003 [audio]
I knew a man once. They called him the Iron Dragon. He was a general in the army of the Union when I was still a pup. There wasn't a man alive who could match his skill with a blade, or his compassion and generosity… He was a good man, a kind man, famed for his heroism
( Read more... )
...thankless, huh?
[He answers the feed almost immediately, but takes him another minute to work out what he really means to say. For all his distant behavior, part of him has always been deeply invested in protecting people. That's why he does what he does. He'd felt a measure of powerlessness in being stuck here, too fed up with the government and his experiences in the military to even consider the police but unable to bring himself to sit back and do nothing for too long.]
...
[Finally.]
Can't say I'm much of a knight. But I can help.
Reply
Reply
I can't make many promises yet. But I'm interested, if you're serious.
[Questionably legal, nonprofit organization dedicated to the welfare of humanity? ...Right up his alley, actually. He's done this sort of thing before. Just at a different sort of scale.]
Solid Snake.
Reply
Solid... You don't happen to know a man named Liquid, do you?
Reply
I wasn't planning on sitting back and waiting for orders anyway. But I've got skills. I can put them to use. If it's something worth standing up for, people will find a way.
[He hums a bit at the question. Liquid is quite a bit louder than his brother. It's not uncommon that people know of him before they ever meet Snake. Especially since Liquid just made a name for himself by publicly torturing one of the few good cops the city does have.]
Just Snake.
[No one ever called him "Solid," even back in FOXHOUND. ...Except Yaha, oddly enough, not that he knows of the connection.]
And I know him. I'd appreciate it if you didn't hold it against me.
Reply
In any case, I'm sure that so long as you aren't quite so inclined to punch me, we'll get along just fine.
Reply
[Silence over the feed for a minute. Somehow he is not so surprised to hear that.]
...he's my brother.
[As if in explanation. Not something he's big on discussing, and it shows subtly in his tone. But it was bound to come out sooner or later, if they were going to be working together on this. Might as well get it out of the way. It would be far more obvious if he was on video, but for all Snake and Liquid look near-identical beneath the differences in coloring, their voices are far more distinct. Right down to the accent.]
[He exhales slowly and passes a hand over his eyes.]
At least I know you can take a punch. You don't have to worry about me. I don't make a habit of picking petty fights.
Reply
I can take more than a few punches. I was a lieutenant in the Knights myself, and I have a few tricks up my sleeve. [Like immortality.] Still, I can't handle these districts all on my own, which is why I need some help.
Reply
I'll survive. What did you have in mind?
Reply
[A brief pause, and a sigh.] I suppose where we end up will depend on how well things go.
Reply
Can't please everyone. Nothing much to be done about that. You'll be spread pretty thin, but there are advantages to starting small. Makes it easier to stay under the radar and keep an eye on things.
[Even with Philanthropy, things had been simple enough. Otacon and Nastasha handled intel and PR, all the grunt work had gone to him. But this wasn't going to be a one-man job, in that respect. Which made things a little more complicated.]
It also means you'll need to watch who you're recruiting. You need manpower, but you won't be able to keep tabs on everyone all the time. Won't have time to be babysitting many rookies, either.
Reply
Leave a comment