Snakes and Weasels

[shar1ngan]

Who: Snake heavendivided and Uchiha Itachi shar1ngan
When: February 7, at 19:00
Where: Top of the Major's Club
Summary: Itachi and Snake are paranoid bitches and don't want their conversation monitored by the NV.
Warnings: None that I know of :O

Comments

[heavendivided]

Had this been a mission, he would've taken more care to stay undetected, but as it was he neither had the tools for it (box got damaged beyond repair on his 'arrival'; and he hadn't found a suitable new one yet), nor did he see the need. Navigating around the island without drawing much attention to himself wasn't a problem, especially considering it was a city bustling with with enough life to blend in; though it was a different kind of life at night, and around evening, activity rapidly decreased. But that was fine. He wasn't here to hide, otherwise, he wouldn't have agreed to a meeting. Wouldn't even have met up with Yoite and Luka. He was already getting careless, Jack knew, but if he wanted to be like his former superiors he'd just hide behind a desk all day and let others do the work without ever showing his own face, and that's not who or what he wanted to be.

It was never quite about his own safety. But the safer he kept himself, the safer he also kept the people that associated with him. The only other alternative was going back to where he'd been over twenty-five years ago; all by himself in the middle of nowhere killing families that were just as unfortunate as his own. He didn't think much about it back then. Good soldiers don't ask questions, and all that; and he was better off not knowing anyway.

But he's approaching his fifties now; and it's a small miracle he's even still alive (average life span doesn't exceed forties in this profession), so he's gonna use that time asking questions. Ever since he met her it was difficult not to; and all the more frustrating when he got no answers.

Still didn't have all of them. Had to go back. Had to go here, first, on the roof of that Major's Club, one step at a time. Snake wasn't surprised that no one was here yet; hell, if he was that kid, he'd be wary, too -- but punctual. He didn't try to hide the fact that he was carrying weapons with him; his rifle shouldered, another handgun by his waist, though that one only held tranq rounds. Frag grenades he wasn't planning on using anytime soon, two combat knives mostly just for cutting up rats and food. A prototype stealth suit combined with the elements of his combat armor -- had saved him from a bite and some nasty claws in the past nights.

To pass the time, he reached for one of his pouches, fishing for a small silver case, and opened it delicately; a displeased grunt following soon after as he removed the last cigar from its container. It was his own fault for having more important things to worry about than his nicotine addiction, he figured, and his zippo still refused to work anyway, so he had to rely on Ocelot for that. Who better not be around right now.

He rotated the cigar thoughtfully a few times between his fingers, before finally placing it back, and slipping the case back into a pocket. Better save that one for later; you never knew what could still happen that night. And damn, you just gotta save your last smoke for something more significant than this.

"You can come out now," Big Boss said finally, seemingly to no one.

[shar1ngan]

Itachi didn't keep Snake waiting long. But he observed him before emerging. The man looked like a veteran, that much was sure. And one who was skilled enough to have reached that age without dying meant enough that Itachi was wary. He could identify some of the weapons he carried. Others - the rifle especially - were beyond his experience, but he had some idea of what it probably did based on its configuration.

At Snake's words, Itachi was already ready to move. He flickered, and seemed to literally come into existence on the edge of the roof opposite Snake.

In stark contrast to the mercenary, Itachi seemed unarmed - though he certainly was armed to the teeth, all of his knives and shuriken were hidden under the long black coat he wore. He was unscarred, young and smooth-skinned compared to the warrior he faced, but there was a wealth of experience in his eyes that belied his youth. This boy had been killing since the tender age of 7, and it showed.

He approached slowly, his hands visible and his body language relaxed. His crimson irises held three black commas, which revolved slowly in a faintly eye-drawing way.

"Sorry for my lateness," he said quietly. "I wanted to check if you were followed." That was true, though not the whole reason.

dang you're fast

[heavendivided]

"I would've noticed," Snake replied, raising the volume of his voice just slightly, now that he knew that Itachi was on a different roof altogether. Quite frankly, he'd had no idea where exactly he'd been; but after years of working in this field you just got a sixth sense for that kind of thing. Besides, Itachi didn't seem like the type that would keep others waiting for long. Much unlike himself. "Though double-checking never hurts."

