MGSV A Quiet Conclusion

Blue Butterfly Edition

Author's note:

Welcome to the first chapter of the expanded edition of MGSV A Quiet Conclusion. The story's overall plot hasn't changed, I just expanded the content, detailing and adding much needed depth to the story. In addition to fixing many errors, the story is nearly double in length than the original edition, with a few new chapters including how Quiet infiltrated Outer Heaven. Please look forward to a new chapter every weekend and thank you all for your support. Enjoy.

Prologue

"The Boss is with me…"

Those words… those words marked the end. The last time I would be at his side. I had to let him go, he was a friend in need, and he had to realize his dream. I am just a tool of revenge, a weapon, but he gave me something more. More than I could ever hope for.

These thoughts run through my head as I wander the desert, rifle in hand, exposed to the sunlight, the wind lifting off sand particles, the clear blue sky. As I walk like a ghost, keeping myself invisible… ruminating. For three days, three days I wander the desert aimlessly, sometimes going on circles. It's dusk now, I look back to the Lamaar Kaahte Palace one last time.

"If only we shared a common tongue…"

It's as if I see him from afar, I look through my scope to where he is and there is none. As I come to after having lost myself in my thoughts, it is night now. I head back to the desert and I see one of Diamond Dog's chopper hovering over me. As I stare at it I'm taken aback when I saw that logo for the first time, I was in his arms, soon to be a prisoner. Then I remember that place. The arch, the broken bricks, the foliage taking over the man-made structures, such a beautiful combination, the waterfall, the mountains surrounding that place. Standing at the top of the arch, this place, I called the ruins. We both did. Each time I would pass by the place with him, I would reminisce of our battle.

I make up my mind and decide to head back to that place; I walk directly as if being drawn there. After two more days, I finally arrive at the place. I drop down my Brennan rifle, the damn thing has been feeling particularly heavy these past days. I take off my clothes and shower in the waterfall. After a long while of laying down, I realize I did not get the symptoms of the parasite. When I press on my throat, I feel nothing. I stand up and look at my reflection on the waterfall, I press harder on my throat and turn invincible, I notice the English strain is gone. "I can speak…" Then I notice drops falling into the water, distorting my reflection "Rain?" when I look up the sky is bright, "No, they're…" at that moment, even more, drops begin to fall, I grit my teeth as I feel something heavy on my chest. An intense pain emanating from inside me, I begin to cry and wail. For a long while, I kept crying and yelling. I begin to pound at the water in frustration, tears still dropping. I'm already soaked. Then I stop, and I stare up at the sky, it has gotten cloudy. Rain now falls this time, what am I to do now I yell on my knees, I scream his name. Night is breaking again, for hours I had been staring at my reflection. What should I do now?

10 years later…

Another day, in a tired, endless battlefield

"You are Big Boss, I am too, carry that with you wherever you may go…"

As those words echo through my head, I punch the mirror on the wall. When I heard those words the first time, it filled me with joy and pride. However, little did I know, what a burden would I carry. The war continued, the battle against Cipher, realizing the man's dream, a nation of soldiers. Even after he achieved it, and having dismantled Diamond Dogs which I built by my efforts on his orders, it was not enough for him. I am just a shadow, with no memory to recall who I was before. A decade has passed since I saved the world, and now, the cycle of revenge is still yet to end.

The last weeks before he had arrived, I was haunted with a heavy premonition. Feeling the arrival of something inevitable, I began to reminisce about Diamond Dogs. My fellow men, the base, and her… As I begin to remember the time I spent with her, somehow I began to feel her close, as if her ghost roamed through Outer Heaven. Whenever I would shower after a long day, washing down the blood, I would look through the glass wall and imagine her standing there, watching me, putting her hand next to mine, sharing a smile, as if telling me "I'm here Boss".

At the mere thought I began to feel regret, my chest began to feel heavy, and every day the guns I carried would feel heavier on my hands. I kept imagining her by my side, watching me. As I kept feeling her presence, even for a split second I wondered if she was there… I look back but no, she was long gone.

Few weeks later…

"You, no we underestimated him, Ishmael, he's already destroyed the metal gear, and everything's ruined. I will do one last favor to you, but after this, discharge me from service."

"Outer Heaven self-destruct countdown, 10, 9…" "Good-Bye" a shadowy figure with a bandanna whispers and disappears. He and I just fought here in one of the storage rooms in outer heaven. The room's walls are splattered with blood over, some of mine and other soldiers he killed on his way here. Most soldiers have escaped this place ever since he started to make a ruckus. The room is only illuminated by the spinning red emergency light-bulb.

