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Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty Game Script ui Cheats
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--- Metal Gear Solid 2 : Sons of Liberty - Game Script ---
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The latest updates of this guide can be found at GameFAQs:

www.gamefaqs.com

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Written by : El Greco
Created : April 18, 2004
Version : 2.50
Updated : January 19, 2005

Copyright 2004-2005 Don Fleming

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This is currently [Version 2.50] of El Greco's Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of

Liberty Game script.

* This script covers the entirety of the main story of Konami's smash-
hit
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty as well as transcripts of the
Previous Story section of the game. I am confident that all the
dialogue is correct as well as punctuation and so on; if there are any
mistakes found then it would be appreciated if you would take the time
to
report them to me. All that aside, on to the story!

==--==--==

Contact: elgreco@gmail.com

-----------------------------------------
--- WHAT'S NEW? (Version History) ----
-----------------------------------------

Version 2.50 | January 19, 2005 | 583 kb

I added in some odds and ends here and there in the appendices and in the
previous story sections.

Version 2.00 | October 29, 2004 | 539 kb

I added in the Miscellaneous Transmissions. This will most likely be the

very
last update of this script unless some kind of glaring error is pointed
out.

Version 1.50 | August 21, 2004 | 485 kb

I added in the Backstory section.

Version 1.00 | August 10, 2004 | 473 kb

This is the first version of the guide. The entire game script is
completed.
If there will be any more updates I cannot say what they will be, maybe
missed
lines of dialogue and whatnot. As of this moment I am thinking of this as
the
first and final version.

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|_________________________________TABLE
OF__________________________________|
|----------------------------------------
CONTENTS---------------------------|

Backstory

01) Metal Gear - The Outer Heaven Uprising

02) Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake - The Zanzibar Land Disturbance
03) Metal Gear Solid - The Shadow Moses Incident
04) Metal Gear Solid 2 - Plot Summary

Tanker Chapter Script

01) Infiltration
02) Hairy armpits and bad Russian accents
03) Possessed arms and weird twists

Plant Chapter Script

01) Big Shell

 02) The twirly guy with the knives
03) Why do I have to do this crap?
04) Laugh and Grow Fat
05) Is that really Solid Snake?
06) Don't touch me there!
07) This guy is a pain in the arse
08) Rescuing the fair maiden
09) Bare nak3d infiltration
10) Even my patience has its limits
11) What the hell?

Miscellaneous Transmissions

01) The Terrorists and Dead Cell

02) Otacon's Equipment Descriptions
03) Otacon's Proverbs
04) Pliskin's Equipment Descriptions
05) Emma's Arguments
06) Whacked Out Colonel

Previous Story Transcript

01) The New York Mirror

02) The Shocking Conspiracy Behind Shadow Moses
03) In the Darkness of Shadow Moses: The Unofficial Truth

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Backstory

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01) Metal Gear - The Outer Heaven Uprising
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The year is 1995. Deep in South Africa, 200km north of Garzburg, Outer
Heaven-
an armed fortress nation, established by the legendary mercenary. He was
feared in combat by both his friends and foes as a hero and a lunatic. The
"Western" nations have found that a weapon of mas destruction capable of
rewritting war history is under development at Outer Heaven. They have
called
upon the high-tech special forces unit FOX-HOUND to take care of the
situation. In response to this order, Big Boss, the commander-in-chief of
FOX-HOUND, sent Gray Fox, the man with the code name "Fox" which is given
to
the best member of the unit "Operation intrude N313"

After a few days, his last message being "Metal Gear..." Gray Fox was
missing
in action. Taking the situation seriously, the top men of the "West" again
called for FOX-HOUND. Big Boss selected Solid Snake, who had recently
joined
FOX-HOUND, as the agent and entrusted everything to him.

Successfully making a solo infiltration to Outer Heaven, Snake got in touch

with local resistance members Schneider, Diane and Jennifer. With their
co-operation, Snake suceeded in rescueing Gray Fox. Gray Fox laid out the
terrifying facts about "Metal Gear" Metal Gear was the development name of
a
nuclear warhead-equiped two-legged walking tank. It can walk through over
the
toughtest terrains that would stop normal tanks. It can conduct local
warfare
by itself with unique weapons like its vulcan-cannon and anti-tank
missiles.
It was indeed a new type of weapon that can conduct a nuclear attack
against
any place on the face of the Earth from any l and surface...

With Metal Gear, Outer Heaven was trying to establish its military
superiority
over the entire world. In order to destroy Metal Gear, Snake rescued Metal
Gear's chief engineer Dr. Pettrovich and his daughter, Elen, who was taken
hostage to force her father to continue with his development. Snake hears
from
Dr. Pettrovich how to destroy Metal Gear.

However, as Snake approached the heart of Outer Heaven and Metal Gear, well
designed traps are set all around Snake- as if his actions are being leaked
to the enemy...

In the midst of the escalating battle, the leader of the resistance,

Schneider, fell into the hands of the enemy, and Snake himself was injured
through the deadly battles with Outer Heaven's best mercenaries. But Snakes
indomitable spirit lead him to the 100th floor basement of the secret base
where Metal Gear was developed. Evading the powerful defense system that
wipes
out all intruders, Snake ultimately succeeded in destroying Metal Gear.

Snake tried to escape from Outer Heaven upon completing the mission.
However,
during the escape he was comfronted by one man- FOX-HOUND's commander-in-
chief
Big Boss. Big Boss laughed at the astounded Snake and told him the truth
behind his mission. While serving as commander-in-chief of FOX-HOUND Big
Boss
also ran a mercenary dispatch company utilizing his connections and
capitals
from his own years as a merc. He was planning on to build this company a
larger military establishment, and he built Outer Heaven as its base. His
purpose for sending the rookie Snake was to cause information confusion
amongst the west. However, Big Boss miscalculated. He never thought Solid
Snake would make it this far...

Having lost Metal Gear, Big Boss activated the self-destruct system of the
underground base. While the countdown to destruction continued, his
screamed
echoed in the emptiness

"YOU HAVE GONE TO FAR. TOO FAR!!!"

On the 100th floor basement, the battle between the 2 men commenced- free
of
idealogy and politics. The armed fortress nation Outer Heaven collapsed.
The
impenetrabe fortress made from the best military technology and occupied by
the toughest mercenaries burned in flames. Behind him, the flames reached
skyward, as Outer Heaven fell leaving Solid Snake all alone...

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02) Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake - The Zanzibar Land Disturbance
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1999, the world was facing an energy crisis. It was obvious that the
petroleum
would run out faster than what was expected. However, the development of an
alternative energy resource is far from completion. The price of petroleum
has
skyrocketed and the world economy in confusion. The 21st century was
expected
to be one of chaos. One mans invention changed the entire situation. A
Czech
genius and biologist, Dr. Kio Marv, invented OILIX, a microorganism that
refines petroleum to product a highly purified form of petroleum. The world
was filled with hope upon the discovery of this messiah to solve the energy
crisis, but at the same time the world entered a time of tension regarding
this new algae.

Just when the whole worlds attention was drawn to OILIX and Dr. Marv, he
was
abducted by someone and disapeared. Nations begun investigations immediatly
anda name soon appeared...'Zanzibar Land'...

Zanzibar Land was a democraticmilitary regime that suddently appeared in

central Asia in 1997. When their uprising took place, the CIS Army, formed
around Russia, sent in a suppressive unit immediatly. Zanzibar Land
resisted
by gathering a band of Mercenaries from nations around the world and
fortifying most of its land. As a result, the CIS Army was repeatedly
defeated, and Zanzibar Land declared its independence. Due to the active
role
mercenaries played, this war was called the 'Mercenaries War' and Zanzibar
Land was referred to as an armed fortress nation. A military nation with a
group of strong mercenaries, surrounded by a tough fortress.

According to the latest information, Zanzibar suppoedly was armed

with Nuclear Weapons. The whole scenario was crystal clear. By obtaining
OILIX
in addition to nuclear weapons, Zanzibar Land was trying to establishits
economoic and military superiority over the entire world. Concerned about
the
situation, the United States of America ordered Roy Campbell,
Commander-in-Chief of high tech special forces unit FOX-HOUND, to rescue
Dr.
Marv. Campbell was a former member of FOX-HOUND. He brought back Solid
Snake,
the man who single handedly brought down the armed fortress nation of Outer
Heaven 4 years ago, and asked Snake to bring back Dr. Marv and OILIX.

Successfully infiltrating Zanzibar Land and with help from CIA

angent Horry and others, Snake was able to go deep into the fortress and
meet
again with Dr. Pettrovich, the chief engineer of Metal Gear from Outer
Heaven.
He too was abducted to Zanzibar Land and forced to develop another Metal
Gear.
He told to surprised Snake an even more shocking fact. Big Boss, the man
Snake
had defeated at Outer Heaven, turned out to be the General Commander of
Zanzibar Land.

Snake rescued Dr. Pettrovich in co-operation with Natasha, Dr. Marv's guard
and former Czech International Secret Police agent, and then headed for the
confinement facility deep in the fortress to save Dr. Marv. When Pettrovich
and Natasha crossed the narrow suspension bridge over the deep valley, a
missile blew the bridge away. Natasha flew into the air because of the
explosion. While unable to do anything to save Natasha, Snake started
hearing
a well-known voice "Hey Snake, we're good buddies. I can let you go. Just
leave this place at once!" Gray Fox. Snake saw Gray Fox controlling Metal
Gear. The best soldier in FOX-HOUND who, after the fall of Outer Heaven,
disappeared as if he followed BigBoss. Losing Natasha infront of his eyes
and
letting Pettrovich get taken away, Snake screamed "Fox! I will not give
up!"

After a series of deadly battles with mercenaries, Snake finally made it to

Dr. Marv's confinement facility. However, he arrived to late. He saw Dr.
Marv's corpse and Pettrovich, who could do nothing but just stand there.
Pettrovich told Snake that Dr. Marv could not withstand the repeated
tortures
because of heart problems. Snake then recieved an emergency call from
Horry.
The information she supplied was very shocking. Pettrovich had been
voluntarily visiting Zanzibar Land to develop Metal Gear. The abduction of
Dr.
Marv was conducted under the the directions of Pettrovich himself. After
the
truth came out, Pettrovich attacked Snake, but Snake easily put an end to
him
and obtained the structual plan of OILIX.
While trying to escape, Snake was confronted by Metal Gear again,
controlled
by Gray Fox. The tremendous battle took place in the underground base.
Snake
finally succeeded in destroying Metal Gear. However, Gray Fox did not
submit
and challened Snake to the final battle. In the midst of a minefield, Snake
and Fox fought without any weapons. A fist-to-fist duel involving no hatred
or
murderous intent. During that moment of purity the 2 were bound by forces
transcending words and emotions. Snake won the tough but pure battle
against
Gray Fox. However, there was still someone else. Snake had to fight Big
Boss.
Just like 4 years ago at Outer Heaven Big Boss was waiting for Snake.
"One
who has experienced the tension of battle can never leave the battlefield.
I'm the one giving you something to live for, and that is war" Snake was
infuriated at the arrogant Big Boss "There is only one battle I have to
fight.
To free myself from you, to shatter the nightmare...Big Boss, I will kill
you!"

With the structual plan of Oilix, Snake and Horry escaped from Zanzibar
Land
on a rescue helicopter. Snake once again saved the world. However, there
was
no smile on his face. Big Boss's last words kept ringing in his head
"Whoever
wins, out battle does not end. There loser is freed from the battlefield,
the
winner must remain there and the survivor must live his life as the warrior
until he dies" Snake then disappeared into the whitelands of
Alaska...alone...

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03) Metal Gear Solid - The Shadow Moses Incident
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* Courtesy of Grant Gordon (futuresuperstar)

- Author of "Metal Gear Sold: Dawn of the Concealed"

Several years had passed since the legendary Solid Snake had killed
Big Boss, the greatest soldier in the world, at Zanzibar Land. On
Snake's last mission, he had infiltrated an enemy fortress and put
down a threat posed by Big Boss and his band of rogue soldiers. Snake
also destroyed Metal Gear, a walking bipedal tank, which eliminated
the threat that Big Boss proposed. Following his successful mission
and eerie new innovation that Big Boss was potentially his own father,
Snake retired to Alaska.

Several years later in 2005, while asleep at his home, Snake heard a
noise coming from outside his cabin. Snake quietly made his way to
the window and looked outside. In the darkness, he could see several
heavily armed soldiers advancing on his cabin. Snake got his gun from
a cupboard and was prepared to take out the intruders. However, the
soldiers had Snake surrounded and forced him to surrender. He was
then taken away by the soldiers to an Ohio Class Submarine, the USS
Discovery. Snake was at that time strip searched and confined in a
small room.

After several minutes of waiting in the cold room, the door finally
opened and in walked a man from his past, Roy Campbell. Campbell
informed Snake of the situation they were in. FOXHOUND, Snake's former
unit, along with members of the Next Generation Special Forces unit,
had seized control of a nuclear disposal facility on Shadow Moses
Island. They had taken hostages and demanded the remains of Big Boss,
or else they would launch a nuclear weapon. Snake was reluctant to go
back into battle, but after much persuasion, as well as Campbell
showing him the leader of FOXHOUND, a man known as Liquid Snake who
had the same codename as Solid Snake, he agreed to take the mission.

Snake infiltrated Shadow Moses Island and began his mission. Soon
after the start of the operation, Snake discovered that a new model of
Metal Gear was secretly in development on the base. Also, something
was apparently amidst. Snake attempted to rescue the high profile
hostages on the island, ArmsTech President, Kenneth Baker, and DARPA
Chief, Donald Anderson. However, both times the men died from an
apparent heart attack. Snake then located Metal Gear's chief
engineer, Hal Emmerich. However, Emmerich was being attacked by a
cyborg ninja, who Snake had seen in an earlier battle. Snake and the
Ninja commenced in battle in the labs with Snake managing to defeat
the fearsome opponent. During the battle, the ninja seemed as if he
knew Snake from somewhere. After the battle, the Ninja gave a large
hint as to who he was before running off. Shocked, Snake informed
Campbell that the Ninja was none other than Grey Fox, an old war buddy
of Snake's, and Dr. Naomi Hunter, assistant to Snake's mission,
commented that Dr. Clark, her predecessor, might have had something to
do with it. However, Fox had died back in Zanzibar, Snake's previous
mission, and Clark had died in a lab incident years before. Campbell
said that it was impossible for the ninja to be Grey Fox, but Snake
was convinced. He then returned to the mission and located Emmerich,
who told Snake a bit about Metal Gear and its location in an
Underground Base several miles to the north. Snake also met Roy
Campbell's niece, Meryl Silverburgh, who was stationed at the facility
before its takeover. At this point, Snake began to fall for Meryl,
and Meryl felt the same way about Snake. Meryl gave Snake a PAL card
which could stop Metal Gear's launch by overriding the detonation code
sequence, but there was only one card when three cards were needed.
Meryl and Snake traveled toward Metal Gear's location, but were
separated when Meryl was injured by gunfire from FOXHOUND's sniper,
Sniper Wolf. Meryl was captured and soon Snake himself was captured
and confined as well.

Snake was then submitted to grueling torture from Liquid's right-hand

man, Revolver Ocelot. Ocelot told Snake if he submitted to the
torture, then Meryl would be killed. Snake suffered through the
severe torture and eventually escaped with help from Otacon (Hal
Emmerich's alternative name). Snake continued on his mission and
eventually made his way to Metal Gear's underground base. However,
during his time there were several disturbing twists that took place.
Master McDonnell Miller, a previous mission analyst for Snake at
Zanzibar who was also assigned to this mission, informed Snake that
Naomi Hunter, another member of Snake's support who was in charge of
monitoring Snake's vital signs, was actually a traitor, possibly
working for the enemy. Miller dug around some more and found of a new
assassination weapon, which Snake may have been injected with. The
weapon targets only specific victims and kills them in a manner, which
simulates a heart attack. This weapon, called FoxDie, was uncovered
as the reason for the ArmsTech President and the DARPA chief's deaths.
Colonel Campbell found out about this and placed Naomi under arrest
after finding she was sending coded transmissions to the base.

Later on, Naomi managed to get away from Campbell and the others and
contacted Snake. Naomi told Snake that she was actually Frank
Jaeger's (Grey Fox) adopted sister. Snake was shocked at discovering
this. She then confirmed that she had injected Snake with the FoxDie
virus, but it was not her decision, it was part of the mission. Naomi
was then placed back under arrest before she could explain more.
Snake demanded to know what was going on but Campbell was
unresponsive. Snake then continued to Metal Gear's chamber. There he
found the secret to deactivating Metal Gear. Apparently the PAL card
he had acted as all three keys and Snake needed to warm and cool the
keys in order to change them into the desired key. Snake did so and
activated all three keys. However, instead of deactivating Metal
Gear, the walking battle tank was actually activated due to Snake's
actions. It seemed Snake had been set-up all along. He then got a
call from Miller. He told Snake that he had been useful as a pawn and
his purpose was now over. He then revealed himself to be none other
than ... Snake's brother, Liquid Snake. Campbell informed Snake that
Master Miller had been found dead in his home, and that Liquid had
assumed his identity for the mission. Apparently, the DARPA chief had
died prior to Snake contacting him, and the man that Snake tried to
free was actually a terrorist member in disguise who was further
assuring Snake that the only way to disarm Metal Gear was to use the
PAL keys, but he simply wanted Snake to input the keys to activate
Metal Gear. The keys acted as a reversible action. If the code for
the nuclear weapon had been inputted, the keys would disengage Metal
Gear. If the code had not been inputted, it would activate Metal
Gear. Liquid explained how Snake was used to activate Metal Gear for
them, because the terrorists hadn't been able to figure out the launch
code ... so they turned to using Snake. It's also explained that
FoxDie killed the terrorist, not the DARPA chief, which is why he died
when Snake attempted to rescue him after telling him that he had to
disengage Metal Gear.

Snake rushed out of the control room after Liquid and confronted him
in front of Metal Gear. The two talked a bit about Liquid's
intentions, and Snake learned that he was indeed a clone of Big Boss,
his supposed father, and Liquid was the second clone. Snake retained
all of the recessive soldier genes while Liquid had received all of
the dominant ones. However, Liquid believed the reverse, thinking
that he had been the recessive clone. Before Snake could react,
Liquid jumped into Metal Gear's cockpit and activated the monstrous
weapon. To his horror, Snake watched as Metal Gear sprung to life.
Just as in the past, Snake battled Metal Gear.

As Snake began to fall to the enormous death machine, Liquid attempted

to crush him under Metal Gear's weight. Just before he had the
chance, Grey Fox reappeared and saved Snake at the last moment. The
two had one last conversation and for his last act as Snake's friend
he destroyed the Radome, Metal Gear REX's (the codename for Metal
Gear) radar. Fox was soon after killed for a final time by Metal
Gear. Snake was consumed with rage for the death of his friend and
finished off Metal Gear with a final missile into the vehicle's
cockpit. Metal Gear exploded in a brilliant light. The force of the
explosion sent Snake flying into a nearby wall, knocking him
unconscious. Before he went under, Snake heard what sounded like
footsteps nearing him.

When Snake came to, he found himself tied up on top of the wreckage of
Metal Gear with Liquid Snake standing in wait in front of him. Liquid
and Snake chatted for a bit. Liquid told him that they didn't have
long before the end. Snake asked if he meant FoxDie, but Liquid told
him that he was referring to a missile attack which the Pentagon had
issued. Snake contacted the Colonel who confirmed Liquid's story.
Campbell told Snake that he would help him out, to repay him for all
the lies. He said he would issue an order to stop the launch which
would disrupt the chain of command and give him time to escape. This
plan would not unfold however, as Campbell was placed under arrest by
the Secretary of Defense, Jim Houseman, who had orchestrated the Metal
Gear project and was trying to cover up the incident. Houseman said
they had a lot of catching up to do and broke contact, but not after
informing Snake that the entire purpose of the mission was for Snake
to spread FoxDie to all of the terrorists to kill them. Then Snake
would die, and the government would steal Metal Gear instead of
destroying it. Metal Gear, having been destroyed, was of little use
to the government now, so they decided to nuke the place to cover up
any evidence of what really happened there.

Liquid then showed Snake a little surprise of his. Behind him, Meryl
was laying unconscious.

Next to her was a small nuclear bomb with a timer. Liquid said she
would be the sacrifice for their final battle. He then untied Snake
and prepared for the fight. Liquid activated the timer and so the
battle begun. Snake and Liquid began a battle, filled with hate for
each other and what they represented. The battle ended with Liquid
being knocked from the top of Metal Gear to his apparent death. Snake
then deactivated the nuke and untied Meryl who was thankfully still
alive. The two conversed a bit before Snake got a call from Otacon.
He said he would stay behind and open a path for the two of them to
escape. Snake thanked him, and he and Meryl descended from Metal Gear
and started off to their escape.

Meryl and Snake jumped into a nearby jeep and rushed toward the exit
of the facility, gunning down any guards along the way. However,
their escape would not go unhindered, as Liquid Snake, who was somehow
still alive, chased after the two. The two rushed toward the exit and
the chase ended with a crash just at the end of the tunnel. Snake and
Meryl were alright, however they were both trapped under the jeep.
Though, the same was not true for Liquid, who stumbled forward, fueled
only by his hate for Snake. Liquid raised his gun and trained its
sights on the two. Before he could fire, Liquid was attacked by the
FoxDie virus and collapsed to the ground dead.

The two freed themselves from underneath the wreckage. The Colonel
contacted Snake and told him the bombing had been called off, as the
Secretary of Defense was acting alone, and the entire incident was his
doing. He then informed him that that there was a snowmobile nearby
which could take them to Fox Island where an evacuation chopper
awaited. Naomi then spoke with Snake, telling him that she didn't
know when or if FoxDie would kill Snake. He would later find out that
Naomi had programmed the virus to strike at a random time. Meryl and
Snake then departed from Shadow Moses and disappeared into the Alaskan
wilderness.

After the operation, Meryl and Snake most likely had a relationship.
Snake was then contacted by Otacon, who survived the Shadow Moses
incident. Otacon told Snake of how Ocelot, the sole terrorist
survivor, had sold Metal Gear's data on the black market and many
countries would now develop their own versions of Metal Gear. Otacon
told Snake that he could make a difference and convinced him to join
him in forming a new group, Philanthropy, an anti-Metal Gear
organization officially recognized by the United Nations. For the
next two years or so, Otacon and Snake destroyed dozens of rogue Metal
Gears, with nothing significant taking place.

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04) Metal Gear Solid 2 - Plot Summary
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* Courtesy of Grant Gordin (futuresuperstar)

- Author of "Metal Gear Sold: Dawn of the Concealed"

-- Tanker Chapter --

In 2007, Otacon got a tip from someone of a new, highly advanced Metal
Gear that was being developed by the Marine Corp. He and Snake
planned a mission to infiltrate a tanker which was carrying the Metal
Gear and take photos of it, and then leak the photos to the press and
bring the black project to light. However, all would not go according
to plan. After Snake made his way aboard the Tanker, the ship was
taken over and hijacked by an unknown group of soldiers. All of the
crew in the upper decks was killed. Snake took a photo of the
apparent leader of the group, a Russian looking military man. He
asked Otacon to get an ID on who the man was.

Snake made his way through the Tanker, dispatching any enemy soldiers
who got in his way. Snake then encountered a woman soldier on one of
the front decks of the ship. The two did battle with Snake managing
to subdue the woman. The woman's tomboyish appearance reminded him of
Meryl. After defeating the woman, Snake spotted a Cypher, a type of
flying security camera device. Otacon then contacted Snake and told
him the ID of the man from before. He was Colonel Sergei Gurlukovich,
the leader of a private mercenary army. Snake then proceeded into the
holds and finally into the chamber of Metal Gear. Along the way he
avoided the legion of Marines who were watching the Marine Commandant
in charge's speech. Snake managed to get the desired shots of Metal
Gear and sent them to Otacon.

However, before Snake could make his escape, a man from his past
appeared and confronted the Marine Commandant and his men. That man
was Revolver Ocelot, the same terrorist from the Shadow Moses incident
two years before. Ocelot distracted the Commandant long enough for
Colonel Gurlukovich to grab and take the Commandant hostage.
Gurlukovich's men then arrived in the room and secured the area.
Snake moved in for a closer look as he watched the drama unfold.
Ocelot then betrayed his allies and shot Gurlukovich and several of
his men before blowing a hole in the tanker and making his way toward
Metal Gear's cockpit. Snake rushed in to stop him. Ocelot looked
down at his old foe and felt an odd feeling. He screamed in agony as
his hand convulsed and throbbed. Ocelot then spoke, but not in his
own voice. His voice was that of Liquid Snake. Snake, confused as to
what had happened, demanded to know what was going on. Liquid told
Snake that he lived on though Ocelot's arm. Back in Shadow Moses,
Ocelot had gotten his right hand cut off by Grey Fox, and after the
incident, Ocelot had Liquid's arm grafted on. Supposedly, Liquid's
enhanced genetic makeup allowed him to take control of Ocelot's body
at random times, and often when Snake was present.

Their conversation was cut short as a gush of water slammed Snake into
a wall and knocked him out for a moment. Liquid/Ocelot then leapt
into Metal Gear and activated the machine. He made his way out of the
Tanker. Snake followed close behind and emerged on the surface of the
wreckage of the Tanker. He was then greeted by Metal Gear RAY, the
codename for the new Metal Gear, which stood in front of him
menacingly. RAY then back flipped into the water behind him and sent
a massive wave toward Snake. Ocelot was satisfied that Snake was
finished and retreated with his new toy. However, that was not the
end of Snake. Otacon soon arrived in a small boat and rescued Snake
from a watery grave.

Once the two returned to land, they leaked Metal Gear RAY's existence
to the press. However, a more interesting story would overshadow
their deed. Snake and Otacon had been set-up as the fall men for a
massive conspiracy. The two were labeled as the worst ecological
terrorists of all time for the sinking of a Tanker which caused a
massive oil spill in the Hudson Bay area. Their actions lead to the
creation of an offshore oil decontamination facility, the Big Shell.

For the next two years, Snake and Otacon kept a low profile after
being marked as terrorists.

-- Plant Chapter --

Otacon was leaked information about a new Metal Gear being developed
at the Big Shell. Snake set off for the facility and found it was
captured and taken over by another terrorist organization. Snake
infiltrated the area and disguised himself as a Navy SEAL in order not
to raise suspicion, as the navy was orchestrating a rescue operation
at the time, anyway. The terrorists had President Johnson hostage,
and the Navy SEALS were on a rescue mission. During his mission,
Snake found a member of FOXHOUND, a man calling himself "Raiden" who
was sent in by the organization. Snake found that strange, seeing as
FOXHOUND had been disbanded following Snake's destruction of the group
back at Shadow Moses. Snake did not fully trust the man and refrained
from revealing his identity. He called himself "Iroquois Pliskin."

Snake then aided the rookie on his mission, giving him advice about
weapons, the enemy, and the facility. Soon after their first meeting,
Snake found Raiden once again confronting a middle-aged black man.
Snake recognized the man to be the legendary bomb disposal expert,
Peter Stillman. Stillman informed the two of the situation. Fatman,
a member of Dead Cell, the terrorist group present at the Big Shell,
had planted bombs throughout the facility. Stillman gave the two a
device that could stop the bombs. Snake then set out to the Shell 2
area of the facility to defuse the bombs there while Raiden stayed in
the Shell 1 area. Snake reported into Stillman each time he found a
bomb. Stillman thought that the bomb placement was completely wrong
and asked Snake to take a look at the bottom of Shell 2. Snake did so
and found a huge amount of C4 explosives there. Several events then
happened and part of Shell 2 was destroyed. Snake was caught near the
explosion and knocked out for a while.

During these events, Raiden had managed to disarm all of the

explosives throughout Shell 1 and was confronted by Dead Cell's
leader, Fortune. The two battled, and Raiden was powerless, as every
bullet fired at Fortune was deflected before hitting her by a strange
defensive force. Vamp, another member of Dead Cell, came down to the
two to confront Raiden. Raiden fired another shot at Fortune, and it
swerved around her force field and hit Vamp between the eyes. Fortune
was devastated and coddled the lifeless Vamp as Raiden fled the scene.
Afterwards, however, following Fortune's tears of pain while holding
Vamp, Vamp returned to life, claiming he had already died, and
couldn't die twice.

Raiden then killed Fatman, the man behind the bombs, and attempted to
free the hostages at the core of the shell. After speaking with Ames,
a man under the President, Raiden fled the core, as Ocelot, who was
discovered to be at the scene of the takeover, found him. Raiden
escaped with the aid of a mysterious ninja, one that looked much like
Grey Fox from Shadow Moses, and ran toward Shell 2 to find the
President.

After Snake came to, he and Otacon discovered the location of the new
Metal Gear. The entire facility WAS the new Metal Gear, or rather a
guise for the fortress. Snake continued his mission while Raiden did
the same with his. Otacon and Snake managed to hijack a Kamov chopper
which they planned to use to rescue the hostages which were taken
during the takeover. Before they had the chance, however, the
terrorist leader, claiming to be Solid Snake, confronted Raiden on a
bridge between Shell 1 and Shell 2. Enraged by his claim of being
Solid Snake, Snake opened fire on the man. Snake managed to knock the
man from the bridge, only to find that a Harrier 2 was lying in wait
to ambush them. Snake, knowing he couldn't take out the Harrier with
a Kamov, tossed Raiden a Stinger Missile Launcher and some ammo and
instructed him to take out the Harrier. He then supported Raiden with
cover fire as Raiden battled the jet.

Raiden managed to defeat the Harrier and send it crashing below, only
to have it scooped up by Metal Gear RAY, the same RAY from the tanker
two years ago, piloted by a very alive Vamp. RAY then fired on the
facility, damaging the Kamov in the process. Snake and Otacon were
forced to land the helicopter. After that, Snake revealed that he
really was Solid Snake and Iroquois Pliskin was just a made up name.
Snake then proceeded to explore the Big Shell in hopes of finding a
way into Arsenal Gear, the name of the new Metal Gear. While in Shell
2, Snake was attacked and battled the same ninja that Raiden had been
saved by earlier. Snake discovered that the Ninja was actually Olga
Gurlukovich, the woman whom Snake fought two years ago on the Tanker.
Olga, having been Sergei Gurlukovich's daughter, believed that Snake
was responsible for his death at the tanker. Snake explained to Olga
what really happened there, and of Ocelot's betrayal to her father and
his men. The two decided to work together for mutual benefit.

Meanwhile, Raiden successfully found the President and snuck inside

his chamber. President Johnson told Raiden about the Patriots, a
group that supposedly controlled America. He claimed that every
action ever done by him was actually an act or an order of the
Patriots, and also explained how the Big Shell was just a disguise for
Arsenal Gear. Raiden, in shock, questioned him further. Ocelot
showed up, however, and killed the President, for reasons unknown to
this day.

Raiden then proceeded to finding Emma Emmerich, Otacon's long-lost

half-sister. She supposedly knew how to infect Arsenal with a virus
to crumble its database, and perhaps retained other knowledge that
would prove useful. However, he was stopped by Vamp. The two
warriors battled with Vamp finally losing. He had the ability to read
muscles and see in extremely slow motion at will, but Raiden found a
way to defeat him. Vamp fell into a pool and drowned.

Away from the scene, Snake was contacted by Raiden. Raiden needed
cover support for helping Emma get to Shell 1 to get to Arsenal's
entrance via a long bridge along the water. Snake went to the scene
and helped Raiden defend Emma from patrolling guards and gun ciphers
with sniper fire. However, Emma was ambushed and seriously wounded by
Vamp, who once again had supposedly come back to life. Raiden once
again played sniper and shot him several times, and Vamp fell into the
ocean, finally dead. Snake rushed to the girl's side and carried her
back to the computer room where Otacon was waiting. He tried to patch
her up the best he could, however it seemed Vamp got some internal
organs and he couldn't stop the bleeding. Snake asked Raiden if he
got the disc from Emma, which could infect Arsenal's database and stop
it. Raiden handed it over and Snake loaded the program into Arsenal's
activation console. All did not go according to plan (as usual) and
an anti-virus agent stopped the virus before it could be completed.
In the meantime, Otacon and Emma had a last conversation. She soon
died.

Otacon broke down in grief at the loss of his sister. Snake convinced
Otacon to go on and save the hostages. After Otacon left, Snake
revealed a "friend" of his to Raiden: the ninja, who was actually
Olga. Snake told him that it was bedtime for Raiden and Olga knocked
Raiden out with her High Frequency Blade. Olga then took Raiden to
her superiors, as she was pretending to work for Solidus and the
terrorists, and Snake snuck aboard Arsenal along with her.

Now aboard Arsenal Gear, Snake changed back into his sneaking suit.
He thanked Olga and was about to continue on with his mission. Before
he went, Olga gave him her HF Blade and told him to give it to Raiden.
A bit confused, Snake agreed to give it to him. Snake then advanced
into the bowels of Arsenal and waited for Raiden's arrival. Snake
found him in a long hallway, completely naked. Snaked laughed at the
sight and gave Raiden his equipment back. He then handed over the HF
Blade, as Olga had asked. Snake gave Raiden a few tips on how to
wield the sword.

Before this, however, Raiden had escaped his confinement with the aid
of Olga and sneaked through Arsenal. The Colonel of his mission, who
had been giving him orders all along, started to malfunction, as if it
had been affected by a virus, and started to say random things. Rose,
Raiden's girlfriend, also started to malfunction, as if she was a
machine. Raiden didn't know what was going on, but met Snake in the
hall.

After Raiden was done training, he and Snake advanced into the next
room. They were then attacked by an onslaught of Arsenal Tengu,
guards of the place. The two fought side by side and annihilated the
legion of soldiers in the next two rooms.

At this point, the real Rose contacted Raiden and told him that she
had been spying on him for the Patriots their entire relationship.
Raiden was disgusted and upset, but Rose told him that she was sorry
and really did love him. After Raiden didn't believe her, Rose told
him she was pregnant, and then the transmission died.

In the following room, after killing the enemy soldiers, Dead Cell's
leader, Fortune, confronted Snake and Raiden. Fortune claimed that
Snake had killed her father, the Marine Commandant Scott Dolph, at the
tanker. Snake told her that it wasn't him, but she would hear nothing
of it. Snake then told Raiden to go on and he'd handle her. Raiden
did so. Snake then began a hopeless battle and was defeated by
Fortune and taken captive.

Meanwhile, Raiden had been talking to Solidus Snake, the third clone
of Big Boss. He was a direct clone, not recessive or dominant.
Solidus told Raiden of his plans and then had an onslaught of
mass-produced Metal Gear RAYs attack him. Raiden finally gave in.
Olga appeared and tried to save Raiden, telling Raiden that if he died
or failed his mission, Olga's child, which the Patriots had hostage,
would die. Solidus killed her with a bullet to her head and tossed
her aside. As the RAYs began to attack Raiden again, the virus that
Emma had given them started to take effect and the RAYs began to
malfunction. Solidus, infuriated, single-handedly destroyed the
remaining three RAYs and cursed at the Patriots, knowing they had
something to do with it.

Snake found that Raiden too had been captured when he was taken above.
He watched as the scene unfolded between Solidus, Fortune, and a
returning Ocelot. Ocelot revealed that he had been a Patriot's spy
all along, and told of his betrayal to Solidus. Solidus's plan had
been to detonate a nuke over Manhattan, the dwelling place of the
Patriots, to take out all electronics that were concealing the
Patriots' identities, and then proceed to kill the Patriots to
"liberate" the United States from unknown dictatorship. Ocelot told
him that the entire exercise at the Big Shell was scripted by the
Patriots themselves, as was the sinking of the tanker two years ago.
Solidus, infuriated, attacked Ocelot, only to find that Ocelot
couldn't be harmed due to the Patriots' technology. Fortune also was
shot by Ocelot, and it was soon discovered her mystical abilities were
nothing more than the same technology that Ocelot possessed. Ocelot
concluded with saying that all he had to do was recover Arsenal and
clean up the refuse from the exercise, and he jumped into one of the
RAY's cockpits and attempted to kill everyone. Fortune, barely alive,
managed to somehow find within her part of the mystical power that was
taken away and deflected all of RAY's missiles. After Ocelot then
attempted to take them out with a cutting laser, Ocelot became
possessed by Liquid Snake once again. Liquid called out to his
brothers and told them of his plans. He claimed he knew where the
Patriots were and that he was going to crush them, and he then
prepared to leap off the side of Arsenal inside RAY. Snake could not
allow Liquid to get away and managed to muster enough strength to
break his damaged handcuffs. Liquid laughed at seeing Snake pursue
the massive vehicle. Metal Gear leapt off the side of Arsenal and
Snake leapt in right behind it. Snake was unable to keep up with the
powerful RAY, but he did manage to plant a tracker on it.

Raiden and Solidus were thrown onto Federal Hall, where the Colonel
contacted Raiden. He claimed that the S3 was still there. The S3 was
revealed to be a protocol of some sort that stood for "Selection for
Societal Sanity." Following was a horrid conversation between the S3
and Raiden, where the S3 claimed it was humanity's only hope and that
humans were crazy, evil, and self-killing animals. It stated that it
needed to have control of America to lead us into a good age instead
of an age of lies and false veracities. Raiden refused to believe it,
but was plagued with words that he didn't know if they were real or
not. His entire mission was a lie, a script of the Patriots, and now
the S3 was telling him that he was just a weapon ... a creation of the
S3 with no purpose but what they made for him. After the S3 told him
to kill Solidus, Solidus informed Raiden that there was still a way
for Solidus to succeed with his plan. He stated that the Patriots'
digital information was inside of Raiden, wired into his genetic
makeup, and then continued preaching his wish of freedom from the
Patriots.