He gave the other kid... or man -- he wasn't even sure what to call him -- a brief look over, which was a strenuous task in itself, what with the distance and his own limited depth perception. Though he'd had ten years to get used to it, so that didn't really bother him anymore. As for Itachi, he could take an educated guess that he was somewhere in his twenties, and aside from certain oddities (honestly, though, if you've met a guy that was half tree and another one whose tongue was at least half a meter long, nothing managed to shock you anymore), he didn't appear that much different from other kids he'd met. Same dull glaze in his eyes. A little bit like a ghost. Just like Frank.

...Damn, this was the second time he was reminded of him, though he was thinking of that boy far more often. The kind of kid that's been raised to kill and fight for its own survival from birth, only to end up a tool.

And he still didn't know --
(but you defeated me, watched over me, help me fill the void inside)
-- If he'd done the right thing. But this was different. And if it wasn't, he would make it so.

"You gotta come over to me," he spoke, shifting weight from one foot to the other, while looking somewhat apologetic, "I can't jump that far."

T-that's what she said

[shar1ngan]

Itachi flickered from view again and appeared on the Major's roof, touching down so lightly that he scarcely made a sound as he landed. He walked towards Snake at a slightly brisker pace, coming to a stop at a comfortable conversational distance.

He'd intended to come to Snake anyway, and he found the apologetic look somewhat amusing on the scarred face. He found it significant and gratifying that Snake hadn't gotten angry or upset at the blatant demonstration of ability.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Snake-san," he said, inclining his head politely in a small bow. "It's good to meet a fellow warrior of skill and experience."

/slowwww sob

[heavendivided]

Impressive, certainly -- Big Boss was a man that knew what he was and wasn't capable of, and where his limits were. He also had no problems with complimenting others on their skill. That didn't mean that he held back with his criticism, though; but it was too early for that, and it's not like they were in the middle of mission or some other such life threatening situation.

...That wasn't entirely true. He'd become so used to omnipresent threats that he didn't even consider the 'lesser evils' that painted the town red at night, though he never forgot about them. The real threat, he supposed, was time -- and how history could change if he wasn't there to stop any of their plans. What could happen to Kaz. And his men. Frank, too.

It had been over a week already. Itachi was regarded with an indifferent, but not necessarily unkind expression; he acknowledged the boy's manners with a curt nod. Being greeted so politely was rare; most of the time, they just yelled his name or took a jab at him right away. One of the two.

"Likewise," Snake said, and considered extending a hand for a moment, but dropped the thought after a second. Whereever Itachi came from, his profession and mannerisms indicated that it might have been a place not unlike Asia, and that suffix -- well, that sounded familiar, too. He didn't get reminded of his roots very often, safe for a conversation he would hold with Kazuhira every now and again in Japanese, about the old days, how both America and Japan had changed after World War Two, comparisons of the respective countries Constitutions, and so on. Funny how nostalgic this new place could get at times. Shikata ga nai.

"Hope this isn't inconveniencing you. You're also very observant for your age; caught on pretty quick." Good thing, that; he didn't like oblivious people. Like he had been, at one point. He continued, because he knew they weren't here to talk personal matters. Not yet. "I'm not the type to just settle down and take things as they come. If people want to stay here; that's fine, but I'm looking for the ones that don't."

*petpets*

[shar1ngan]

Itachi smiled faintly. He was unused to being treated like a young person or child, and found the phrase 'for your age' to be highly amusing. There was an almost automatic impulse to disabuse the man of the notion that he was young and inexperienced - though he likely had fewer actual years of experience in the field, he'd had substantially more than most people his age even in his own world.

Enough to stand on equal footing with Snake, as far as he was concerned.

But he suppressed the impulse. Snake didn't seem like he intended to talk down to him or dismiss his abilities, quite the opposite. There would be time to give the man a shock later, if it became necessary.

"It's not inconvenient to me," he said calmly. "I work here in an hour, so I have the time to talk first."

He tilted his head. Time to come clean. "To be honest, I have no strong desire to return home. But since I arrived here, I've found I need to keep busy. Figuring out the nature of this place and learning as much as I can comes naturally to me, and I do want to help others to escape, even if I do end up staying here myself."

.... WHAT.