As the 10-second countdown begins, I lay here, beaten, bloody and a blown-off right leg reminiscing about my life as Venom Snake while smoking my last cigar. The beginning of it, the hospital, Afghanistan, Africa, Skull Face, running the desert with DD and her... After she was gone, at first, I had a hard time coming to terms with it but eventually I forgot all about her. "8,7,6,5…" as I puff one more of my last cigar, I keep reminiscing about my short time with that woman, our adventures in the desert, the jungle, and Diamond Dog's Mother Base.

We did not share words directly; we only spoke through our actions on the battlefield. I always felt at ease around her, ironically to feel that as she was originally sent to assassinate me. Perhaps at the time the language we shared was one of revenge… "4, 3..." However, that all changed after she left, because of the Wolbachia mutation. The news of her departure shook me, but I could not exhibit any emotions. This is the heaviest burden one carries with the title of Big Boss, no time to feel. Just charge down the battlefield and always maintain this façade of a leader.

As the years carried on, my burden as Big Boss's shadow grew, all the people I betrayed, tortured, and killed. All for a dream that will likely never come true. Until recently, I never questioned why I was following orders. What I was carrying on my shoulders. Long since I realized, I carried the heavy burden of a man who killed the person he loved most in this world and turned into a monster soon after. At first, I did not mind being Big Boss, but as the years carried on, I grew weary and tired. I did not consider the cost of being the world's greatest soldier, just the moniker, Big Boss. Things changed, no longer did I care for the fellow soldiers nor the dream of the monster; I was just seeking release. Looking back, the time that mattered most to me, was the year tracking Skull Face. That year I saved the World from his revenge.

Nevertheless, I am grateful now. Discharged from service; I do not care what happens to the real Big Boss now. I lost my identity, my past and now I have no future. In this, present here, my only regret... "3, 2…." Killing, endless killing, that is all my life, had been. Now, left with nothing…In my final moments, my short life, flashing before my eyes, how I wish... The cigar falls from my mouth, "1…"

Venom Snake closes his eye and the mighty fortress of Outer Heaven destroyed along with the dreams of Big Boss.

Chapter 1 Q has come to

A familiar tune plays…

"Oh here she comes, watch out boy, she'll chew you up! "

Running through the desert, under the scorching sand of Afghanistan and the clear blue sky. The rocky landscape, the long journey ahead. Looking up... A shot is heard. Bang!

"He's waking up" a tired old voice the convulsing patient hears "Snake…" whispers a female voice "Gah!" Snake screams in pain, having woken up from the dream. "Give him the dosage, which should stabilize him," the tired old voice signals. Snake barely sees a finger pointing towards his right side. As he turns while his body still trembles and feels pain all over his body, especially his nerve endings at his toes and fingers. He sees blurry a familiar silhouette, a bra with a knot in front, the long arm black sleeve, the glove, pantyhose, and exposed belly button. Moreover, a ponytail… "Q…?...Gah!" Snake passes out as the silhouette gives him something through his neck, knocking him out.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Rain falling, the African children look at him, he lifts his head, thunders crashing down, the helicopter hovers, and the sniper gives thumbs up in approval and keeps shooting incoming soldiers. He looks back and sees a pathway of corpses. The diamond dogs soldiers, outer heaven grunts, and many others from all nations over. He looks back at her in surprise; she is pointing her gun at him.

Bang!

Snake opens his eyes… everything is blurry. He feels like he is lying on a bed. A shadowy figure approaches him,

"Is this another dream?" He asks

"Not quite"

"Quiet?"

"Yes"

"Gah!" he begins to convulse again

"No, he's failing again, Snake, Snake!"

Quiet yells as she holds Snake's body, trying to stabilize him. He passes out.

"We are close my dear…" an old voice whispers.

One week later….

Quiet walks through the entrance to a wooden cabin carrying a bag. As she enters to her right side is a white-colored refrigerator she recently acquired for her new house guest, on top of it is a cassette radio she occasionally uses to listen to music, inside of it has a tape labeled "1984". To her left lies a light wooden rounded table with two chairs, and an electric lamp. As she steps in further she also has a small couch with a black bear fur on the beneath it, reaching to the small fireplace chimney. At the end lies a wooden double cot bed, centered placed facing the direction of the open door. In the bed Snake is sleeping, Quiet dressed him with a dark brown t-shirt and green-leafed cargo pants, these are military fashioned clothes she collected over the years. She puts a bag containing fruits on her table. To the corner of the cabin left side of the bed lies two boxes of cigars Quiet stole from a truck, one box of cigarettes, and on top of them are the clothes neatly folded. At the right side of the bed, there is a wooden drawer, with a gun and a glass of water on top of it, behind it is a wooden door that gives entrance to the small bathroom. Lastly, underneath the bed lies Quiet's two rifles, her treasured Brennan she always likes to polish almost every day and a normal one she uses to fend off predators and intruders.

