The New Ripper; A Metal Gear Rising Fanfic

Mission R-00

My name is Matthew Domsich, and I have absolutely no idea how this has happened to me.

I don't remember closing my eyes or anything, but I woke up in a limo, with guys in front and to my right. We were driving down a road, and looking out the window, I saw many military vehicles and soldiers, armed to the teeth with big guns and heavy gear. We looked to be in a poorer country, as the buildings around us seemed to be somewhat old fashioned.

"Three years..." The man in front of me spoke, instantly grabbing my attention.

"We've come so far in just three short years..." His voice was low, and he sounded genuinely proud. He was a black man, dressed in a tuxedo with a red-striped tie. His hair was graying, but still mostly black.

"The sign of a strong leader, sir," the man next to him spoke. He was also black and dressed like the other, but he wore glasses and had a  blue tie. He also looked younger with dark black hair and a less-than-humble voice. I was still trying to wrap my head around how I just suddenly appeared here, so I was saving my opinions for them later.

"No," the first spoke again, "the will of strong people..."

I looked outside again. Many were interacting in the city, having fun, laughing, and just being good people. It made me wonder why I saw all the military earlier, and why was it necessary.

"...and one able advisor."

"Thank you, sir." So the younger man was the advisor to the first? Who were these guys?

The first man nodded before turning his head at me and the agent-looking guy to my right, making me nervous.

"Your team deserves credit as well... Mr. Lightning Bolt."

I think he was referring to me. I glanced down and looked myself over. Like the others, a suit was covering my body, but I was also wearing sunglasses, which I promptly took off.

"Just doing our job, Mr. Prime Minister." My voice seemed to speak without my consent, it just came out. So this guy was the prime minister of the country we were in? What did we do, exactly, that he sounded grateful for?

"I must admit, I once thought of groups like yours as opportunists," his voice contained a hint of malice as he spoke this time, "enablers of war. But you've trained our new army well, and order has returned sooner than expected." His voice returned to sounding grateful. "Perhaps I was wrong about these 'Private Military Companies.'" 

He turned his head at the advisor and smiled, though he looked a little uneasy.

"We prefer 'Private Security Provider,' sir." I spoke, again without really meaning to, "Most of Maverick's contracts do focus on security."

"Yes, well," the prime minister said, "security can mean many things..."

I looked out again, and sure enough, we were in a convoy, with at least three different armored vehicle units. I also saw my reflection in the window's glass, and saw that I had somewhat long hair that could cover my eyes, and that it was almost snow white in color, not quite bleached.

For some reason, I put the sunglasses back on as I spoke. "There's a saying I like; 'One sword keeps another in the sheath.' Sometimes, the threat of violence alone is a deterrent. Sometimes, by taking a life, others can be preserved. It's the code the samurai lived by..."

How did I know such a thing? And why would I say it? Where was I going with this? Whose life did I replace?

"Mm, a soldier and a philosopher. You are full of surprises, Mr. Lightning Bolt," the prime minister said.