Snake looked down, deep in thought.
"It's going to take longer than you think, Snake." Otacon got to his feet, pushing his glasses up with his index finger. "We could be here for several weeks, months, who knows."
"And it's even harder knowing that we're in a different country." Snake turned his back to Otacon, looking out the window.
"And when coming into this country, we had to take separate planes, just in case Xavier knew that someone was coming." Otacon went on. "He probably knows that Metal Gear Rex was a failure. He hasn't contacted me since. And it wouldn't have been right to come in with the US army escorting us."
"Well, if the government doesn't know about this, who does?"
"Only you, me, and the colonel."
"The colonel? Damn him…"
"He's the one who a okayed everything, Snake. He was the one who paid for this trip. We should be thankful. We want to keep this top secret. If we made a huge deal about it, terrible things could happen."
Silence swept past the two, which was soon broken by Snake.
"Since when did Starbucks come to England?" he changed the subject, narrowing his eyes down through the window."
Otacon came to his side, looking down as well.
"That's pretty good business. Right across from a hotel too!" Otacon exclaimed. "They probably know that a lot of Americans come here and like coffee. England is more in favor for tea. But at least I know I can get a good cup of Expresso in the morning."
Snake just shook his head and walked past Otacon and to the door.
"It's getting late, Otacon." Snake paused in front of the door, looking over to Otacon. "We need to rest up for tomorrow. I'll be in my room now."
Snake opened the door and then walked off to his room nearby. Once the door was shut, Otacon sighed softly, starting to unpack his equipment.
"This isn't going to be any ordinary mission."
* * *
that's it for the first chapter. it explains most of what's going on so far. hope it was enjoyable. and no, i didn't get the name xavier from x-men. it was the name of some kid in my class in elementary school and he was always mean to me. so yeah. please read and review and tell me what you think.
* * *
The airport was unusually empty. Of course, it was September; kids were back to school and adults were back to work. There was no intent of traveling for anyone. Vacation was over. And it was most definitely over for one man.
Leaning against a post, Solid Snake stood there, arms folded across his chest, head down. His apparel was different from what it was three months ago. It looked as though he was a normal civilian wearing cargo pants, long sleeved top, and a black trench coat to top it off. He wasn't off duty anymore; he was now on a mission.
It had only been three months since the events that took place at Shadow Moses. It was a time to not forget, though her wanted to dismiss the memories every time they came to his attention. He felt as though if he wasn't taken away from his Alaskan home and put into that mission, myriad things wouldn't of happen. He couldn't think of all of those myriad things, but he knew someone's life would have been spared.
"Attention. Flight 313 from New York to London has arrived." The overhead suddenly boomed on suddenly.
Using the back of his foot, Snake pushed off of the post and came to an upright stand, hands slipping into his pockets as he walked towards the gate. He came to a stop in front of the gate, chewing impatiently on his gum, in need of a cigarette. After a few minutes, the gate had opened, letting lose a whole crowd of people. He let out a sigh, waiting for one particular person to come out.
"Snake!"
A voice had came to his attention and caused his vision to close in on where the voice was coming from. Walking quickly towards him was who he was indeed looking for.
"Otacon." Snake let a slight smirk slip onto his lips, his voice deep as usual.
Hal Emmerich, who insisted Snake to call him Otacon, was who helped him out half way through his last mission. Otacon was responsible for building Metal Gear Rex, one of the Metal Gears that had been built over many years. It had appeared that Otacon had just come in from his flight. Why him and Snake had to go on separate flights was something that was oblivious to Snake.
Another question Snake had been why were they there. All he was told was to meet up with Otacon in London and he'd explain the rest.
"It's been a while, Snake." Otacon had that same smile on his face that Snake couldn't forget. "Yet three months sure does fly by, doesn't it? How've you been? Have you waited-"
"Otacon, I should be the one asking the questions." Snake interrupted, walking along, still wanting that cigarette of his.
Giving a deep sigh, Otacon picked up his carry-on luggage and followed Snake quickly, pushing his glassed back onto the rim of his nose.
"Wait, Snake, no one informed you of what's going on?" Otacon asked in quite astounded tone.
"Well, all I know it that you know why we're here and that's about it." He answered roughly.
Otacon just shook his head.
"Not here, Snake." He replied with a hint of stress to his voice. "People can hear us. We're going to have to wait until we reach the hotel."
A curse softly escaped past Snake's lips. He looked of to the side, rather pissed off.