When she puts the bag down, the noise wakes up Snake, frightened. Gasping for air and his face is full of sweat. As he realizes where he is…

"Huh, I'm alive," he remarks as his breathing stabilizes "What.." He finds himself awake in the bed, looking to his surroundings. He sees the gun with a glass of water.

He keeps looking to his surroundings, lifting himself a little bit off from the bed. He sees the open door in front, and between it, two opened windows, outside of it a rock wall. "What is this place?" "You're no longer in Outer Heaven" he hears a female voice "Who is there!?" He quickly grabs the gun and points it to the source of the voice. When he begins to recognize the source of the voice, Snake's angry expression changes to one of genuine surprise, the grip on the gun loosens and so does his aim.

"Long time no see Snake"

"Quiet?" The forgotten female sniper, unusually still in her clothes from the year Snake had met her, holds a tray while looking at her long lost friend. Snake begins to feel dizzy and the grip on the handgun loosen completely, falling to the bed. "Snake, the treatment hasn't taken full effect with you, rest, we'll talk later."

3 days later…

"How do you feel?" Quiet asks as she straightens the bed's sheet

"Thirsty, water…"

"Here"

"Why am I here, answer me!"

Snake promptly grabs her arm, she gives him a serious stare but not threatening

"Snake, you're in my house, in my bed, you nearly died in Outer Heaven and I rescued you, even tended to your wounds."

"Wha.." Snake's grip on Quiets arm loosens

"Then you saved me?"

"Yes, now get some rest." Quiet shrugs off his arms and settles it down on his chest.

Snake's throws his head back to the pillow, his mind now begins to drift, the desert, jungle and mother base all over again. He relives one incident that had occurred at Diamond Dogs Mother Base. "Hit the alarm!" shouts Snake as he tries to jump off to save Quiet. When Quiet appears from the chlorine infested floor, Snake grabs her and when he looks at her hand she hands him down a vial of parasite. "Take it."

Snake wakes up again, this time during the night. Everything is dark except for the table that had a lamp. Barely illuminating the whole cabin. He looks to his side but doesn't see Quiet. He tries to get up but he remembers he's missing a leg, on top of that, he can't feel much the other one because he has spent quite some time immobile. Still, he gather enough strength to stand up and support himself with the table. He barely notices a crutch behind it "Convenient" he mutters to himself, he grabs it, and exhorts great effort to walk and make it into the bathroom.

He nearly falls because he still can't feel his other leg but is saved by pressing his hand hard against the bathroom's door-frame. Sweating and breathing unevenly, on top of that, begins to feel a bit feverish. Taking a deep breath he makes it to the toilet and unwinds, he notices his urine spill a bit of drops of blood. "Hmm, I still must be in bad shape…" Flushing it down, he turns back and washes his hands and face with the sink. He looks to the mirror but can't see much of himself since it was dark, all he could make out of his reflection was his eye patch and few bangs of hairs thanks to the dim light that barely reaches out the bathroom. He looks to the side and sees the bathroom sink, "Hmm…" Maybe it is not a bad idea to settle down there, since making to the bed will be quite a perilous journey, he had barely made it to the bathroom after all. So, laying down on the bathroom sink and puffing a cigar, he let his mind wander, what was going to be of his life now.

He wonders, is he a hostage to the Sniper? Does she wants to exact revenge of some sort, does she wants fortune? Does she want to claim his title, as the world's strongest soldier? It couldn't be, he'd be dead already. There is no way she could know about the two big bosses. Moreover, about that, what should he tell her, he knows she was in love with him because he was Big Boss, but now that wasn't the case anymore. What he would do, what he could do. He still wonders, the headache comes in and out, his leg begins now to cramp badly but thanks to his training, he doesn't mind the pain, he just bends his knee a bit and let his body do the work. He thinks about Quiet, letting out a slight chuckle about having seen her again, but what could it mean for the two of them. So many questions, and he starts with the most important one.

What do I want to do? He was now free from the burden of being Big Boss, no longer did he have to take orders and deliver them. No longer did he have to look out for the fellow soldier, no longer did he have to spark wars, prolong others rather than end them. As a free man, even though possibly a hostage, he asks himself "What am I to do now?" Letting out smoke, putting out the cigar, he falls asleep, leaving his question unanswered, the best he could do is rest.

"I am Venom Snake…" he mutters, then all the flashback come back in a dreamlike sequence…