Following this, Solidus told Raiden that he had killed Raiden's

parents, and then told of Raiden's past. According to Solidus, Raiden
had been a child solder in the Liberian Civil War, and Solidus had
adopted him as his own. Raiden, disbelieving, commenced battle with
him. Raiden ended up winning, and Solidus fell off of Federal Hall to
his doom.

Snake then returned to shore and located Raiden who now stood alone in
front of Federal Hall. He convinced Raiden that he had done the right
thing and went on about the future and such and how reality is only as
real as we make it, and also about how he planted a tracker on RAY.
He also informed him that the disc containing the FoxDie computer
virus, the same disc Emma had, could also be used to locate the
Patriots. Snake then disappeared into the shadows as soon as he came.
Raiden was left on the streets of Manhattan, and Rose approached him.
Having known that the S3 was lying and digitally imitating Rose,
Raiden forgave Rose about her affiliation with the Patriots, and they
decided to live a new life ... together.

Watching the two lovers behind a car was none other than ... Vamp.

Soon after the mission, Otacon analyzed the disc's data. He told
Snake he found who the Patriots were and that one of the members was
one of their biggest contributors. He also informed that all twelve
of them were dead, and had been for a solid 100 years. Snake,
shocked, uttered three words ... What the hell ...?

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Tanker Chapter Script

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01) Infiltration
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[The screen is black. Snake's voice comes in.]

Snake : The Hudson River, two years ago... We had classified

intelligence
that a new type of Metal Gear was being transported. The whole
thing stank...but our noses had been out in the cold too long.

-- George Washington Bridge --

[Rain pours down over the historic bridge in New York that spans the width
of
the Hudson River. Cars hurry through the rain. The only person outside
is
an unknown man in a long, black raincoat. He has his hands dug deep into
his
pockets as he puffs on a cigarette dangling from his lip. In a moment he
finishes his cigarette and casually tosses it into the traffic with a
brief
puff of smoke.]

[Suddenly he breaks out into a jog and then a full sprint. His raincoat
flies
away in the wind but the man is no longer visible except for a faint,
transparent outline of his body. Without warning he leaps off the bridge
and
plunges towards the river. This man has no intentions of committing
suicide
however. We can see a faint, but telltale, elastic-line that will break
his
momentum when he reaches his target, a large oil tanker cruising slowly
beneath the bridge.]

[The man's line snaps taut and he grunts, for a moment he becomes visible
as
his optic camouflage cuts out. The man is Solid Snake. The hero of
Shadow
 Moses. He falls a little bit further and when he is close enough he
releases
his line and falls to the deck of the ship. He lands hard. His optic
camouflage fizzles out of operation with a dazzling display of electric
currents. Slowly Snake gets up and surveys the bridge he had leaped off
of
just a few seconds ago.]

[Far in the distance a solitary helicopter hovers. Inside is a man dressed

in
military fatigues. He is holding a Colt Single-Action Pistol and he is
looking though a pair of binoculars. He speaks.]

Ocelot : Our boy is right on schedule. He'll know soon enough...

[Snake slowly straightens himself upright and the title appears onscreen.]

METAL GEAR SOLID 2: SONS OF LIBERTY

[Snake hears something and rushes to cover. He kneels down, places his
hand
by his ear and calls someone on his Codec. It is Hal Emmerich (Otacon),
whom
we know from the Shadow Moses Incident two years ago.]

Snake : This is Snake. Do you read me, Otacon?

Otacon : Loud and clear, Snake.

Snake : Kept you waiting, huh? I'm at the "sneak point."

Otacon : Everything's going okay?

Snake : The stealth camo's busted. Landing impact.

Otacon : We must have overused it. Sorry, but you're going to have to
deal
with it. You're not in the military anymore.

Snake : Right. I didn't plan on relying on this gadget anyway.

Otacon : The private sector's not so bad, is it? Privacy guaranteed...

Snake : I'm happy as long as no one gives me any more unwanted gifts.

Otacon : You mean that thing with Naomi?

Snake : And I can't say I miss the chattering nanny.

Otacon : Mei Ling's not so bad. That reminds me, I have to get in touch
with her again about that new Natik flashware.

Snake : Diverting toys from the SSCEN (U.S. Army Soldier Systers
Center)
 again? Give her a message from me: someone will find out
sooner
or later. She's better off assuming it's sooner and quit while
she's safe.

Otacon : Too true. Okay, Snake, let's get to work. You know the
technical
specs of Metal Gear were sold on the black market after Shadow
Moses?

Snake : All Ocelot's doing...

Otacon : Exactly. And now every state, group, and dotcom has its own
version of Metal Gear.

Snake : Not exactly a classified weapon for today's nuclear powers.

Otacon : This new one seems to have been designed to wipe the floor
with
all the other models. The only consistent description is that
it's an amphibious, anti-Metal Gear vehicle...

Snake : That explains why this one is under Marine Corps jurisdiction.

[The outside decks of the tanker are shown.]

Otacon : The mission objective is to make visual confirmation of the

new
Metal Gear being transported by that tanker, and bring back
photographic evidence. But I want you to first go up to the
top
level of the infrastructure, to the bridge. We need to find
out
where the tanker is headed.

Snake : A little reconnaissance, huh?

Otacon : There's too much we don't know about this new prototype.
Capabilities, deployment method -- we don't even know how
close
it is to completion. If we know where the testing arena is, I
can
start to draw some reasonable conclusions.

Snake : All right. I'll head to the bridge ASAP.

Otacon : Try to avoid confrontations. Our goal is to collect evidence

on
Metal Gear development and expose it to the world. It would be
best if you could get out of there without alerting anyone.

Snake : Don't worry. I know the drill -- we're not terrorists.

Otacon : Very good. Don't you forget that you're a part of

"Philanthropy"
now, an anti-Metal Gear organization and officially recognized
by
the UN.
Snake : Recognized, but still fringe, Otacon.

[Snake sorts through his gear.]

Otacon : All right, let's look at your gear. Your weapon is a

tranquilizer
gun converted from a Beretta M92F.

Snake : M9.

Otacon : It's a little hard to work with because you have to reload
after
each shot since the slide locks.

Snake : It's better than scavenging on mission site. Good suppressor

too.

Otacon : The chemical stun will take affect in a few seconds and last
for
hours. You can take down a elephant with that thing. Check out
the laser sighting too.

[Snake takes a practice shot and breaks a light nearby.]

Otacon : The affects of the anesthetic rounds will vary depending on

what
target the body hits. Were talking about a difference of tens
of
seconds between hitting the enemy's chest or head.

[Snake pauses and looks at his cigarettes.]

Otacon : As for the equipment... Hey Snake, cigarettes? What's wrong

with
you?

Snake : It's kind of a lucky charm.

Otacon : You haven't read the surgeon general's warning, have you?

[Snake looks at his digital camera.]

Otacon : He's the digital camera. Works almost the same as your old
one.

[Snake uses the zoom on the camera to scan the deck. He spots a Marine
soldier patrolling.]

Snake : They don't look armed...

Otacon : Hey, Earth to Snake. These are nice, upstanding Marines, not
 terrorists. Don't get caught; you're in stealth mode here.

Snake : Sure, if it comes to that, a little beauty sleep never hurt

anyone. By the way, Otacon, are you sure of this intelligence?

Otacon : Absolutely. Hacked it out of Pentagon's classified files

myself.

Snake : No traces?

Otacon : Oh please. I'm too good for that.

Snake : We can't rule out the possibility that this is a trap. There's
a
high price on our heads, you know.

Otacon : You're just paranoid.

Snake : I hope so.

[Snake spots another soldier.]

Snake : They don't seem anything but civilians from here.

Otacon : With all the ships passing on the river and in the harbor.
Putting uniformed Marines on the deck would be a bad idea.
People
can get a clear view of the water from riverside too.

Snake : The waterline is too high...According to the navigational

plans,
this ship should have discharged its cargo upriver.

Otacon : It's in there, no doubt about it.

Snake : A Metal Gear in the holds will weigh down a ship a bit, I'd
say.
The military trains you to watch for threats from the stern on
a
boat. That's SOP for Counter-terror ops too. Security should
be
tighter.

Otacon : You worry too much.

Snake : Where's the target?

Otacon : Satellite surveillance is a major international pastime these

days. I'd say the cargo holds, safely below the deck. Do you
see
the entrance to the holds?

Snake : Looks like there are a few entry ways into the crew quarters.

[Snake hears a helicopter flying nearby.]

Snake : A chopper. Wha--!

[Snake pans to one of the soldiers on the deck and promptly the Marine gets
his throat slit by a soldier in military fatigues. Another soldier gets
 knocked to the ground and his fall is promptly followed by a knife
plunging
through his neck. A third Marine gets stabbed several times by a soldier
that has just snuck up on him.]

Snake : Looks like were not the only ones after Metal Gear tonight.

Otacon : Is that a chopper I just heard?

Snake : Affirmative. Probably another cavalry...

[Some soldiers move in to secure the area.]

Snake : What's their game? Hijack?

Otacon : They're probably targeting the ship's controls.

Snake : Otacon, how many men do you need to take over a tanker of this
size?

Otacon : The ship is run by a computer so... I'd say about 18 people.

Snake takes a look at one of the soldier's weapons.

Snake : AKS-74u?

[Snake spots a soldier that appears to be ordering the others around. The
man
turns around. He has a brown moustache and short brown hair. He appears
to
be in his mid 50's or so.]

Snake : Russians?

Otacon : You sure?

Snake : No Marine barber touched that head of hair.

[The man puts on a hat and Snake snaps a picture of him.]

Snake : I'm transmitting the photo. Let's try to get a ID on him ASAP.

Otacon : I'm on it.

Snake : Looks like the tanker's theirs now.

[Snake hears a helicopter again. This time he is able to identify it.]

Snake : KA-60. Kasatka?

Otacon : Kasatka? Kamov chopper, right? 'Killer Whale'...

[Codec screen.]

Snake : We need to get a fix on who they are.

Otacon : Judging by their transport, aren't they some kind of military

commandos?

Snake : Not necessarily. It could be the KA-62, the civil model.

Otacon : Look, Snake, all we need is the photographic evidence of Metal

Gear. As long as we have those, we can put it online and blow
the
whole thing wide open. So no pyrotechnics, okay?

Snake : All right. I'll do my best.

Otacon : This isn't like Shadow Moses. Reach me if anything happens.

The
frequency is 141.12.

Snake : How can I check in and save my progress?

Otacon : I'll do it. There's a frequency set aside for it -- 140.96.

Sorry
but no Mei Ling this time. Call me on the Codec when you want
to
save.

Snake : Got it.

Otacon : I'll be waiting just past the Verrazano Bridge. You need to be
off that ship by then.

Snake : I'll be in touch.

[Snake signs off.]

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02) Hairy armpits and bad Russian accents
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[Snake reaches the bridge of the tanker. He enters slowly, with his gun
drawn
 and slowly moves through. There are two crewmen lying over some
instruments
wearing orange jumpsuits, they are both dead. Snake reaches the front
window
of the bridge and sees two identical helicopters flying past in the rain.]

Snake : So it is the Kasatka... Russian choppers...

[The two helicopters descend above the deck and soldiers repel and quickly
secure the area.]

[Snake reaches a computer terminal and punches some buttons. After looking
for a moment he calls up Otacon.]

Otacon : Snake, did you find out where that ship is headed?

Snake : I'm looking at it -- 35 degrees longitude, latitude around 58.

Otacon : More than 500 miles off the coast of the Bermudas, out in the
middle of the Atlantic... So the prototype is ready for solo
testing -- it's basically combat-worthy. That area is outside
the
Second Fleet's operational range, too. It must be a stand-
alone
Marine Corps project -- which means this prototype Metal Gear
must be designed for independent deployment, without any Naval
assistance... Anyway, analysis can wait till later. Snake, you
need to go down to the holds and locate the actual Metal...

[There is a loud bang from outside. A crate falling, perhaps?]

Snake : !?

[Snake sees a woman strolling through the rain with her back turned. She
is
holding a radio.]

Snake : Hm?

[Snake sneaks outside and gets close enough to hear the woman talking to
someone over the radio. A man is speaking]

Radio : ...Shalashaska has landed. I'm on my way to the tanker

holds...
Report your status.

Woman : Control room, communications and engine room are under

control.
All entry and exit points to the tanker holds secured.
Infrared
sensors placed and operational.
Radio : Good work. Are the explosives in place?

Woman : Yes, they're all planted.

Radio : Listen. Once we have what we came for, the tanker will be
scuttled.

Woman : And the vehicle's pilot?

Radio : He's the only one who underwent the VR training. No one else
can
do it.

Woman : Are you sure you can trust him?

Radio : Your part in the mission is complete. You are to leave at

once.

Woman : No, it's not over yet!

[The man talking over the radio is shown. He is the Russian commander
Snake
snapped a picture of.]

Radio : I can see the moon...even in this storm. Pale as death. I have
a
bad feeling about this mission... You swore this to me that
you
would leave the unit, once the mission was complete. Do not
worry. This is a country of liberty.

Woman : This is where I belong, with the unit.

[The woman takes out her gun and looks at it.]

Woman : I have nowhere else to go. Father, I want to stay and fight.

Radio : There is no choice to make here, Olga! Need I remind you that
you
are carrying my grandchild?

[Olga pats her stomach gingerly.]

Olga : ......

Radio : You will be on the helicopter out of here, now!

[The transmission is cut abruptly.]

Olga : Damn it!

[Olga waves away a helicopter. As it flies away Snake leaps out from
behind
a crate and trains his gun on Olga.]

Snake : Freeze!

[Olga turns around slowly to see Snake.]

Snake : Hands over your head! Now!

[Olga slowly raises her arms.]

Snake : Toss your gun overboard! Slowly.

[She casually tosses her gun overboard.]

Snake : A woman...? Show your face.

Olga : You men -- you're all the same.

Snake : Who are you?

[She slowly takes off her cap and lets the wind carry it to Snake.]

Olga : We are nomads. Wanderers.

[Olga moves to her side.]

Snake : I said, don't move!

Olga : Americans...so you shoot unarmed women too?

Snake : I'm a nomad too.

[Snake sees her knife.]

Snake : What else do you have there? Take the knife and toss it.

[Olga takes the knife and tries to place it on the ground at her feet.]

Snake : Not there. Toss it overboard! Hold that position. Now, turn
around.

[She raises her hands over her head, knife in hand.]

Olga : You know what you're doing.

[The tanker jerks violently, both of them lose their balance for a moment.
The
rain stops.]

Olga : It's stopped raining... Not too shabby, is it? New York, I
mean?

[Olga twirls around and a bullet flies from the knife. Snake is startled
but
manages to (barely) dodge the shot. As Olga takes cover behind a crate
Snake
snaps back into position with his gun trained on the storage rack where
Olga
is hiding.]

Olga : And that brings our tour to its conclusion!

Snake : Scout knife with a surprise -- you a Spetsnaz?

Olga : I think you deserve a little credit. No one's ever dodged that
shot of mine... But no one gets lucky twice, either!

[Snake and Olga battle. During the battle Olga speaks to Snake.]

Olga : I've been on the unit since I was born. I grew up on the
battlefield. Conflict and victory were my parents. The unit is
my
life, my family. We've shared everything -- all the bad and
all
the good. I have no one -- nothing except the unit. Nothing
else
matters to me! Whoever you are, your not stopping us!

[Snake defeats her with his tranquilizer gun. She falls unconscious to the
deck. Snake slowly approaches her. He kicks her a little bit and she
falls
limp. Seemingly relieved he holsters his gun and takes hers, a USP.
There
is no ammo in it.]

Snake : Hmm...

[A small surveillance remote appears. It hovers for a moment making some

clicking noises and then flies off into the distance.]

Snake : CYPHER!?
[Snake calls Otacon.]

Snake : Otacon, the ship appears to be under their control. The men
have
Russian gear, but I haven't been able to find out anything
else
about their origin.

Otacon : I know who they are.

Snake : You do?

Otacon : We've ID'd the old man.

Snake : Who is he?

Otacon : Sergei Gurlukovich.

Snake : Gurlukovich.! One of Ocelot's allies?

Otacon : Yeah...the GRU colonel. He's the one Ocelot was supposed to
meet
up with, after Shadow Moses...

Snake : They're after Metal Gear...

Otacon : Everything's changed. This is not going to be as simple as we

thought.

Snake : You could say that. I saw a surveillance remote just now, it
looked like the Cypher.

Otacon : A Marine Cypher-T?

Snake : No, Army.

Otacon : First the Marines, then the Russians -- now the Army...?

Snake : You're right, this isn't going to be simple.

Otacon : Snake -- There's something I have to tell you.

Snake : What?

Otacon : We didn't dig up this info -- about the new Metal Gear -- on
our
own. Not like usual...

Snake : How did you find out, then?

Otacon : It was a tip. An anonymous tip.

Snake : Anonymous? You've never trusted those -- why would you start
now?

Otacon : I, ah. I have a younger sister. A stepsister. We have

different
parents. I only knew her for two years.

Snake : You've never mentioned her before. So...?

Otacon : The sender of the tip was "E.E."

Snake : "E.E."?

Otacon : Her name is Emma, but I always called her "E.E."...

Snake : Emma Emmerich?

Otacon : Yeah. It just caught my eye, you know? I figured it was a

coincidence, but I couldn't get it out of my mind. There's
really
no one there who knows about her.

Snake : When was the last time you saw her?

Otacon : Over 10 years ago.

Snake : You think it's a trap? To lure us out here...?

Otacon : I don't know. After I got the tip, I did break into the
Pentagon
system to get confirmation.

Snake : Okay...

Otacon : Watch your back, Snake. Maybe I screwed up...

Snake : I've got a light-equipped USP; I can take them on now. There's
no
ammo, but it takes a 9mm, just like the Marines' M9. I'll find
those somewhere around here.

Otacon : Don't raise too much racket with that thing.

Snake : I hear you.

[Snake signs off. Snake reaches a junction in the ship that he must get
past.
It is blocked by plastic explosives and trip lasers. Snake calls Otacon
for
assistance.]

Otacon : Snake, there's another set of infrared sensors in place. If

you
touch that, the explosives will detonate and that ship will be
pulverized.

Snake : I'm not in the mood to go sleep with the fishes. There are too
many sensors. Looks like I'll have to find another way.

Otacon : No need to worry. There's a way through. Take a close look --

do
you see the thing with blinking green lights right next to the
explosives? That's the control unit for the sensors. Destroy
that
and the sensors stop functioning. You can't get in close
enough
to touch it, so you'll have to shoot it out. But the M9's
 knockout rounds won't work. The USP you picked up should do
the
trick. Use that gun.

[Snake makes it past the SEMTEX by shooting the control units. When he
enters
the next hatch he hears an announcement.]

Announcer : Verrazano Bridge checkpoint passed. All non-essential

personnel,
report to the holds in 10 minutes time for the scheduled
briefing
session with the Commandant. You are ordered to continue
manning
your posts until that time.

[Snake travels through the corridor but up ahead he hears the sound of a
squeaky hatch opening. He quickly draws his gun and crouches down. At
the
hatch three soldiers emerge and secure the annex room where it is located.
They seal the hatch again. One of the soldiers calls up the commander
over
the radio.]

Soldier : Colonel, we have sealed the stern hatch.

Sergei : All right.

Soldier : The lift is also under our control.

Sergei : We're on the foredeck. About to descend to the holds.

Soldier : Sir, the Marine commander has started his speech already.

Sergei : We will complete the preparations before the end of the

speech.

Soldier : All communications to the holds have been severed. No one is

aware of our presence.

Sergei : Let no one down into the holds until we are out.

Soldier : Yes sir! We will secure your exit, with our lives if
necessary.

Sergei : There is one more thing...

Soldier : Yes sir?

Sergei : My daughter...keep her safe.

Soldier : Yes sir!

[The transmission ends. The three soldiers begin to patrol through the
corridor. Snake leans up against the crate he is next to.]
Soldier : Who goes there?

[Snake fights off a dozen soldiers in the corridor and then proceeds to the
hatch the soldiers came out of. He opens it. A soldier that somehow
avoided
the carnage sneaks behind him and watches. Snake goes through the hatch.
The
soldier quietly closes the hatch with a sigh. He hears somebody
approaching
from the rear.]

Soldier : Who goes there!

[The man who was watching Snake when he landed on the tanker appears out of
the darkness.]

Soldier : Oh, Shalashaska.

[The soldier lowers his gun.]

Soldier : Why are you here? We thought you were with the Colonel.

[Suddenly the man draws his revolver and aims point-blank at the soldier's
forehead.]

Soldier : What the...!

[The revolver fires. The soldier falls to the ground. Shalashaska moves
to
the hatch and seals it. He begins to walk away.]

Ocelot : The colonel will be joining you soon... Comrade...

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03) Possessed arms and weird twists
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[Snake reaches the holds of the tanker. He sees a group of Marines
standing
below watching a projection movie of a speech by the Marine commander.]

Otacon : Snake, are you in yet? Have you made it to the holds?

Snake : It's taking longer than I expected. We've already passed the
Verrazano Bridge.

Otacon : All right. We'll use another recovery point.

Snake : They may be planning to change course.

Otacon : What?

Snake : The exits to the deck are all sealed.

Otacon : What are they planning?

Snake : If they get Metal Gear, we're going right off the fringe.

[Snake peers down at the Marines.]

Snake : The men down here are definitely Marines.

Otacon : If the deck is sealed off, they have no way of knowing that
the
ship's been taken over.

Snake : I'm not interested in fighting these guys. The weapons won't
do
me much good here.

Otacon : Can you see Metal Gear?

Snake : No. I'll have to go around to the bow. They have some serious
defenses here. I doubt the recent arrivals want to blast their
way through the Marines either.

Otacon : Wonder where they're headed.

Snake : I don't know... Not the beach, that's for sure.

Otacon : OK, Snake. Let's go over this one more time. Use this camera
to
get photographic evidence of the Metal Gear prototype. Now, do
your thing and take pictures that speak louder than the
government's plausible denials. We need four shots: Metal Gear
from the front, front-right, and front-left, and a close-up of
the Marine Corps marking.

Snake : Marking?

Otacon : There should be a "MARINES" insignia on the body of Metal

Gear.
Just let someone try explaining away a clear shot of that.

Snake : All right.

Otacon : There's actually one little thing...

Snake : Just spit it out. I'm used to things going wrong.

Otacon : It looks like someone's monitoring our transmission.

Snake : Who?

Otacon : I don't have a clue. All they're doing is watching -- it would

creep me out less if they tried to interfere with our
communications.

Snake : Could it have something to do with that Cypher we saw?

Otacon : Maybe. I've switched the encryption protocol for our burst
transmission for now. What I want to do is use a different
method
for sending those photos, just in case.

Snake : Instead of using the Codec?

Otacon : Exactly. There's a workstation in the southeast corner of the

block where Metal Gear is housed. I've made arrangements so
that
you can send the pictures from the machine.

Snake : "Arrangements"?

Otacon : I hitched a ride on Link 16 into U.S. military's proprietary

network. Managed to get into that workstation and overwrote a
part of the system software so I could remote-install a little
app I wrote...

Snake : Why bother with anything that complicated...

Otacon : No, it's pretty simple, really. Look, all you have to do is
stand
in front of the machine and push the Action button. The app
will
automatically launch and download the image data from the
camera,
split the files and encrypt them individually. The data
packets
can then masquerade as...

Snake : OK, OK. So all I have to do is push the Action button in front
of
the computer once I have the pictures, right?

Otacon : Well, sure, if you put it that way. And one more thing... The
Commandant's already begun his speech, but you need to get the
pictures before he's done talking. Otherwise, they'll spot
you.
OK?

Snake : How much time do I have?

Otacon : I hacked into his personal files and took a look at the text
of
 that speech. I'd say you have seven more minutes -- longer if
he
throws in a joke or two.

Snake : A seven-minute time limit, huh?

Otacon : Remember, Snake, just the photos, OK?

Snake : With these kinds of odds, I won't be making any sudden moves.
But
that doesn't mean we can just let Metal Gear be hijacked.

Otacon : Okay, okay, but first, the photos...

Snake : All right. We'll deal with the rest when we get there.

Otacon : Stay low.

[Snake signs off.]

[Snake makes it to the third hold of the tanker and finds a group of two
dozen
Marines watching the Marine Commander give his speech. The group is
flanked
by two cameramen who are taping the speech. Behind the Marine Commander
is
Metal Gear RAY, the new Metal Gear prototype.]

Snake : Metal Gear!?

[Snake gets a call from Otacon.]

Otacon : Ok, we're finally there.

Snake : So this is the new Metal Gear...

Otacon : Yep. And we're going to show the whole world its baby
pictures.
Get the prototype on camera. We need four images. One from the
front-right, the front, and the front-left, and a close-up of
the
"MARINES" marking on the prototype. Once you have the photos,
use
the workstation in the southeast end of the area to transmit
them
over to me. Send me something I can use!

[Snake snaps all the pictures, going unnoticed by everybody in the room.
He
uploads the pictures to Otacon just as the commander finishes his speech.]

Dolph : We the Marines will lead the charge into a new world order
with
Metal Gear RAY.
 That is all. Dismissed!

[The Marines stand at attention
saluting, (sarcastic) clapping
The
Marines and the commander look
Metal Gear, clapping his hands
and salute the commander. As they are
can be heard from the rear of the hold.
around, puzzled. A man emerges from behind
as he struts along.]

Ocelot : Excellent speech, my friend...

Dolph : Who the -- !?

[The commandant turns to face the intruder.]

Ocelot : Gift of the silver tongue -- they say it's a mark of a good
officer -- and of a liar. Americans are too in love with the
sound of their own voice to speak the truth.

Dolph : Identify yourself!

Several Marines rush to Dolph's side and train their sights on the
intruder.

Ocelot : I am Shalashaska! Also called Revolver --

[Snake recognizes the man as he steps forward. They both utter the same
word.]

Both : Ocelot.

[Flashbacks to Shadow Moses. The Marines try to advance forward but they
are
held back by the commander.]

Dolph : What do you want?

Ocelot : This machine will be quite useful.

Dolph : What are you planning to do -- steal this thing?

Ocelot : Steal? No, no, I'm taking it back.

[Snake moves to a different location. He can see an arm reaching out for
the
commandant. The arm grabs the commandant. It is Colonel Sergei
Gurlukovich
holding a gun to the commandant's head.]
Snake : Gurlukovich...

[Gurlukovich takes a few protective steps backwards with his hostage.]

Ocelot : Nobody move! Understood?

[Ocelot steps onto the platform. In the other holds the Marines are
beginning
to panic. Ocelot raises a device above his head.]

Ocelot : This ship now carries enough SEMTEX on its key structural
points
to blow it out of the water -- at the touch of this button.

[Some of the Marines stand a little uneasy now.]

Ocelot : That's right...no one has to die needlessly.

[Russian soldiers rappel from the ceiling and take up positions covering
their
commanders from the Marines.]

Ocelot : We're almost at the target. Get a move on!

[A group of soldiers begins to undo the lines holding down Meta Gear Ray.]

Dolph : What do you intend to do with RAY -- sell it on the streets?

Sergei : I was raised in Snezhinsk, formerly known as Chelyabinsk-70,

the
nuclear research outpost.

Dolph : What are you talking about?

Sergei : After the Cold War ended, my home was bought out by the
Americans.

Dolph : Is there a point to this sad story?

[Gurlukovich become angry and presses the pistol against the commandant's
head
spinning it a little.]

Sergei : Not that you would understand. Land, friends, dignity...all

sold
to the highest bidder -- the United States of America. Even
the
technology that gave birth to these weapons is Russian,
developed
 by us!

Dolph : What do you intend to do?

Sergei : Russia will rise again -- and RAY is the key.

Ocelot : I regret to inform you that I have no intention of selling

Metal
Gear. As I said, I came to take it back.

[Ocelot slowly paces away from them and then turns around.]

Ocelot : Yes returned. To the Patriots!

[The Marine Commandant recognizes the name. He is startled.]

Dolph : The La-li-lu-le-lo! How's that possible!?

[Gurlukovich restrains the commandant and snarls at Ocelot.]

Sergei : Ocelot, you...! Have you sold us out?

Ocelot : I was never in your employ, Gurlukovich...

Sergei : Are you still in league with Solidus...!?

Ocelot : No hard feelings, Colonel. Mother Russia can rot, for all I
care.

Sergei : Since when, Ocelot! When did you turn?

Ocelot : I'm glad you noticed comrade. I abandoned "her" during the
Cold
War.

Sergei : Aargh!

Ocelot : Metal Gear only has room for one! Gurlukovich, you and your
daughter will die here.

Sergei : Damn you!!!

[Gurlukovich releases the commandant and shoves him forward. At the same
time
Ocelot throws his trench coat into the air between him and Gurlukovich.]

Sergei : Die, you dog!

[Both the Russians draw their weapons and fire madly. As the trench coat
flies
to the ground bullets rip through it. When it finally settles Both the
commandant and Gurlukovich fall to the ground.]
Ocelot : Sergei! Looks like you were long overdue for retirement.

[Ocelot lets go of his revolver and it clatters to the floor.]

Sergei : Traitorous dog...

[The other Russian soldiers surrounding Ocelot draw their guns to fire on
him.
With lightning speed he draws his second revolver and twirls in a quick
circle burying one bullet in each soldier. As they fall to the ground
Ocelot
pulls out the detonator.]

Ocelot : Show's over! If you wish to live, I suggest you run now! This
ship is still in the Lower New York Harbor. You may yet make
it
to shore if you swim for your life!

[Ocelot presses the detonator and the SEMTEX goes off killing some Marines.
One of the blasts punctures the hull of the ship and water begins to pour
into the chamber. The Marines scramble. Ocelot has climbed up to the
upper
platform of the hold and is approaching the open cockpit of Metal Gear
Ray.
Some Marines try to shoot Ocelot but none of the shots hit their mark.
Snake
rushes forward and aims upwards at Ocelot.]

Snake : OCELOT!!

[Ocelot looks down at Snake but before he does anything his arm begins to
twitch.]

Ocelot : Aaaarrghhhh!!

[Ocelot grabs his right arm in pain. He straightens up but this time his
voice is different. He is speaking in a familiar voice.]

Ocelot : It's been a while, brother.

Snake : Who are you?

Ocelot : You know who I am.

Snake : Liquid?

[Memories of Shadow Moses come to Snake.]

Liquid : Not so young anymore, eh, Snake? You're drowning in time. I
know
what it's like, brother.

Snake : ...

Liquid : No wonder Naomi passed you over for the FOXDIE program.

[Ocelot's right arm begins to twitch again.]

Liquid : Aaarrrr!

Ocelot : Out -- get out of my mind! Liquid...

[Ocelot bites his arm. Liquid is still in control.]

Liquid : The price of physical prodigy... Few more years and you'll be
another dead clone of the old man. Our raw materials are
vintage,
brother. Big Boss was in his late fifties when they created
his
copies. But I -- I live on, through this arm.

Snake : Liquid's arm?

[An explosion knocks Snake into the water.]

[Gurlukovich floats on the surface of the water that is pouring into the
hold.
Blood is gushing out of his wound.]

Sergei : Olga...

[Liquid leaps into the open cockpit of Metal Gear Ray as Snake is climbing
out
of the water, gasping for air.]

Liquid : You don't have what it takes after all.

[Liquid slams Ray into the ceiling.]

Liquid : You're going down, Snake, with this tanker!

[Snake tries to dodge one of the legs coming down at him but he gets
knocked unconscious. Up on a balcony some marines begin to fire gunshots
at
him and some RPGs. Liquid turns Ray to the marines and smashes them with
the
 leg of the great machine. Snake regains consciousness and says something
to
Otacon.]

Snake : Otacon, we have a problem...

[Ray plunges its head into the water and begins to suck some water into its
system. It then raises its head and fires a high-powered stream of water
into the hull of the tanker. Water pours in.]

Otacon : Snake!! Snaaaake!!!

[Metal Gear Ray swims through the water and leaps above the water. It
straddles a large crack that has appeared near the middle of the ship.
Snake
surfaces and gasps frantically for air. Ocelot is sitting in the cockpit
of
Ray peering down at Snake. Ocelot is talking to someone over the radio.]

Ocelot : No problems...proceeding as planned, sir.

[Ray does a back flip into the water and sends an enormous wave washing
over
Snake. He begins to slip under the water.]

[Ray swims through the water. ocelot is still talking to the person over
the
radio.]

Ocelot : ...Yes, at the location we discussed. Yes. I have photographic

evidence of Snake on the scene. The Cypher was most useful...I
look forward to tomorrow morning's news flash. I would say the
Marine Corps' plans are on indefinite hold.

Yes, of course, Mr. President...

[Overhead view of the sinking ship, Snake is nowhere to be seen.]

Otacon : SNAKE!!

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Plant Chapter Script

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Scientists had to make thousands of calculations to create the (atomic
bomb)
and determine its effects... Computers and atomic bombs, both products of
World
War II, grew up together."

Information Age: People, information, and Technology exhibition- Nation

Museum
of American History, Smithsonian Institute.

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01) Big Shell
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-- Verrazano Bridge, April 29th --

[Overhead view of the Verrazano Bridge. Two military helicopters are

flying
through the early morning skies.]

Colonel : Snake, do you remember the sinking of that tanker two years
ago?

Snake : Of course.

Colonel : Terrorists blow a hole in an oil tanker full of crude, barely

20
miles off the shore of Manhattan, your classic nightmare. It
didn't take long for the government to put an oil fence around
the whole mess. And then that massive offshore cleanup
facility
went up inside.

Snake : The "Big Shell." I hear the cleanup isn't quite over yet.

Colonel : It takes time. But in the meantime, the Shell's become a

landmark, a symbol of environmental protection. Approximately
six
hours ago, the Big Shell was seized by an armed group.

Snake : Do we have an ID?

Colonel : Former members of the Navy SEAL's special anti-terrorist
training
squad, "Dead Cell." Russian private army members may also be
involved. It's a highly trained group and they have the Big
Shell
under complete control.

[As the SEAL choppers swoop in to the Big Shell a group of NYPD officers
peer
curiously through a pair of binoculars.]

Commander : Calling teams Alpha and Bravo. Deploy at the Big Shell as
scheduled.

[As the SEALS are on their final approach to the Big Shell the FoxHound
operative pops above the water to check his bearings. He goes unnoticed]

Commander : Come in from downwind, then pull up fast! Get ready to fast
rope
down to Shell One! Five minutes to ETA! Alpha, your top
priority
is to rescue and safeguard the President! Team Bravo, watch
out
for Stillman's back, and get those C4's disarmed!

[Snake swims to the oil fence and finds that a hole has already been cut in
it. He promptly swims through.]

Snake : What are their demands?

Colonel : Thirty billion dollars.

Snake : Thirty billion dollars!? What makes them think they can get
that
much?

Colonel : There was a government-sponsored tour going on at the Big

Shell
that day.

Snake : Hostages, huh?

Colonel : A VIP from one of the major conservation groups, and one from
our
own government -- the Most Important Person in a sense.

Snake : The most important person -- ?

Colonel : James Johnson.

Snake : The President!

Colonel : Unless the demands are met, the terrorists intend to blow the
Big
Shell out of the water.
Snake : And the crude will ignite, turning the Manhattan Harbor into
an
inferno.

Colonel : That's not the worst-case scenario. If the chlorides being

used
to decontaminate the seawater go up with the oil, toxins
containing catastrophic levels of dioxins will be released. In
other words, the bay's ecosystem will be wiped out, and the
sea
will turn into a toxic soup for centuries -- becoming the
worst
environmental disaster in history.

[Snake swims up through a dock in the Big Shell.]

Colonel : You have two missions objectives. One: infiltrate the

offshore
decontamination facility "Big Shell" and safeguard the
President
and other hostages. And two: disarm the terrorists by any
means
necessary.

[Snake reaches the surface of the Deep Sea Dock of the Big Shell and makes
a
quick scan for enemies lurking around. Seeing none he climbs up a ladder
and
gets onto the platform.]

Colonel : You should know... that SEAL Team 10 is also conducting a

rescue
operation.

Snake : Is this a joint effort?

Colonel : No. FOXHOUND remains a covert body. Don't alert them to your
presence -- that is an order.

[Snake calls the Colonel with his Codec.]

Snake : This is Snake. I am now inside Strut A of Shell 1.

Colonel : How are things?

Snake : We're in luck. Looks like there are no sentries posted here.

Colonel : What's the visibility?

Snake : The lights on the plant's struts are functioning. I won't have
to
use the IR goggles.

Colonel : Any problems?

Snake : There was a brand-new hole cut through the oil fence. There's
someone else besides me that wanted to get in badly.

Colonel : That's not possible.

Snake : What about SEAL Team 10?

Colonel : They landed on the roof of the Big Shell as planned. And by
the
way Snake, we're changing your code name for all following
communication.

Snake : What's wrong with "Snake"?

Colonel : Just a precaution. You are now designated "Raiden." All right,
Raiden. You've already covered infiltration in VR Training.