"At least explain WHY we were on separate planes." He demanded.
"I thought that would have been a no brainer!" Otacon chuckled gently, but ceased when Snake gave him a look that sent chills down his spine. "We don't want people to get suspicious."
"Suspicious?!" Snake exclaimed. "Of what? Nothing of Metal Gear ever happened in London… Or unless…"
Otacon remained silent as they reached the luggage claim. The two of them stood in silence until a shrilling buzzer went off, the cycle of the luggage claim area starting. Only a few minutes had passed by and both Otacon and Snake picked up their belongings, Otacon carrying at least four big pieces of baggage. What was inside was still unknown to Snake.
* * *
"Bloody hell, I'm going to be late!"
Running down the London streets a young lady hurried through the crowds, holding her unbuttoned jacket close to her. She breathed heavily in hopes that she'd reach her destination in time. After many apologies to those she accidentally ran into, she had finally reached to her goal. Starbucks Café.
Entering from the back, she panted heavily, leaning over, holding herself up by placing her hand against the wall. She flicked a single curl away from her face, wiping away a few sweat drops from her forehead. Suddenly, she felt an unhappy presence before her. Lifting her head up, she saw her boss stand before her.
"Claire!" a tall, scrubby man bellowed at her. "How many times have you been late for this job of yours?!"
Claire stood up straight, flipping her light auburn hair over her shoulders. Opening her eyelids, she revealed the dark emerald eyes behind them, looking at her boss. She tried to remain calm, but the look on his face terrified her.
"They say you're the daughter of one of the richest men in England itself and you can't manage to get here on time?!"
"I am sorry for my actions, sir." Claire lowered her head, disappointed in herself. "But I am unable to provide myself with a ride of some sort."
"Ha!" her boss spat at her. "Can't afford a ride? Not even a cab? You act as though you're from a lowly working class! Act your status, woman and go get the people out there their coffee!"
The boss walked out of the backroom, slamming the door as he left. Claire just let a sigh get out of her. She felt bad that she couldn't get a ride. Her father was always busy with work and the cabs were always unavailable. Though she didn't mind running to work; she had been used to running by now.
She dismissed the thoughts from her mind, flipping her hair again and sliding a green apron on her once she removed her jacket. With a spare elastic she had in her pockets, she tied her wavy hair up into a messy bun, only the tight, natural curls left to hang in front of her face. She looked at herself in the mirror and gave a fake smile at her reflection. With that, she walked towards the door, ready to encounter her day at work.
* * *
A black cab had come to a stop in front of one of the many hotels in London. Snake and Otacon opened the doors, getting out of the cab, looking up at the enormous building in front of them.
"We'll be staying here from now until the mission is complete." Otacon mentioned to Snake, and then went back to the cab to give the driver the money owed.
While Otacon tried to figure out the difference from dollars and pounds, Snake quickly searched for his pack of cigarettes. Once he had found one, he brought it to his lips, lighting it in a rush, then took a deep, lengthy drag of it, puffing out the smoke he had inhaled afterwards. Some people in front of the hotel had come to the cab, taking out the luggage from the trunk. Snake watched them, taking a few more quick drags of his cig, then tossed it to the side without any thought. By then, Otacon came to his side.
The two of them entered the hotel, marveled by how extravagant it was. Diamond chandeliers hung from the vast ceiling, illuminating the whole room. The walls were wallpapered with golden sheets. The floor reflected off all of what was going on above. It was simply clear that this was no ordinary hotel.
"I hope this isn't coming out of our pockets." Snake noted, looking around still.
"Don't worry, Snake, everything's already covered. All we need is our keys." Otacon walked with Snake to one of the desks to claim their room keys.
The two of them received their keys and then they walked off to the elevators. Thankfully, they were the only ones in the elevator. It gave them a chance to talk.
"Alright. We're away from the airport and anyone else that might be to our concern." Snake said impatiently. "What is going on, Otacon?"
Otacon took in a deep breath and then started talking as the elevator doors closed.
"As you know, I was the one who helped create Metal Gear Rex." Otacon started. "Well, I wasn't able to do it all on my own."
A semi-shocked expression was placed onto Snake's face.
"Yeah, there's someone out there who has probably even more brains than I do." Otacon felt ashamed. "No one knew how he found out about Metal Gear-"
"But he probably did some business in the black market, right?" Snake placed the words into his mouth.
"Exactly!" Otacon expressed. "He had found out about the entire thing with Metal Gear Rex and offered to help. Him and I worked together on it, though nobody knew about that part."