[heavendivided]

He'd been fighting since he was a kid himself -- fighting for his life, most of the time, and he knew others that had started out younger than him. That wasn't new or surprising; if the phrase 'for your age' expressed any sentiment, it was one of regret. And even though defeat was never an option, he didn't care from who it'd come from. Could be a rookie for all he cared, as long as he did his job right.

He listened. And frowned, but not for long, even though the impulse to disagree was there. It wasn't like he wasn't keeping busy himself -- there was a lot to do before anything coming close to escape could be realized, a lot of investigative work and intel gathering, most of all. Didn't really get much information out of the network with all its subjective opinions and statements.

"I wonder," he eventually said, "Don't you have any job to finish, back at 'home'? Or do you just..." He gestured, "Not want to go back there, for one reason or another."

Nothing~

[shar1ngan]

A job to finish, Itachi did have that, and at the words he felt a not-unfamiliar pulse of guilt. He flicked his eyes away briefly.

"I do have a job that's been left unfinished," he admitted. "But as I had gone to my death right before coming here, I feel somewhat justified in considering the torch passed to my successors. If the man I've been ordered to assassinate comes here, I will do anything I can to kill him including walking willingly to my own death a second time. Otherwise, I have chosen to be selfish for once in my life."

His eyes flicked back to Snake. "I won't bore you with the details," he said firmly. "I presume you also have a job to finish?"

sorry for late asdfskdfg

[heavendivided]

Well, didn't that sound familiar. Only that Big Boss hadn't exactly been ordered to assassinate anyone; he didn't take any orders anymore that weren't his own. But there wer a couple of people he'd like to see dead, yes; Zero and his own clones being at the top of the list. But that wasn't his primary mission -- his men were, the people that were counting on him to give him a mission, any mission.

Jesus. The Mother Base must have been in an uproar right then, when he went missing. Probably thought he was taken captive by the CIA, and that wasn't even too farfetched. And he couldn't just let someone else take over for him. Couldn't. It wasn't like him to retire, and besides, it's not what she'd want him to do...

"I don't consider a man's past boring," he told Itachi, honestly. It was the most interesting part about getting to know someone; learning what shaped them into the person they are today. Why they went that path in life, why they made those choices. "But I know it's not always easy to talk about it. I have people back...'home'," he paused momentarily, considering that word. It wasn't accurate; he didn't have a home other than the battlefield. America was just an idea now, a false one at that, held together by unrealistic expectations. " -- that are relying on me. I can't just settle down in this place and pretend I don't care. But... you're very selfless to be willing to help if you would gain little or nothing from it."

Big Boss could admire something like that. It was the same thing he would do, probably; just as he had done in Mozambique. And in San Hieronymo. As he was probably going to do here, the whole corrupt legal system and city be damned.

"Just to be clear. You don't particularly care about either of the corporations, do you? 'Cause that's where I'm gonna start, and not everyone might be happy about that."

*grins* No worries

[shar1ngan]

Itachi was well-aware that Snake likely wanted to know a great deal about his past. The statement had been intended as a signal that he wasn't willing to talk about it at the moment. He was in a bit of a bind, actually, when it came to his past. He didn't want to tell people proudly that he was a wanted, dangerous criminal, because it would sabotage his efforts here if people were scared of him. Nor did he want it to get about that he was undercover in the Akatsuki, in case any members showed up.

Best not to talk about it directly, if he could avoid it.

He gave a shrug at being accused of selflessness. "It gains me something to learn about this place, if I'm going to stay here," he said. "If it helps people to get home, then that doesn't cause me difficulties."

He then shook his head firmly. "I have my own loyalties, and neither of the corporations seem likely to earn mine." He cocked his head. "When you say you're starting there, do you mean you intend to take them down?"

[heavendivided]

Big Boss inhaled sharply. "That depends," he exhaled. "If I can guarantee this city can function without them, then I'll try. If I can somehow make sure that the people here stay safe in some other way while we escape, even better." Though if he looked at it realistically, evacuating the citizens of an island this big was kind of an unrealistic idea. He wanted to avoid making things for the people here more difficult than they already were, but he couldn't just take things as they came either. He'd already done that one too many times, so he needed to act, and fast. He took a few steps, walked close to the edge of the buildings roof; his profile turned to Itachi. This was the underground mall -- almost another miniature city underneath hellhole that was Siren's Port. And that was the problem -- you had to get beneath it all, get inside, to the Core, both literally and figuratively.