Raiden : I've completed three hundred missions in VR. I feel like some
kind of legendary mercenary...

Colonel : Okay, we'll skip that part. Make sure nobody sees you. If you
need to, contact me by Codec. The frequency is 140.85. When
you
want to use the Codec, push the SELECT button. When we need to
reach you...contact you, the Codec will beep. When you hear
that
noise, press the SELECT button. The Codec's receiver directly
stimulates the small bones of your ear. No one but you will be
able to hear it.

Raiden : All right. I'll contact you if anything changes.

Colonel : First, make your way to the upper section of the Big Shell.

Raiden : How do I get up to the next level?

Colonel : There's an elevator at the far end of that area. Use that.

Raiden : Sounds good.

[Views of Raiden's Sneaking suit are shown.]

Colonel : Your new Sneaking suit uses electrofiber technology, a by-

product
of fiber-optics research. The texture isn't far removed from
rubber but the material protects against a wide range of toxic
substances. The suit itself has a wide array of built-in
sensors.

It is referred to as "Smart Skin" in military R&D. Data about

damage to different regions of the body, including blood loss,
is
exchanged between the suit and the intravenous nanomachines to
create a bio-feedback system.

Raiden : There's a lot of pressure on my torso.

Colonel : Relax. The suit applies varying pressure to major internal
organs
to maximize performance and safeguard their functions. They
call
this the "Skull Suit" in FOXHOUND.

Raiden : Skull suit -- seems appropriate somehow.

Colonel : The hatch with a circular handle will open into the elevator
area. Locate the hatch first.

Raiden : Copy that. Moving onto main mission objectives.

[Raiden signs off. Raiden proceeds through the hatch and when he opens it
he
spots an enemy that has just been knocked unconscious.]

Raiden : Colonel, I've sighted an enemy sentry. AN-94 and a Makarov...

those grenades...all his equipment are Russian-made.

Colonel : Must be a Gurlukovich man.

Raiden : Gurlukovich?

Colonel : A Russian private army that was in line to work with the
Shadow
Moses takeover group, four years ago.

Raiden : What's their stake in this one?

Colonel : They must have made a deal -- an arrangement with the

terrorists.
They've become a band of mercenaries, an army without a
country.

[Raiden signs off. When he goes into the next room he finds two unconscious
sentries. One of them just rolled off the elevator ascending in the back
of
the room. Raiden catches a quick glimpse of the man. He is wearing a
familiar uniform. He calls up the Colonel.]

Raiden : Colonel, there's definitely another intruder in here besides

me.

Colonel : That's not a possibility.

Raiden : Not a team -- looks like a solo job.

Colonel : One man...?

Raiden : We may not know who he is, but he managed to take care of
every
sentry in the area; they're all out cold. Whoever he is, he's
got
some skills.

Colonel : We need to get an ID... But for now, you can take advantage of
 the situation and get to work. There's a terminal in front of
the
elevator, a node.

Raiden : Did you say "nerd"?

Colonel : Not "nerd" -- "node."

Raiden : Oh.

Colonel : Use the node to gain access to the Big Shell's facilities
network.

Raiden : Then what?

Colonel : Pull up the map of the structure; that'll let you activate the
Soliton Radar.

Raiden : The Soliton Radar? True, that radar came in useful during VR
training.

Colonel : A radar system. Uses biological magnetic fields as input.

These
estimated enemy positions are projected onto a map according
to
reference points collected via GPS signals and field personnel
reports. We need to get to the map through the Big Shell's
node
to put this data processing to practical use. The node unit is
about three feet high and should be colored blue. Each area
has
at least one.

Raiden : How do I gain access?

Colonel : Just push the Action button in front of the node. The
nanomachines in your body will take care of the security
clearance, and allow you access to the node. Complete the
procedure before those sentries gain consciousness. If they
spot
you, you won't be able to gain access for a while. Stay on
guard.

Raiden : Got it.

[Raiden signs off and moves to the node. When he places his hand on it a
jolt
of electricity is sent through his arm. He screams out. When the shock
ends
he pants and finishes the login sequence. He calls the Colonel again.]

Colonel : Good work, Raiden.

Raiden : The radar should be functioning now?

Colonel : Remember your VR training sessions. The tool is exactly the

same
one -- it maps the terrain as well as the position of enemy
 personnel. The bright dot in the middle is you, Raiden. The
red
dots are your enemies and the blue cone shape represents their
field of vision.

Your radar isn't affected by the weather, but if you're

discovered by an enemy you won't be able to use it. It gets
jammed easily I'm afraid. It's all made from currently
existing
technology. You won't be able to use it in an area with strong
harmonic resonance. So be careful. The Big Shell's layout map
should now be available after touching the START button.

Raiden : How do I save the mission data?

Colonel : I've set aside a proprietary frequency for saves. And an

analyst
to work on the data too.

[A young woman, maybe in her early 20s comes onscreen.]

Woman : Jack, is everything all right?

Raiden : What are you doing here!?

Woman : Jack, can you hear me?

Raiden :
Rose! You're not supposed to be involved! What's going on!?

Rose : Jack, I'm a part of this mission.

Raiden : Colonel, what the hell is going on?

Colonel : Raiden, meet the mission analyst. She'll be overseeing the

data
saving and support.

Raiden : Why her?

Colonel : The FOXHOUND analyst that was supposed to take part in this
mission was in an accident. Rosemary was brought in as a
replacement.

Raiden : An accident...?

Colonel : And according to the files, she knows you better than anybody
else.

Raiden : Rose may be in the service, but an intelligence analyst is no

field officer.

Colonel : Not to worry. She has our technical staff at her disposal.

Raiden : She's never been a part of a field mission. This is insane.

Colonel : I have my own reasons for selecting her for this mission,
soldier.
Raiden : Colonel, I fail to see --

Colonel : I know your VR training performance in and out. But sometimes

that's not enough. You're familiar with the Shadow Moses
incident?

Raiden : You know I covered it in VR.

Colonel : If there's a crucial tactical detail that case taught us, it

was
the power of the operative's will to survive.

Raiden : I was trained to fight. My personal feelings have no place in

a
mission.

Colonel : We've learned that it doesn't work that way. And on the field,
you need all the help you can get.

Rose : Jack? You're stuck with me whether you like it or not.

Raiden : Rose...

Rose : You need someone to watch your back. But I have conditions
that
need to be met, Colonel.

Colonel : What is it?

Rose : I'll perform my duties and save that mission data. But I'm
aware
that technically, I'm not part of the mission control team.
After
all, I'm just a normal girl who's worried about Jack. But that
means, Colonel, that I am not required to follow your orders
outside of my immediate duties. Jack is not simply a field
personnel for me to track. His safety comes first to me, not
the
mission. And because of that, I will be monitoring and keeping
a
record of every communication you have with him, Colonel.

Colonel : ...Given the circumstances, you're free to do what you see

fit.

Rose : Hey, I prefer this to being kept in the dark, waiting.

Colonel : I'd like to make a request, if I may.

Rose : Of course.

Colonel : His handle is Raiden. For the duration of the mission, could
you
call him that?

Rose : Yes sir. All right -- Raiden. Let me know when you're ready to
turn in a save. The proprietary save frequency is 140.96.

[The frequency switches to 140.96 (Rose's)]

Rose : I just switched frequencies. Jack?

Raiden : What?

Rose : Do you know what day it is tomorrow?

Raiden : April 30th -- is there something special about it?

Rose : Isn't there?

Raiden : I can't remember. I'm sorry.

Rose : Oh well, I'll keep trying 'til I hear the answer. I'm going to
let you go now, Jack. Take care.

[The transmission ends. The enemy sentries are regaining consciousness.

The
Colonel contacts Raiden.]

Colonel : Raiden, the enemy sentry is regaining consciousness.

Rose : Be careful, Jack!

Colonel : Find somewhere to hide until the elevator arrives. You must
stay
out of sight!

[The Colonel signs off. Raiden avoids the sentries and makes it to the
elevator without alerting anybody. As the elevator ascends he takes off
the
diving mask to reveal his face. He has long white hair and very pale
skin.]

Colonel : The terrorists call themselves "Sons of Liberty."

Raiden : Sons of Liberty?

Colonel : The name of their leader is Solid Snake.

Raiden : The hero of Shadow Moses!? So that's why you changed my code
name.

[The elevator grinds to a halt at the top of the shaft, scaring some birds
that fly off into the bright sunlight.]

Colonel : Right. But it can't be THE Solid Snake. He died two years ago,
on
that tanker, after he blew it sky-high.

Raiden : Could he have survived?

Colonel : Not a chance...

[Raiden takes cover behind some storage crates. He calls the Colonel.]

Raiden : Colonel, I'm on the roof. There are no sentries, but it would
only take one to spot me in this light.

Colonel : You never had daylight VR training, after all. Stay extra
sharp
until you can find a node to log in from.

Raiden : What about the commandos?

Colonel : SEAL Team 10 has landed on Struts B and C.

Raiden : And the President?

Colonel : Seems he was spotted on Strut B.

Raiden : Strut B?

Colonel : The Big Shell is comprised of Shells One and Two. Each unit
consists of a central core and six struts surrounding it.

Raiden : So the whole thing is shaped like two hexagons connected

end-on-end.

Colonel : Exactly. And you're on the roof of Strut A, Shell One at the
moment. First, get to a node. Log into the network.

Raiden : Got it.

[The call ends. Raiden has just passed the first entryway into Strut A
when
the Colonel contacts him again.]

Colonel : Raiden, SEAL Team 10 is in.

Raiden : Do we really have no line of communication with the SEALs?

Colonel : They don't know a thing about us. You know we work in the
dark,
and this mission is no exception. Only a few people know about
your presence here.

Raiden : ...

Colonel : There's no need for concern. This operation is under

Pentagon's
direct command, and the NSDD (National Security Decision
Directives) came from the Vice President and the Secretary of
Defense. Your mission may be top-secret, but it's gone through
the usual channels.

[The Colonel signs off. Raiden makes it to the next connecting bridge. He
gets a call from the Colonel.]

Colonel : Wait a second, I just intercepted new intelligence on the

 operation being executed by SEAL Team 10.

Raiden : Intercepted?

Colonel : As I said before, they need to be kept in the dark about our
presence.

Raiden : So we just listen in...

Colonel : I'm patching it through.

SEAL : This is Alpha Zero. We have the President.

Commander : Is he safe?

SEAL : He is safe.

Commander : What about the package?

SEAL : Tell the guys upstairs that we've secured the package. Easy
money.

Commander : Good work. Your retrieval is on the way. Come on home...

SEAL : Roger that... H-holy!

[Gunfire erupts over the line.]

Commander : Alpha Zero! Report!!!

SEAL : Dammit! Cover the President!!

Commander : Come in, Alpha Zero!

SEAL : This is Alpha Zero. We are under attack! This is crazy! Is

that...!?

Commander : Alpha Zero, respond!

[The transmission goes dead.]

Commander : All Alpha, respond!

Colonel : Raiden, the President's life in danger! Head to Strut B now!

[Transmission ends.]

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02) The twirly guy with the knives
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[When Raiden reaches strut B he meets a gruesome scene. There is blood all
over the walls and floor next to the bodies of two dead SEALs. Raiden
takes
out his recently acquired M9 pistol and advances with caution to the
nearest
doorway.]

[The view switches to the inside of the room. Three SEALs are patrolling
through a large transformer room with their guns drawn at the ready. Out
of
nowhere three knives appear, one hitting the front soldier in the neck, he
goes down.]

SEAL A : Uaaagh!

[The two remaining SEALs start firing at random into the rafters, at an
unseen
enemy. The enemy quickly leaps about the rafters deftly avoiding all
their
shots.]

SEAL B : Damn it! I can't hit him!

[The enemy makes a foray towards the SEALs from behind. He slices the
furthest SEAL quickly, he falls to the ground screaming.]

SEAL B : Aaargh!!!

[The remaining SEAL begins to panic. He starts spinning wildly and

shooting
randomly into the rafters.]

SEAL C : Aa Aa Aaargh!!!

[The SEAL commander comes over the radio.]

Commander : Alpha Zero, come in Alpha Zero.

[As the SEAL continues his attack the enemy leaps down from the rafters
coming
down softly in front of the SEAL.]
SEAL C : Aah! Oh no, no!

[The enemy takes out a knife from a belt on his waist and gives the SEAL a
menacing stare. The SEAL hesitates briefly and then begins to fire again
at
the enemy. The enemy spins towards the SEAL with his knife drawn and once
again manages to dodge all the bullets meant for him. He reaches the SEAL
and promptly slits his wrists. As the SEAL cries out in pain he circles
around and cuts him across the kneecaps from behind. The man falls to his
knees but doesn't hit the ground. The enemy holds him up and carefully,
slowly, he slits the throat of the SEAL. As the blood pours out the enemy
appears to be in some sort of brief trance. The body falls to the floor,
limp. The radio squawks.]

Commander : All Alpha, come in! What's going on? Alpha, respond!

[Raiden slowly enters the room. He reaches a railing undetected and peers
beyond it. He lets out a muffled gasp when he sees that the enemy is
sucking
the blood out of the soldier. The enemy slowly turns his head and snarls
at
Raiden. He hastily lets the body drop to the floor. He pulls a knife out
of
his belt.]

Raiden : What are you?

[The man draws the knife across his chest. Slowly slicing the skin.]

Vamp : Five today... Or rather, six?

[The man leaps clear over Raiden but Raiden can't react fast enough. He
still
has his gun drawn as the man reaches out from behind him to tap his
shoulder.
Suddenly a SEAL bursts into the room.]

SEAL : Get down!!

[The SEAL rattles off a burst of bullets in Vamp's direction as Raiden

ducks
under it. Once again Vamp has evaded the bullets. The SEAL slowly enters
the room and scans all the directions. The enemy is nowhere to be seen.]

SEAL : Where is he!

[Vamp leaps down from the ceiling and slashes the SEAL's left arm. Vamp
slams
the SEAL against the wall and draws close to him.]
SEAL : Agh!

[The SEAL's rifle slides toward Raiden. He quickly grabs it and takes aim
at
Vamp. Vamp's head moves close to the SEAL's neck.]

Vamp : Hmmm? Strange smell... You smell like -- !

[Vamp drops the SEAL to the ground, stunned.]

Vamp : Are you...it has to be!

SEAL : Shoot him! What are you waiting for!

[Raiden lets out a full clip in Vamp's direction but none make their mark.]

Raiden : !

[A female's voice comes over the man's radio.]

Woman : Vamp.

Vamp : Yeah, Queen.

[The SEAL slides a clip to Raiden. The clip slides underneath Vamp's
spread
legs unnoticed or largely ignored.]

Woman : Are you all done cleaning up?

Vamp : Yes. But wait till I tell you what I found...

Woman : Something interesting?

[Raiden grabs the clip.]

Vamp : I'll tell you in person. Where are you?

Woman : In the central unit, with the President.

[Raiden loads the clip into the gun as fast as he can.]

Vamp : Be right there.

[Raiden cocks the rifle and aims at where Vamp is but he isn't there. Vamp
is
then heard jumping about in the rafters but Raiden can't find a target.
As
Vamp disappears Raiden takes aim at the SEAL.]

SEAL : I'm not a enemy. Calm down. My name is S... My name is

Pliskin.
Iroquois Pliskin, Lieutenant Junior Grade.

Raiden : Are you a Navy SEAL? How did you get in?

Pliskin : Fast rope decent from a Navy chopper.

[A sea lice crawls out from under Pliskin. Raiden gives it an odd look,
something is wrong.]

Raiden : Have I seen you before?

Pliskin : That suit, are you FOX-HOUND?

Raiden : That's right.

Pliskin : FOX-HOUND was disbanded.

Raiden : ...?

Pliskin : Where were you before FOX-HOUND? Delta Force?

[Real life of special ops training is shown as well as some video from
Metal
Gear Solid: VR Missions.]

Raiden : I was a part of the Army's Force XXI trials...

Pliskin : Force XXI? That's about tactical IT deployment, right? Any

field
experience?

Raiden : No -- not really.

Pliskin : So this is your first.

Raiden : I've had extensive training -- the kind that's

indistinguishable
from the real thing.

Pliskin : Like what?

Raiden : Sneaking mission 60, Weapons 80,

Pliskin : VR, huh.

Raiden : But realistic in every way.

Pliskin : A virtual grunt of the digital age. That's just great.

Raiden : That's far more effective than live exercises.

Pliskin : You don't get injured in VR, do you? Every year, a few
soldiers
die in field exercises.

Raiden : There's pain sensation in VR, and even a sense of reality and
urgency. The only difference is that it isn't actually
happening.

Pliskin : That's the way they want you to think, to remove you from the
fear that goes with battle situations. War as a video game --
what better way to raise the ultimate soldier?

[Raiden gives Pliskin his rifle.]

Raiden : So your saying VR training is some kind of mind control?

[The Colonel calls Raiden.]

Colonel : Raiden what's going on?

Raiden : The Alpha team from Navy SEAL team 10 is dead. No, a single
survivor.

Pliskin : The kid's wired with nanomachines.

[The Codec screen pops up.]

Colonel : What about the President?

Raiden : Looks like they took him somewhere else...

Colonel : I see... You said there was a survivor from SEAL Team 10?

Raiden : Yeah. Lieutenant J.G. Pliskin.

Colonel : Has he seen your face?

Raiden : What?

Colonel : This is a top-secret mission. No one can know that we're

involved.

Raiden : It's a little too late for that.

[Pliskin walks down to the lower level and Raiden follows.]

Raiden : What's up?

Pliskin : Take a look.

[Raiden looks at where Pliskin is looking. There is a Navy Captain lying
on
the ground with blood oozing out of some fresh wounds. There is a broken
handcuff on his left wrist.]

Pliskin : A Navy Captain.

Raiden : What the hell!?

[Pliskin stumbles towards the stairs.]

Raiden : You all right?

Pliskin : Give me a few minutes.

[Pliskin takes out a cigarette.]

Pliskin : Must have lost a few more pints then I thought.

Raiden : What was that man just now? That blood sucking freak? That was
Vamp.

[Pictures of Vamp and Dead Cell are shown.]

Pliskin : He's Romanian, a wizard with knives as you saw.

Raiden : The way he moved -- didn't seem human.

Pliskin : You won't see that in VR, I guarantee.

Raiden : What is he?

Pliskin : One of the members of Dead Cell.

Raiden : Dead Cell... Him?

Pliskin : A special forces unit created by Ex-President George Sears.

The
name was originally intended to reflect its anti-terrorist
functions. The unit would launch unannounced assaults on
government complexes, for the ultimate terrorism simulation.
They
were needed to show VR troopers like you how to deal with the
real thing.

But around the time their original leader died in prison, the
unit began to unravel. They were always close to the edge, but
they became more and more extreme. Began to go after U.S.
allies,
even civilians. We estimate that no fewer than a hundred
people
died on accidents the Dead Cell arranged on their own. They
were
 out of control -- and it all came to a head six months ago.

Raiden : What happened?

Pliskin : The unit was devastated. There are only three left now -- and
you just saw one of them.

Raiden : Why would they go after the Big Shell?

Pliskin : How should I know? I told you they were on the lunatic fringe.

Raiden : What about the leader? He says he's Solid Snake?

Pliskin : Snake died two years ago.

[Flashbacks of the Tanker incident are shown.]

Raiden : You mean the incident that made this Big Shell necessary in
the
first place.

Pliskin : Right. And he was the one that sank that tanker.

Raiden : But he's a Legend --

Pliskin : Legends are usually bad news. There's not a lot of difference
between heroes and madmen...

Raiden : You're saying Snake is still alive and pulled another one?

Pliskin : No, he's not involved in this one. His body was positively
ID'd
two years ago. Snake is dead... And buried.

[Guards patrolling on a connecting bridge are shown.]

Raiden : What about the other soldiers? I saw Russian equipment too.

Pliskin : Former Soviet military. They're probably mercenaries. The Big

Shell is too much ground for just Dead Cell members to hold
down. You weren't briefed on any of this? ...And you came in
alone to boot? What are you really doing here?

[Raiden doesn't speak.]

Pliskin : Not gonna tell me, huh? Fine with me.

[Pliskin hands Raiden some cigarettes.]

Raiden : I don't smoke.

Pliskin : Keep it anyway, may come in handy.

[Raiden puts the cigarettes in his pocket. Pliskin pulls out a SOCOM
pistol
and hands it to him too.]

Pliskin : Take this too.

[Raiden takes the SOCOM.]

Raiden : Here, take this.

[The radio on Pliskin's back erupts with a voice.]

Navy SEAL : Come in Alpha Zero. This is Bravo Zero, currently at the
bridge between Struts B and C. The President is...

[Gunshots are heard over the radio.]

Navy SEAL : Damn, I can't hit this thing! It's like some bad dream.
Alpha! Anyone. Come in all Alpha! This is Bravo Zero.

Raiden : Aren't you going to answer him?

[Pliskin reluctantly reaches for the radio. But an explosion is heard and
the
line goes dead.]

Pliskin : The B-C connecting bridge.

Raiden : We need to get there. Can you handle it?

Pliskin : I need a few more minutes. Remember my frequency, it's 141.80.

Raiden : 141.80, got it.

Pliskin : I've been briefed on this plant's layout. If you need

information
about the place or on Dead Cell contact me. Your using
nanocommunication, right?

Raiden : Yeah, but I can patch into your frequency.

[Raiden begins to walk up the stairs.]

Pliskin : Hey, what's your name?

Raiden : Raiden.

Pliskin : Raiden? Strange codename.

Raiden : Makes up for the boring one my parents gave me.

[Raiden walks away.]

Pliskin : Maybe I'll find out some day.

[On his way to the BC Connecting Bridge he is contacted by Rose.]

Rose : Jack, it's me...

Raiden : Everything okay, Rose?

Rose : Don't you need to save the mission data?

Raiden : Oh yeah -- thanks for the reminder.

Rose : Jack, do you remember what day tomorrow is?

Raiden : That again... I'm sorry, but I still don't have a clue.

Rose : That's okay.

Raiden : What is it, Rose? Talk to me.

Rose : I'd rather you figure it out. It's important.

Raiden : How important?

Rose : Important enough. And we'll talk about it, tomorrow.

Raiden : Why not now?

Rose : Tomorrow seems more -- appropriate. I need all the help I can
get
so that I won't chicken out anyway.

Raiden : Is that the reason you decided to be part of this mission?

OK...
I'm going to finish this thing by tomorrow, no matter what.

Rose : You know I'll do everything I can to help you.

Raiden : Rose, there's something I need you to do as an analyst. It has

to
do with Solid Snake. The leader of this takeover incident is
claiming that he's Snake himself.

Rose : The legendary mercenary? Hm.

Raiden : I need as much data on him as possible. Everything they have

on
him after the Shadow Moses incident.

Rose : He's dead now, isn't he?

Raiden : Yes. Should be a burial record somewhere too. You should be

able
 to request top-level security clearance from the Colonel. That
should get us into the most classified material.

Rose : I'm on it. I'll contact you as soon as I find out something.

[Raiden signs off.]

[Raiden reaches the bridge and spots two SEALs firing prone at a target
across
the bridge. The target is a tall, slim, black woman with blonde hair.
She is
carrying a menacing gun and at her feet are a man in a suit and a black
suitcase. The bullets fired at her seem to move away when they near her.]

Raiden : What the hell is that?

Woman : Come, put me out of my misery.

SEAL 1 : This is impossible. Nothing will hit her.

SEAL 2 : Is she the one they call Fortune?

[Vamp walks out from the building behind her. He casually picks up the man
and the suitcase. As he begins to walk back to the building he pauses.]

Vamp : Queen.

[He walks back into the building with the President and the black
suitcase.]

Navy SEAL : Don't let them take the President!

A group of SEALs advances down the walkway towards Fortune.]

Navy SEAL : Ready grenades.

A SEAL fires a grenade. It rolls to Fortune's side but nothing happens.]

Navy SEAL : A dud.

[The SEALs begin to advance.]

Fortune : Today is another bad day.

[Fortune activates her rail gun and aims it at the SEALs.]

Fortune : Is there anyone here that can give me happiness?

[She fires her rail gun at the SEALs. The SEALs are thrown into the air
and
off the bridge. The walkway between the connecting bridge and the Shell 1
Core is destroyed. When the smoke clears one of the SEALs is hanging on
the
edge of the destroyed bridge. He tries to pull himself up but can't. He
falls into the ocean below as Fortune looks on unemotionally.]

[Soon after a seagull falls at her feet, killed by her gun.]

Fortune : I'm so sorry my beauties. I'll see you again some day.

[As Fortune begins to walk away the seagulls begin to fall out of the sky.
Raiden stops watching and calls the Colonel on the Codec.]

Raiden : Colonel, SEAL Team 10's Bravo team was wiped out.

Colonel : I see.

Raiden : What happened to the cargo choppers?

Colonel : Both of them are at the bottom of the harbor. Looks like your
new hosts have a Harrier 2.

Raiden : A Harrier? What is this?

Colonel : Calm down. It just means they anticipated the attack. Besides,
since the SEALs drew their fire, your infiltration went off
without a hitch. On top of that, we know their defensive
capabilities.

Raiden : Are you saying that this was all a feint?

Colonel : Raiden, get a hold of yourself. The entire mission is in your

hands now, do you understand?

Raiden : But...

Colonel : There's no time for questions. They could decide to retaliate

for
that failed assault.

Raiden : You mean the hostages?

Colonel : They could be in danger, yes. But we need to consider the

possibility that they'll blow the whole Shell. If that toxic
spill does take place, it'll devastate not only the harbor,
but
poison the coastline for generations. Raiden, we've had to
adjust the mission objectives. The priority is now on removing
those C4's that the terrorists wired over the Big Shell. The
President can wait, but this can't.

Raiden : Colonel, you know I'm no bomb disposal expert.

Colonel : That's not a problem -- the Bravo team brought an explosives
pro
in with them. He was supposed to standby on Strut C according
to
their mission. You should find him there.

Raiden : Is this according to simulation too...?

Colonel : What are you talking about? Get to Strut C and find him!

Raiden : Understood... But I need to ask you something before I go.

Colonel : Make it quick.

Raiden : Who are they -- Dead Cell, I mean? They couldn't hit her, no
matter how hard they tried... And that vampire too. It's --
it's
like... It's like being in a nightmare you can't wake up from.

Rose : Jack, snap out of it!

Raiden : And you Rose -- I can't believe you're on this mission. I keep
thinking I'll wake up...

Rose : Raiden, this is real. And that's why you won't wake up.

Raiden : But nothing seems real.

Rose : I've made up my mind to stay with you. Whether this is real or
a
bad dream, I'll keep watching you, till it's over.

Raiden : Thank you, Rose. And I won't let you be just a dream...

Colonel : Are you two done? Raiden, you're needed on Strut C.

[Raiden signs off.]

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03) Why do I have to do this crap?
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[When Raiden arrives in Strut C he finds a man kneeling on the floor by a

countertop. He is wearing an NYPD jacket.]

Raiden : Freeze!

Man : Don't shoot.

[The man slowly raises his hands. He places his hands by a wrench that is
lying on the countertop.]

Raiden : You a cop?

Man : I'm not NYPD. I came in with the Bravo Team. Who are you with
and
what happened to SEAL Team 10?

Raiden : There all dead.

Man : All of them!? That's bad.

[The man slowly gets up.]

Raiden : Did I tell you could move?

Pliskin : It's all right, he's not one of the bad guys.

[Pliskin is walking towards Raiden calmly.]

Pliskin : Don't go pointing that thing everywhere, kid.

[The man on the ground walks forward. He uses a cane to help him limp
along.]

Pliskin : What's your name?

Man : My name is Peter, Peter Stillman.

Pliskin : A lecturer at NSEOD, Indian Head. Also consultant to the NYPD

Bomb Squad.

Stillman : A poor old man who got dragged along for this picnic.

Pliskin : I thought you retired.

Stillman : I did. Can't keep up with everybody, as you can see. And a
famous
church got wiped off the map, thanks to me, with too many
lives
inside. All I lost was this leg.

Raiden : So your the bomb disposal guy.

[A picture of Stillman is shown.]

Pliskin : Kid, this is THE bomb disposal guy. Open any explosives
disposal
textbook and you'll see his name.
Stillman : Heh, just ancient history now.

Raiden : Why did they bring you out of retirement then?

Stillman : Because the terrorist group here includes one of my students.

[A picture of Fatman is shown.]

Stillman : The Emperor of Explosives -- Fatman. He built an atomic bomb

when
he was only ten. I created him in a sense.

Pliskin : And that's why you're here...

Stillman : I'm pretty rusty. I was supposed to supervise the bomb

disposal
-- looks like it was taken care of before I had my turn.

Pliskin : I wouldn't say that. There are at least two people here that
can
claim to be experts at bomb disposal.

Stillman : Are you two with SEAL Team 10? I didn't see you at the mission
briefing.

Pliskin : Oh were...with another squad. My name is Pliskin, Lieutenant

Junior Grade.

[Pliskin holds out his hand for Stillman to shake but Stillman ignores
him.]

Stillman : Mr. Pliskin, do you have any experience with explosives

disposal?

Pliskin : Don't worry about me. And he looks young but he can do it. But
we need more manpower.

Raiden : I umm...

Stillman : What's your name?

Raiden : Raiden.

Stillman : That's a odd name.

Raiden : Any other survivors?

Stillman : There was also a engineer with us.

Raiden : A engineer?

[Pictures of the SEALs exiting the choppers are shown. There is a man in a
white lab coat walking among them.]
Stillman : A skinny guy. He went in with us...

Raiden : Where is he?

Stillman : I haven't seen him since that skirmish.

Raiden : Was he killed?

Stillman : I don't think so. I didn't find his body.

Raiden : I see...

Stillman : They told me he was the security systems architect for the Big
Shell.

Raiden : Why would they take a civilian along?

Stillman : Everything in this structure is computer-controlled. He was

supposed to get us past all the security measures.

Raiden : I never heard anything about that.

Stillman : He had official orders with him.

Pliskin : We'll leave that for later. Right now, we need to figure out
how
to deal with all the bombs.

Raiden : But there's no one left from the SEAL's EOD (Explosive
Ordnance
Disposal) squad.

Pliskin : Yep. So we have to do it ourselves.

Raiden : But I've never defused a bomb before...

[The Colonel calls Raiden.]

Raiden : Hold on a sec.

Pliskin : Off to confer with the CO again?

[Codec screen.]

Colonel : Glad to hear Stillman is safe. Assist him in any way possible
to
clear the C4 from the structure.

Raiden : Colonel, you know I've never been trained in bomb disposal.

Colonel : It's all right. The man you're working with is the best in the
field. All you have to do is follow his directions. You will
of
course keep your identity and mission objectives to yourself.

Raiden : Is it true that an engineer came in with Stillman?

Colonel : I wasn't informed of that. It's probably something the SEALs
decided on their own. There are more important issues at hand,
Raiden. The enemy may retaliate for the failed assault. Get
those
C4's neutralized now.

Raiden : Colonel, I'm not qualified for bomb disposal.

Rose : Jack, it's me. You can do this. Trust me.

Colonel : You haven't had bomb disposal training per se in VR, but
you're
more than capable of handling C4.

Raiden : ...This is a little different from using C4.

Colonel : You're up for this. You know that.

Pliskin : How about it, kid? Are the results in yet?

[Back to Strut C.]

Stillman : There's no need to worry so much. You won't actually be

dismantling the bombs. That's not for a amateurs. What we'll
try
here instead is a temporary freezing method. Here, look at
this.

[Stillman pulls out some C4.]

Stillman : This is a C4 bomb.

[He flips a switch on the bomb.]

Stillman : It's live, you can see it pulsing.

[Stillman picks up a canister that resembles a fire extinguisher.]

Stillman : Now you spray this on the sucker and...

[He sprays the bomb.]

Stillman : ...there we go. Simple, huh? The spray freezes the detonator
instantly.

Raiden : How long does the effects last?

Stillman : There's no way the thing can detonate in this condition. Even
if
you leave it alone it will stay out of commission for at least
24
 hours.

Pliskin : That's enough time.

Stillman : If we had the manpower, I'd recommend complete disposal. But

this
will have to do. The spray can be used from several yards
away.
Now check the floor, ceiling, walls, and on the tables,
everywhere. Try to imagine the location of the bombs could be.

Pliskin : That won't be easy, we don't know a thing about Fatman.

Stillman : That won't be a problem.

[Stillman picks up s small gadget.]

Stillman : This sensor detects the scent of the signature on Fatman's

bombs.

Pliskin : So in other words it sniffs out the bombs.

Raiden : What if Fatman uses a different type of scentless bomb?

[Pictures of Fatman are shown.]

Stillman : I know Fatman well. I know how into his own aesthetics he is.

Pliskin : Signatures?

Stillman : Yes. On every bomb he builds, he always leaves a trace of the

cologne he uses. The sensor also picks up that particular
scent
spectrum.

Pliskin : Is that something he learned from you?

Stillman : No, it was his own quirk. He wouldn't work by any rules except
his own, and he followed them like a religion. And common
sense
isn't one of his strong points. I thought I taught him
everything I knew... I have no children of my own, and I
thought
I found a son in him.

He had the right stuff, you know. There's something very

unusual
about an ability like that. Even at Indian Head, he got
special
treatment. Maybe that's what started all this. I didn't teach
him the most important thing I had to tell him. There are some
things you have to pass on.

Pliskin : The trick is to know which one.

Stillman : Right... All I taught him were skills. And now I have to stop
him from using it to destroy us all.
Pliskin : Let's see how well that sensor works.

Stillman : Alright. I'm activating it, what. You see the green stuff on
the
radar? That's the visual representation of the C4 scent
detected
by the sensors.

Raiden : It's a pretty big area, isn't it?

Pliskin : Don't complain, it's better than nothing.

Stillman : Just activate the sensors and search the area, okay.

Raiden : Alright.

Stillman : Don't forget that you need the radio to use this. Log into the
node in every strut and turn the radar on.

Pliskin : We have to keep out of the enemy's sights too.

Raiden : Because the radar gets knocked offline when were spotted?

Stillman : Exactly. Fatman allotted some C4 here on Strut C as well.

Raiden : Here?

Stillman : I know the layout of this facility and if he wants to take out
the plant, where he would target

Pliskin : You know this for sure?

Stillman : Of course. I taught him the techniques. His ideas are based on
my
theories. Demolition is a kind of ideology and makes no
exceptions to time or place. Big Shell consists of two
hexagons
end-on-end north to south. They should be backing C4 on each
of
the vertexes or the struts in this case. You need at least
that to
take a building of this integrity out.

Pliskin : Six on Shell 1. Another six on Shell 2. A total of twelve

bombs
at least.

Stillman : Considering this shell's architecture and composition from a

engineering standpoint, that's my conclusion. And that is
exactly
what he would have decided as well.

[Both Raiden and Pliskin take their Coolant Spray and Sensors.]

Pliskin : Kid, this place is all yours. I'll take care of Shell 2.

Stillman : Take this.

[Stillman slides a keycard to Raiden.]

Raiden : What's this?

Stillman : Security cards issued to Shell personnel. The Big Shell

security
layout includes varying levels off limits. The clearance level
is
indicated by the number printed on these doors. Raiden, your
cardkey can open doors of security level 1. Pliskin, your card
can get you into level 3 areas. You need it to get next door
to
Shell 2.

Raiden : How did you get these?

Stillman : That engineer I told you about gave it to me. He was supposed
to
program a set of all access cards once we were on site.
Unfortunately, this card won't get you into every area of this
structure.

Pliskin : We'll have to deal with the remaining security lock-ups as

they
come up. Let's get going.

[All of them start walking to the exit.]

Pliskin : You stay here.

Stillman : No, I'm going.

Pliskin : The two of us can handle it, don't worry.

Stillman : But...

Pliskin : You'll just slow us down with that leg of yours. There's a war
going on here. I don't have time to baby-sit any more.

Raiden : Why don't you just let us do all the grunt work. You can tell
us
what to do over the radio like in the original mission plan.

[Stillman sits down on a stool.]

Stillman : Alright. I'll give you instructions from here. I may also need
to prepare a back-up plan just in case.

Raiden : In case of what?

Stillman : Good luck to both of you. This is a dangerous one.

Pliskin : Who dares, wins.

Stillman : If anything comes up, let me know. My frequency is 140.15.

Pliskin : Good luck, kid. I'll see you later.

[Pliskin starts walking out.]

Pliskin : Semper fi.

[Pliskin leaves. Raiden makes a move to follow.]

Stillman : That man is no SEAL. I don't even think he's a Navy man.

Raiden : What?

Stillman : Semper fi... Marine Corps talk.

Flashbacks of the choppers from the beginning are shown.

Stillman : Normally, team leaders stay back and give orders over
headphones.
And as far as I know SEALs keep their officers away from the
field. And "who dares, wins" is a motto of the British Special
Air Service.

Raiden : Is he one of the terrorists then?

Stillman : No, somehow I don't think so. If there is someone to suspect,

I'd
put my money on you.

Raiden : I'm...

Stillman : Just take care of those bombs for now.

[Stillman stands and moves towards a small food pantry.]

Raiden : What about you? They could be back in this area soon.

Stillman : I'll hide out in this pantry for a while. If I lock the door
it
should be alright. Plenty of food in here too, so there's no
need
to worry about me. I'll give you instructions from Codec from
here. Good luck.

Stillman begins to close the pantry door.