"He was probably secretly trying to get money." Snake rolled his eyes.
"That's the thing though… He wasn't in it for money."
"He… wasn't?" Snake sounded even more surprised.
"No. No one really knew why he was in it. But all that I know is that he left us right after Metal Gear Rex was created, as if in case we were to get founded out, he wouldn't take any of the blame. But now that he's left, I had a weird feeling about something…"
"That this guy might know too much about Metal Gear?"
"Enough to create another one."
Snake looked away, cursing again.
The elevator doors by then had opened. Otacon and Snake walked out, walking down a hallway to their rooms.
"But why would he want to create another Metal Gear?" Snake asked, rather puzzled.
Otacon came to his room, opening the lock on his door then opened it, letting Snake follow. Once they were inside, he closed the door shut. Otacon's room was rather spacious. It was a typical hotel suite; bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living area. His belongings were already there to his luck. Otacon rested on a couch as Snake stood, looking out the window.
"This man that we're talking about…" Otacon went on. "His name is Xavier Wellington. He came from a poor family, but his smarts in school and college were what led him to success. He started up his own business and received huge amounts of money. He's probably one of the richest people in England or even all of Europe for all I know. He was a pure genius and still is."
"There's a very fine line between a genius and a madman." Snake remarked to Otacon.
"Yes… that's what worries me." Otacon nodded in agreement. "He always talked about how his money wasn't buying him to power that he wanted and that in a world like today, brain power is nothing. Now and then, he'd start acting maliciously. He said dictators were his heroes, for they controlled the world with so much power that people would do anything for them."
"I'm getting a sense that this Xavier person is looking at Metal Gear for that power that he wants." Snake added on.
"That's what I fear as well. England wasn't involved with Metal Gear until Xavier came into play. Little was known about him except that he was mad rich and cared for his family greatly."
"A family guy, huh?"
"It seems like it. But ever since his wife was murdered, he sunk into a deep depression. He mentioned how much he missed her now and then. But ever since her death, he started wanting this power and tried hard to create something that would grant him this power."
"That power could be Metal Gear, Otacon."
"Yes, and that's why we're here."
Otacon stood up, walking over to his belongings that were dropped off. He started unpacking.
"Your mission, Snake, is to investigate Xavier Wellington's home and try to see what he's plotting." Otacon told him. "For all we know, he might not be plotting anything. But we need to be safe."
"That's an easy assignment." Snake grinned.
"That's not it though." Otacon looked over his shoulder to Snake.
"Then what else?" Snake turned around to look at Otacon.
"If he is plotting something… you must destroy any evidence or materials that were used for the creation of Metal Gear."
Snake looked down, deep in thought.
"It's going to take longer than you think, Snake." Otacon got to his feet, pushing his glasses up with his index finger. "We could be here for several weeks, months, who knows."
"And it's even harder knowing that we're in a different country." Snake turned his back to Otacon, looking out the window.
"And when coming into this country, we had to take separate planes, just in case Xavier knew that someone was coming." Otacon went on. "He probably knows that Metal Gear Rex was a failure. He hasn't contacted me since. And it wouldn't have been right to come in with the US army escorting us."
"Well, if the government doesn't know about this, who does?"
"Only you, me, and the colonel."
"The colonel? Damn him…"
"He's the one who a okayed everything, Snake. He was the one who paid for this trip. We should be thankful. We want to keep this top secret. If we made a huge deal about it, terrible things could happen."
Silence swept past the two, which was soon broken by Snake.
"Since when did Starbucks come to England?" he changed the subject, narrowing his eyes down through the window."
Otacon came to his side, looking down as well.
"That's pretty good business. Right across from a hotel too!" Otacon exclaimed. "They probably know that a lot of Americans come here and like coffee. England is more in favor for tea. But at least I know I can get a good cup of Expresso in the morning."
Snake just shook his head and walked past Otacon and to the door.
"It's getting late, Otacon." Snake paused in front of the door, looking over to Otacon. "We need to rest up for tomorrow. I'll be in my room now."
Snake opened the door and then walked off to his room nearby. Once the door was shut, Otacon sighed softly, starting to unpack his equipment.
"This isn't going to be any ordinary mission."
* * *
that's it for the first chapter. it explains most of what's going on so far. hope it was enjoyable. and no, i didn't get the name xavier from x-men. it was the name of some kid in my class in elementary school and he was always mean to me. so yeah. please read and review and tell me what you think.