exsilium | 01 ☮ voice

Hngh.

[ Yeah, that's pretty much all you get to hear at first – a grunt, followed by a long delay of him trying to figure out how this gadget works. It's tricky and he doesn't have the patience, but given what else he's seen and heard so far, this seems almost insignificant in comparison and not quite worth his ire. Because really – space zombies. ]

Okay. Sure, I'll run with this for now. This thing's working, right?

[ Part of him still wants to believe this is a crazy dream—but even so, he's gonna be a professional and deal with it gracefully. For now. Provided this isn't gonna be dragged out. ]

Not that I particularly appreciate being kidnapped to fight for somebody else's cause without so much as proper contract conditions being negotiated first, but whining will get us nowhere, will it?

Given the circumstances. Bad timing all around, it looks like.

Anyway, I got the gist, but there's still a lot of things I don't understand – most pressing matter of all being the question if and how we're gonna get rid of this infestation, or whatever you wanna call it. [ Of course he's still gonna skim the archives later, but first impressions and especially first hand accounts go a long way. And really a zombie-free station would be kinda nice right now. ] So tell me about what you know, what's important – what can be done right now. About yourself, if you feel so inclined, I'd rather get to know my comrades. Unless you'd like to postpone introductions, which is fine by me.

Me, I go by Big Boss, but Snake's fine.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Being evasive now is not gonna help. He sounds firm now; less conversational, more authorative. ]

Answer me.

Or what?

[Raiden sounds defensive and belligerent now. He's stalling for time. How does he answer this question? "I'm Jack, your clone named me after you then raised me as a psychotic experiment because he was confused and angry over the fact of his own existence". It's a daft thing to say to anyone.]

[ He grunts. He really doesn't appreciate being left in the dark. ]

So it's something that need to be kept from me, that's very telling.

Listen, [ Let's try this again. Getting angry isn't gonna help anyone. ] I'm not looking to start a fight. But I want people to be open with me, especially someone who's obviously from the same place as I am. It's important.

I....

[Raiden deflates on his end, feeling dizzy. It's true, though, they're not enemies. Or at least they shouldn't be, not with bigger, more important things looming over them.]

My name's Jack.

["Jack" is said with a weary sigh, but it's not like his name is much of a secret.]

I'm from your world but not your time.

...Jack's a common name.

[ More said to himself really, cause he can't shake the feeling there's more to that. ]

What do you mean? What time?

2018.

That's almost fifty years...

[ But then it occurs to him. ]

I must be dead by then. But Metal Gear's still around -- ?

Mhmm...

War's changed, though. Metal Gears are usually unmanned now, with more weapons systems. Don't see the big tanks with nuclear payloads and pilots much anymore. People would rather have smaller ones that they can deploy more often.

[ part of him wants to know what happens to himself, but -- its not really something one should know. pretty sure there's a spacetime law against that. ]

Really.

[ he snorts. ]

Well, that's a good thing, isn't it. Sounds almost like a business.

[ he's not the least bit surprised. ]

Sure. War as a business....

[snarling now]

Thanks to the war economy people fight for reasons they don't understand and causes they don't believe in...

[ ~~COUGHS VIOLENTLY~~ well, not like he and kaz kinda sorta started that whole 'war as a busness' thing or anything ... ]

There are people who don't know anything but how to fight. Not all of them need a reason.

Bullshit.

[And he sounds belligerent again]

If you're gonna go out there and start killing you shouldn't do it just because you can or because someone pays you to do it! You should know what you're fighting for! You should have a cause! Otherwise you're just a....

...A slave to someone else's will....

You're wrong.

[ He's firm. ]

You're a soldier, aren't you? A warrior? Why do you fight?

[His answer is automatic at this point]

To protect the weak.

So you fight because you are needed? Those who are needed don't require a reason. You're still just a weapon serving its' intended purpose. The sooner you accept that, the better.

I protect others because it's the right thing to do.

I choose to do it. I'm not someone's weapon, I'm my own man!

You choose to fight, because you think that's what you have to do. Or because it's the only thing you can do?

It's fine, really. You don't need to justify yourself. I'm the same way. It keeps you alive, doesn't it? Staring death in the face.

The only time I fight is to keep others safe. To make things right....

[Which isn't much of an answer. In that caged off part of his heart he feels Jack smile at Big Boss's words. Something dark in Raiden's mind has always enjoyed the battlefield, has always gotten off on the feeling of a perfect cut. He's been trying to ignore it, to repress it, but he knows it is still there....waiting.... Waiting for an excuse to fight again.]

I'm not like you.

[ his reaction is something between a snort and a chuckle. ]

Well! You sound convinced.

[ except not really. ]

Me, I'm a pure-bred warrior, and I don't know anything but how to fight. So as long as there's a place for me to do that, I'm good. I guess I'm just not arrogant enough to claim I'm doing it for justice... There's nothing just about war, no matter the cause.

Yeah....

[I know exactly what that feels like...]

I figured as much.

Then we can agree on something.

[ He still thinks you're a hypocrite Raiden and he has no doubt that he'll experience that first hand some day. ]

I'm sorry, this little philophical discourse must have kept you from attending more important matters. I would like to speak to you in person once this blows over, if you don't mind.

I'm used to the speeches.

[He manages to avoid throwing the term "super villain" in there.]

I'm sure we'll meet, I'm usually on patrol these days.

Right.

[ At least there are no nanomachines involved. Yet. ]

I'm hard to miss. Big guy with the eyepatch.

Right....

[He immediately thinks of Solidus...and Old Snake.]

Doubt I could miss that.

[ Yeah.

Funnily enough BB probably looks exactly like a slightly younger Solidus, just with the eyepatch. But of course, he will probably be more surprised to find out that Raiden's actually a robot, kinda. ]

Talk to you later, Jack.

[ He sounds vaguely amused; but it's just because of the name which he considers--or wants to consider--a fun coincidence. Then he disconnects. ]

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