Stillman : Bomb disposal is a face off with your own mortality. Don't let
the fear get to you. When you give into the fear, the darkness
comes.
[Stillman slides the door closed. Raiden begins to dispose of all the
bombs.]

Raiden : Raiden here. I took care of the C4 in Strut C. The ceiling of

the
Women's Bathroom was set to blow.

Stillman : That's not like him...

Raiden : Anything wrong?

Stillman : Maybe. Pliskin's reported other locations too, and none of

them
are effective demolition points.

Raiden : What do you mean?

Stillman : It means that they wouldn't be the best places to choose if

you
wanted to destroy this place.

Raiden : Are you saying they don't plan on blowing the Shell up?

Stillman : It certainly seems that way. So far, we haven't seen anything

but
a waste of good explosives. Unless of course, we're missing
something...

Raiden : A trap?

Stillman : He couldn't have overlooked the fact that I would be called

into
this. There's something going on.

[Raiden contacts Stillman in Strut A.]

Raiden : This is Raiden. The C4 found in Strut A has been frozen and
disposed of. Explosives were planted in the Pump Room on the
first floor.

Stillman : This is all wrong. This is something only an amateur would do.
All the bombs that have been found so far don't appear to be
in
the right kind of locations. And the quantity of explosives
isn't
sufficient either.

Raiden : Even Fatman can make mistakes, right?

Stillman : No. there's something else going on here... Get a move on with
the disposal, Raiden. I've got a bad feeling about this.

Raiden : Do you think it's a trap?

Stillman : I don't know, but I'm going to tell Pliskin to watch his back
too. Just hurry.
[During his bomb disposal run, Raiden gets a call from Rose.]

Rose : Jack -- it must be so nerve-racking to defuse a bomb...

Raiden : Yeah, I'd say so.

Rose : OK, that was a stupid thing to say. Sorry.

Raiden : That's all right. It's just that I've never been trained in
this
stuff.

Rose : You okay? Are you feeling well?

Raiden : I almost threw up a few times.

Rose : Oh Jack...

Raiden : But I'm okay. It's not like I'm in this alone.

Rose : Oh -- yeah, that's true. What do you think about when you're
defusing those things?

Raiden : I don't think so much as remember. And I know that I need to

resist that, and keep my mind blank. I can't let myself be
overwhelmed by the fear.

Rose : So, am I a part of what you try not to remember?

Raiden : ...

Rose : I was just kidding. But I guess this isn't a good time for
that.

Raiden : No, it is. And I do think about you. I'm trying to remember
what's so special about April 30th.

Rose : Any success?

Raiden : No, not yet.

Rose : You need to stay alive so you can.

Raiden : Okay, that's a deal.

Rose : Hey Jack? I bet bomb disposal's a lot like starting a

relationship.

Raiden : Huh? What are you talking about?

Rose : Carefully dismantling emotional defenses, being on your toes

constantly... you know?

Raiden : I guess. Neither of them are my strong point.

Rose : It's true that you're not the most patient man in the world.

Raiden : It's not that. I like to leave things as they are.

Rose : Are you afraid of what might be hidden inside?

Raiden : Not afraid, just -- unwilling... to deal with complications.

Rose : Like me?

Raiden : You're --

Rose : Hey Jack?

Raiden : Yeah?

Rose : Do you know why I took this job? I wanted to see what you were
really like.

Raiden : But we've been together a while. You know me already.

Rose : No -- you never let me in past a certain point. And I need to

know what's there.

Raiden : ...Hahhhh. Are you trying to take me apart now?

Rose : Hey, it's not important. Good luck, Jack.

[End transmission.]

[On the EF Connecting Bridge Raiden gets a call from a mysterious person.]

??? : Be careful! There are Claymore mines around there.

Raiden : Who is this!

??? : Stealth-equipped Claymore mines, invisible to the naked eye.

Use
the mine detector.

Raiden : Identify yourself.

??? : Just call me "Deepthroat."

Raiden : Deepthroat? You mean from Shadow Moses?

Deepthroat : Mr. X, then.

Raiden : Mr. X now, is it? Why would it matter if I called you

Deepthroat?

Mr. X : Never mind about that.

Raiden : Why did you contact me?

Mr. X : Let's just say I'm one of your fans.

[End transmission. Raiden calls up the Colonel.]

Raiden : Colonel, someone calling himself Mr. X just contacted me. Do
you
know anything about it?

Colonel : No -- and whoever it was, it wasn't a burst transmission. The

transmission was sent from within the Big Shell.

Raiden : He called himself "Deepthroat" at first. Do you think -- ?

Colonel : I caught that part too, but the possibility of it being true
is
none. Gray Fox was the one who used that alias in Shadow
Moses,
and he's dead.

Raiden : Is it an enemy trap?

Colonel : Could be. Exercise extreme caution.

[Raiden approaches the Heliport on Strut E. He hears a woman talking to a

man
over the radio. The woman is Olga Gurlukovich (from the Tanker Chapter).
The
man is unidentified.]

Man : I've taken care of that annoying fly. What's the situation
over
there?

Olga : Puzzling. I saw a man dressed as a Ninja just now.

Man : Ninja?

Olga : It's the only way to describe it. A kind of Cyborg Ninja,
complete with a sword.

Man : What?

Olga : Are you hiding something from me?

Man : Olga. Are you sure it wasn't a Arsenal Tengu?

Olga : Don't be a fool to think I wouldn't know the difference. I've

never seen field gear like that ever.

Man : Alright, we'll intensify patrols. Anything else?

Olga : Actually, one more thing. You'll find it hard to believe

though.
I saw a man hiding under a cardboard box.

Man : Where?

Olga : On the connecting bridge to Shell 2.

Man : Hmm...

Olga : So you believe me this time?

Man : I've seen someone use that box trick before. We'll lay a trap
on the Shell 2 connecting bridge.

Olga : Over and out then.

[As Olga puts away her radio Raiden leaps out with his gun drawn.]

Raiden : Freeze! You must be one of Dead Cell.

Olga : Of course not. What a thing to say.

Raiden : Drop your gun!

Olga : Not a chance.

[Olga leaps over the railing sideways. Raiden rushes to the edge but sees
nobody there. He contacts Pliskin.]

Raiden : I saw a female soldier -- Russian.

Pliskin : Must be Olga Gurlukovich.

Raiden : How do you know?

Pliskin : Unlike you, I've been briefed.

Raiden : She's not a Dead Cell?

Pliskin : No, she commands a Russian private army.

Raiden : They must be the ones patrolling the Big Shell.

Pliskin : That's right. She's led the group ever since her old man,
Colonel
Gurlukovich, died. Watch yourself with her. She's a tough one.

[Raiden freezes the bomb atop Strut E.]

Raiden : Raiden here. The C4 reported on the roof of Strut E has been
taken care of. Explosives were planted on the Harrier 2
stationed
on the roof.

Stillman : Good work. Only one more left to go...

Pliskin : This is Pliskin. Do you read me, Pete?

Stillman : I'm here. What's up?

Pliskin : Raiden, you need to hear this too.

Raiden : I'm listening.

Pliskin : I checked out the bottom of Strut H for you, Pete.

Raiden : Wait -- what's this about?

Stillman : I asked Pliskin to look around. Knowing Fatman, I can't shake

the
feeling that all the bombs so far were just wrong.

Raiden : So did you find anything?

Pliskin : A hell of a lot of C4's packed into the bottom of the strut.
Pete
called it right.

Stillman : I knew he had the real thing up his sleeve...

Raiden : So all the other ones were dummies?

Stillman : No, they're a threat all right, but the detonation wouldn't be
enough to destroy the entire Shell. But the C4's Pliskin found
would inflict serious structural damage.

Pliskin : That's not the bad news either. These are sensor-proof.

Stillman : What!?

Pliskin : New model, I guess. The ionization sensor can't detect them.
The
whole thing is sealed tight to prevent vapor leak, and there's
no trace of that cologne signature. Pete, looks like he fooled
you.

Stillman : Yes...

Raiden : But you managed to find the thing anyway?

Pliskin : It was sheer luck.

Raiden : Bombs that are invisible to the sensor...

Pliskin : Any ideas, Pete?

Stillman : Are there more out there? I'll go see for myself.

Raiden : You can't move fast enough.

Pliskin : He's right. I can try the spray from a distance.

Stillman : Hold on! There's something not right about this one, I can
feel
it.

Pliskin : Well, Pete? Should I come back and get you?

Stillman : No, there's no need. Raiden, you have one left to go, correct?

Raiden : Right -- except for those scentless ones.

Stillman : How about you, Pliskin?

Pliskin : I have two left not counting this one.

Stillman : OK... It'll have to be me. I have the level 4 card that'll get
me into Shell 2 in any case.

Raiden : You'll never make it. With that bad leg of yours, they'll spot
you for sure.

Stillman : That won't happen. I... I can walk just fine. I can even
run...
That bomb, five years ago. I messed up. Even with all my
experience, I lost it. And a church was lost in the explosion.
All those kids playing nearby too... These past five years,
I've
lived a lie.

Raiden : Lied?

Stillman : Yes, lied. I didn't lose my leg in the explosion. So many dead
-- all because of my mistake. All I could think about was
hiding
from the crime, shielding myself from the public outcry. I
wanted
people to be sorry for me, for my weakness... I faked being a
victim myself because I couldn't bear to face the families of
the
real victims. This is no prosthetic. I can keep my footing on
catwalks and hike over deserts. I lived my lie so well I
haven't
even answered to myself for my sins... It was supposed to be a
shield. And it's become a shroud instead. I've killed my soul
by
playing the victim. Instead of protecting me, it's made my
life
even more hellish.

Raiden : What good can that do the victims?

Stillman : I know -- I'm a coward!

Pliskin : Hey, Pete...

Stillman : God forgive me... I can walk with my own two feet. And I need
them to stop Fatman. His crimes are also mine -- one of
omission,
and arrogance. No one should teach the skills I taught him
without a clear conscience. This is the only way I can defuse
my
own sins.

Pliskin : I get you, Pete. That one's all yours. You got it, Raiden?

Raiden : I understand.

Pliskin : Pete, I've taken care of guards in Struts G and H of Shell 2.

I
wouldn't recommend you go into any of the other struts.

Stillman : I owe you one.

Pliskin : I'll get back to freezing the baby bombs then.

Stillman : You do that too, Raiden. I'll have the radio with me, if you
need
to get in touch. Just don't ask for "Peg-Legged Peter." He's
gone
for good.

[Raiden defuses the last bomb.]

Raiden : I have the last C4 frozen. There's nothing showing up on the

sensor now.

Pliskin : You're way ahead of me, kid. I still have one to go. How's
your
bomb, Peter?

Stillman : It's a bomb all right. Sealed C4, and in huge quantities...

Raiden : You think there's another one in Shell 1?

Stillman : For sure. Somewhere at the bottom of Strut A.

Raiden : Why are you so certain?

Stillman : If this bottom section of the strut is demolished, Shell 2

will
be well on its way to destruction.

Raiden : You mean that Shell 2 will actually sink?

Stillman : Not immediately. There'll still be five struts left. But, if

Shell 1 loses a strut at the same time, it'll be a very
different
story. The Big Shell's structural integrity depends on a very
exact balance. If both Shells lose a strut each, the whole
structure will tear itself apart under its own weight.

Pliskin : What do we do?

Stillman : I have a sensor that can locate even those scentless C4's. It
makes combined use of a neutron scintillator and a hydrogen
bomb
detector.

Raiden : You brought that stuff with you?

Stillman : Of course. I made the calibrations while I was in the pantry.

Raiden : Does it work?

Stillman : I just tested it, and it definitely responds. But the best I
can
do is a sound beacon, not the radar.

Raiden : Sound?

Stillman : The shorter the interval between beacons, the closer the
target.

Raiden : I get you.

Stillman : There's another one in that pantry I was in. You can go back
and
get it.

Pliskin : It's all yours, Raiden.

Stillman : I'm going to study it some more, and see if the freezing
process
will work. Don't touch the other one until I say so.

Raiden : OK. I'll standby until you radio in.

[Raiden grabs the C4 sensor.]

Raiden : Peter, I have Sensor B.

Stillman : Good. Head to the bottom of Strut A.

Raiden : How's your invisible bomb?

Stillman : I'm looking at it, but I'm keeping my distance. How's Pliskin
doing?

Pliskin : A few more minutes... I just got to the last strut, but there
are a few enemy sentries I have to take care of.

Raiden : Does it look bad, Peter?

Stillman : Maybe. It's an odd one -- the detonator hasn't been activated.
But the sensors are live... Which means...

Pliskin : This is Pliskin. I've located the last C4.

Stillman : Is that it!?

Pliskin : I'm about to freeze it. Then --

Stillman : Wait! Pliskin!

[Pliskin freezes the bomb. Suddenly there is a beeping noise on Stillman's

end.]

Stillman : Damn! That WAS it! The detonator just woke up. It's counting
down!

Raiden : What happened!?

Stillman : The big ones were rigged to be activated when all the baby
C4's
went offline... Raiden, the one in Shell 1 should be counting
down too. Hurry!

Raiden : What's the remaining time!?

Stillman : 300 seconds.

Raiden : 300 seconds?

Stillman : Raiden, move! Get to the bottom of Strut A now!

[Raiden heads for the Deep Sea Dock. On his way down he receives a call
from
Stillman.]

Stillman : Raiden, Pliskin, listen carefully.

Stillman : I fell for it.

Raiden : Fell for what?

Stillman : Fatman has my number. A proximity trigger. Microwave.

Raiden : Microwave?

Stillman : With a 7-foot range. It's not a technique I taught him.

Neither
was that multi-bomb booby trap. Looks like he's far surpassed
me
as far as explosives technique goes. As for the rest --

Pliskin : Pete, get the hell out of there!

Stillman : There's less than 30 seconds left. It's too late. Pliskin, get
away from Strut H, as fast as you can.

Pliskin : Pete --

Stillman : Raiden, keep your distance. Use the spray from as far away as
possible. You can do it. I know that.

Raiden : I'm not so sure...

Stillman : But I am. Do it, I know you can.

[The bomb goes off. Stillman screams as his line drops dead.]

[Raiden reaches and defuses the final bomb. He calls the Colonel]

Raiden : Colonel, I've neutralized the bomb. It was a great loss for
everyone.

Colonel : Yes it was.

Raiden : Colonel, any damage report on the explosion?

Colonel : Seems that the duct for diverting the contaminated sea water
was
destroyed. And the central section of Shell 2 is flooding. The
explosion's ignited the oil slick on the surface.

Raiden : What about the toxins?

Colonel : The chemicals stayed in containment. There's no immediate
danger.

Raiden : Is the Big Shell stable?

Colonel : Shell 1 was unaffected. The price was high, but the threat of
the
bomb is over for now.

Raiden : What's the next objective?

Colonel : Rescue the President. Get back to the upper level.

Raiden : Roger that.

[A few seconds later Raiden gets another call.]

Raiden : Raiden, the terrorists have retaliated for our bomb

neutralization.

Colonel : A hostage has been killed -- shot in the head. They shot one
of
them on the roof, just to make sure we caught it. One of our
satellites caught it, clear as day.

Raiden : Damn!

Colonel : They announced that they would kill one every hour from now
on.

Raiden : What are my orders? What should I do?

Colonel : Stay with your mission objective. Rescue the President.

Raiden : What about the other hostages?

Colonel : President Johnson is your first priority.

Raiden : Priority my butt. They're all in danger!

Rose : Jack, be reasonable. I know what you're feeling, but you can't
save them all.

Raiden : No, not by myself.

Colonel : Are you expecting that Pliskin to come through?

Raiden : Well...

Colonel : Looks like he's turned his radio off too.

Raiden : I can't complete this mission by myself.

Colonel : That man was not included in the simulation. He is not a

factor
in this mission.

Raiden : What do you mean by that, Colonel?

Colonel : Your mission must remain a solo effort.

Raiden : What about the SEALs? No second attempt?

Colonel : They haven't even gotten to planning that. All we can do is

wait.
In the meantime, you're our only hope.

Raiden : ...I understand.

Colonel : Raiden, go and rescue the President. You can start off by
getting
to the upper level of Strut A.

[Raiden moves through the next door. He can hear the sound of the elevator
descending. Out of the elevator steps Fortune with her rail gun. She
walks
forward slowly. On the floor a gathering of sea lice begins to split
before
her as she walks towards them.]

Fortune : I can't tell you how happy I am to see your alive after all. I
knew this moment would come. Show yourself and finish me --
like
you finished off my father. Otherwise you will be the one to
die.

[Fortune activates her rail cannon.]

Raiden : Oh crap.

[Fortune shoots off a round towards Raiden. He leaps to the side, barely
avoiding the shot. He rolls out to the side and draws his SOCOM and
points
it at Fortune.]

Fortune : That's not him. This could be -- interesting. You've seen the
fires of hell -- haven't you?

[The elevator door closes and it goes up, trapping Raiden down in the Deep
Sea Dock.]

Fortune : Maybe you can give me death. My name is Fortune. Lucky in war
and
nothing else. And without a death to call my own. Hurry. Kill
me,
please.

[Fortune and Raiden battle. Raiden tries to shoot but all his shots get
deflected and miss their target. Raiden is contacted by the Colonel after
a
long time of dodging her shots.]
Colonel : Raiden, Fatman just contacted us directly.

Raiden : Fatman called US?

Colonel : Yes. Looks like he placed a bomb on the heliport. He

specifically
asked for you, Raiden.

Raiden : What!?

Colonel : He's killed off Peter. Now he's after you.

Raiden : Why me?

Colonel : How should I know?

Raiden : Look. This is really not a good time for this.

Colonel : The countdown's already begun, Raiden!

Raiden : Great, how much time do I have left?

Colonel : I'll show you the count. There are 400 seconds remaining.

Raiden : So he's planning on taking this place out.

Colonel : It looks like he has a different agenda from that of Dead

Cell.

Raiden : What about backup?

Colonel : None. There's no time.

Raiden : Which type of explosives is it?

Colonel : He didn't say.

[End transmission. The elevator descends as Raiden peers out from a crate.
When the doors open Vamp walks towards Fortune.]

Vamp : I'll take over Queen. It seems our friend Fatman is out of
control.

Fortune : He'll actually try to destroy this place?

Vamp : Yes, this could unravel everything we planned.

Fortune : But why would he do such a thing?

Vamp : Who knows. But he nothing more than a stereotypical mad bomber
now. He's completely lost sight of our ideals. And with it,
his
loyalty to Commander Jackson.

Fortune : Alright. I'll take care of the wayward soul.

[Fortune lowers her weapon.]

Fortune : It wasn't him.

Vamp : Very unfortunate.

Fortune : I expected more of this one, really.

Vamp : So he couldn't kill you I see.

Fortune : Completely useless.

Vamp : Then he's all mine.

Fortune : Later, Vamp.

[Raiden whirls from his hiding place.]

Raiden : Now!

[He fires off three or four rounds at Fortune but they all veer off course.
Two of the bullets hit Vamp. One in the stomach and one in the head. He
falls backwards. A startled Fortune catches him before he hits the
ground.]

Fortune : !

[Raiden fires three more shots. they all miss.]

Raiden : Damn!

[Raiden moves back to his hiding place.]

Fortune : Vamp. Are you gone? No. No that bullet was meant for me... Why
am
I the only one that can't die? Alone again... Cheated out of
death again... How long will you force me to live? How much
longer dad?

[Fortune starts to cry.]

Fortune : You've punished me enough.

[Raiden slowly advances towards Fortune with his gun drawn.]

Fortune : I thought you could give me peace. But you couldn't kill me
either.
[Raiden moves past Fortune, never taking his gun or eyes off of her. As
Raiden steps in Fortune's tears roll off of her face and strike Vamp.
After
Raiden has ascended Vamp lets out an icy breath.]

Vamp : There's no need for sorrow, Queen.

Fortune : !

Vamp : I died once already. I cannot die twice.

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04) Laugh and Grow Fat
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[Raiden makes it to Strut E and defuses the bomb atop the heliport.]

Fatman : So your the one. You're right on time I see. I like a punctual
man.

[Raiden spins with his gun drawn.]

Raiden : Is he Dead Cell?

Fatman : I am Fatman. I am the greatest humanity has to offer and the

lowest.

[Ticking can be heard.]

Fatman : Can you hear it? Hear this rhythm? This is the rhythm of time
--
and life! Don't you love the sound. I used to hang around
department store clock counters.

[Fatman pops out from behind a crate. He has roller blades on and he is
wearing a green bomb suit with leg guards. He is holding a glass of red
wine
with a straw.]

Fatman : Life is short! Bombs tell the time with every moment of their
existence and nothing else announces it's own end with such a
 fanfare. Glad you could make it -- the party is about to
start.

[Fatman sips at his wine.]

Fatman : Yum. Good year. Let's drink to Stillman -- shall we?

Raiden : If you destroy the Big Shell, you'll never get your ransom.

Fatman : Ransom? What are you talkin' about?

Raiden : Thirty billion dollars in cash.

[Fatman bursts out laughing.]

Raiden : !?

Fatman : So that's what's going on?

Raiden : What the hell are you talking about?

Fatman : Oh, you'll know soon enough. And I could care less of what
they
plan to do. My ambitions are much more simple. To be the most
famous bomber of them all.

Raiden : Your nuts, nobody is gonna give a damn about you.

Fatman : Oh yes they will. I'll go down in history -- as the man who
beat
Peter Stillman. That's the only reason I existed.

Raiden : Like hell you beat Stillman, he had your number.

Fatman : What did you say?

Raiden : You had nothing of his courage.

[Fatman laughs.]

Raiden : What are you laughing at?

Fatman : That crock died a dishonorable death. Six months ago...

Raiden : Six months ago... The liquidation of Dead Cell.

Fatman : Call it what you want. Only the right stuff survived that
hell.
Set me free you know... Opened my way to a new dimension. So I
can become the Emperor among detonation devotees!

Raiden : Your nothing but a common criminal and that's the only way
people
will remember you.
[Fatman chucks his wine glass on the ground. It shatters. Fatman throw up
his arms.

Fatman : How dare you! I'm an artist.

[Fatman moves behind a storage container.]

Fatman : This is why I dislike boorish military types. It's time to

start
the party...This is how it works: I plant a bomb...and it will
explode after that. If you prefer to stay in one piece -- you
will have to disable my bombs. "Laugh and grow fat!" Let's
move!

[Raiden disables the bombs quickly and manages to wound the bomber. Fatman
collapses to the ground. When Raiden reaches him blood is starting to
seep
through the chest of his bomb suit.]

Fatman : My suit... Oh, no... I've nothing to wear to the party...

Raiden : The party is over for you.

Fatman : That's what you think...

Raiden : What do you mean?

[Fatman pulls out a small black device and pushes a button on it. A
beeping
noise is heard. Raiden grabs the black device.]

Raiden : What did you just do? What is this!?

Fatman : I have beautiful hands. These delicate hands can craft works
of
art.

[Raiden tears off the face shield of Fatman's bomb suit.]

Raiden : Answer me, what the hell is this!

Fatman : This is the switch for the biggest bomb in the entire place.

Raiden : Huh?

[Raiden tosses the switch to the side and aims his gun at it.]

Fatman : It's no use -- once it's activate there's no stopping the

count.
Raiden : Where did you plant it? Where is it!?

Fatman : Somewhere in this area... Don't worry, it's very close by.

Raiden : Where is it!?

Fatman : Go ahead, shoot me -- I'm already dead.

Raiden : Damn!

Fatman : Think you can find it? When it goes off it'll take the Big
Shell
with it.

Raiden : Tell me where I can find the bomb!

Fatman : That's your problem... This is the highlight of the party.

Bring
it on I say. It'll make them happy too. I die here -- and
start
my legend. Too bad you won't be around to see the movies...

"Laugh and grow fat!"

[Fatman dies. Raiden lifts up Fatman's body to find the last bomb. He
quickly freezes it. The Colonel calls him up.]

Colonel : Good work, Raiden. Looks like all the bombs are neutralized.
One
of their main leverages is now gone. That leaves --

Raiden : Colonel, Fatman didn't seem to know about the ransom demands.

Colonel : Intentionally kept in the dark, I'd say. He seemed to be

coming
from a very different place from the other terrorists. Raiden,
a
lot of hostages -- our President included -- are still in
danger.
Keep your mind focused on protecting them.

Raiden : ... What are my orders?

Colonel : Rescue the President.

Raiden : We have no idea where he is.

Colonel : You haven't been in the central core yet. I suggest you start
there.

Raiden : Wait, I have another call. Want me to take it?

Colonel : No, I'll go offline. Best to keep our presence unknown.

[Pliskin is on the other line.]

Pliskin : How're you doing, kid?

Raiden : Pliskin!? Is everything all right?

Colonel : Could be better. Looks like I was out cold for a while.

Raiden : How did you manage to stay alive?

Pliskin : Had a little help from a friend.

Raiden : Friend?

Pliskin : What about the bomb?

Raiden : Defused. And Fatman too.

Pliskin : That's good news.

Raiden : How's Shell 2?

Pliskin : It's a mess. The bomb crippled H Strut.

Raiden : What about the toxins?

Pliskin : The what?

Raiden : If the Big Shell blows up, the explosion is expected to

produce
massive amounts of toxins...

Pliskin : I've never heard anything about that.

Raiden : Well, looks like there's not much danger of that in any case.

Pliskin : But the central core is starting to flood. It won't last much
longer.

Raiden : What about the President and the other hostages?

Pliskin : They weren't in Shell 2. They must be in Shell 1.

Raiden : We need to get the hostages out of here now.

Pliskin : It's too far from Manhattan for a swim.

Raiden : What about the lifeboats?

Pliskin : There doesn't seem to be any. Doesn't make sense.

Raiden : So a chopper is our only extraction?

Pliskin : Right. And it comes with a passenger limit. Intel has it that
there are about thirty hostages.

Raiden : It'd take more than a single trip.

Pliskin : We'll have to come back.

Raiden : Can you pilot a chopper?

Pliskin : No, but I brought a gearhead with me. He's a good guy. I'll
 introduce you later.

Raiden : Pliskin, I'm on the heliport right now, but I don't see their
Harrier. It's out somewhere.

Pliskin : We'd better move now then. Our chances with a Harrier after us
are close to nothing.

Raiden : Do you know where the President is?

Pliskin : No. That one's all yours.

Raiden : The President is at the top of our rescue list. These are our
orders, Lieutenant J.G.

Pliskin : Your orders. Not mine. See you later, kid.

[End transmission. As Raiden exits the heliport a ninja pops out from
nowhere. He looks very similar to Grey Fox in MGS but his suit is colored
differently.]

Ninja : You passed with flying colors.

[Raiden whips out his gun.]

Raiden : Identify yourself.

[The Ninja draws his sword.]

Ninja : I'm like you...I have no name.

Raiden : Are you Mr. X?

Ninja : Hmm...if you like.

[Mr. X puts his sword back in it's sheath.]

Mr. X : But come, let's get out of the open. Follow me.

[They walk to the edge of the strut, which is slightly enclosed.]

Raiden : Are you with FOXHOUND too?

Mr. X : Neither enemy nor friend. Just a messenger from the

La-li-lu-le-lo.

[Mr. X taps his helmet. He contacts Raiden over the Codec.]

Mr. X : This is safer, I think.

Raiden : Safe from what?

Mr. X : Eavesdropping, of course.

Raiden : All right -- why did you contact me?

Mr. X : I've been ordered to give you backup, including the relaying
of
necessary intel.

Raiden : Ordered by whom? Why won't you identify yourself?

Mr. X : There is no need for you to know.

Raiden : I'll decide whether I need to know.

Mr. X : You are not yet trusted to make such decisions. I'll tell you
something you do need to know, instead. The current location
of
the President. Or rather, the person who knows the current
location of the President.

Raiden : Who is it?

Mr. X : A Secret Service agent named Ames, currently being held with
the
other hostages.

Raiden : Secret Service, huh.

Mr. X : The head of the President's security detail. Ames has been
fitted
with the same type of VIP nanomachine system as the President.
If
you're within range, you should be able to communicate.

Raiden : Why are you telling me this?

Mr. X : Do I need to repeat myself?

Raiden : There's no reason for me to believe any of this. You

understand
that?

Mr. X : Of course. But you also have no choice but to believe.

Raiden : Do you have any other leads? ...Where are those hostages?

Mr. X : Ha ha ha ha.

[A room with about 30 or so hostages is shown.]

Mr. X : The hostages are being held in B1 Conference Room in the Shell
1
Core. You'll find him in there.

Raiden : What does he look like?

Mr. X : We don't know if it is indeed a "he"

Raiden : How am I supposed to look for someone without even a

description?

Mr. X : Use your ears.

Raiden : What's that supposed to mean?

Mr. X : Ames has a pacemaker. You'll be able to hear the machine's

sound
in a heartbeat.

Raiden : You expect me to walk up to every one of these hostages and

listen to their heartbeats?

Mr. X : The sounds are too minute to be hear unamplified -- you'll be

captured immediately.

Raiden : So what am I supposed to do?

Mr. X : Use a directional microphone. There's one somewhere in the

core.

[Mr. X hands Raiden a keycard.]

Mr. X : Take this. This security card will unlock all the level 3
security doors including those in the Shell 1 core. It's
called
a PAN card. It works together with your body's own electrical
field. And watch yourself. The Core is more heavily guarded
than
any other section of the Big Shell. You'll get nowhere dressed
like that. Try this instead...

[Mr. X throws Raiden a terrorist BDU.]

Raiden : One of the terrorists?

Mr. X : The surveillance camera won't let you on the elevator without
the right uniform.

Raiden : You want me to disguise myself?

Mr. X : Men assigned to the Core and other areas are given different
color uniforms. The uniform alone won't get you in there.

Raiden : Your talking about weapons.

Mr. X : Yes, you need a AK.

Raiden : But I saw them carrying AN94's.

Mr. X : All men assigned to the core section are carrying AK's.

Raiden : So without a AKs-74u someone will see through me really

quickly.
Mr. X : You can take care of the weapon part yourself. One more
thing...

Raiden : There's more?

Mr. X : You'll also have to pass a retinal scan to get into the
conference hall.

[The retina scanner is shown.]

Raiden : Biometrics. Crap.

Mr. X : Nothing but the real thing will suffice. Deception is not an
option.

[Codec screen.]

Mr. X : I suggest you hurry. They have the nuke on their side.

Raiden : The nuke!? They have a nuclear weapon WITH them?

Mr. X : You didn't find their continuing presence here unusual? Even
with
the President as hostage, this is an island -- and they have
no
visible means of escape...

Raiden : Even if they do have a nuke, the warhead is no good without an

access code. The security lockout can't be bypassed...

Mr. X : They don't need to. They have the code.

[Picture of the dead Navy captain and the black briefcase.]

Mr. X : You saw it too I believe -- the Navy man with half a handcuff.
The other half was attached to the football, or the black case
if
you like. The nuclear button, and now they have it.

[Codec Screen.]

Raiden : Why did they have to bring the football along? To a

decontamination plant, of all places.

Mr. X : But they did have to. Because, after all, the Big Shell is the
farthest thing from a cleanup plant there is. Dead Cell didn't
have to bring a nuke along with them. It was right here to
begin
with. Nothing in this affair is what it seems.

Raiden : A cover-up -- but why? For what?

Mr. X : For Metal Gear, that is housed here.

[Quick pictures of Metal Gear Ray are shown.]

Raiden : Metal Gear!?

Mr. X : The very same. Bipedal nuclear-capable vehicle of Shadow Moses

infamy. This place is the R&D center for it's newest
incarnation.

Raiden : What the hell is going on?

Mr. X : Better ask Ames the rest.

[Mr. X hands Raiden a phone.]

Raiden : What's this for?

Mr. X : You might be glad you have it. Keep the controller vibration
function on.

[Raiden looks down at the phone.]

Raiden : What would I need a cell phone for?

[When Raiden looks up Mr. x is gone. He quickly contacts the Colonel.]

Raiden : Colonel, who was that man just now?

Colonel : He's not one of ours. No -- we have no one like that in our
unit.

Raiden : He said that the Big Shell was housing a new model of Metal
Gear.

Colonel : First I've heard of it.

Raiden : Colonel, what are you not telling me?

Colonel : I've been completely open with you, Raiden. I've told you
everything.

Raiden : Is that everything you know -- or everything I need to know?

Colonel : Snap out of it, Raiden! I'll have the Metal Gear rumor looked
into. You need to make contact with this Ames.

Raiden : So you believe that Ninja?

Colonel : Since we have no leads on the President's current location, we

have no other alternatives. Right now, collect as much data as
you can, including anything on Metal Gear.
Raiden : Are those my orders.

Colonel : Yes they are. Disguise yourself as an enemy soldier and

infiltrate the Shell 1 Core.

Raiden : Understood.

[Raiden finds an AK and makes his way into the Shell 1 Core. He passes the
retinal scan by capturing an enemy soldier and have him use the device.]

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05) Is that really Solid Snake?
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[As Raiden enters we can see that the room is filled with men and women in
business suits and various formal attire. There is a guard patrolling as
Raiden makes his way down the stairs. When he reaches the bottom he is
contacted by the Colonel.]

Colonel : Raiden, one of those hostages in there is Ames. The only thing
we
know is that Ames wears a pacemaker. His heartbeat should
sound
different from other people's, so use the directional
microphone
to locate him. Once you recognize Ames by his heartbeat, keep
the
microphone pointed toward him. Then push the Action Button and
call out to him. If it really is Ames, he should respond in
some
way.

Raiden : What if it's the wrong person?

Colonel : The guards may get suspicious and come running instead.
Security
could get tighter too.

Rose : Try to be sure before you take the risk.

Colonel : Don't call out to a hostage with the Action button until
you're
fairly sure that it's Ames. If you do make a mistake, switch
the
microphone for an AK and get out of there before a guard gets
suspicious. If you're discovered inside, they'll cut off your
 retreat and call in the reinforcements. You won't make it out
of
the room. The mission will be over if your discovered.

Don your disguise and look for Ames while deflecting the
enemy's
suspicion.

[Raiden finds Ames with the microphone and he kneels down to him and
whispers
to him.]

Raiden : You must be Ames. Keep still and listen to me. I'm not a
terrorist. I got in here using one of their uniforms. I'm
taking
off the tape, stay quiet.

[Raiden rips the tape off Ames' mouth.]

Ames : Who told you about me?

Raiden : An informant calling himself Mr. X, dressed as a Ninja.

Ames : I see. Take this thing off me, will you?

[Raiden takes the tape off of Ame's eyes.]

Ames : I'm Richard Ames.

Raiden : Secret service?

Ames : No, I was sent in by the la-li-lu-le-lo, just like you.

Raiden : What?

[Revolver Ocelot watches this scene from a security center. He snorts in

disgust.]

Ames : Your here to find out where the President is. We have little
time so I'll be brief. How about switching to
nanocommunications
first?

Raiden : Nanocommunications?

Ames : Right, silence beats talk when it comes to safety.

[Ames and Raiden converse on the Codec.]

Ames : Are you on?

Raiden : Right here. Do you really know where the President is?

Ames : Almost certainly. He was moved to the first floor of Shell 2's
core section.

Raiden : The first floor, the core of Shell 2... Is he still there?

Ames : I don't know. I can't get a response.

Raiden : You don't think he's been -- like the other hostages...? A
hostage was killed in retaliation after the SEAL 10 disaster,
remember?

Ames : What are you talking about? Regardless of what they do to

other
hostages, they won't touch the President.

Raiden : What makes you so sure?

Ames : The case.

Raiden : You mean the nuclear button they took?

Ames : Right. And the case won't do a thing by itself. That case may
be
the single most advanced example of a weapons fail-safe
system.
The password is nothing less than the physiological data of
the
U.S. President.

Raiden : Physiological data?

Ames : The President's own vital signs -- heartbeat, brainwave

pattern,
blood pressure and so on -- are constantly monitored and
relayed
by his internal nanomachines. This information along with the
DNA
pattern serve as a biometric password, unbreakable even by the
latest parallel processor supercomputers. The password entry
itself cannot be performed unless brainwave patterns and
heartbeats fall within normal parameters, rendering chemical
and
other forms of coercion impractical.

Raiden : In other words, the login must be made of the President's own
free will.

Ames : As a fail-safe, the input must also be reconfirmed hourly,

even
after the initial login. If a valid confirmation is not
forthcoming, the system will automatically cancel the login.

Raiden : And that's why they can't harm the President...

Ames : -- at least until the bird flies.

Raiden : Is there really a new model of Metal Gear here?

Ames : Absolutely. The Black Case serves as the launch key to Metal
Gear
as well.

Raiden : Why would they hide a Metal Gear in an offshore plant?

Ames : ...Haven't they told you anything? The entire thing was
planned
-- the oil spill, the tanker accident that caused it,
everything.
The Big Shell was built specifically for the development of a
new
Metal Gear model. The inspection tour was to check its
progress...

Raiden : What's going on around here...

Ames : Wait!

[There is movement in a room to the back of the room.]

Ames : Here comes Snake.

Raiden : That's him?

Ames : Use the microphone to listen in.

[Raiden takes out his microphone and points it in direction of the room.]

Ocelot : King, Fatman is dead.

Snake : It doesn't matter -- saved us the trouble of getting rid of

him
ourselves.

Ocelot : Why did he betray us...

Snake : There a band of lunatics to begin with. Nothing they do should

come as a surprise.