And that was something Jack could not do alone. He readily took on most of the work, but without support, a mission was always bound to fail. He had Ocelot, yes -- and there were certainly other people to consider, but right now, he was still on his own, as far as he was concerned.

"I'd like to see what you can do."

His handgun was drawn and pointed at the other man within the fraction of a second; no heads-up, and nothing in his body language or facial expression that would have given away his intentions.

[ooc: I'm not entirely sure of Itachi's abilities, buuuut Big Boss will pull the trigger and I'll leave it to you how Itachi dodges that attack. :3 I'm fine with BB getting disarmed/hurt, just try not to kill him/throw him off the building. XD]

[shar1ngan]

The bullet whizzed towards the unsuspecting ninja, who made no move to dodge it. It struck, right in the chest, and Itachi fell in a spurt of blood, his mouth opening in an 'O' of shock.

And yet.

A split second before the young man hit the ground, he vanished in a puff of smoke.

There was a whisper of movement, and Itachi stood behind Snake, grabbing for his gun hand with one hand with the intention of disarming him with a twist that might snap his wrist, while his other hand came up to press a knife against the side of Snake's neck, right over the carotid artery.

"Did you really think that would work?" he whispered.

[heavendivided]

"Nope," Snake breathed, not even trying to fend off the attack, or to free himself -- nor does he seem very fazed, but he did acknowledge that knife right by his neck. Had one of those himself and made use of it pretty frequently, so yeah, throat slitting was a pretty messy yet familiar business. "I'd be pretty disappointed if it did. Neat trick. Impressive."

He hummed quietly in the back of his throat.

"By the way," he added after a bit, tone pretty relaxed. At least for someone in that position. "That was a tranq dart. So it'd be nice if you let go off me now before you collapse and accidentally cut me."

[shar1ngan]

After twisting the gun from Snake's hand, he looked at it, then slipped it into his own pocket. He'd verify the tranquilizer and then maybe give it back later.

"The dart never hit me," he said, his lips curving. "So you have no need for concern. It was only a kage bunshin - a clone. As is the one you're talking to right now. My real body is out of sight, but I am able to hear everything we've discussed. I'm sorry for the paranoia, but apparently it was warranted."

He lowered the knife and stepped back, tilting his head to the side slightly. "If you want to see what I can do, you'll need to do more than shoot at me once."

[heavendivided]

Clones. Oh. Sure, why not. He seemed to attract that sort of thing.

"Talk about fair," he gruffed, taking one, two steps to the side while turning towards Itachi-cone(?), his right hand reaching up to his neck, making sure that it was alright. Oddly enough, the only thing he really mourned right now was his Mk.22; he was sure he needed that gun again sooner or later, but he wasn't gonna fight for it if Itachi took it for now. "You better not break that thing," he said, displeased. "And it's fine. I got a pretty good idea now, though I wouldn't mind seeing more some other time. Though I guess I should feel honored that you felt this paranoid just meeting up with me. You're wary, that's good." Jack smiled himself. He always knew when to admit defeat, though that didn't mean that he was just a little bit sore about it. But that's life, and he'll get back at him for it later. In some other way.

"That's all there was to it. I'm not a clone, by the way -- " He made an inviting gesture. "As real and mortal as they come." But all he really meant to say was, if I willingly take such a risk concerning my life, don't you think I'm serious about all of this?

[shar1ngan]

Itachi hadn't cut him. He knew Snake had only been testing him.

"Survival has nothing to do with playing fair," Itachi said solemnly. "Not to mention that you brought several powerful weapons to a meeting with an apparently unarmed man. I'm sure you're confident in your skills, as I am. You can't begrudge me using the skills I have to protect myself instead of taking foolish risks for no purpose."

He pulled the gun out of his pocket and examined it, then tossed it back towards Snake.

"I'm very skilled at creating illusions, such as the clones and other things. My eyes allow me to see minute details and to copy techniques I see perfectly. I can manipulate both water and fire. There are other things I can do, but those are the main things. Does that help?" he added calmly.