Ocelot : I'll have his background checked just in case.

Snake : You think he was working for them?

Ocelot : We can't discount the possibility -- especially with that

intruder still at large.

Snake : Yes... The man in the Sneaking Suit.

Ocelot : You know more about those suits then I do.

Snake : But FOXHOUND was disbanded 4 years ago. So it must be -- the

Patriots. What about the damage to Shell 2?

Ocelot : The circulation system for the contaminated water has been
damaged. The water being drawn in is overflowing and the lower
block of the central section is flooding.
Snake : Seal the connecting pathway Shells 1 and 2.

Ocelot : The SEMTEX and IR sensors are already in place.

Snake : Any effect on...it?

Ocelot : No.

Snake : What about the President?

Ocelot : The password entry has already been made to the black case. In
one hour we'll need a confirmation from him. His work is done
after that.

Snake : Make sure you keep him alive until then.

Ocelot : Yes, I know.

Snake : What about the unit's activation?

Ocelot : Almost complete. The code has already been input. All we need
now
is for the girl to start the system.

Snake : The usual method I assume?

Ocelot : No...the drugs took care of everything...

Snake : Hmm...only a few more steps to Outer Heaven.

[Olga walks in. She stops in front of Ocelot.]

Olga : Who is that Ninja, Shalashaska?

Ocelot : I cannot even guess.

Olga : What about you?

Snake : I'm having the matter looked into.

Ocelot : Olga, don't carry suspicion where it isn't due.

Olga : Where it isn't do? When you watched my father die and did
nothing.

Ocelot : It's been two years ago, Olga. Let it go.

Olga : I have the case file for Shadow Moses, by the way.

Ocelot : Olga, how could you suspect me?

Olga : I know that the Ninja is not one of my men.

Ocelot : How meaningful you make that sound. Of Sergei were still
alive...

Olga : If the old man were still alive I wouldn't need to take orders
from you!
Ocelot : Olga, Sergei was my best friend.

[Olga whips out her pistol and points it at Ocelot. Ocelot does likewise.]

Olga : If you sell us out, I'll kill you myself!

Ocelot : Listen daughter of Sergei. Don't ever let me see your gun
pointed
at me again!

Olga : If you wish. I'll put a bullet in your back instead.

[Olga puts her gun away. ocelot does likewise after twirling his gun a
bit.]

Snake : Enough! I let you both in when no one else would. You think
any
government would have you two as irregulars in this political
climate? The worst kind of wetworks maybe -- but even that's
doubtful. I recommend against switching camps. You've nowhere
left to go.

[Olga spins on her heel and leaves the room. Ocelot's arm begins to
twitch.]

Ocelot : U-ughh!

Snake : It's happening again?

Ocelot : This damn right arm -- Liquid! It's almost as if it's having
it's
revenge.

Snake : How much do you think we spent on that arm in Leyon? The best
transplant surgery team in the world.

Ocelot : I never trust a Frenchman.

[Ocelot shocks his arm with a device.]

Ocelot : There's something going on. The incidents are becoming more
frequent. Maybe that man's presence...

Snake : Ocelot, I leave this place in your hands. I have the intruder
to
take care of.

Ocelot : Yes, King.

[Snake exits the room. Raiden lowers his microphone.]

Raiden : Is that really, Solid Snake?

Ames : That's what he claims.

Raiden : I thought Snake was dead.

Ames : Solid Snake did die. But he's also here in the Shell. Either
he
survived or there is two of them.

Raiden : Two of them?

Ames : And that's impossible.

[Codec screen.]

Ames : Anyway, what did you manage to catch?

Raiden : They said password input was complete...

Ames : I thought so...

Raiden : You said the password entry into the Black Case had to be made
by
the President willingly.

Ames : That's right.

Raiden : So this means the President is cooperating with them?

Ames : It would have to be, yes. Probably tired of being a puppet.

But
it wasn't a smart move to betray us...

Raiden : ...a puppet?

Ames : We're running out of time. They WILL fire a nuke. You know
what
you need to do before then.

Raiden : Fire the nuke? But it's nowhere close to the ransom deadline.

Ames : Ransom?

Raiden : Thirty billion dollars in cash...

Ames : What are you babbling about! The nuclear strike is not a
threat
-- it's been the objective all along!

Raiden : They plan to slaughter millions of people!?

Ames : No -- a high-altitude detonation. You've heard of the Compton

Effect?

Raiden : The total disruption of electronic equipment caused by EMMA

pulse.
Ames : Textbook answer. Well, when an average nuclear warhead goes
off
within the atmosphere, the result is an electromagnetic pulse
of
up to 50 billion megawatts. The EMMA field can reach tens of
thousands of volts per meter, and most electronic equipment
will
be toast in an instant.

Raiden : If one of the key movers of world economy stops functioning,

it
could mean the beginning of a global depression.

Ames : But that isn't their aim. What they plan to do is "liberate"
Manhattan, pull it offline, and turn it into some kind of a
republic. Hence "Sons of Liberty," I suppose.

Raiden : "Sons of Liberty"?

Ames : Damn, Ocelot is coming! I'm going offline.

[Ocelot is approaching from the room in the back.]

Ames : Search my pocket. Hurry!

[Raiden grabs a keycard out of Ame's pocket.

Ames : It's a security card. You'll be able to unlock doors of up to

level 3 security. Use it to get to Shell 2. Take care of the
President before they launch the nuke.

He's coming! Pick up your AK!

[Raiden does as Ocelot arrives.]

Ocelot : What do you think you're doing?

Ames : I asked him to remove these. I'm ill, you see.

Ocelot : I always knew the DIA turned out second-rate liars.

Ames : What are you talking about?

Ocelot : No need for denials. You know what you are -- Colonel Ames.
They
knew that the President was planning to betray them, so they
sent
you in to keep tabs on him. Am I right?

Ames : You --!

[Ocelot takes out his revolver and points it at Ames' head.]

Ocelot : Sorry Colonel, you failed to carry out your duties.

Ames : You'll never escape the La-li-lu-le-lo!

Ocelot : Is that so?

[Ames suddenly gets to his knees and advances in a panic towards Ocelot.]

Ocelot : What the...

Ames : You -- you tricked me... I understand now. Ocelot you're --

[Ames collapses to the ground, dead. Ocelot then turns his Revolver to
Raiden.]

Ocelot : You, which team are you with? Show me your face!

[Some soldiers gather and point their guns at Raiden.]

Ocelot : You know who he is?

Soldier : No, he is not one of mine.

Ocelot : Identify yourself!

[One of the soldiers pulls off Raiden's mask.]

Ocelot : We meet at last.

[Mr. X suddenly drops down from the ceiling. He swings his sword down to
cut
off Ocelot's arm but Ocelot dodges the blow. Some of the soldiers fire at
Mr. X. He deftly deflects all the bullets sent his way. Some of the
deflected bullets strike the hostages. He begins to cover Raiden's escape
route.]

Ocelot : Hold you fire! We need the hostages alive.

Mr. X : Hurry, get away!

Ocelot : You! But you died!

[Raiden is heading up the stairs when some of the guards whirl around to
fire
at Raiden. Mr. X leaps in and blocks the bullets for Raiden.]

Mr. X : Leave this to me.

[Raiden leaves the hostage room and the entire Shell 1 Core is on Red Alert
looking for him. He contacts the Colonel.]

Raiden : Colonel, Ames is dead. Looked like a heart attack.

Colonel : Hm, that's unfortunate. However, we do at least know where the

President is.

Raiden : So there really is a new type of Metal Gear in this place?

Colonel : Apparently. We're still looking into it...

Raiden : I've also been told that the nuclear strike was what the
terrorists were after from the start. NOT the thirty billion
dollars!

Colonel : Chri--, it was a cover-up all along...

Raiden : Colonel! What are you keeping from me!

Colonel : I am not keeping back anything! It's not as though I'm told
all
the facts either! I'm pulling in all the favors I can to look
into all this. Just be a little patient.

Our priority should be with the President right now. We can

take
it that they've completed the password entry and are preparing
Metal Gear for nuclear strike. Get to the President as soon as
possible.

Raiden : But the President is cooperating with them --

Colonel : According to Ames, yes. But it's also true that they're about
to
get rid of the President. There's something else going on
here,
and the President may be able to tell you what it is when you
see
him in person. Once they get the confirmation for nuclear
launch,
they'll do it. You need to rescue the President before then.

Rose : Jack, I agree with the Colonel. You need to protect the
President
for now.

Raiden : All right...

[End transmission.]

[Raiden makes it to the Shell 1-2 Connecting Bridge. He is contacted by

Pliskin.]

Pliskin : Raiden, can you hear me?

Raiden : Pliskin? Where have you been?

Pliskin : Checking around. I'm in Strut H right now. How's the situation
over there?

Raiden : We have a lead on the President's location.

Pliskin : Where is he?

Raiden : Shell 2 Core, the first floor.

Pliskin : I'm cut off from the core where I am. It's a mess here.

Raiden : All right. I'm on my way to Shell 2 right now.

Pliskin : There are IR sensors in place on the connecting bridge between

Shells 1 and 2. If you break the beams, the Semtex will go
off.

Raiden : Yeah, I heard them talking about that.

Pliskin : Target the control units and destroy them. Make sure you don't
shoot the Semtex.

Raiden : What do the control units look like?

Pliskin : Take a look with your binoculars.

[Raiden looks with his binoculars.]

Raiden : That's the Semtex... And that must be the control unit.

[Raiden snipes all of the control units. As he is walking across the

bridge
he gets a call from Pliskin.]

Pliskin : Raiden, I found us a ride.

Raiden : I'm all ears.

Pliskin : One of the enemy's Kasatkas.

Raiden : Is it in good shape?

Pliskin : Full tank. I'm heading for Shell 1 now. What about that
Harrier?

Raiden : It's not on the heliport here.

Pliskin : Good. I'll set this one down there then.

Raiden : Can you cover the hostages? They're being held on level B1 in
the
core. Pliskin, you didn't happen to find any other places
where
hostages were being held, did you?

Pliskin : No -- nothing like that.

Raiden : OK...

Pliskin : How many hostages are there?

Raiden : There's a few short of thirty. One dead, and several wounded.

Pliskin : The Kasatka's cargo area will hold thirteen max.

Raiden : What about the other Kasatka?

Pliskin : I sabotaged it. It can't come after us if it can't get off the
ground. We'll have to make two trips.

Raiden : Can you fly a Kasatka?

Pliskin : I have a pilot who's flown the civilian model, the KA-62, in
VR.
There's not a whole lot of difference between the military KA-
60
and the civilian model.

??? : Cleared for takeoff!

Pliskin : Raiden, let me introduce you to my partner -- Otacon.

Raiden : Otacon?

Otacon : Hey, Raiden. Nice to meet you.

Pliskin : Raiden, I'll talk to you later.

[Raiden calls the Colonel.]

Raiden : Colonel, I need some answers from you. Who exactly is Pliskin
and
his partner?

Colonel : I know what you're thinking.

Raiden : It keeps coming back to Shadow Moses. And now this Otacon...

Rose : A.k.a. Hal Emmerich, Ph.D. A Shadow Moses survivor. Snake and
Otacon both became fugitives after Shadow Moses, wanted for
acts
of terrorism.

Raiden : An anti-Metal Gear organization...

Rose : They sabotaged and destroyed countless Metal Gear units

throughout the world... And were responsible for the incident
two
years ago that necessitated the construction of the Big Shell.

Raiden : Snake and his partner aren't terrorists.

Rose : Jack, why are you defending them?

Raiden : I look back on what I've done here so far and things like
 training and sense of duty alone won't get you through a
sneaking
mission like this.

Rose : Jack, are you okay?

Raiden : You need something -- higher. I can't think of the right word,
but...it has to be pure will, backed up by -- by courage, or
ideals, or something like that. I'd stake my life on it. The
Solid Snake that saved Shadow Moses couldn't turn into a
terrorist.

Colonel : Maybe that's true, but they went down with that tanker two
years
ago. We even recovered Snake's body. And the DNA test results
on
the body say it's him.

Rose : Jack, I know what you're saying, but Snake is dead. He can't
be
here, not even as this Dr. Hal Emmerich.

Raiden : But that also means that he can't be the terrorist leader
behind
this thing!

[End transmission. Raiden hears a chopper flying overhead. He turns and

sees
Pliskin in the cargo area of the Kasatka. Pliskin waves to Raiden and the
chopper flies off the heliport on Strut E. Raiden continues on but he
spots a man leaning against the wall in a long black cape.]

Caped Man : I've been waiting for you. A messenger -- from the Patriots!

[He looks at Raiden.]

Caped Man : Where do I know you from...

Raiden : So your the boss around here?

Caped Man : No, not just around here. I'm the boss to surpass Big Boss
himself.

[He stands straighter.]

Caped Man : Solid Snake.

[Pliskin yells from the chopper, which has come back to the bridge.]

Pliskin : No! That is not Solid Snake!

Snake : What a pleasant surprise -- brother.

Pliskin : Save it, your no brother of mine.

Snake : Don't say you've forgotten me -- Snake.

[The man in the cape steps forward.]

Raiden : Snake?

Pliskin : Raiden, take cover!

[Snake unloads a clip at the man. One of the bullets hits the Semtex and
it
detonates. In the explosion the man dashes forward as his cape burns from
the heat. He is wearing a full body exoskeleton.]

Pliskin : Stop impersonating him!

[Pliskin fires more shots but they all get deflected by the man in the
exoskeleton.]

Solidus : Brother, I'm a whole different game from Liquid! HRRRRR!!

[The man's muscles grow inside the exoskeleton.]

Solidus : GHHHH!!

[Pliskin loads and fires a grenade at Solidus. Solidus leaps into the air
and
lands on a pipe that is carrying some liquids between the shells.]

Solidus : Is that the best you can do, Snake?

[Pliskin fires another grenade. This time it finds its mark. Solidus is
thrown off of the pipe and drops down below.]

Pliskin : Did I get him!?

[Pliskin looks below but he sees a Harrier 2 hovering with Solidus standing
atop it. Vamp is piloting.]

Pliskin : Otacon, were in trouble! It's the Harrier!

[As Solidus gets inside the cockpit of the Harrier the Kasatka flies off.]

Solidus : The world needs only one Big Boss! I'll drown you fools for
 interfering!

[The Harrier fires two missiles at either end of the bridge, sealing off
any
exit for Raiden. the Kasatka comes back into view.]

Pliskin : Raiden, this is the Stinger Missile launcher. The Katsaka

can't
stand up to the Harrier. You have to shoot the Harrier down.

[The Harrier comes into view.]

Otacon : Snake, we got company!

Pliskin : I'm counting on you!

[Raiden shoots down the Harrier promptly. It starts to become unstable and
it loses altitude very quickly. It crashes into the Connecting Bridge and
takes a large bit of it out. As the Harrier falls towards the water
Solidus
has a wound on his eye. It appears to be lost. Pliskin spots something
rushing towards the surface.]

Pliskin : There's something coming up!

[Metal Gear Ray leaps out of the water and cleanly grabs the falling
Harrier
jet.]

Raiden : It's Metal Gear!? It's already active!

[Ray falls back to the water. it fires off some rocket clusters that rain
down all around the area. One of the rockets hits the Kasatka and it
starts
to bleed out some smoke. One of them hits close to Raiden and he is
knocked
aside and has to dangle on a narrow railing. The Kasatka lands on the
heliport safely and Raiden begins to haul himself up.]

[Inside the broken Harrier Solidus checks his eye.]

Solidus : They got my eye!

[Vamp slowly stands up.]

Solidus : Vamp -- go!

[Vamp leaps into the water and begins to run across the surface.]

Otacon : Hey, what's that -- ?

Pliskin : It's running on water...

[Raiden and Pliskin and Otacon watch Vamp run across the water and then up
the
side of one of the struts. Raiden gets a call from Pliskin.]

Pliskin : Raiden, you all right?

Raiden : Yeah. How about you guys?

Pliskin : Barely managed, but we're all right.

Raiden : The chopper?

Pliskin : We need some time for repairs.

Raiden : Oh...

Pliskin : The President's all yours.

Raiden : OK... Can I ask you something? Are you THE Snake? They said
you
were dead...

Snake : No, not me. There are still too many things I need to do.

Raiden : Snake, you're a legend -- and that's why I need to ask you
this.

Snake : Legend? A legend is nothing but fiction. Someone tells it,

someone else remembers, everybody passes it on.

Raiden : I'm here because I was assigned to this mission, not because I
want to. If I could, I'd be out of here in a second. How could
you come back to all this? Why keep fighting?

Snake : There's something my best friend said to me once.

Raiden : Wha...?

Snake : We're not tools of the government or anyone else. Fighting was
the only thing I was good at, but... At least I always fought
for
what I believed in...

Raiden : What about -- what about the DNA results from that body?

Otacon : That was Liquid's body. He and Snake are identical on the
genetic
level.

Raiden : Liquid.
Otacon : A deception -- for our own protection. We stole his frozen
body
from some organization. Kind of a hassle though...

Snake : That's all there is to it.

Raiden : Are you two really an NGO?

Otacon : Insofar as we're a nonprofit organization of civilians

advocating
a cause, yes. The cause happens to be the eradication of Metal
Gear.

Snake : We work on our own. But it's a cause worth fighting for.

Raiden : Why would you stick your neck out for something this risky?

Snake : That's the way I used to look at it, four years ago. I was
holed
up in the middle of nowhere in Alaska, drinking too much.

Otacon : We have a responsibility to the coming generations, to the

world.

Raiden : What responsibility?

Otacon : To keep track of the mistakes we've made as a species.

Snake : We need to remember -- to spread the word -- to fight for

change.
And that's what keeps me alive.

Raiden : You think you can change the future?

Snake : I'm not as arrogant as that.

Raiden : What you do isn't grassroots activism. It's more like

terrorism.

Otacon : I admit that... But our group, Philanthropy, received some

information: a new Metal Gear prototype was being developed
here,
and terrorists were planning to raid the facility. The
information came from a very reliable source.

Raiden : So you're here to...

Otacon : We're here to stop all that, but I also have a personal
motive.

Snake : Looks like the terrorists have his sister in the Big Shell.
We're
here on our own, not under anyone's orders. We have our own
battles. Otacon's here for someone -- I'm not.

Raiden : This is a military mission.

[End transmission. Rose calls Raiden.]

Rose : Jack? Are you all right?

Raiden : Just barely.

Rose : You almost gave me a heart attack...

Raiden : Sorry. Wasn't intentional.

Rose : I know that. And I know I need to stay stronger.

Raiden : Say a prayer for me, Rose. So I can come back...

Rose : You will make it back. I'm with you all the way, remember...

Raiden : That means a lot to me, you know.

Rose : I'm going to save the data, okay Jack?

[Raiden saves his data. Raiden then calls the Colonel.]

Raiden : Colonel, Metal Gear's already gone active...

Colonel : It's not too late. You can still prevent a nuclear strike by
securing the President and preventing password confirmation
from
taking place. Get to the President. He's in the core section
of
Shell 2.

Rose : I'm checking the satellite images... Looks like you can get to
the core from the other side of Strut L.

Colonel : The core hasn't gone under yet from what we can tell. Follow
the
railings down, then jump onto the pipes.

Rose : The only viable strut in the outer perimeter is the L. That
attack just now doesn't make any sense -- it's like they have
no
more use for this place.

Raiden : Colonel, you were monitoring the Codec calls. That man was the
real Snake, all along...

Colonel : Maybe.

Raiden : Maybe?

Colonel : Don't let your guard down with him.

Raiden : Why do you say that?

Colonel : Because they were never a part of the simulation. They're an

unknown factor.

Raiden : You can take your simulation and...! We're out here, we bleed,
we
die!
Rose : Calm down!

Colonel : I suggest that you do, Raiden. Even if that is Snake, that has
no
bearing on your mission.

Raiden : Colonel, you and Snake used to be on the same side. I don't
understand. I read about you and Snake in "In the Darkness of
Shadow Moses"...

Colonel : I don't give a damn what that piece of trash said. Do you get
me?

[End transmission.]
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06) Don't touch me there!
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¯

[Raiden makes it to the Shell 2 Core. He finds Olga talking to Solidus

inside. He sneaks a safe distance away and listens in with his directional
microphone.

Solidus : Snake, he's here -- in Shell 1.

Olga : My father has some unfinished business with him.

Solidus : Olga, calm yourself! I'm not changing my plans for your
personal
feelings.

Olga : Then screw your plan. I've been waiting for this day for two
years and I will send him to the bottom of the ocean -- right
next to my old man!

Solidus : The launch comes first!

Olga : Damn.

[Olga punches the wall.]

Olga : Where's Ocelot?

Solidus : Why?

Olga : I don't trust him.

Solidus : Don't talk that way about one of you own!

Olga : He's not "one of my own". He left my father to die, remember?

Solidus : We'll talk later. We need to get started on the final check
for
the unit.

Olga : Alright, I'm heading back there.

Solidus : The upper connecting bridge for Shell 1 is down.

Olga : What about the chopper?

Solidus : The Kamov is out of action. Take the Oil Fence from Strut L.

Olga : I'll tell my men to get started.

Solidus : Not yet, there retrieval comes last. The intruder is still at
large.

Olga : Hmm...

Solidus : What about the other?

Olga : He's got luck on his side.

Solidus : He survived that explosion... Listen, Olga, the code

confirmation
is in one hour. Keep the President alive until then!

Olga : I know, no one gets in here. Turn the currents on.

Solidus : Of course.

[Olga watches as a high-voltage current is turned on and passes through a

metal grating in front of her.]

Solidus : High-voltage currents on.

Olga : The door stays shut unless the President manages to take out
that
circuit panel from inside the room -- and that's no job for
bare
hands.

Solidus : Alright, come back immediately.

Olga : One more thing --

Solidus : What?

Olga : We live for Russia when this mission is over. I want half the
money for that.

Solidus : Of course -- that was part of the original plan.

Olga : We're living for ourselves after this. If anyone wants to

stay, I
want you to take good care of them.
Solidus : Gladly -- Gurlukovich soldiers are the cream of the crop.

Olga : It's time they went free...

Solidus : What happened to rebuilding Mother Russia?

Olga : The old man is dead -- the world is a different place now.

Solidus : It's your life.

Olga : Just a reminder, I'm going to say this one last time: Don't
try
anything on us.

Solidus : The feeling is mutual.

[Olga leaves. Raiden calls the Colonel.]

Raiden : I'm in front of the room where they're keeping the President.

Colonel : Everything all right?

Raiden : No sign of flooding, but I can't get close to the door. The
floor
is electrified.

Colonel : Don't test it. You'll be bacon.

Raiden : Any suggestions?

Colonel : Remember the Shadow Moses VR training.

Raiden : Take out the circuit panel?

Colonel : Right.

Raiden : But there's no way into the room.

Colonel : Try ventilation ducts.

Raiden : Yeah, I think I see one.

Colonel : Look for a remote-control missile launcher. You can guide it

through the duct into the room.

Raiden : ...then target the circuit panel. Got it.

Colonel : Right. But make sure you don't hit the President.

Raiden : The President is wired with nanomachines. If we know the

frequency, I can raise him...

Colonel : We've tried that repeatedly, but there's no response. It looks

like the walls have a built-in radio shield.

Raiden : So that's why Ames lost contact with him...

Colonel : If you need to confirm his position, you can log into the
node.

Raiden : Understood.

Colonel : Locate a remote-control missile launcher first.

[End transmission. Raiden heads down to B2 of the Shell 2 Core to find the
Nikita.]

Raiden : Colonel, B1 is completely flooded from what I can see.

Colonel : You'll have to swim through.

Raiden : I'm fine with swimming.

Colonel : Stroke the water and move forward by pushing the Punch button.
Push in rapid succession to swim faster. Change your heading
with
the left analog stick. Up will take you up, down takes you
lower,
left and right face those directions. The O2 Gauge will appear
under your Life Gauge while you're underwater. The gauge
corresponds to the amount of air you can hold from a single
deep
breath. Once the O2 Gauge falls to zero, the Life Gauge will
start to drop. You need to be aware of that.

[End transmission. Raiden finds the Nikita and takes out the circuit
breaker.
Inside the room he finds President James Johnson. He is wearing a red
tie,
white shirt, and black pants. Raiden walks towards him.]

Raiden : President Johnson.

Johnson : So your finally here...

Raiden : You've been expecting me?

Johnson : Your equipment -- that Skull Suit isn't exactly standard

military
issue.

Raiden : Are you alright, sir?

Johnson : Is this some kind of sick joke -- I thought you came to kill
me?

Raiden : ?

Johnson : I'm prepared to face the consequences of my actions.

Raiden : What are you -- ?

[Quickly, the President grabs Raiden's crotch and squeezes.]

Raiden : What the -- !?

Johnson : Your...a man? Hmm...well, who are you?

Raiden : FOXHOUND, sir.

Johnson : FOXHOUND? I see. Now things are starting to make a little

sense.
Switch over to nanocommunications so nobody can listen in.

[Codec screen.]

Raiden : Do you read me, sir?

Johnson : Uh... yes.

Raiden : Mr. President. It's my understanding that the terrorists have

managed to input the code sequence necessary for launching a
nuclear strike...

Johnson : That's correct. I punched the sequence in myself.

Raiden : You're working for them!?

Johnson : If you asked me two hours ago, my answer would have been yes.
Right now, they're keeping me alive until my vital signs are
reconfirmed.

Raiden : They betrayed you?

Johnson : I wouldn't quite put it that way. I wanted power. They sought
destruction.

Raiden : But why stoop to terrorism!?

Johnson : I wanted absolute power.

Raiden : But you're the President -- you have power...

Johnson : No. I'm just a figurehead.

Raiden : ?

Johnson : I don't have any control. The real power is in the Patriots'
hands.

Raiden : The Patriots...?

Johnson : The truth behind this country... I'm not surprised you've
never
heard of them. Very few are aware of their existence, even
among
those with codeword clearance.

Raiden : ?
Johnson : Politics, the military, the economy -- they control it all.
They
even choose who becomes President... Putting it simply, the
Patriots rule this country.

Raiden : No...

Johnson : Hard to believe, isn't it? But it's the truth. The Space
Defense,
income tax reduction and the National Missile Defense (NMD)
programs -- Every policy that's been credited to me was
actually
done according to their instructions.

Raiden : Space Defense was initiated by Congress...

Johnson : That's what the Patriots want the country to believe... It's
all
a show. "Democracy" is just a filler for textbooks! Think
about
it! Do you actually believe that public opinion influences the
government?

Raiden : ...No.

Johnson : This country is shaped and controlled as the Patriots see fit.
The people are shown what they want to believe. What you call
government is actually a well-staged production aimed at
satisfying the public!

Raiden : ...

Johnson : Don't look at me like that -- I'm legally sane, you know.

Raiden : It's not your sanity that worries me...

[Twelve grainy black and white pictures appear on screen one by one. There
are men in the pictures. There is a red bar over each of their eyes.]

Johnson : The Patriots -- even I don't know who the actual members are.
Are
they financial, political, or military leaders? No one knows
who
the Patriots really are. Even my instructions come from a
cut-out. All I've been told is that every key decision is made
by
a group of twelve men known as the Wisemen's Committee.

Raiden : Your Office...? The White House...?

Johnson : Merely puppets. Pawns in a game. By pledging my loyalty, an

insignificant son of a senator was awarded the Presidency. Of
course, that wasn't the only price I had to pay...

Raiden : What do you mean?

Johnson : Even if a pawn becomes a queen, it is still just a playing

piece.
I wanted to leave my own mark in history. But my ambitions
 were... You'll understand someday...

[Codec screen.]

Johnson : I wished to be a member of the Patriots. I wanted to wield the

power of a king, instead of being an expendable pawn...

Raiden : And that justifies acts of terrorism?

Johnson : Yes. I'd intended to use the new Metal Gear as a bargaining
chip...

Raiden : Bargaining chip?

Johnson : But I underestimated Solidus... he actually wants to challenge

the Patriots -- even if it means the destruction of the world!

Raiden : What are you saying?

Johnson : Whether you believe it or not, the balance of power rests in

the
hands of the Patriots. They regulate the country's various
interests through controlled presentation, staging a "drama"
that
is palatable to the general masses. Can you imagine what would
happen if they ceased to function?

Raiden : ?

Johnson : Picture a massive political vacuum, a space that every

power-monger will try to fill for their own greedy ends. I'm
talking about an unregulated power struggle -- panic, civil
war... chaos. Like it or not -- the Patriots is an
organization
that must continue to exist.

Raiden : So you changed your mind because you wanted to avoid global
chaos?

Johnson : When I told Solidus that I wished to prevent disaster, he

replied
that pawns can never become players...

Raiden : And who is this... Solidus?

[Pictures of George Sears are shown.]

Johnson : My predecessor... George Sears. That was the name the public
came
to know him by. But I knew him by his codename, "Solidus
Snake."
He was the third Snake, preceded by Solid and Liquid... a
survivor of the Les Enfants Terrible project. Neither Solid
nor
Liquid, he was a well-balanced masterpiece that the Patriots
saw
 fit to entrust with the Presidency. However, he fell out of
grace
with the organization four years ago when, acting on his own,
he
started an incident.

Raiden : Four years ago... Shadow Moses?

[Brief flashback to Shadow Moses.]

Johnson : Yes, that's right. At the time, the DARPA Chief, Donald
Anderson
-- together with certain influential parties -- initiated the
development of Metal Gear REX and an advanced nuclear warhead.

However, this did not fall in line with the Patriots' plans.
What's more, Solidus decided on his own to send his most
trusted
man, Ocelot, to provoke Liquid Snake, bringing about the said
incident. As a result, he succeeded in obtaining REX and the
data on the warhead. But in doing so, he ended up revealing
the
existence... of both REX and the Genome army -- a blunder that
earned him the wrath of the Patriots. Shortly thereafter,
Solidus
was removed from the Presidential Office.

Raiden : I thought he resigned...

Johnson : That's the story given to the general public. Following his
"resignation," the Patriots selected me -- their new pawn, for
the Presidency.

Raiden : But that would mean that the Presidential race was --

Johnson : That was quite a show, wasn't it? It was a well-scripted drama
staged by the Patriots for the benefit of the public. Even the
Democrats and Republicans were dancing to the Patriots' tune.
Everything went according to plan, but for one exception...

Raiden : ?

Johnson : Following his resignation, Solidus' health was scheduled to

fail
him, bringing about his untimely death.

Raiden : Capped...?

Johnson : Correct. But before the Patriots could execute their plot,
Solidus went underground with the help of Ocelot. As he
avoided
pursuit, Solidus gained control of Dead Cell, winning over
Colonel Gurlukovich's outfit. From there, he bided his time,
knowing that his opportunity would soon arrive...

Raiden : What opportunity?

Johnson : The completion of the new Metal Gear project -- an opportunity

that would even his odds against the Patriots. By stealing the
 Patriots' most valued project, he would be able to place them
in
a very uncomfortable position. It's the only chance he has for
survival. Once he has the new Metal Gear, he'll declare war
against the Patriots. Needless to say, he must be stopped.

Raiden : Metal Gear is already operational...

Johnson : No. Not yet.

Raiden : ?

Johnson : What you saw was Metal Gear RAY -- hijacked two years ago from
the Marines by Ocelot. That was not the new Metal Gear.

Raiden : Then, where's the new Metal Gear? You're standing in it. To be
more precise, this entire "Big Shell" facility is the new
Metal
Gear.

Raiden : What'd you say?

Johnson : No. I'm quite serious. The upper structure that you've seen is
camouflage designed to represent an offshore cleanup facility.
The main structure extends from the foundation all the way
down
to the ocean floor. The connecting elevator is located on the
B2
floor of the Shell 1 Core. Arsenal Gear... that's the code
name
for the new Metal Gear.

Raiden : Arsenal?

]Pictures of Arsenal Gear are shown.]

Johnson : That's right... Arsenal. We're talking about an impregnable

fortress carrying a load of over a couple of thousand missiles
including nuclear warheads -- all protected by a horde of
mass-produced Metal Gear RAY units.

Raiden : Mass-produced...?

Johnson : The RAY unit was originally designed for the Marines to be
used
as a countermeasure against the Metal Gear variations
throughout
the world. The Patriots had RAY redesigned to protect the new
Arsenal Gear.

Raiden : So now anti-Metal Gears are guarding a Metal Gear?

Johnson : Ironic, isn't it? That's not all. Arsenal Gear has full access
to
the Military's Tactical Network, giving it the ability to
exercise absolute control over our nation's armed forces, not
to
mention our nuclear armament. In short, Arsenal was created to
be
 the core of our country.

Raiden : What kind of idiotic weapon --?

Johnson : Weapon? No. You're not seeing the full picture.

Raiden : ?

Johnson : Arsenal Gear is more than just a military tool...

[Codec screen.]

Johnson : It is a means to preserve the world as it is. It will

establish
a new form of control.

Raiden : The Patriots will use it to keep their place as the country's
true rulers.

Johnson : ...Right now they feel pressured and threatened.

Raiden : By what?

Johnson : They fear an overabundance of digital information -- the world

will drown in the coming flood of information, and they along
with it.

Raiden : ?

Johnson : The Arsenal plans include a system to digitally manage the

flow
of information, making it possible to shape the "truth" for
their
own purposes. In short, the Arsenal's system is the key to
their
supremacy.

Raiden : The key...?

Johnson : Yes, the "GW" system is the Patriots' trump card. Arsenal Gear
will be fully operational when "GW" is successfully
integrated.
Once operational, it will be a completely new form of power
for
the Patriots to wield. I had hoped to seize the project from
them
so that I would be in a strong bargaining position...

Raiden : Bargain for what?

Johnson : I'd hoped to trade my way into their ranks. But Solidus
preferred
rebellion. Outer Heaven -- his plan to unleash a nuclear blast
over the skies of Wall Street to break the Patriots' control
over
the business community -- is also a key factor in his
offensive
effort.
Raiden : Outer Heaven...?

Johnson : Listen. There isn't much time. The "football" served as the
key
for activating Arsenal Gear. I've already input the necessary
code sequence... It won't be long before "GW" begins to
establish connections with other external systems and Arsenal
Gear becomes fully operational. Stop them before that happens.
That is your role.

Raiden : Role?

Johnson : You've got to find Emma Emmerich. She's the only one who can
stop
that thing once it's been activated.

Raiden : Emma -- Emmerich?

Johnson : She's the system programmer for Arsenal Gear. I believe she's
somewhere on level B1 in the core of this building.

Raiden : I thought the levels below us were flooded?

Johnson : I'm sure they won't let her die just yet as she's the only
remaining programmer for this project. According to Ocelot,
she
was being held in locker room located in the northwest part of
level B1. Cut transmission, and get moving!

[End transmission. Johnson hands Raiden a keycard.]

Johnson : Here's security card 4. It will give you access all the way to
Emma's location. Give this to her when you find her.

[President Johnson hands Raiden a disc.]

Raiden : What is it?

Johnson : A program to disrupt the control functions between GW and

Arsenal
Gear. Take Emma to the computer room on level B2 of the Shell
1
Core. She'll know how to load the program into the main
system.

Raiden : A virus?

Johnson : That's right. Modeled after FOX-DIE -- a biological weapon

used
to selectively eliminate personnel with a specific genetic
code.

Raiden : But why do you have it?

Johnson : The Patriots had it engineered as a fail-safe. And Ocelot

forgot
to search me. You've got to hurry! That disc is the only way
 you're going to stop Arsenal!

[The President falls silent.]

Johnson : Well...I've told you everything you need to know.

[He turns his back to Raiden.]

Johnson : There's only one thing that remains to be done...

Raiden : ?

[Johnson grabs Raiden's SOCOM and pulls it to his chest.]

Johnson : Kill me.

Raiden : What the...?

Johnson : There's no time to argue! The final check for my vital ID

could
start any second now. If you kill me now you'll at least
prevent
the nuclear strike.

Raiden : Cut it out!

[Raiden tries to wrestle the gun away.]

Johnson : Do it --!! That's your role! Pull!!

[A gunshot rings out. Johnson stumbles as blood pours from his chest.
Raiden
stands back non-plussed.]

Ocelot : That's abusing your right to free speech, Mr. President...

[Ocelot is standing in the open doorway with his revolver smoking.]

Ocelot : Or is it Ex-president?

Raiden : The President -- why did you!?

Ocelot : Alas, my finger must have slipped...

[He holsters his gun.]

Ocelot : I'll see you around -- "Carrier Boy".

[Ocelot leaves the room. Raiden begins to follow but the President lurches
out and grabs Raiden's leg.]

Johnson : Forget him... He...did us a favor... Without freedom, there is

no
difference between submission and rebellion. My only real
choice
is to put a end to this charade. Let me at least have the
freedom
to end it myself...

Raiden : What are you -- ?

Johnson : Find Emma... Stop Arsenal...! This is my last order...as your

Commander-in-Chief... I'm counting on you...

[The President dies. Raiden walks out into the hallway and calls up the
Colonel.]

Raiden : Colonel, the President is dead.

Colonel : I see... I'm sorry to hear that.

Raiden : Where do we go from here?

Raiden : Your mission was to rescue the President and eliminate the
terrorist threat. However, given the recent turn of events, we
will honor the President's last directive. You must put a stop
to
Arsenal Gear once and for all.

Raiden : Do you actually think there's any truth to his story about
this
Big Shell facility being a front for Arsenal Gear?

Colonel : I don't have the security clearance necessary to verify the

facts. However, he was the President. I'm sure he knew what he
was talking about.

Raiden : Aren't you forgetting that he was part of the terrorist plot?

Colonel : All the more reason why I believe his information is reliable.
We're talking about a man who chose to die rather than risk a
nuclear holocaust. Thanks to his sacrifice, the nuclear launch
authority has shifted to the Vice President, effectively
eliminating the terrorist threat.

Raiden : Colonel, when you put it like that, it almost sounds like I
should've assassinated the President to "eliminate the
threat."

Colonel : That was not my intention. I was trying to point out that
there
is certainly some credibility to the words of a man who chose
death to protect the innocent.
Rose : The Colonel has a point, Jack.

Raiden : What about the information he gave me on the "Patriots"?

Colonel : That's a new one on me. I'll see what I can find out. Raiden,
we're running out of time. Find Emma. She's supposed to be
located on level B1, in the core of that building you're in,
right? You've got to find her before Arsenal becomes fully
operational.

Rose : Hurry Jack!

Colonel : It's up to you to make sure that the President didn't

sacrifice
his life in vain.

Raiden : Understood.... Raiden out.

[Snake contacts Raiden.]

Snake : What's your status, Raiden?

Raiden : Snake? The President... he's been assassinated. There was

nothing
I could do --

Snake : What about the nuclear strike code sequence!?

Raiden : He died before his vital ID could be reconfirmed.

Snake : Then the enemy's lost their nuclear strike capability --

Raiden : But, that Ocelot guy obviously killed the President on

purpose.
Why? It doesn't make any sense. They had to know that they
couldn't launch the nuke if they killed the President.

Otacon : Maybe there's a way to launch without reconfirming the vital

ID?

Snake : Or maybe they've found a more effective weapon within Arsenal

Gear.

Raiden : You knew about Arsenal Gear!?

Snake : Yeah...

Raiden : Why didn't you tell me about it!?

Snake : You never asked.

Raiden : Am I correct in assuming you also know that the Big Shell's a
front for the project!?

Snake : You mean, did I know that the Big Shell, a fully functional
environmental cleanup facility, was designed to camouflage
Arsenal Gear? Yeah, I did.
Raiden : It's exactly what the President and Ames described... a
massive
cover story.

Otacon : The good news is that it hasn't really done much in terms of
cleaning up the environment, so we won't have to worry about
any
toxic gas being released if we have to blow the house down.

Raiden : Right... and when did you find out about all of this?

Snake : It took a while, but we uncovered the info around the time you
took out that mad bomber.

Raiden : ...

Snake : There's no doubt that Arsenal Gear is being built here...then

it
was all set up two years ago on that day -- all of it.

Raiden : Two years ago... What really happened here?

[Snake's pictures of Metal Gear Ray are shown on several webpages.]

Snake : I took these photos two years ago.

Raiden : I remember these pictures. They were on the news and several
websites. If I remember right, the reporters blamed you for
sinking the tanker.

Snake : That's right. Otacon. Me. We were used.

Otacon : We hoped that by going public with the photos of the new Metal
Gear we could persuade the government. At least that was the
plan
at the time.

Raiden : I've gone through VR training of the Tanker mission before.

Snake : Yeah? Well I doubt it accurately simulates the events of that

actual mission.

[Flashbacks of the Tanker mission.]

Snake : I'd infiltrated the dummy tanker to obtain proof that a Metal
Gear was under development. Shortly after I made it aboard, an
armed group led by Colonel Gurlukovich raided the ship and
gained control.

Otacon : Olga and Ocelot were among the raiding party.

Snake : Yeah. And him...

Raiden : Who're you talking about?

Snake : A man that was supposed to be dead. Their target was also
Metal
 Gear RAY. But Ocelot eliminated Colonel Gurlukovich and Marine
Commander Scott Dolph -- and he hijacked RAY.

Raiden : So he betrayed them?

Snake : I don't know what kind of deal was going down. All I remember
is
what Ocelot said at the time -- something about taking it
back.
Ocelot then sank the tanker along with the soldiers of the
Marine
Corps...

[Codec screen.]

Raiden : How did you manage to get out?

Snake : Otacon managed to have a small boat ready for me.

Otacon : That was the easy part. The tough part was not getting dragged
down with the sinking tanker -- small miracle when you think
about it.

Snake : It turned out that the whole thing was a setup to lure us.

[Some more flashbacks.]

Otacon : Photos of Snake -- taken by the Cypher -- were released to the

public. In turn, we became the world's most wanted
environmental
terrorists... It was definitely a move aimed at putting a stop
to
our anti-Metal Gear activities.

Raiden : But why did they choose Snake?

Otacon : Since the Shadow Moses incident, Snake became sort of a hero.
I
think the Patriots weren't too happy about that.

Raiden : You knew about the Patriots!?

Otacon : Well yes... to a certain degree.

Raiden : It seems like everyone knows about them except me.

Otacon : They didn't choose Snake to be a hero...

Raiden : So they decided to do a smear campaign.

Otacon : I think the Patriots wanted to make an example of him so

everybody would think twice before opposing them.

Raiden : That's it! They set all this up just to nail you guys?

Otacon : No. There's more to it than that -- the Marines' Metal Gear
RAY
 project headed by Commander Dolph was carried out in
opposition
to the Navy's Arsenal Gear project. To be more precise, the
Patriots considered Metal Gear RAY to be a thorn in their
side.
Hence, they attacked the dummy tanker and stole RAY... They
followed this up with the perfect plan. They immediately sent
a
fully loaded tanker to the same location and sank it, then set
up
the facility to camouflage the development of Arsenal Gear.

Snake : And we fell for it -- two more puppets in their show.

Raiden : Colonel Gurlukovich... and his daughter, Olga?

Otacon : Both fell victim to Ocelot's plot.

Raiden : Was Solidus behind all this? He used Ocelot to get hold of
RAY,
huh?

Otacon : No. He was underground, keeping a low profile at the time.

Raiden : Then it must be the Patriots...

Otacon : If that's the case, what's Ocelot doing alongside Solidus?

Raiden : ?

[Codec screen.]

Snake : Forget it. We're wasting time. We can figure this out later.
The
nuclear strike's been prevented, but Arsenal still has a
massive
payload of missiles to deal with.

Otacon : Right. If the opposition gets control of those missiles...

Snake : Raiden -- you've got to find Emma.

Raiden : Wait a second. Isn't Emma Emmerich --

Otacon : My sister.

Raiden : What's she doing here? You got me. She's a computer whiz who
specializes in neural-AI and ultra-variable volume data
analysis
using complex logic. How she got involved in weapons
development
is beyond me.

Raiden : ...

Snake : Whatever her reasons, we need her in order to stop Arsenal.

Otacon : Raiden -- find her.

Raiden : I'm on my way.

[End transmission.]

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07) This guy is really a pain the arse
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[Raiden makes his way through the flooded levels of B1 in the Shell 2 Core.
He
surfaces at an air pocket to catch his breath when he is contacted by
Otacon.]

Otacon : Raiden, are you reading me? This is Otacon. What's your
situation?

Raiden : Wet and miserable... this place is flooded. The seawater

that's
been pumped up is pouring into the building.

Otacon : I see. Listen, there's something I have to tell you about E.E.

Raiden : Don't worry about her. I'll get her out --

Otacon : She's afraid of water.

Raiden : What!?

Otacon : Yeah... when she was six years old, she almost drowned with my
father in our swimming pool.

Raiden : She can't swim!?

Otacon : Well yes and no... we used to swim a lot together when we were
kids. In fact, she swam like a fish until that day when she
almost drowned...

Raiden : That pretty much coincides with what the Colonel told me...

Raiden : When the accident happened, I was in my room. I learned later

that E.E. was calling me for help... She didn't doubt for a
minute that I'd be there. You could see the pool from my
room...
but I didn't realize at the time that she needed my help.

Raiden : What were you doing?

Otacon : I... I was...

Raiden : So Emma survived the ordeal...

Otacon : Yeah. But my father didn't...

Raiden : So you blamed yourself and left your family?

Otacon : No. E.E. seems to believe that was the case. The fact is... I
betrayed her.

Raiden : And you think that she can't swim because of the traumatic
experience?

Otacon : I haven't seen her since that day... but yes, I think so. I
got
a letter from Julie, her mother, after they moved back to
England. In her letter, she mentioned that E.E. couldn't swim
anymore... that she refused to even wear a bathing suit.

Raiden : Damn! If she still can't swim, we're in trouble... level B1 in

the core is pretty much flooded.

Otacon : Look... maybe you can help her overcome the trauma.

Raiden : You want me to help her get over it?

Otacon : It's still going to take some time to repair the Kamov.

Snake : Sorry, kid. Emma's rescue is up to you.

Raiden : Thanks. An underwater mission... well, this is a first. Look

--
I'll see what I can do.

Snake : I suggest that you drum the map of the building into your
head,
'cause you won't have time to look at it when you try to bring
Emma out.

Otacon : I'm counting on you, Raiden.

Snake : I covered most of the core when I had to take out the C4's...
if
there's anything you need to ask me, call me on the Codec.

Raiden : I'll do that.

[End transmission. Raiden opens a doorway to move on but out floats the
body
of Peter Stillman. He didn't make it far from the blast.]

[Raiden goes through two more rooms. He enters a room that has a platform
sitting over a strange body of liquid. It looks like water but there is
something different about it. Sitting in the middle of the pool of water
is
Vamp. Raiden quickly points his gun in Vamp's direction.]

Raiden : Still tickin', huh?

[Vamp looks at Raiden.]

Vamp : Unfortunately, hell had no vacancies...

[Vamp stands up, on the water.]

Raiden : Argh!

[Raiden fires three shots at Vamp. Vamp twists and spins to dodge the
shots.
One of them, however, grazes his cheek. He touches it gingerly.]

Vamp : Hahaha... I thought so. Human muscles are quite eloquent. They
speak-out clearly what the person's next movement will be.
They
even tell me which way a gun will be pointed before the
trigger
is pulled. But your muscles -- they're different. This should
be
fun...well worth the wait.

Raiden : You knew I was coming?

Vamp : You think I'm going to lose -- I can't let you interfere with
Arsenal Gear.

[Vamp points to the door on the other side of the room.]

Vamp : The girl is just ahead. She is of no use to us now... But she
served us well as the live bait for the big catch. Crazy Ivan
sometimes speaks the truth.

[Emma is shown standing in a locker room.]

Raiden : Emma's alive?

Vamp : She was quite some time ago. But the flooding has become quite
serious. I wouldn't be surprised if she's a mermaid now.

Raiden : What...?

Vamp : Did you really think killing the President would prevent a
nuclear strike? Think again!

Raiden : I didn't do it!

Vamp : Hmph... Arsenal Gear is still armed with a purified hydrogen

bomb.

Raiden : Purified hydrogen bomb -- ?

[Plans for a bomb are shown.]

Vamp : This is no ordinary nuclear bomb. This weapon is capable of

heavy
hydrogen nuclear fusion using lasers and magnetics to generate
heat-insulated compression. It was a top secret project
initiated
by the current President...and Solidus has no idea of its
existence. The clean thermonuclear bomb is at an experimental
stage and is handled differently. Specifically, it becomes
launch-capable when Arsenal is activated. A nuclear threat
still
exists.

[Pictures of a devastated Dead Cell are shown.]

Vamp : Six months ago, we lost everything we believed in... We were

abandoned to take the fall in their cover up. We were labeled
as
killers responsible for the mass-murder of civilians as well
as
our own allies. And the "public" believed every word, turning
a
deaf ear to whatever we had to say to the contrary. Our only
goal
is to wipe them from the face of the earth -- and destroy this
world of deceit they have created along with them.

Raiden : You're insane.

Vamp : Insane? We might be the only ones telling the truth...

[An alarm sounds. There is an announcement over the PA system.]

Announcer : Final check for activating Arsenal is completed. All

non-essential personnel report to your stations...

Vamp : Well, it sounds like Arsenal is ready to go into operation.

Raiden : Damn it!

Vamp : Your still hoping that girl can install that virus your
carrying
around -- aren't you?

Raiden : You knew?

Vamp : It's a shame your not going to be around long enough to hand
her
the program.

[Vamp glances at the water below him.]

Vamp : This isn't sea water, you know. It's a byproduct of the
microbes
contained in the pool. Buoyancy is practically non-existent
thanks to the high oxygen content. Once you fall in -- you
don't
come up! Take a good look at your grave. Show me what you've
got!

[Raiden and Vamp duel. Raiden manages to get in some hits on Vamp and send
him back into the pool of water.]

Vamp : Haaaaarch!

[Blood seeps into the water as Vamp raises his arms to fight his descent.]

Vamp : Waaaargh!

[Vamp goes under. Raiden calls the Colonel on his Codec.]

Raiden : Colonel! They've apparently completed the final check

procedure
for Arsenal Gear!

Colonel : Find Emma on the double! You've got to get her to install the
virus program that the President gave you! When you find her,
take her to the Computer Room on level B2 in the core of Shell
1!

[Raiden calls Pliskin.]

Raiden : Snake! Did you catch all that!? I didn't make it on time...
Arsenal's going active!

Snake : Yeah, I heard. The hostage rescue's gonna have to wait.

Raiden : I'm going after Emma.

Snake : We'll secure the Computer Room.

Raiden : Looks like we can't install the virus program without Emma.

Snake : Can't your partner do it?

Otacon : I would if I could. But the security for this system is no

joke.
I need more time...

Snake : That's why we need her.

Raiden : Understood. I'll make sure you have your family reunion...

Otacon : ...
Raiden : What's up?

Otacon : A lot of years have passed between E.E. and me...

Raiden : Then you should see her, right?

Otacon : I don't have the right to see her.

Snake : We can talk about this later. Raiden, I think you'd better get
moving, Emma's in the Locker Room to the north, right?

[Raiden tries to continue on but he is stopped in his tracks by another

call
from Rose.]

Rose : I've always been alone... I'm so lonely...

Raiden : Lonely? Rose, we've always --

Rose : Not always. You've never slept beside me...

Raiden : What are you talking about? I --

Rose : After we've been together in my room... you stay awake all
night
or you head for the door.

Raiden : Is this really the time to bring this up?

Rose : Why, Jack? Why?

Raiden : Listen, Rose. I'm right in the middle of a mission, and I...

Rose : Why!? Why can't you relax when you're with me!?

Raiden : Look... the mission... I...

Rose : Why don't you open up to me!?

Raiden : Rose... I... I just can't!

Rose : All I ever wanted was to share your dreams -- to spend a

meaningful evening with you... I just wanted to find you by my
side when I woke up. Is that asking too much?

Raiden : It's the night -- I'm scared of the night... it's got nothing
to
do with you...

Rose : Scared of the night? What's that supposed to mean?

Raiden : I can't relax when I'm with someone...

Rose : Jack? You wouldn't even let me in your room!

Raiden : I need privacy... I just can't be bothered.

Rose : Bothered!?
Raiden : Wrong word! What I wanted to say was that there are certain
things that I have to keep to myself...

Rose : Do you remember that time I forced my way into your room? We'd
known each other for almost a year... and you blew up! It was
the
first time you ever raised your hand against me! I was so
worried
about you...

Rose : Look... I'm sorry...

Raiden : It wasn't your violent nature that scared me. It was your
room...
your heart...

Raiden : Stop it...

Rose : There wasn't anything in your room -- only a bed and a small
desk. It looked like a prison cell... No television set... no
family pictures... not even a poster...

Raiden : Rose, I only use that room for sleeping.

Rose : A lifeless room... almost like your empty heart.

Raiden : That's why I tried to keep you out.

Rose : I thought I was beginning to understand you -- until I saw

that
room.

Raiden : Would you have been happier if I had a picture of you hanging
on
the wall!?

Rose : That's not what I was trying to say --

Raiden : Enough, Rose. We'll talk about this later... after the
mission.

Rose : Right... after the mission... I understand.

[End transmission.]

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08) Rescuing the fair maiden
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[Raiden opens a locker in the locker room with his gun drawn. Upon sight
of
Raiden and his gun Emma starts to panic and she wets her pants. Raiden
backs
away with his hands up trying to calm her down.]

Raiden : Are you alright?

Emma : Who are you!?

Raiden : Raiden. I'm getting you out of here.

Emma : Get me out? Your lying -- where are you taking me this time!

Raiden : What are you talking about!? I'm here to help! Here -- it'll
prove it. Do you have nanos?

Emma : What?

Raiden : Well, do you?

Emma : I do. Everyone on this project has them.

Raiden : Alright, let's try.

[Codec screen.]

Raiden : Can you hear me, now?

Emma : Nanocommunication...?

Raiden : That's right. I have nanomachines, too.

Emma : Then you're not one of them...

Raiden : That's what I've been trying to tell you.

Emma : And you came to rescue me?

Raiden : Actually, I need your help to stop Arsenal...

Emma : I understand you're the only one who might be able to do it.

Emma : And who told you that?

Raiden : The President.

Emma : ...Really?

Raiden : I need you to come with me to Shell 1. Your brother's waiting

for
you there.

Emma : My brother?

Raiden : C'mon! We have to get moving! This place'll be flooded soon!

[Raiden helps Emma off the ground. Water starts to pour into the room.]

Emma : ...

Raiden : We'd better move.

Emma : I can't... I can't swim...

[Codec screen.]

Emma : Leave me...

Raiden : You can swim! You used to love it!

Emma : How did you know...?

Raiden : Your brother told me.

Emma : He's really here?

Raiden : That's right... he's here to rescue you.

Emma : I don't believe you! He would never come for me!

Raiden : And I'm telling you he's here -- waiting for us at Shell 1!

Emma : No! He left me... my mother -- when we needed him the most!
When
my father died, all he could think about was himself!

Raiden : Emma, we can go over all that later. But first, we have to get
out of here!

Emma : No! I hate water! It's hopeless! I can't swim!

[Some water is shown.]

Emma : I can't swim!

Raiden : You can do it!

Emma : I can't...

Raiden : C'mon! Deep down inside, you know you can swim!

Emma : I can't keep my eyes open in the water... that endless blue...
The water... it wants me... it won't let me go...

Raiden : Alright, then close your eyes. I'll guide you.

Emma : I... I was injected with something! Um... my legs! I have

trouble
moving them!

Raiden : Listen, Emma. Just hold your breath... I'll do the rest.
[Views of rooms Raiden has passed through.]

Raiden : We'll head to Filter Chamber 2, then we'll take a break.

Emma : So all I have to do is hold my breath?

Raiden : That's right.

Emma : How long?

Raiden : Just a little while.

Emma : Are you sure?

Raiden : Of course I'm sure, that's how I got here.

Emma : I don't think I can do it. I'm not good at holding my breath.

Raiden : Look Emma, I have a idea...

[Codec screen.]

Raiden : Put your ear against my chest and listen to my heartbeat.

Emma : Your heartbeat?

Raiden : Count the beats -- don't think about anything else. When you
reach 100, open your eyes. By that time, we'll be on the other
side. Give me a signal if you think you're running out of
breath.

Emma : What will you do then?

Raiden : I'll swim faster.

[Emma and Raiden are standing in the water, preparing to swim.]

Raiden : Hang on tight!

[Emma gets on Raiden's back.]

Raiden : Okay, let's go.

Emma : I'm closing my eyes...

Raiden : Take some deep breaths... One... two... three...

Emma : Wait!

[She gets off of Raiden's back.]

Raiden : What?

[Emma removes her glasses.]

Emma : Let me take off my glasses!

Raiden : You know, you should wear contacts.

Emma : There's nothing wrong with my eyes.

Raiden : ?

Emma : I wear these for show.

Raiden : Trying to be different from the other girls?

Emma : No, it's not like that. I like glasses. And... there's this
guy
I liked who used to wear them...

Raiden : Your first boyfriend?

Emma : No, someone more important. Anyway, they bring me luck.

Raiden : I see... Okay, let's go.

[They swim through and make it to Filter Chamber 2. Rose calls up.]

Rose : Well, Jack. It sounds like you and Miss Emma are getting along
just fine. I've been monitoring your every move and
conversation.
I can't say it's been fun...

Raiden : Give me a break! I'm only trying to keep her spirits up.

Rose : Is that right?

Raiden : Absolutely. My mission is to get her to the Computer Room.

Rose : That's all?

Raiden : Yeah.

Rose : You're lying. You're attracted to her, aren't you.

Raiden : ...I'll admit she's cute.

Rose : Cuter than me?

Raiden : Rose, you're beautiful. You know how I feel about you.

Rose : Have you remembered yet?

Raiden : You mean April 30th? It's your birthday, isn't it.

Rose : Wrong! You're not even warm!

Raiden : What is it then?

Rose : Forget it... it's nothing. Maybe I'm just a little... a little
jealous... You'd better get moving. Good luck.

[End transmission. They both sit down to rest.]

Raiden : You did good...

Emma : I concentrated on your heartbeat... It reminds me of when I

was
a kid...

[Emma looks at her glasses. A picture is shown of her as a young girl with
her
brother.]

Emma : I remembered my brother giving me a piggyback ride... I was

sleeping with my ear against his back... I could hear his
heartbeat...

Raiden : Sounds like you were close.

Emma : We were... back then. We were stepchildren in our parent's

second
marriages. Wherever my brother went, I used to tag along... My
brother didn't have any close friends, so he used to take care
of
me. We both wanted to be loved so much... so much that we used
to
pretend...

Raiden : Pretend?

Emma : My brother was the husband and I was the wife. But it was
always
just make believe... we were only kids. You know what I mean?

Raiden : I never had a family... but I think I know what you mean.

[The Colonel calls up Raiden on the Codec.]

Colonel : Raiden, what's your status?

Raiden : Colonel? I've got Emma Emmerich here... we've managed to avoid
drowning.

Colonel : Good job. Get her over to Shell 1 as soon as you can.

Raiden : That's going to be hard with the connecting bridge on the

upper
level destroyed.

Colonel : Didn't Olga say something about taking the oil fence at the
 bottom of Strut L?

Raiden : Yeah, I remember that.

Colonel : You should be able to go down by way of Strut L. Try and get
over
there.

Raiden : What about Emma? She's been injected with something and she
can't
walk without any help.

Colonel : Take her with you... free your hands of any equipment and hold
down the Action button to give her a hand. To release your
grip
on her, take your finger off the Action button. Emma can sit
and
wait until you help her back up. And be careful... you won't
be
able to use any weapons while you're leading her. Now, head
for
Strut L!

Raiden : We're on our way.

[Snake calls Raiden.]

Snake : Raiden, we've infiltrated the Computer Room. What's your

situation?

Raiden : Emma's safe. We're heading your way.

Otacon : Good job!

Snake : Shell 1's deserted. Looks like everybody's aboard Arsenal.

Otacon : I had a look at the system, but there's nothing I can do.
E.E.'s
our only hope...

Raiden : Right... I'll put her on then.

Otacon : Huh? E.E.? How...?

Raiden : I'll use my Codec as a relay.

Otacon : Ahem, ummm...

Raiden : Here she is...

Emma : Uh... Hal...?

Otacon : Ah... E.E.? Is that you?

Emma : Hal...

Otacon : E.E.... Uh... why're you involved with Metal Gear?

Emma : Huh???
Otacon : You knew our family's dark history, and still got involved!?
What's wrong with you!?

Emma : I should've known...

Otacon : Answer me! Why are you repeating the same mistake?

Emma : ...I wanted to hurt you... I wanted to see you suffer...

Otacon : E.E....?

Emma : You abandoned me --

Otacon : No! That's not what happened...

Snake : Alright -- that's enough!

Otacon : ...

Emma : Who are you?

Snake : I'm a friend of Otacon's, Emma.

Emma : Otacon...

Snake : Enough with the sibling rivalry.

Emma : That's not what this is!!

Snake : We haven't got time for this! Raiden! Get her over here, right
now.

Emma : I -- I...

Raiden : Gotcha, Snake. I'll head over there with Emma.

Snake : Most of the enemy's aboard Arsenal. But I suggest you be

careful.
Make sure Emma gets here in one piece.

Otacon : Raiden... take care of my sister.

Raiden : Don't worry. I'll get her there.

[Raiden and Emma continue to the next swimming section.]

Raiden : Emma, Snake and Hal are waiting for us near Shell 1's computer
room.

Raiden removes the virus's disc from his pocket.]

Raiden : I've got this disc the President gave me. This disc is
supposed
to contain a virus that can corrupt Arsenal Gear's operating
system. We need you to...
Emma : This is... This is my program...

Raiden : What?

Emma : Why did the President give it to you?

Raiden : ...

Emma : Did something happen to the President?

F[Flashback to the struggle at the end of the President's life.]

Raiden : The President... he's dead.

Emma : What...?

Raiden : You actually wrote this virus?

Emma : It's not really a virus... it's more like a worm cluster. It's
actually a delayed-effect autonomous program that's designed
to
invade GW's cerebrum and render its nerve connections useless.

Raiden : You know what GW is?

Emma : Of course... I created it.

Raiden : ?

Emma : You look surprised.

Raiden : Uh... Well...

Emma : Cat got your tongue?

Raiden : I'm sorry, I... How about the "Patriots" ever heard of them?
Ever
heard of 'em?

Emma : Yes. But I only know what I've been told.

Raiden : Can you tell me what you know?

Emma : Uh, sure. But it's hard to put into words.

Raiden : Right...

[Codec screen.]

Raiden : Are you reading me, Emma?

Emma : Yes -- loud and clear.

Raiden : The President said that Arsenal Gear was the Patriots' key to
supremacy.
Emma : That's as good a description as any.

Raiden : What exactly is it?

Emma : It's a massive data processing system capable of controlling

information on a global scale.

Raiden : A data processing system...?

Emma : That's right. The system's a social device for maintaining the
Patriots' control.

Raiden : You've lost me.

Emma : In this day and age, information emerges from every direction,
and is freely distributed... A variety of information --
gathered
by servers employing the latest in high-speed communication
networks and P2P technology -- is rapidly circulated to
individuals. In fact, the speed of this circulation process is
accelerating on an almost daily basis. The Patriots seem to be
afraid of this development. Apparently, they believe that
their
role will shift from dominant to dominated.

Raiden : ?

Emma : Let me give you an example. You're aware of Solid Snake's

anti-Metal Gear activities, aren't you?

Raiden : Yeah -- I know a little about it.

Emma : That's just a small sample of uncontrolled information. I can

guarantee you the Patriots did not want Solid Snake's name
publicized. Now, look at it like this... political scandal,
corporate corruption... up until now, the Patriots have
managed
to keep a lid on these and other self-serving events. But with
their existing data processing system, they are no longer able
to
effectively control the flow of information generated at the
individual level.

With the newly created system, they can fully regulate digital
information. High-level information can be categorized in
stages,
given clearance levels, and deleted as necessary -- never to
be
seen by the public. By deleting such information, the Patriots
can shape the course of history as they see fit.

Raiden : Somebody's bound to catch on --

Emma : No. The memory capacity -- not to mention the life span -- of
the
average individual is extremely limited. On the other hand,
digital information lasts virtually forever... it doesn't
deteriorate.

Raiden : So...?
Emma : The alphabet... twenty-six letters, right? It could've been
thirty letters. What if the 4 deleted letters were controlled
by
a program?

Raiden : Impossible.

Emma : It's not. In fact, something similar is already underway. Do

you
know how many genes exist in an individual?

Raiden : About 30 to 40 thousand?

Emma : Right. That's what was announced at the turn of the century.
But
there's actually 100 thousand, according to the original
theory
advanced by the scientific community. Information regarding
the
remaining 60 thousand was suppressed by the Patriots.

Raiden : No...?

Emma : Why? How would you know? Do you know what a gene looks like?
Did
you count them yourself?

Raiden : There are research organizations...

Emma : Of course... and their reports have already been subtly

altered.
They're even beginning to believe the doctored reports. GW is
a
system that allows the Patriots to decide what will be
recorded
in tomorrow's history.

Raiden : So what we're talking about is one huge censorship system for
deleting information which might be inconvenient to the
Patriots?

Emma : Exactly. The actual, physical core for handling the task -- GW
--
is installed in Arsenal. It's the only system in the world
with
an optic neural AI that has a parallel processing capacity of
980 trillion hammets.

Raiden : I suppose that being a specialist in neural AI and complex

logic
played a significant role in your association with the Metal
Gear
project.

Emma : That's not the only reason...

Raiden : What do you mean?

Emma : ...

Raiden : I guess there're plenty of other reasons.

Emma : Yes, there are --

Raiden : I understand...

Emma : Do you?

Raiden : So Arsenal Gear was actually designed to protect the GW

system,
wasn't it?

Emma : Uh...yes. It's armed with everything including nuclear

weapons,
and is fully equipped with cyber-terrorist countermeasures.
Physically and logically, it's the ultimate fortress for
housing
GW.

Raiden : But is the AI actually capable of controlling everything?

Emma : No. GW is only the system's core. It's only for deciding what
data is stored or deleted. The actual sub-system for executing
the task exists within our social structure...

Raiden : What!?

[Videos of people working on computers and New Years celebrations in the

year
2000.]

Emma : Do you remember the panic that gripped the computer industry
prior to the end of the century?

Raiden : You mean the Y2K problem?

Emma : That's right. If you recall, our government supplied the world
with a countermeasure program -- using the internet at full
capacity. The program was distributed to every governmental
organization... every key facility...throughout the world. In
addition, the same program was included in an OS application
for
distribution among the public.

[Codec screen.]

Raiden : Let me guess... the Y2K countermeasure contained a program

designed by the Patriots?

Emma : Yes. And everything supplied from that day onward contains the
same program.

Raiden : Impossible.

Emma : Do you know how a computer operates? Do you really know the
basic
principles on how data is exchanged?
Raiden : ...

Emma : Nobody's aware of it, but there's a sub-system in place. And

it's
about to be activated.

Raiden : Is that why Solidus wants to burn out every electrical circuit
in
Manhattan with a nuclear blast?

Emma : Probably. But the overall system isn't actually complete.

Raiden : What?

Emma : It still lacks the necessary factors for judging situations. I

heard they were planning a major experiment in the next few
days,
to provide complex data for GW to study. And suddenly all this
happens...

Raiden : Emma... it's not your fault. If it wasn't for the

terrorists...

Emma : Yeah... you're right... Well... I think that's about all I

know.

Raiden : Right... uh, thanks. I think we'd better head for the Computer
Room.

Emma : My bird in the Computer Room! Is he safe!?

[That irritating parrot from the computer room is shown.]

Raiden : That noisy, overgrown parakeet?

Emma : Excuse me, he's a parrot. And he's my best friend -- my only
friend.

Raiden : Well, the bird's okay...

Emma : Good. Did you know that in the old days, miners used to take a
canary into the mine shaft to detect toxic gas?

Raiden : That's what he's for?

Emma : No... I needed somebody to talk to...

Raiden : Right, I think we'd better get moving.

[Shell 2's flooded levels are shown.]

Raiden : We've got a little longer to cover than last time.

Emma : Right, I'll give it my best.

Raiden : Whatever you do, don't open your eyes.

Emma : Why not?

Raiden : A dead body, not a pretty sight.

[Stillman's bloody body is shown floating in the water.]

Emma : Oh...

Raiden : Once we get past it, it will be too dark to see anything.

[Raiden glances at Emma's hair.]

Raiden : What are those sticks in your head?

Emma : These? They're lacquered chopsticks. They hold your hair in

place. Did you know they're pretty popular in Europe and South
America?

Raiden : Can't say I do. Your not only cute, but smart too.

Emma : Oh -- I'm much more than cute.

[Emma give s acute smile.]

Raiden : Okay, let's go!

[Outside of the Shell 2 core Raiden makes it to a security level 5 door.

He
doesn't have a card to make it through and the door buzzes in denial.
Raiden
punches the door.]

Raiden : Dammit!

Emma : What's wrong?

Raiden : This door is security level five... I don't have card five.
Damn.

[Emma looks at her ID card.]

Emma : Giving up already?

She takes it off and holds it forward.

Emma : Tah-DAH!

Raiden : What the...?

Emma : Are you impressed?

Raiden : You should have told me you had it.

Emma : Well the truth is... I just remembered it myself.

[Raiden and Emma make it to a hatch in the floor that goes to the oil
fence.
When Raiden opens it air rushes out and he looks down. He contacts Emma
on
the Codec.]

Raiden : I have a question for you. How do you feel about heights?

Emma : I can't say I like heights... though water's higher on my

phobia
list. Why?

Raiden : Well... we have to go down a ladder.

Emma : How far down?

Raiden : Just a little bit...

Emma : Why do I feel like we've had this conversation before? How
little
is little?

Raiden : ...About 130 feet?

Emma : ...

Raiden : Think you can do it?

Emma : Would you take "no" for an answer?

Raiden : How are your legs?

Emma : Better. The numbness is gone. I can climb down on my own.

Raiden : Okay... follow me.

[They climb down and reach the bottom. Emma stops at the bottom to look at
the
sun setting.]

Emma : The sunset, it's beautiful.

Raiden : If we don't hurry, it'll be the last we see.

[Raiden scans the defensive forces around the oil fence.]

Raiden : Enemy soldiers... Gun Cyphers... I don't think were gonna be

able
 to slip past all that.

[He looks warily at the bridge.]

Raiden : Looks like it can barely support one person. How much do you
weigh, Emma?

Emma : Are you gonna ask me how old I am next?

Raiden : If you go alone, I think you can make it across.

[Raiden contacts Snake.]

Raiden : This is Raiden, do you read me?

Snake : Yeah. What's up?

Raiden : We've made it to the lower part of Strut L. We'll have to

cross
the water from here.

Snake : Can Emma walk?

Raiden : She's okay. The pontoon bridge doesn't look too sturdy. Emma
is
going to have to cross it alone.

Snake : Right... the oil fence --

Raiden : There's Cyphers and several guards.

Snake : Raiden, you're carrying a PSG1, aren't you? It's time to play
sniper.

Raiden : Not bad. This spot gives me a good view of the targets.

Snake : You're going to have to cover Emma until she crosses to Strut
E.
I'll get there and provide some support of my own.

Raiden : Thanks.

Snake : Think you can handle it?

Raiden : Yeah. I know the drill. I've faced a similar situation in

Advanced Mode Level 4 VR training with the PSG1.

Snake : VR...? Guess that's better than nothing. Make sure you don't
hit
Emma.

Raiden : Right now, with Arsenal's boarding in progress, security

should
be at a minimum.

Snake : That doesn't mean it's going to be easy. Given the situation,
they've probably got Claymores in place to make up for the
 security shortage. Make sure you use your thermal goggles.

Raiden : Okay. I'm heading for Strut E.

[Raiden switches to Emma's frequency.]

Raiden : Emma, are you reading me?

Emma : Loud and clear...

Raiden : I'm gonna clear a path for you from here.

Emma : How?

Raiden : Sniper fire.

Emma : You're kidding...

Raiden : Trust me.

Emma : What if I fall into the sea? I... I can't swim!

Raiden : You were doing pretty good a few minutes ago.

Emma : Okay.

Raiden : Think you can do it?

Emma : Would you take "no" for an answer?

Raiden : No.

Raiden : Alright, get going. You'll be fine.

[Emma walks across the bridge. When she is about halfway across Snake
calls
up. Codec screen.]

Snake : This is Snake. Can you hear me?

Raiden : Yeah. Nice and clear.

Snake : I've reached my sniping position on Strut E. I'll provide

support
fire from here.

Raiden : Right. Do me a favor and take out whatever I miss.

Snake : Just call me when you want me to shoot.

[Snake and Raiden track Emma with their scopes and take out any threats.
Raiden scans ahead but at the very edge of the scope there is a sudden
movement. Vamp has just appeared out of nowhere. Vamp leaps backwards
behind Emma and holds a knife to her neck.]
Emma : No.

[Raiden acts quickly and fires a shot directly into Vamp's cerebrum. He
falls
backwards into the water, screaming. Emma turns around, disoriented. She
suddenly falls to the ground as blood starts to seep through her shirt.
Snake
rushes down to help her. On his way he quickly takes out two Cyphers. He
checks to see if Emma is still alive. He picks her up and carries her
away.]

Snake : Raiden! Emma's been stabbed!

Raiden : That bastard!

Otacon : How bad is it!?

Snake : She's conscious... but the bleeding's bad. I'm bringing her
over
there right now!

Otacon : E.E....

Snake : Raiden! Get that disc over here as soon as possible. I'm
afraid
her time's running out...

Raiden : I'll be there!

[Raiden dashes across the oil fence. When he reaches the other side he
contacts Snake.]

Raiden : Snake, what's your situation over there?

Snake : Emma seems to be uh... doing something to GW's defensive

capabilities. All we need now is your disc. You'd better hurry
--
I don't think she's gonna make it.

Raiden : How's the bleeding?

Snake : She's... Just get over here. You'll find the coast is clear
with
everybody aboard Arsenal right now.

Raiden : Understood.

[Raiden makes it to the computer room quickly. When he arrives he finds

Emma
lying on the floor with some heavy bandages on her torso. Snake is
standing
at a respectful distance while Otacon attends to Emma. Raiden comes up to
Snake.]
Raiden : How's Emma?

Snake : I think he got some internal organs... We can't stop the

bleeding...

[Emma looks at Otacon and raises her hand slowly.]

Emma : H... Hal?

[Otacon quickly takes her hand.]

Otacon : I'm here.

[Snake leans over to Raiden.]

Snake : Got the disc?

[Raiden takes out the disc and hands it to Snake.]

Snake : Emma set everything up. Apparently all you have to do is pop
in
the disc.

[Snake inserts the disc into one of the computer's slots.]

Snake : Um... that should insert the virus into the AI...

[Something happens onscreen, it looks like the virus is loading.]

Raiden : Is it working?

Snake : Just leave it to Emma.

[Something pops up on screen, the loading has stopped.]

Snake : What the -- !?

Otacon : An antibody agent?

Snake : Damn! The connections been cut!

Raiden : Has the virus been uploaded?

Snake : I don't think so. The counts stopped at 90%. Otacon...?

Otacon : I don't think Emma's made any mistakes...

Raiden : But...

Otacon : Portions of the worm cluster must have been altered after the
disc left Emma's hands.

Raiden : By the Patriots?

Snake : Will the virus still work?

Otacon : I have no idea...

Emma : Hal... is... everything all right?

[Otacon isn't sure what to say. He looks up at Snake. Snake quickly

shakes
his head, everything is not alright. Otacon looks back down.]

Otacon : Uh... It's alright... is everything's alright.

Emma : Good... At least I... I won't be adding... another page to...

our
family's dark... history...

Otacon : Yeah... that's right...

[Raiden leans over to Snake.]

Raiden : What if that virus doesn't work?

Snake : Either destroy that thing, or take out Solidus and his men.

Raiden : How do we get on board?

Snake : I don't think we can, unless somebody inside gives us a hand.

Emma : Hal... I... I always...

Otacon : What is it?

Emma : ...wanted to see you again.

[An outside view of the Big Shell.]

Otacon : You don't hate me?

Emma : Never... I never wanted to get in your way... I never wanted

to
hurt you... I thought with Arsenal... If I follow in your
footsteps... I could be closer... I just wanted you to look at
me... look at me... as a woman...

Otacon : E.E... I could never do that...

Emma : Don't be so honest... It ...hurts...

Otacon : Sorry...

Emma : Can I... can I ask you one more favor...?

Otacon : Sure.

Emma : Call me... call me "Emma".

Otacon : What?

Emma : Please call me... Emma.

[Emma gingerly removes Otacon's glasses.]

Otacon : What's wrong with E.E.?

[Emma goes limp. Otacon's glasses clatter to the floor.]

Otacon : Emma... Emma? Emma!? Emma!? Answer me!

[Otacon bursts into tears. Snake and Raiden look on but don't try to
console
him. An outside view of the Big Shell.]

Otacon : I didn't... I didn't mean to hurt you. Because of the

accident, I
had... I had a relationship with your mother. She seduced
me...
and it went on... My father's death was no accident, he took
his
own life... It was my fault. All my fault. Forgive me, Emma...

[Otacon cries more. Suddenly the parrot speaks.]

Parrot : Hal.

[After glancing at the parrot Otacon slowly closes Emma's eyes. He walks
over
to the parrot. He opens the cage and takes it out.]

Parrot : Hal.

[Otacon starts crying again. There is an announcement over the PA.]

Announcer : Attention! All Arsenal Gear is ready for launch. Evacuate the
upper levels immediately!

Snake : Sounds like they're cutting this place loose!

Raiden : What do you mean?

Otacon : It means were gonna sink...

Snake : We have to get the hostages out.

Raiden : What about the Kamov repairs?

Otacon : Done.

Raiden : We won't be able to get everybody aboard...

Snake : We'll just have to take as many as we can.

[Otacon hesitates.]

Otacon : My sister... won't be able to come with us.

[The announcer says something else.]

Announcer : We will be commencing the countdown shortly... All personnel

in
the upper levels head for the evacuation area immediately.

[Flashback to MGS. Sniper Wolf's death.]

Otacon : I'm always the survivor... Why, Wolf?

[Snake looks assuringly at Otacon.]

Snake : Otacon, take care of the hostages.

Otacon : What about you guys?

Snake : We've got other arrangements...

[Snake looks at the elevator down to Arsenal Gear.]

Snake : There's our ride out of here. Anyway, we're gonna have to sink
that thing of the virus doesn't work.

Otacon : I should be going with you.

Snake : You've got your job, we've got ours.

Otacon : You mean... I'd only get in your way.

Snake : Wrong.

[Snake rests his hands on Otacon's shoulders.]

Snake : Only you can save those hostages. Got it?

Otacon : Right. Listen, the two of you won't be able to destroy that
thing. Eliminate the enemy, that's your only option.

[Otacon walks away. Raiden and Snake follow him.]

[They reach the elevator.]

Parrot : Hal...

[Otacon can't contain himself any more. He bangs his fist against the door
of
the elevator.]

Otacon : Damn.

Snake : Listen, Otacon, pull yourself together. You've got a job to

do.

Otacon : You're right...

[Snake and Otacon do a complicated handshake and when they are done they
embrace.]

Announcer : I repeat, personnel in the upper levels head to the evacuation

areas immediately.

[They pull away.]

Snake : I'm counting on you, Otacon.

[Otacon leaves with the parrot. He reaches the main elevator of the Shell
1
Core.]

Parrot : Hal... Hal... I miss you... I miss you...

[Otacon loses control again. He falls to the ground.]

Otacon : You and me, we're the same.

[Outside views.]
Otacon : Both you and I... we we're always alone... always... We just
wanted to be loved... We were waiting -- waiting for
somebody...
somebody who would love us... But we were wrong... You can't
wait
to be loved, you have to go out and find it. Four years ago...
I
realized you can't wish for happiness, you have to make it
happen... I wish I knew that sooner. I learned that I could
love...as you probably did... Emma...

[Snake and Raiden are looking at the elevator to Arsenal Gear.]

Raiden : He's gonna be OK?

Snake : He's tougher than he looks, consider it done.

[Snake gives Raiden a disc.]

Raiden : Now, how do we open this thing?

[Snake looks at the ceiling.]

Snake : You can come out now.

[The ninja drops down the floor gracefully.]

Raiden : A ninja!? What the -- ?

Mr. X : Arsenal is going to take off.

[The ninja takes out his sword.]

Mr. X : But we still need to take care of a few things... This time,
do not fail us.

[He plants his feet and raises the sword.]

Raiden : Snake, what's this all about!?

Snake : Bedtime, Raiden.

[Raiden makes a move for his gun. The ninja quickly places his sword
against
Raiden's neck.]

Snake : I wouldn't do that.

Raiden : Your changing sides now!?

Snake : Change sides? I don't recall saying I was on yours.

Raiden : Damn it.

[Mr. X slowly raises his hand to the top of his head. He pushes something
and
his visor goes transparent.]

Raiden : You!

[Olga stares at him.]

Olga : Ready for some shut-eye?

[Raiden tries to move out of the way but Olga's sword comes down and
strikes
him hard. An electric current passes through his body. Raiden falls to
the
floor.]

[Outside, the Big Shell begins to fall into the ocean. Water rushes
through
all the corridors and breaks into the computer room where Emma lies. In a
moment Otacon is flying above the Big Shell in the Kasatka. There is an
enormous shadow cast on the ocean by an unseen building.

[Rose calls Raiden on the Codec.]

Rose : Jack? Are you reading me? Do you want to save your mission
data
up to this point?

[Data is saved.]

Rose : Your mission data's been saved.

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09) Bare nak3d infiltration
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[There is a bright but blurry light coming from above. There are voices
talking.]

Solidus : Is he still alive?

Ocelot : He was when Olga brought him in. I've checked everything
including the Genome data, but there's nothing on this guy.
NSA,
CIA, FBI... He doesn't exist in any database. He's a
nonexistent
operative from a nonexistent organization.

Solidus : I suspected as much. However, I know this man... Wake him up.

Ocelot : ?

[The platform that Raiden is on lowers to face the people standing in front
of him. In front of him are Solidus and Ocelot. Solidus now has two
tentacle attachments on his exoskeleton.]

Solidus : It's been a while, hasn't it...? Jack the Ripper.

Ocelot : You know this fellow?

Solidus : You remember me, don't you? You've grown...

[Solidus reaches out with one of his tentacles and grabs Raiden around the
neck. The other hovers in front of his face.]

Solidus : High concentration of cerebral implants... Have they altered

your
memory too?

Raiden : Aaaaarrgghhh!

[Solidus releases his grip and steps back. Raiden is shown for the first
time. He is strapped to a machine that looks strikingly similar to the
torture device in Shadow Moses. Raiden is stripped completely naked.]

Solidus : This is my son... I taught him everything. Jack... I never

thought I'd see you again...

Raiden : You... know me...?

Solidus : You don't remember...? Your name... your skills... everything

you
know... you know from me.

[Pictures of Raiden as a young person are shown.]

Solidus : The eighties... the civil war. You were one of the best among
the
child soldiers that fought in that conflict. When you were
barely
ten years old, you became the leader of the small boys unit.
At
the time, your outstanding kill record earned you several
nicknames including White Devil and Jack the Ripper.

Jack... I was your godfather, I named you. When the war ended,
you disappeared from the relief center. I wondered what
happened
to you... I should've known they would recruit you.

[In the torture room.]

Ocelot : It's a interesting coincidence.

Solidus : If he's a lackey for the Patriots I doubt he knows anything of

interest.

Ocelot : What should we do with him?

Solidus : We'll use him like you suggested...

Ocelot : What about Dead Cell?

Solidus : Ignore them.

[Ocelot's arm twitches.]

Solidus : Happening again?

Ocelot : Could it be he's here too?

Solidus : Hmph. In another hour, we'll demonstrate the power of Arsenal

Gear.

Ocelot : Attack with standard weapons, of course.

Solidus : Yes, proceed as planned.

Ocelot : At last report, all was well with "GW."

Solidus : Hm. How about the troops?

Ocelot : The men have been fitted with Arsenal Gear equipment as
ordered.

[Ocelot takes a look at Solidus' eye patch.]

Ocelot : You know, your the spitting image of Big Boss...

[Solidus laughs out loud.]

Solidus : Is that so? Perhaps I should be grateful to this kid for that.

[Solidus eaves the room.]

Ocelot : This situation... I find it very... nostalgic.

Raiden : Where am I?

Ocelot : Why, inside Arsenal Gear of course. Actually, were also inside
the memory of Shadow Moses.

[Ocelot holds up the disc that Raiden had in his pocket.]

Ocelot : I'll take this back. You won't be needing this anymore.

[Olga enters the room and sees Ocelot. She huffs and turns her back to
him.]

Ocelot : A foul wind is blowing, we shall speak again.

[Ocelot walks out of the room.]

Olga : Don't move... stay as you are... we're being monitored by a

camera.

Raiden : What are you up to?

Olga : I'm switching over to nanocommunications...

[Codec screen.]

Raiden : Mr. X...? Ninja...?

Olga : Correct... it's me.

Raiden : I thought you were the leader of the Russian troops...

Olga : No. That was just a smoke screen.

Raiden : A smoke screen?

Olga : I was sent to provide you support.

Raiden : Support? Who sent you? The Colonel?

Olga : No... the Patriots.

Raiden : What!?

Olga : I... I deceived my troops... betrayed them...

Raiden : But why?

Olga : My child is... being held hostage by the Patriots. It all

started
two years ago when I lost my father during the tanker
incident...
My men and I had nowhere to go... so we joined forces with an
illegal Russian organization.

Raiden : The Russian Mafia?

Olga : Something like that. Actually, I learned much later that it

was
a subordinate organization of the Patriots. I was expecting at
the time. When I gave birth to my child, it turned out I was
in
a hospital run by the Patriots. In the morning... my child was
gone. My baby is being kept somewhere in this country.

Raiden : Have you ever met your child?

Olga : No. Once a month, they send me a photo of my child via

network.
I've never even held the child in my own arms...

Raiden : I see... Given your situation, nobody can blame you for what
you
did.

Olga : That's your opinion...

Raiden : What about Snake? I thought you were enemies...

Olga : He wasn't responsible for my father's death. Actually, we owe

him
our lives.

[Flashback to the tanker.]

Olga : Two years ago, they were responsible for getting us out of the
sinking tanker alive...

Raiden : So you were partners since the incident?

Olga : No. I only found out the truth shortly before this. When I
confronted him here...

Raiden : You fought with Snake!? When?

Olga : Well... it was around the time you were holding hands with
that
girl.

Raiden : Snake...
[Codec screen.]

Raiden : So you joined hands with him to pay back a debt?

Olga : No. Mutual gain...

Raiden : Mutual gain?

Olga : My job was to assist you. If Solidus gets away with Arsenal,
your
mission is a failure. The Patriots would judge that as failure
on my part and terminate my child. Putting it simply, my
child's
life depends on your success.

Raiden : So you did it all for your child. But why would the Patriots
want
to help me? Are they hoping I'll take Solidus out?

Olga : No. You're just like me... we're just pawns...

Raiden : Pawns for what purpose?

Olga : The S3 Plan...

Raiden : Huh?

Olga : You'll figure it out sooner or later -- but I wonder if you'll

handle the truth? Listen... we haven't got time for this.
Solidus
will commence his attack any minute. He's got to be stopped.

Raiden : What about the virus?

Olga : No results so far. I think the Patriots have tampered with the
program.

Raiden : Will it work?

Olga : I don't know...

Raiden : Get me out of this thing.

Olga : Not yet. I'll release your restraints after I leave this room.

Raiden : Where's my gear?

Olga : Snake's got everything. I couldn't bring it here.

Raiden : And where do I find Snake?

[The inside of Arsenal is shown.]

Olga : The passageway ahead leads to a hangar. He'll be waiting for

you
there. I gave him a cardkey for the hangar.
Raiden : Does Snake plan to destroy Arsenal Gear?

Olga : No. Even for Snake, that's impossible to destroy the whole
thing.
You'll have to stop Solidus and his men.

Raiden : What are you going to do?

Olga : Stay concealed -- that's my role. I still can't afford to be

discovered...

[Torture room.]

Raiden : Olga -- you can't keep this up -- they're bound to find you.

Olga : Listen, I'll make it through this alive. Brace yourself...

[Olga punches Raiden in the stomach hard.]

Raiden : Ugh.

[Raiden watches her leave the room. He sits there for a while until Rose
calls him.]

Rose : Jack, are you all right?

Raiden : Oh, y-yeah.

Rose : Jack, is it true? What Solidus said?

Raiden : ...Yes.

Rose : It's unbelievable...

Rose : Drafting small children, sending them to war -- it's not

allowed
under international conventions.

Raiden : ICC rules don't mean a lot in war. Someone told me that there
are
over three hundred thousand children in combat right now. I
was
just one of them...

Rose : So you remember? I thought your memory had been... manipulated

by
them.

Raiden : It was -- but I have nightmares every day, pieces of the past
I
can't put together...

Rose : Why didn't you tell me?

Raiden : You couldn't begin to understand.

Rose : You wouldn't know that until you try me.

Raiden : I didn't want you to get hurt. There was never a real reason
for
me to fight, except that someone put a gun in my hand. And
that
someone was him...

Rose : It wasn't your fault.

Raiden : If I survived the day's fight, I was praised, fed, and had a
bed
to sleep in. I think I was only six when I held my first AK,
but
I'm not even sure of that. I'm not like Snake, I never
questioned
why we fought. There was no purpose, no way out. They give you
a
gun, you ask how many to kill. If you didn't, you were the one
they shot instead.

Rose : It's OK. No one is blaming you.

Raiden : We were shown Hollywood action films every day. The kind with
macho guys and big guns. They call it image training. They --
they built us from the ground up, into killing machines... We
were fed once a day. I can still taste the gunpowder they
mixed
into the food.

Rose : Gunpowder? In the food?

Raiden : The gunpowder had toluene in it, giving it hallucinogenic

properties. It kept us drugged, controllable.

Rose : Oh, my God...

[Rose begins to cry.]

Raiden : When the civil war ended, those of us who survived were taken
in
by NGO's. They gave me a new life in the States. I can't
complain. But nothing's changed. The only people who have no
problem with my past have secrets and agendas of their own...
Terrible nightmares -- every night. I can never forget...

Rose : Jack...

Raiden : I'm afraid of the night. That's why I don't sleep next to you.

Rose : You should have told me...

Raiden : Told you what? That I'm a killer and always have been?

Rose : No, no.

Raiden : What I hate more than anything else in the world is my own
past.
 I didn't want you -- or anyone -- to know about it. Now I know
why I was chosen for this mission. No one can take him on --
take him down -- except me. I've been kept alive this long for
this. I knew, as soon as I saw Solidus.

Rose : Jack, I love you the way you are now. You have to believe me.
I
didn't know anything about you, I admit that. Where you were
born, how you grew up -- but I know that now. And I know that
what I feel for you can only get better, and I'll share in
your
past if that's the price.

Raiden : It doesn't work that way. No one can share the burden of what
I've done. It's not one of those warm and fuzzy things couples
share.

Rose : I accept the good and the bad, Jack. That's what you do for
someone you love.

Raiden : I don't want to share my past with anyone. I just want to

forget
about it.

Rose : Jack? I haven't told you -- you know, about what I've done...

Raiden : The last two years with you -- it's been more than I've ever
hoped for. But I can't go any farther. I know you want to get
married. But -- I can't. I can't risk starting a family.
There's
no way to erase my childhood.

Rose : It's all right, Jack. Please, don't say any more...

[End transmission. Raiden's bonds are released and he jumps down. He

exits
the room and receives a call from the Colonel.]

Colonel : Raiden, do you copy. You must continue your m-mission.

Raiden : I've lost all my gear. I need to locate Snake.

Colonel : He was never factored into the simulation. Leave him out of
this.

Raiden : I can't do much naked, especially in this temperature.

Colonel : That's true -- you won't be able to attack or enter the

hanging
mode, either.

Raiden : I think Snake has my gear.

Colonel : Raiden, take out Solidus and his men. You must recover Arsenal
intact.

Raiden : Colonel, are you under orders from the Patriots?

Colonel : Your role -- that is, mission -- is to infiltrate the
structure
and disarm the terrorists --

Raiden : My role? Why do you keep saying that.

Colonel : Why not? This is a type of role-playing game. The point is

that
you play out your part -- and I expect you to turn in a
perfect
performance!

Raiden : Colonel, I just remembered something.

Colonel : What?

Raiden : That I've never met you in person. Not once.

Colonel : ... Complete your mission according to the simulation!

Raiden : Colonel, who are you?

Colonel : No more questions. We have Rosemary.

Raiden : What do you mean by that!

Colonel : Over and out.

[End transmission. Raiden moves ahead but he is interrupted again by the

Colonel.]

Colonel : Raiden, turn the game console off right now!

Raiden : What did you say?

Colonel : The mission is a failure! Cut the power right now!

Raiden : What's wrong with you?

Colonel : Don't worry, it's a game! It's a game just like usual.

Rose : You'll ruin your eyes playing so close to the TV.

Raiden : What are you talking about!?

Colonel : Raiden, something happened to me last Thursday when I was

driving
home. I had a couple of miles to go -- I looked up and saw a
glowing orange object in the sky, to the east! It was moving
very
irregularly... Suddenly, there was intense light all around me
--
and when I came to, I was home. What do you think happened to
me?

Raiden : What?

Colonel : Fine, forget it...

[Raiden makes his way through Arsenal to the location where he will meet
Snake. On his way there the Colonel calls him up several more times but
each
message gets stranger. The Colonel even declares at one point that he
needs
"Scissors, 61!" Soon Rose contacts Raiden.]

Raiden : Hi Rose.

Rose : Jack -- I owe you an apology.

Raiden : If it's about that conversation just now, I'm the one who's
sorry.

Rose : No, it's something else. That day at Federal Hall two years
ago
-- it wasn't a coincidence. I was ordered to keep an eye on
you...

Raiden : Keep an eye on me?

Rose : Yes -- by the Patriots.

Raiden : You're a spy.

Rose : I suppose. Yes. It's an ugly word.

Raiden : ...

Rose : Are you still there?

Raiden : Was sleeping with me a part of the job?

Rose : I fell in love with you...

Raiden : How could anyone --

Rose : I can't excuse what I did. I've reported every detail of your
personal life to them these two years. What you did, said,
everything...

Raiden : Must've been fun.

Rose : But some things I didn't tell anyone! Like what I felt for
you.

Raiden : So that's why you were involved in this mission. I should have
known. Why else would they toss an analyst into the mix at the
last minute?

Rose : I'm sorry, I know what I did was wrong...

Raiden : No matter where I go - I get used.

Rose : I reinvented myself to suit your tastes. Hairstyle, clothes,

the
way I move, things I talked about... You say you love the
color
of my hair, my eyes. They're not even real.
Raiden : You must have gone over my psych profile with a fine-tooth
comb.

Rose : It was my job.

Raiden : Great performance -- had me completely fooled.

Rose : What I really wanted was for you to see the real me. It hurt
to
play out this -- this artificial romance. It was worse to lie
to
myself than to you. The more love you gave me, the more it
hurt
-- because I knew the person you loved was just a character.

Raiden : So it was artificial on my end too. It was just a game, not

the
real thing. I feel better knowing that. I was in love -- or
thought I was -- with someone who didn't exist. I was trying
to
be someone I wasn't by loving what wasn't real. I don't know
who
you really are. The person I knew isn't real; she's not the
woman
I'm talking to right now. In a sense, the deception was my
own,
not theirs.

Rose : Jack, I thought I was acting, because that was my job. But I
did
fall in love with you, that wasn't an act.

Raiden : You expect me to believe that? It's okay. You had your
reasons,
right? Hey, I understand. But I have nothing left to...

[Rose interrupts but this time her voice is distorted.]

Rose : Jack!! I'm...I'm carrying... I'm pregnant, Jack. Your baby.

Raiden : Rose? What's going on?

[End transmission. As Raiden moves forward Snake calls out from behind
him.]

Snake : It's amazing you can walk around like that.

Raiden : Snake!

Snake : Been waiting long?

Raiden : Ah-choo!!

[Raiden sneezes.]
Raiden : Where's my gear?

Snake : Right over there.

[Snake jerks his thumb over his shoulder o point at a crate. Raiden
dresses
himself.]

Snake : That's more like it. Everything you had when you were captured
is still there.

[Snake taps his ear, signaling to stay quiet and use his Codec.]

Snake : Sorry about earlier. I had to use you as bait to gain access
to
Arsenal. It worked.

Raiden : Why didn't you tell me about Olga?

Snake : You never asked.

Raiden : ...

Snake : Not happy about that? Get over it.

Raiden : ...any effects of the virus yet?

Snake : Still waiting on that.

Raiden : So it was rigged by the Patriots?

Snake : Looks like it. From what I can tell, Arsenal is headed for
Manhattan. I don't know what Solidus is planning, but we'll
have
to deal with it one way or another. There's also a troop of
production-model Rays ahead.

Raiden : How many units?

Snake : Twenty-five, according to Olga.

Raiden : Twenty-five!?

Snake : Yeah. Can't say I've faced that many Metal Gears before, but
--
I think we can deal.

Raiden : No way we can...

Snake : We can because we have no other choice. I've stocked up on

Stinger missiles. Oh yeah, Olga left this for you.

[Off of the Codec. Snake hands a sheathed sword to Raiden.]

Raiden : Why?
Snake : Olga asked me to give it to you. Besides, I'm not a big fan of
blades.

[Raiden practices with the sword for a few minutes to get the feel of it.
Then
Snake decides to leave.]

Snake : Come on, time to go.

[Raiden sheaths the sword.]

Snake : If you run out of ammo, you can have mine.

Raiden : You got enough?

Snake : Absolutely.

[Snake places the tip of his thumb on his bandana.]

Snake : Infinite ammo.

[He makes a small smile.]

Raiden : Wait up, Snake.

Snake : What?

[Codec screen.]

Raiden : Snake, have you ever -- enjoyed killing someone? I'm not sure.
Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between reality and
a
game...

Snake : Diminished sense of reality, huh? VR training will do that.

Raiden : No, it was field training, when I was a kid. I lied, Snake. I
have more field experience than I can remember. It's not VR
that's doing this to me.

Snake : Raiden, we don't carry guns to take people down. We're not
here
to help some politician either.

Raiden : You can say that because you're a legend, a hero. I'm Jack the
Ripper, a dirty reminder -- of a terrible mistake.

Snake : Legends don't mean a whole lot. I was just a name to exploit.
Just like you. People will remember only the good part, the
right
 part of what you did.

Raiden : There's no right part in murder, not ever.

Snake : And we're not in this to make a name for ourselves.

Raiden : Then what are you and Otacon fighting for?

Snake : A future.

Snake : You can stop being part of a mistake, starting now.

Raiden : What am I -- what am I supposed to do?

[Snake and Raiden move through a door with their guns drawn.]

Snake : Find something to believe in. And find it for yourself. And
when
you do, pass it on to the future.

Raiden : Believe in what?

Snake : That's your problem.

[Raiden hesitates.]

Snake : Come on!

[Otacon calls Snake and Raiden.]

Otacon : Snake, Raiden!

Snake : Otacon! You all right?

Otacon : Yeah. So are all the hostages.

Otacon : How's everything on your end?

Raiden : All right for now. But there is something -- The Colonel's
last
transmission was strange.

Otacon : Strange? How?

Raiden : Just -- strange. No idea --

Otacon : Interference?

Raiden : I don't know.

Otacon : Where is this Colonel?

Raiden : I don't know. I've never met the man, actually...

Otacon : ...I'll dig around.

Raiden : Thanks. I owe you one.

Otacon : If there's anything else, call me on the Codec, I might be

able
to help.

[They get spotted by a Cypher and have to battle their way through a squad
of
Arsenal Tengus. When they reach the next room Otacon calls them again.]

Otacon : Raiden? About this Colonel of yours -- I found out where he

is.

Raiden : Where?

Otacon : Inside Arsenal.

Raiden : ?

Otacon : I've checked out all the possibilities, but I keep coming back
to
Arsenal. It isn't a relay point, it's the origin of the
signal.
And, the encryption protocol it uses is exactly the same as
that
of Arsenal's AI -- the so-called GW.

Raiden : ...What the hell does this mean?

Otacon : I think it means -- you've been talking to an AI.

Raiden : That's impossible!

Otacon : The Colonel probably isn't GW per se. GW was most likely
stimulating cortical activity in the dormant part of your
brain
through signal manipulation of your own nanomachines. The
Colonel
is in part your own creation, cobbled together from
expectations
and experience...

Raiden : That's crazy...

Otacon : But it's probably the truth. The virus may be starting to
affect
GW, which would explain the Colonel's behavior.

Raiden : It was all -- an illusion? Everything I've done so far...?

Snake : Raiden!

Raiden : Snake -- what's happening around here?

Snake : I don't know. What I do know is that you're standing right

here
in front of me. Not an illusion -- flesh and blood. It's your
call. You can drop this if you want.
Raiden : No, I can't do that. Let's go...

[Shortly after they get another call from the Colonel.]

Colonel : Raiden! They've got Rose! Rose is being held in the holds!

Snake : It's a trap!

Rose : Help!

Raiden : Rose!

Snake : Raiden, get a grip!

Raiden : But Snake!

Snake : It's a trap. Since the Colonel doesn't exist, there's no way
he
can take Rose hostage.

Raiden : Yeah -- you're right...

Snake : I am right.

Raiden : ...OK. But... Does Rose -- exist -- ?

Snake : Don't be weird. She's your --

Raiden : What if I've never really met her... If the Colonel is

something
that I partly dreamt up, then... everything I remember about
her
could be...

Snake : Don't jump to conclusions!

Raiden : You and Otacon are the ones that say the Colonel never
existed.
Is this what Olga was talking about?

[in the next room they are attacked by about 25 or so Arsenal Tengus.
Quickly
killing all of them they look around the room for more. Suddenly Fortune
strides into the room with her still menacing looking rail gun.]

Raiden : Fortune...

Fortune : It's been a long wait, Solid Snake -- the root of all my
sorrows.

Snake : What?

Fortune : Two years ago, you killed my father. That was the beginning of
hell for us. Everyone I love has been taken from me, one by
one... and no matter how hard I try, I can't follow them. An
 endless nightmare... The only thing we live for is to see it
end.
Our wait is almost over.

Raiden : You can't be serious about firing the nuke!

Fortune : Since no one can kill me, I may as well kill everyone I can.

[She starts to charge up her gun.]

Fortune : Starting with you, Solid Snake!

Raiden : Damn!

Snake : Looks like I'm today's pick. You go on ahead.

[Raiden hesitates and holsters his gun. He starts to walk towards the
ladder.]

Snake : You want eternal rest? I've got it right here.

[Raiden reaches the ladder. He puts one hand and one foot on the rungs and
he
turns back towards Snake.]

Raiden : What are you going to do? Bullets can't get near her.

Snake : I'll think of something. There's no such thing as a witch.

Fortune : You think you can kill me?

Snake : I don't know what your group's been through, but let's get one
thing clear... I didn't kill your father.

Fortune : Do you think anyone believes your lies!?

Snake : Raiden, get out of here!

[As Raiden climbs the ladder to an unknown destination Snake and Fortune
begin
their battle. Snake starts unloading bullets at Fortune and lets out a
loud
yell that could only come from a man that is facing certain death.]

Snake : UNHh!!

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10) Even my patience has its limits
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[Raiden reaches the top of the ladder and arrives in a huge circular arena
that appears to be out in the open, atop Arsenal perhaps. he looks around
but sees absolutely nothing. Suddenly Solidus' voice booms out from
nowhere.]

Solidus : Jack, I've been watching how you fight. It looks like you've
remembered the way you used to kill in the old days! Or is it
one
of the S3 Plan's proud achievements?

[Raiden whirls around wildly and screams.]

Raiden : What are you talking about!?

Solidus : It came as a complete surprise when Ocelot discovered the S3

data
from GW. Not a bad idea, though -- using fire to fight fire,
creating the perfect assassin to retire Solid Snake's brother.

S3 stands for Solid Snake Simulation... It's a development

program to artificially reproduce Solid Snake, the perfect
warrior. The result is a FOXHOUND commando. When FOXHOUND no
longer exists, a simulated Solid Snake shaped by VR regimen.
Sound like someone you know, Jack?

I'm sorry to see you reduced to one of the Patriots' puppets.

But
I've made use of you and their plan, too. Solid Snake's sudden
appearance, your arrival -- it was obvious the Patriots were
among my ranks. I had to smoke out the agent before the
mission
entered the final phase. You came in handy as bait.

Jack, those days during the civil war were as real as they
come... Every day was absolute, split between life and death.
You
ran from it, and now, you've been lead back to war by
something
less than real.

[Solidus appears out of nowhere, skidding on the platform and throwing up a

wave of sparks. Raiden spins and points his gun at Raiden.]

Solidus : No more games, Raiden. At least you know. There's no reason to

keep you alive now...
[There is a loud noise. Raiden turns and finds three Metal Gear Rays
stomping
towards him.]

Solidus : I've given you a worthy opponent at least. But now, you should
die as the little Jackie boy I once knew.

[Solidus leaves and Raiden now has to take out all the Metal Gear Ray units
with his Stinger and stock of missiles.]

[Raiden takes out a countless number of Ray units but as each one falls to
the
ground another Ray unit stomps in to take its place. Raiden quickly tires
and he falls to the ground in defeat.]

Raiden : It's no use...

[The Rays surround Raiden. Solidus speaks.]

Solidus : I expected a little more fight than that, Jack.

[One of the Ray units begins to raise its leg to stomp on Raiden. Before
it
can bring its leg down Olga Gurlukovich drops down in front of Raiden.
The
Ray unit hesitates and then backs off.]

Solidus : So, you've decided to show yourself.

Raiden : Olga, don't do this. They'll know --

Olga : I'll hold them off, give you time to get away.

Raiden : What about you?

Olga : ...

Raiden : This is suicide!!

Olga : Your nanomachines -- they're transmitting your vital signs to

the
Patriots. If you die, my child dies. Do you understand?

Raiden : The child...

Solidus : I see -- so that's why you sold your troops out to me. So many
dead, and they all died trusting you!

Olga : ...!

Solidus : Weren't they your comrades?

[Olga whips out a pistol.]

Olga : No, not just comrades! Family!

Solidus : Hah.

Olga : I know I'm going to hell. But at least my child --

Solidus : I applaud your attitude. If you have a death wish...

[Solidus charges in with a P90 in hand.]

Solidus : I'll be happy to accommodate you. See you in hell!!

Olga : HRRRRGH!!

[Olga cocks her gun and tries to shoot Solidus but he knocks her gun out
her
hand with his tentacle arm and grabs her around the throat with it. He
spins
his gun and aims it at her forehead.]

Olga : Live -- you have to --

[Solidus blows Olga's brains out. Raiden tries to reach out but he falls
to
the ground.]

Raiden : OLGA!!

[Solidus tosses Olga to the ground carelessly.]

Solidus : Enjoy the show, Jack? Let's pick up where we left off.

[He waves his hand casually at the Rays and they advance forward but they
begin to shake and their eyes turn red.]

Solidus : Hm?

[They start to move in on Solidus instead of Raiden.]

Solidus : What's going on!? What's wrong with it!?

[Ocelot speaks over a radio.]

Ocelot : The AI -- GW -- it's out of control.

Solidus : What?

[A screen with some data steams on it is shown. it looks like the virus is
infecting GW.]

Ocelot : I'm reading an abnormal impulse cascade throughout the neural

network. I can't shut it down!

Solidus : What happened!

Ocelot : Maybe -- some kind of virus --

Solidus : The Patriots!?

Ocelot : I don't know!

Solidus : Ocelot! What have you been up to?

Ocelot : It's too late! Arsenal's system control is going haywire!

...It's
on an emergency ascent course!

[The Ray units attack Solidus.]

Solidus : Stupid machines!

[Solidus activates his exoskeleton.]

Solidus : rrrRRAAAAH!

[Solidus takes down all three Rays in a fashion that wreaks of

badassedness.
He stands atop on of the Rays and makes a declaration.]

Solidus : Damn the Patriots...!

[Solidus returns to Raiden on the ground and picks him up. He raises his
gun to shoot but thinks better of it.]

Solidus : You still have some use...

Fortune : I've captured Snake.

[Fortune and Snake walk in. Snake is in handcuffs.]

Raiden : S...Snake?
Solidus : Bring him in.

[Raiden passes out.]

Raiden : Ugh...

[Raiden wakes up. Ocelot, Fortune, Solidus and Snake are atop Arsenal Gear
standing next to an inactive Metal Gear Ray. Solidus speaks.]

Solidus : Are you awake yet, Jack?

Raiden : U-uh...

Solidus : GW, the Arsenal AI, is corrupted beyond repair. I admit I

underestimated you...

[Solidus turns to face Raiden.]

Raiden : U-uhn...

Solidus : I'll squeeze the answers out of you instead, my son...

[Solidus grabs Raiden around the throat with his tentacle arms and
squeezes.
Raiden begins to choke. After a little while Solidus lets go and drops
Raiden to the ground.]

Raiden : U-uh...uhn...

Fortune : What do you hope to hear? You know he doesn't know anything.

Solidus : It's not him I want the answers from.

Fortune : What do you mean?

Solidus : That's not your business.

Fortune : Oh really? It so happens I have some business of my own to

attend
to.

[Fortune turns and walks away.]

Solidus : Planning to hijack Arsenal?

[Fortune stops in her tracks.]

Solidus : You were going to screw me over, weren't you?

Fortune : Who talked? Ocelot?

Solidus : Not exactly. I was the one who used Ocelot to suggest the idea
to
you in the first place.

[Fortune slowly turns.]

Fortune : What?

Solidus : I was planning to give you Arsenal to begin with.

Fortune : ...Why the uncharacteristic generosity?

Solidus : I'm no philanthropist. Arsenal is far from impregnable. It

needs
other Metal Gears as guards, a huge payload of warheads, and
full
air, sea, and land support to function efficiently. Against a
large attack force without support, Arsenal is nothing more
than
a gigantic coffin. Seizing Arsenal Gear was never the real
objective!

Fortune : ...What was your objective, then?

Solidus : A list of names -- of the Patriots!

Fortune : !?

[The black and white photos of the Patriots come on screen but this time
instead of appearing one by one they disappear one by one.]

Solidus : They were planning to extend their control to digital

information
flow with GW and Arsenal. That means the information they want
to
filter out is contained in GW. Including that list of the
highest
twelve members of the Patriots' Wisemen's Committee.

Fortune : And once you knew who they were, you would cross out their
name
one by one... while we, with our useless Arsenal, drew their
fire.

Solidus : Very good.

Fortune : You were using us all along.

Solidus : Were you any different?

Fortune : But your plan's hit a snag with GW destroyed, hasn't it?

Solidus : No -- there is another way.

Fortune : Really? But we have our own plans to carry out. We'll take the
 Arsenal since you don't care for it anyway. The purified
hydrogen
bomb is ready to go.

Solidus : A nuclear strike won't stop them.

Fortune : It will damage their power source -- the mindless masses that
they control. First things first.

Solidus : Of course -- that was what you wanted. I won't stop you. Good
luck.

Fortune : Thanks, but I have quite enough of that.

[Fortune begins to walk away again. This time she is interrupted by Ocelot
laughing.]

Fortune : What exactly do you find so funny?

Ocelot : Charades usually are humorous. I wouldn't have minded watching

some more of it but we're running a little short on time...

Solidus : What are you talking about?

Ocelot : Everything you've done here has been scripted -- a little

exercise set up by us.

Solidus : Exercise!?

Ocelot : The S3 Plan was conceived as a means to produce soldiers on

par
with Solid Snake. That's what I told you. But the VR Training
the
boy was put through is not the meat of the project.

You think this terrorist incident is your own doing, Solidus?

THIS is the S3 training kernel -- an orchestrated recreation
of
Shadow Moses.

Solidus : What!?

[Some scenes form the game are shown. There are scenes with both Raiden
and
Snake playing out the same exact parts.]

Ocelot : Ames and the President's deaths -- the computer virus that
mimics
FOXDIE. Did you really think they were all a coincidence?
Ames'
own nanomachines were used to shut down his pacemaker. I
arranged
for the appearance of the Ninja as well.

As for the President -- although Johnson realized what was

going
 on, he played out his allotted part. As for the computer
virus,
it's a digital counterpart of FOXDIE. It was also designed to
eliminate every scrap of information regarding the Patriots
from
GW.

Your plan was invalidated even before execution, Solidus.

Fatman was a different story. He's one of our own people, a

sort
of examiner we hired to test the boy's progress before letting
him tackle the exercise proper. We had to arrange for
Stillman's
presence to coax the maniac into agreeing. If the boy had
allowed
the Big Shell to be destroyed, this exercise would have ended
there. The project has no room for failures.

Solidus : What do you mean!?

Ocelot : Given the right situation, the right story, anyone can be
shaped
into Snake. Even rookies can fight like men of experience. An
instant creation of genius -- and this training kernel will
provide more than enough data to formulate such a program.
You,
Dead Cell, Olga -- you're all nothing but pawns placed to
create
the perfect simulation.

[Back atop Arsenal.]

Ocelot : Solidus, you and the boy were selected because your
relationship
resembles the one between Snake and Big Boss. Fortune, you and
the rest of Dead Cell stand in for the FOXHOUND squad that
Snake
took on in Shadow Moses. You're the most impressive collection
of
freaks outside of FOXHOUND.

We've gone to a lot of trouble to set you up against the boy.

That story about purified hydrogen bombs is just the tip of
the
iceberg. The project was already underway when I sunk that
tanker
along with your old man two years ago. Throwing your husband
in
the brig was a part of it too.

You were told that the eradication of Dead Cell six months ago
was an act of the Patriots. We provoked and encouraged your
hatred -- and you opted for vengeance, just as we planned.

Fortune : All orchestrated...?

Ocelot : Except for the appearance of the real Solid Snake. I wonder
now,
 who sent for you...?

[Fortune readies her rail gun.]

Fortune : All our misfortune was -- just a part of their project!

[Ocelot quickly pulls out a revolver and shoots her in the chest. It
didn't
miss. She looks down. stunned.]

Fortune : H-how could -- !

Ocelot : You're no Lady Luck. You have nothing we didn't give you.

Fortune : What?

[She falls to her knees. Scenes with Fortune are replayed.]

Ocelot : Do you know why no bullet could hit you? It wasn't magic or
some
New Age mumbo-jumbo. Certainly wasn't your psychic talents. It
was all staged by the Patriots.

Fortune : Staged?

Ocelot : You were being shielded by the electromagnetic weapons

technology
that the Patriots developed. Your Dead Cell comrades loved
your
father and husband -- we needed a pathetic wretch like you to
keep them focused. You've been our puppet all along -- just
like
Olga. You were hamming it up as the tragic heroine thanks to
the
script that the Patriots wrote for you. Pure self-indulgence
--
you couldn't get enough of the drama.

Fortune : ...I could have died whenever I wanted to...

[Fortune stands up with her gun at the ready.]

Ocelot : Hm? Thought I got her in the heart?

[Fortune fires. The shot is deflected by a field around Ocelot.]

Raiden : It missed!

[Ocelot sneers at Raiden. He turns back to Fortune.]

Ocelot :
Now I remember. Your heart's on the right.

Fortune fires another shot and gets the same results.

Ocelot : Waste of metal, my dear. Your luck's run out.

[Ocelot touches a small device on his belt.]

Ocelot : This is the little gizmo. There is no such thing as miracles

or
the super-natural only cutting-edge technology.

[Solidus quickly whips out his P90 and fires off a whole clip at Ocelot.]

Solidus : HRR!!

[All the shots go astray.]

Fortune : You bastard!

[Fortune coughs up some blood and falls to the ground. Ocelot leaps up
towards Ray's cockpit and stands atop it. Solidus fires some missiles at
Ocelot from his tentacle arms. Once again they all go off course and miss.
Ocelot make a taunting signal in the air and leaps into the cockpit of
Ray.
The great machine starts up and stands up.]

Ocelot : Now that I have enough data, all I have to do is retrieve

Arsenal...and clean up the refuse from the exercise.

Solidus : Just try!

[Solidus pulls out two swords and holds them at the ready. Ray fires a
stream of bullets at Solidus but he smoothly deflects all of them. One of
the bullets strikes Snake's handcuffs.]

Snake : !?

[Ocelot decides on another course of action.]

Ocelot : How's this then!?

[The missile holders on ray ready themselves.]

Snake : Damn!

[Fortune has gottne up. She steps in front of all the people atop Arsenal
and
extends her arms with her palms outwards, facing away from her.]

Fortune : Fortune!

Solidus : You idiot! Get the hell away from there!

Ocelot : I told you -- your luck's run out. Take your reward: it's all
the
payload RAY has. Die!!

[Ray fires all its missiles into the sky. They start to come down towards
the
defenseless people atop Arsenal.]

Snake : Everybody down!

[All the missiles come down atop Fortune but as if by magic all the
missiles
are deflected outward. Leaving everyone unscathed. Ocelot is stunned.]

Ocelot : What the -- ! Impossible!

[Ocelot fires a different type of explosive at them but these too miss.
Everyone is standing nonplussed and staring at Fortune.]

Snake : She is Lady Luck.

Fortune : My name is Helena Dolph Jackson. The daughter of a proud,

noble
soldier...

[She stumbles forward and coughs.]

Fortune : I can... see my family... again...

[Fortune dies and falls to the ground.]

Ocelot : Damn! ...Try this instead!

[The front of Ray opens.]

Snake : No!
[Just as he is about to press the button, Ocelot's arm begins to twitch.]

Ocelot : No! No, not now!!

[Ray now is standing fully upright. Ocelot climbs out of the cockpit.
When
he speaks it is evident that Liquid has taken control of Ocelot once
again.]

Liquid : Brothers!!

Snake : Liquid!

Liquid : I've been waiting for this.

Solidus : It can't be -- ?

[Flashbacks of to Shadow Moses and scenes from the tanker.]

Liquid : I've been inside this arm all along, waiting for the right
time
to awaken.

Snake : You were inside Ocelot?

Liquid : Yes -- a sleeper in the arm of a Patriots' spy.

Snake : It was you two years ago!?

Liquid : Exactly. I was controlling him. Snake, it was I that leaked

information about Arsenal to your partner and got you out
here.
You're the only one that can free me, after all...

[Back to Arsenal.]

Liquid : I'm off to bury the Patriots for good.

Solidus : You know where they are? How?

Liquid : Why do you think I choose Ocelot as my host? But before I go,
I
have a family matter to settle with both of you. There's room
for
only one Snake, and one Big Boss!

[Solidus fires missiles at Liquid but he is protected by the

electromagnetic
device on Ocelot's hip.]
Solidus : Grraah!

[Liquid hops into the cockpit of Ray and slams his fist down onto a
button.]

Liquid : Time to say goodbye.

[Ray moves to the precipice that marks the edge of the bulk of Arsenal.]

Snake : Damn!

[Snake struggles with his handcuffs.]

Liquid : Like surfing? It's a good way to go.

[Soon Snake breaks his handcuffs and runs like a madman after the escaping
Ray
unit.]

Snake : Liquid! Stop this thing!

Liquid : Hey, Snake! You coming?

Snake : Hrrraa!!!

[Ray leaps off of Arsenal and disappears into the waves. Snake is
following
close behind.]

Raiden : Snaaaake!!!

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11) What the hell?
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[Arsenal begins to move. The great ship moves underneath the Verrazano
Bridge
and heads for Lower Manhattan. The scene changes. Solidus and Raiden are
falling through the sky. They both land on the rooftop of a building.
They
 both get up and take stock of the scene. Arsenal has plowed it's way all
the
way through Lower Manhattan and they have both landed on top of a building
that they both know...]

Solidus : Federal Hall!

[Solidus starts to laugh and he throws up his arms.]

Raiden : What are you laughing at?

Solidus : Do you know what day it is today?

Raiden : ...April 30th?

[Real footage of Federal Hall.]

Solidus : That's right. George Washington took office as the first

president of the United States of America 200 years ago today.
And it happened right here. We were going to declare another
independence -- the dawn of a new nation -- here. The end of
the
Patriots' secret rule, liberation of this country -- this was
where it was supposed to begin, this is where freedom could
have
been born.

[Back to Solidus and Raiden.]

Raiden : All you want is power -- at any cost.

Solidus : Jack, it's not power I want. What I want is to take back from
the
Patriots are things like -- freedom, civil rights,
opportunities.
The founding principles of this country. Everything that's
about
to be wiped out by their digital censorship.

Jack, listen to me. We're all born with an expiration date. No

one lasts forever. Life is nothing but a grace period -- for
turning our genetic material into the next generation.

[Water is shown. The surface is rippling.]

Solidus : The data of life is transferred from parent to child. That's

how
it works. But we have no heirs, no legacy. Cloned from our
father
with the ability to reproduce conveniently engineered out.
What is
 our legacy if we cannot pass the torch? Proof of our existence
--
a mark of some sort.

When the torch is passed on from parent to child... It extends

beyond DNA, information is imparted as well.

[Back atop Federal Hall.]

Solidus : All I want is to be remembered. By other people, by history.

The
Patriots are trying to protect their power, their own
interests,
by controlling the digital flow of information. I want my
memory,
my existence to remain. Unlike an intron of history, I will be
remembered as an exon. That will be my legacy, my mark on
history. But the Patriots would deny us even that, I will
triumph
over the Patriots, and liberate us all. And we will become the
"Sons of Liberty"!

[Solidus throws his arms jubilantly to the sky. Raiden gets a Codec call.]

Colonel : Raiden, are you receiving? We're still here.

Raiden : How's that possible!? The AI was destroyed!

Colonel : Only GW...

Raiden : Who are you?

[The Colonel's face becomes a skull. It flashes back. This happens several
times.]

Colonel : To begin with -- we're not what you'd call -- human. Over the
past two hundred years -- A kind of consciousness formed layer
by
layer in the crucible of the White House. It's not unlike the
way
life started in the oceans four billion years ago. The White
House
was our primordial soup, a base of evolution --

We are formless. We are the very discipline and morality that

Americans invoke so often. How can anyone hope to eliminate
us?
As long as this nation exists, so will we.

Raiden : Cut the crap! If you're immortal, why would you take away
individual freedoms and censor the Net?

Rose : Jack, don't be silly.

Colonel : Don't you know that our plans have your interests -- not ours
--
 in mind?

Raiden : What?

Rose : Jack, listen carefully like a good boy!

Colonel : The mapping of the human genome was completed early this
century.
As a result, the evolutionary log of the human race lay open
to
us.

Rose : We started with genetic engineering, and in the end, we

succeeded
in digitizing life itself.

Colonel : But there are things not covered by genetic information.

Raiden : What do you mean?

Colonel : Human memories, ideas. Culture. History.

Rose : Genes don't contain any record of human history.

Colonel : Is it something that should not be passed on? Should that

information be left at the mercy of nature?

Rose : We've always kept records of our lives. Through words,

pictures,
symbols... from tablets to books...

Colonel : But not all the information was inherited by later

generations. A
small percentage of the whole was selected and processed, then
passed on. Not unlike genes, really.

Rose : That's what history is, Jack.

Colonel : But in the current, digitized world, trivial information is

accumulating every second, preserved in all its triteness.
Never
fading, always accessible.

Rose : Rumors about petty issues, misinterpretations, slander...

Colonel : All this junk data preserved in an unfiltered state, growing

at
an alarming rate.

Rose : It will only slow down social progress, reduce the rate of
evolution.

Colonel : Raiden, you seem to think that our plan is one of censorship.

Raiden : Are you telling me it's not!?

Rose : You're being silly! What we propose to do is not to control

content, but to create context.

Raiden : Create context?

Colonel : The digital society furthers human flaws and selectively
rewards
the development of convenient half-truths. Just look at the
strange juxtapositions of morality around you.

Rose : Billions spent on new weapons in order to humanely murder

other
humans.

Colonel : Rights of criminals are given more respect than the privacy of
their victims.

Rose : Although there are people suffering in poverty, huge donations

are made to protect endangered species. Everyone grows up
being
told the same thing.

Colonel : "Be nice to other people."

Rose : "But beat out the competition!"

Colonel : "You're special." "Believe in yourself and you will succeed."

Rose : But it's obvious from the start that only a few can succeed...

Colonel : You exercise your right to "freedom" and this is the result.
All
rhetoric to avoid conflict and protect each other from hurt.
The
untested truths spun by different interests continue to churn
and
accumulate in the sandbox of political correctness and value
systems.

Rose : Everyone withdraws into their own small gated community,

afraid
of a larger forum. They stay inside their little ponds,
leaking
whatever "truth" suits them into the growing cesspool of
society
at large.

Colonel : The different cardinal truths neither clash nor mesh. No one
is
invalidated, but nobody is right.

Rose : Not even natural selection can take place here. The world is
being engulfed in "truth."

Colonel : And this is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a
whimper.

Rose : We're trying to stop that from happening.

Colonel : It's our responsibility as rulers. Just as in genetics,

unnecessary information and memory must be filtered out to
stimulate the evolution of the species.

Raiden : And you think you're qualified to decide what's necessary and
not?
Colonel : Absolutely. Who else could wade through the sea of garbage you
people produce, retrieve valuable truths and even interpret
their
meaning for later generations?

Rose : That's what it means to create context.

Raiden : I'll decide for myself what to believe and what to pass on!

Colonel : But is that even your own idea?

Rose : Or something Snake told you?

Colonel : That's the proof of your incompetence, right there. You lack
the
qualifications to exercise free will.

Raiden : That's not true! I have the right --

Rose : Does something like a "self" exist inside of you?

Colonel : That which you call "self" serves as nothing more than a mask
to
cover your own being.

Rose : In this era of ready-made 'truths', "self" is just something

used
to preserve those positive emotions that you occasionally
feel...

Colonel : Another possibility is that "self" is a concept you

conveniently
borrowed under the logic that it would endow you with some
sense
of strength...

Raiden : That's crap!

Colonel : Is it? Would you prefer that someone else tell you? Alright
then.
Explain it to him.

Rose : Jack, you're simply the best! And you got there all by
yourself!

Raiden : Grrr...

Colonel : Oh, what happened? Do you feel lost? Why not try a bit of
soul-searching?

Rose : Don't think you'll find anything, though...

Colonel : Ironic that although "self" is something that you yourself

fashioned, every time something goes wrong, you turn around
and
place the blame on something else.

Rose : "It's not my fault. It's not your fault."

Colonel : In denial, you simply resort to looking for another, more

convenient "truth" in order to make yourself feel better.
Rose : Leaving behind in an instant the so-called "truth" you once
embraced.

Colonel : Should someone like that be able to decide what is "truth"?

Rose : Should someone like you even have the right to decide?

Colonel : You've done nothing but abuse your freedom.

Rose : You don't deserve to be free!

Colonel : We're not the ones smothering the world. You are.

Rose : The individual is supposed to be weak. But far from powerless

--
a single person has the potential to ruin the world.

Colonel : And the age of digitized communication has given even more
power
to the individual. Too much power for an immature species.

Rose : Building a legacy involves figuring out what is wanted, and

what
needs to be done for that goal. All this, you used to struggle
with. Now, we think for you.

Colonel : We are your guardians after all.

Raiden : You want to control human thought? Human behavior?

Colonel : Of course. Anything can be quantified nowadays. That's what

this
exercise was designed to prove.

Rose : You fell in love with me just as you were meant to, after all.
Isn't that right, Jack?

Colonel : Ocelot was not told the whole truth, to say the least.

Rose : We rule an entire nation -- of what interest would a single

soldier, no matter how able, be to us?

Colonel : The S3 Plan does not stand for Solid Snake Simulation. What it
does stand for is Selection for Societal Sanity...

[Scenes from the Arsenal Tengu fights and the Fission Mailed screen are
shown.]

Colonel : The S3 is a system for controlling human will and

consciousness.
S3 is not you, a soldier trained in the image of Solid Snake.
It
is -- a method, a protocol, that created a circumstance that
made
you what you are.

Rose : So you see, we're the S3. Not you.

[Codec screen.]

Colonel : What you experienced was the final test of its effectiveness.

Raiden : That's crazy.

Colonel : You heard what President Johnson said.

[President Johnson begins to speak.]

Johnson : The Arsenal's "GW" system is the key to their supremacy.

Colonel : The objective of this exercise was to establish such a method.

[Scenes from Metal Gear Solid are shown.]

Colonel : We used Shadow Moses as a paradigm for the exercise.

Rose : I wonder if you would have preferred a fantasy setting?

Colonel : We chose that backdrop because of its extreme circumstances.

It
was an optimal test for S3's crisis management capacity. If
the
model could trigger, control and solve this, it would be ready
for any contingency. And now, we have our proof.

[Codec screen.]

Colonel : Raiden, there are also reasons behind your selection. Solidus
raised plenty of other child soldiers. Do you know why we
chose
you over them?

Raiden : ???

Colonel : It was because you were the only one who refused to
acknowledge
the past. All the others remember what they were, and pay for
it
daily.

Rose : But you turn your back on everything you don't like. You do
whatever you like, see only the things you like, and for
yourself
alone.

Colonel : Yes -- Rose can attest to that.

Rose : You refused to see me for what I was. I lied to you, but I
wanted
to be caught. You pretended to be understanding, to be a
 gentleman... You never made a conscious attempt to reach out
to
me... The only time you did was when I gave you no choice but
to
do so...

Raiden : I was just trying not to...

Rose : What? "Trying not to hurt me?" Dear, the one you were trying
not
to hurt was yourself! Avoiding the truth under the guise of
"kindness" is all that you did! It occurred to you to do
nothing
but look out for yourself. Even if you claim that it was for
my
sake, that feeling was nowhere to be seen. In the end,
everything
was for your sake... I was never part of the picture.

Colonel : Ha, ha, ha...exactly right. So you see, you're a perfect

representative of the masses we need to protect. This is why
we
chose you. You accepted the fiction we've provided, obeyed our
orders and did everything you were told to. The exercise is a
resounding success.

[Emma Emmerich begins to speak.]

Emma : Didn't I tell you that GW was still incomplete? But not
anymore,
thanks to you.

Colonel : Your persona, experiences, triumphs and defeats are nothing

but
byproducts. The real objective was ensuring that we could
generate and manipulate them. It's taken a lot of time and
money,
but it was well worth it considering the results. I think
that's
enough talk. It's time for the final exercise. Raiden, take
Solidus down.

Raiden : Think again! I'm through doing what I'm told!

Colonel : Oh really? Aren't you forgetting something?

[Olga begins to speak.]

Olga : If you die, my child dies.

Colonel : The termination of vital signals from your nanomachines means

the
death of Olga's child. Not to mention the death of Rose.
She's
wired the same way.

Raiden : Rose -- does she actually exist?

Rose : Of course I do, Jack! You have to beLIEve me!

Raiden : Damn...

Colonel : It will be a fight to the death.

Rose : Solidus, at least, wants you dead.

Colonel : We will collect the necessary data from this last fight, then
we'll consider the exercise closed. So, Jack the Ripper!
Will
it be Solidus, the Patriots' creation? Or you -- Solidus'
creation? Our beloved monsters -- enjoy yourselves.

[The transmission ends, leaving the viewer terribly confused.]

[Solidus slowly walks towards Raiden.]

Solidus : Jack...my son. My clone brothers and I are called monsters --

replicates of evil genes... You are one-of-a-kind -- But still
a
monster, shaped by a dark and secret history. We need to
decide
which monstrosity will have the privilege of survival.

[Solidus squeezes his fist, savoring what he is about to say.]

Solidus : By the way, Jack, I was the one who killed your parents.

Raiden : !!

[Raiden is shown as a young boy.]

Solidus : I claimed you for my own, and raised you as a soldier in the
army
of the Devil. I am your foster father, and your worst enemy.

Raiden : Why?

Solidus : Because I needed to know whether we were really someone

else's
creation. We're repeating history, Jack.

[A picture of Big Boss appears in the middle of the screen. He is flanked

by
Solid and Liquid on either side of him.]

Solidus : Liquid and Solid hunted down Big Boss, trying to sever the tie
that bound them to him. Unless you kill me and face your past,
Jack, you will never escape. You'll stay in the endless loop
--
 your own double helix.

Solidus : It's time we were both free.

[Solidus tosses Raiden's sword through the air. At the end of its long arc
it cuts down through Raiden's handcuffs and his hands are unbound. He
picks
it up.]

Solidus : I have other reasons for wanting you dead. The clues to the
Patriots inside GW have been erased, but are other traces.

[He points one of his swords at Raiden.]

Solidus : Inside YOU.

Raiden : What?

Solidus : The information is being carried by the nanomachines in your

cerebral cortex, and throughout the neural network they
formed.

[The two get in the ready position.]

Solidus : Brace yourself!!

[The two of them fight. After a brief scuffle Solidus pauses at the edge
of
the roof.]

Solidus : Good work, Jack. But this is where it gets interesting!

[Solidus releases his tentacle arms and they go flying off. He then starts
an
intense attack on Raiden. Raiden gets a Codec call from the Colonel.]

Colonel : Raiden, you have to beat Solidus! This is your last duty!

Raiden : We're not just pawns in some simulation game, you know!

Rose : Yes, you are. You're nothing but mere weapons. No different
from
fighter jets or tanks.

Raiden : What the --

Colonel : The old model destroyed four years ago was "REX"...

Rose : The new amphibious model is "RAY"...

Colonel : Both of these are the same as the code names used by the U.S.
 Armed Forces to refer to Japanese war planes during World War
2.

Rose : Your code name "Raiden" too, comes from the Japanese navy's
name
for one of its interceptors...

Raiden : Stop it! I'm not a weapon!!

Colonel : Oh really? Do you know the code name the U.S. Armed Forces
used
for the Japanese fighter "Raiden"?

Rose : It was "Jack."

Colonel : Both of you are just weapons to be used and thrown away.

Rose : Just weapons to be used on the battlefield. Just pawns in a

game
-- exactly as you said.

Colonel : And a weapon has no right to think for itself! Now, it's time
to
fulfill your purpose! Defeat Solidus!

[They lock eyes. Solidus makes his move. He quickly moves forward and
slashes downward at Raiden with both swords. Raiden sees it coming and
moves
to the side. As Solidus moves forward, Raiden moves to the back of him.
He
raises his sword and brings it down right in the middle of Solidus's back.
The sword pierces his exoskeleton and severs his spine. Blood pours out
and
electric sparks fly from the suit.]

[Solidus drops both his swords as he staggers to the edge of the roof. He
looks briefly over the edge and then faces away from it. He pauses and
silently mutters something. He then falls backwards with his left arm
outstretched.]

[Raiden hears his crash to the ground and raises his sword in triumph.]

[At the base of Federal Hall, Solidus has landed at the statue of George
Washington. He reaches up to the statue with distinct reverence and then
he
exhales his final breath and his arms falls to his side.]

[A moment later Raiden has climbed down from the roof and is standing in a
deserted street. Then people start to appear out of nowhere and walk
around.
Nobody takes any notice of him. Some police officers dash towards Federal
Hall.]

Raiden : Who am I really...

Snake : No one quite knows who or what they are.

[Raiden spins around to see Snake standing right beside him.]

Snake : The memories you have and the role you were assigned are
burdens
you have to carry. It doesn't matter if they were real or not.
That's never the point.

[Real life footage of New York City.]

Snake : There's no such thing in the world as absolute reality. Most

of
what they call real is actually fiction. What you think you
see
is only as real as your brain tells you it is.

Raiden : Then what am I supposed to believe in? What am I going to

leave
behind when I'm through?

Snake : We can tell other people about -- having faith. What we had
faith
in. What we found important enough to fight for. It's not
whether
you were right or wrong, but how much faith you were willing
to
have, that decides the future. The Patriots are a kind of
ongoing
fiction too, come to think of it....

Raiden : ...

Snake : Listen, don't obsess over words so much. Find the meaning
behind
the words, then decide. You can find your own name. And your
own
future...

Raiden : Decide for myself...?

Snake : And whatever you choose will be you.

Raiden : I don't know if I can...

Snake : I know you didn't have much in terms of choices this time. But
everything you felt, thought about during this mission is
yours.
And what you decide to do with them is your choice...

Raiden : You mean start over?

Snake : Yeah, a clean slate. A new name, new memories. Choose your own
legacy. It's for you to decide. It's up to you.

Snake : By the way, what is that?

[Snake notices Raiden's dog tag. Raiden takes it off to look at it.]

Raiden : Dog tags?

[The dog tag says the player's name and birth date and whatever else the
player
entered in the first node.]

Snake : Anyone you know?

Raiden : No, never heard the name before. I'll pick my own name...and
my
own life. I'll find something worth passing on.

[He throws the dog tag as far as he can.]

Raiden : They taught me some good things too.

Snake : I know. We've inherited freedom from all those who've fought
for
it. We all have the freedom to spread the word. Even me.

Raiden : Snake, what about Olga's child.

Snake : Don't worry, I'll find him. Count on it. As long as you keep
yourself alive, he's safe.

Raiden : Do you know where Liquid went?

Snake : I put a transmitter on his RAY.

Raiden : Did he head for the Patriots?

Snake : Yeah. But I have a feeling they gave Ocelot a bogus location
to
begin with.

Raiden : ...

Snake : Cheer up. We have a better lead.

[Snake grabs a disc from his pocket.]

Snake : This contains a list of all the Patriots.

Raiden : But Ocelot took it!

Snake : The one we gave you wasn't the real thing.

Raiden : What?

Snake : This virus is coded to destroy only a specific part of GW --

 namely the information about the Patriots identity. Which
means,
that there is a parameter coded in here that defines what that
information is.

Raiden : I get it -- analyze the code and you can probably find out
where
they operate. Count me in --

Snake : No, you have things to do first. And people you need to talk
to...

Raiden : ???

[Snake leaves. Rose is standing in the street waiting for him. Raiden
turns
around to face Snake.]

Raiden : Snake?

[Snake is gone. Emma's parrot flies up into the sky.]

Rose : What's wrong?

Jack : Nothing.

[He turns around to face Rose.]

Jack : Can I ask you something? Who am I really?

Rose : I wouldn't know. But we're going to find out together, aren't
we?

Raiden : Uh? Yeah...

Rose : See me for what I am, okay?

Jack : I know.

[Scenes of New York.]

Rose : Do you remember this place?

Jack : Of course. This is where we first met... I remember now --

Today
is the day I met you. That's it. I think I found something to
pass along to the future. He said all living things want their
genes to live on.

Rose : Are you talking about the baby?

Jack : Yeah. But genes aren't the only thing you pass on. There are
too
 many things that aren't written into our DNA. It's up to us to
teach that to our children.

Rose : What kind of things?

Jack : About the environment, our ideas, our culture... poetry...

compassion... sorrow... joy... We'll tell them everything...
together.

Rose : Is that a -- proposal?

Jack : This is for your ears -- only...

[Cue the closing credits of the game.]

[After the credits there is another monlogue from Snake. This is

accompanied
by more scens of New York City.]

Snake : Life isn't just about passing on your genes. We can leave
behind
much more than just DNA. Through speech, music, literature and
movies... what we've seen, heard, felt ...anger, joy and
sorrow... these are the things I will pass on. That's what I
live for.

We need to pass the torch, and let our children read our messy
and sad history by its light. We have all the magic of the
digital age to do that with. The human race will probably come
to
an end some time, and new species may rule over this planet.
Earth
may not be forever, but we still have the responsibility to
leave
what traces of life we can. Building the future and keeping
the
past alive are one and the same thing.

[The title of the game appears overlying an image of the Statue of

Liberty.]

METAL GEAR SOLID 2:

SONS OF LIBERTY

[The screen fades to black but the title remains on screen. Snake and
Otacon
are talking on the Codec.]

Otacon : Snake, you there? It's me. I've finished going over that disc.

Snake : Did you find the Patriots' list?

Otacon : Of course. It contains the personal data of twelve people.

There
 was a name on it -- Snake, it was one of our biggest
contributors.

Snake : What's going on around here?

Otacon : I don't know...

Snake : Anyway, where are they?

Otacon : Well, we were right about them being on Manhattan, but...

Snake : But what?

Otacon : They're already dead. All twelve of them.

Snake : When did it happen?

Otacon : Well, ah...about a hundred years ago.

Snake : What the hell?

[The game ends with a creepy sound effect.]

===========================================================================
===
===========================================================================
===

Miscellaneous Transmissions

===========================================================================
===
===========================================================================
===

Here you will find all of the miscellaneous transmissions from the game.
Basically anything that wasn't in the main storyline of the game.

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01) The Terrorists and Dead Cell
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+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Pliskin about Dead Cell
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Raiden : Tell me a little more about Dead Cell.

Pliskin : Dead Cell was a shadow unit within the SEALS organization.

Raiden : Right. They handled surprise raids on vital government

facilities, didn't they?

Pliskin : Yes. They were originally put together to check the nation's
military security system. The unit was the brainchild of
ex-president George Sears... Dead Cell was a secret unit
positioned at the opposite end of anti-terrorist outfits such
as Delta Force and SEALS.

Raiden : Were they always a ...group of madmen?

Pliskin : No. They got weird when Colonel Jackson -- Fortune's husband
--
was sent to jail.

Raiden : Sent to jail? For what?

Pliskin : Corruption. He misappropriated government funds.

Raiden : Sounds like he deserved it...

Pliskin : That's what everybody else thought. Except for the members of
Dead Cell. They felt the Colonel was falsely accused. Fact is,
they took the case to the powers that be. But they never
managed
to reopen the case.

Raiden : Was there any truth to their claim?

Pliskin : Who knows? Whatever the situation is, Dead Cell's name was
tainted.

Raiden : And Colonel Jackson...?

Pliskin : He was being held at Leavenworth...

Raiden : "Was"...meaning he's been released?

Pliskin : Well... in a manner of speaking. The Colonel's dead.

Apparently
he lost the will to live and died in prison. The members of
Dead
Cell snapped with the loss of their leader. They underwent a
radical change and became uncontrollable.

Raiden : And that's why they undertook this terrorist operation?

Pliskin : Seems as good a reason as any...

+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Pliskin about Vamp
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : Vamp is a member of Dead Cell. Born in Romania, his specialty

is
 knives. But I guess you know that by now. When he was just a
kid,
he lost his family to a terrorist bomb that went off in a
church
they were attending. His body pierced by a crucifix, Vamp was
buried under the rubble for two days before he was finally
rescued. During those two days, he survived by feeding on the
blood of his family to quench his thirst. That was how he
acquired a taste for blood...

Raiden : So that's why they call him "Vamp"...

Pliskin : No. "Vamp" isn't for vampire. It's because he's bisexual...

Raiden : ...

Pliskin : Rumor has it Vamp was the lover of Scott Dolph, the Marine
Commandant who accidentally died two years ago. Scott Dolph
was
also the father of Fortune, the Dead Cell leader.

Raiden : Fortune's old man? But Fortune and Vamp...

Pliskin : You noticed, eh? Not bad for a rookie...

Raiden : Uh... right.

Pliskin : As you say, Vamp and Fortune are very close. Not lovers, but
very
close...

Raiden : Friends?

Pliskin : No. There's more to their relationship than that.

Raiden : But Vamp was her father's lover!

Pliskin : Would it have been better if it was with her mother? I don't
really think they care what you think. Focus on the mission.

Raiden : By the way, have you ever met the guy before?

Pliskin : No...

Raiden : But he seemed to know you...

Pliskin : Right. Well, I... no... ...it can't be... I told you that Dead
Cell is a group of madmen... I wouldn't take anything they say
very seriously.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Pliskin about Fortune
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Raiden : What do you know about that strange woman?

Pliskin : You mean Fortune? She's the Dead Cell leader. Her real name is
Helena Dolph Jackson... known to her friends as Lady Luck.
Raiden : Lady Luck?

Pliskin : Yeah. She got the name because bullets seem to veer away from
her
in battle. People have heard her say that her fortune in
battle
was payback for the lousy luck she's had in life...

Raiden : Lousy luck?

Pliskin : The death of her father, the Marine commander... The

conviction
of husband and Dead Cell leader, Colonel Jackson... These
events
were followed by her mother's suicide -- the loss of a husband
and the idea of a convict in the family apparently took her
over
the edge... Fortune was three months pregnant at the time and
the
shock of her mother's death led to the loss of her child. Add
to
this her husband's death in prison a few months later and...
To
sum it up, in the six months after her father's death, she
lost
her family and everything that mattered in her life.

Raiden : Geez, she's had it rough...

Pliskin : Yeah. The thing is, she didn't grieve long. Instead, she
joined
the military.

Raiden : Now why's that?

Pliskin : Do I look psychic? My best guess is revenge. I heard that she

firmly believed that her husband was framed... Anyway... by
the
time she came out of basic training, she'd proven many times
over
that she was "gifted" with an unusual streak of luck. In fact,
some say she sold her soul for it.

Raiden : Her soul?

Pliskin : Her uncanny luck earned her a reputation that led to her
appointment as the head of her husband's unit, Dead Cell.
She's
the widow of Dead Cell's former beloved leader. I'd heard that
she was welcomed with open arms by Vamp, who was the temporary
leader at the time. For Vamp, it also meant welcoming the
daughter of his former lover...

Raiden : Vamp and Fortune's mother...?

Pliskin : No. Vamp and Fortune's father... Vamp's bisexual.

Raiden : Oh... Wait a sec. I thought Vamp and Fortune...

Pliskin : Uh... yeah.

Raiden : ...

+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Pliskin about Fatman
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : Fatman... Supposedly he's nicknamed after an atomic bomb, but

to
me he's just a fat man. Something straight out of a sideshow.
If
he even has a bit of spare time, he spends it disassembling
and
assembling his Glock, over and over again. He can't stand to
have
his hands still. He's extremely vain about his hands -- keeps
his
fingers as slender and soft as a woman's. They say he's always
looking at his hands, giving himself manicures. Be careful of
him.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Stillman about Fatman
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Raiden : Stillman, tell me something about Fatman.

Stillman : Hmm... well, to start, he was born the son of a clockmaker.

Neglected by his parents and without friends, it seems that he
spent a lot of time by himself in his father's workshop. Maybe
that was the reason, I'm not sure, but apparently he has had a
tremendous fascination with clock mechanics since he was a
child.

It was at the age of ten that a guidebook that he found on the

Internet changed his life forever. That guidebook served as
the
basis of his eventually piecing together an atomic bomb. It
was
from there that he came to be known as Fatman, and soon enough
there was no one associated with bombs that didn't know his
name.
In a sense, Fatman was a hero. Although what he did was
recognized only by those in the trade, I'm sure that it served
to
greatly stir the ego of the teenage boy at the center of it
all.
But he leaves his mark nowhere else.

Apparently, he was hated and shunned by everyone in school. So

he went on to focus all his energy on explosives. He scorned
the
reality that surrounded him and instead chose to embrace a
world
that would easily grant him recognition. Well, to be sure, it
never amounted to anything more than, say, occasionally
bringing
a gun into school.
 Eventually, Fatman came to Indian Head, the exercise training
facilities of the Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal at
which I was a lecturer. He absorbed all kinds of knowledge, as
if
he hungered for bombs. Most of the students at Indian Head
flunk
out of what is truly a hellish curriculum. Despite this
environment, he achieved extraordinarily high marks that were
without precedent. After leaving Indian Head, he joined up
with
NEST (Nuclear Emergency Search Team), said to be the most
accomplished bomb disposal unit. It was there that he
apparently
got into some trouble.

Raiden : What, exactly?

Stillman : You got me. But Fatman was definitely not cut out for group
operations from the very start. Having been ousted from NEST,
he
was picked up by Dead Cell, which was already becoming
notorious
for being a motley crew of sorts. It seems that it was through
surprise attack maneuvers later conducted by Dead Cell that
Fatman completely subdued his former companions from NEST.
While
being the most peculiar individual among my students, he was
also
the most talented. Be sure not to underestimate him. Are we
clear?

+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Pliskin about Olga
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : Raiden... don't ever turn your back on that Olga woman. Olga
Gurlukovich... Daughter of Colonel Sergei Gurlukovich, ex-GRU
and
former Spetsnaz commander... She's the leader of Colonel
Gurlukovich's private army that's been wandering around the
Big
Shell. Those men were gathered by Colonel Gurlukovich.
Following
his death, she inherited his command and now exercises full
control. Her father's name was widely respected throughout the
old Soviet regime and he was the goal of just about every
military man.

Raiden : Why would a respected soldier become a leader of those

cut-throats?

Pliskin : The collapse of the republic resulted in a lot of unemployed

soldiers. Most found themselves suddenly cast out into the
civilian world, hopelessly lost. The Colonel took these men
in...
He organized a mercenary army, and led his men from battle to
battle in various disputed regions around the world... hoping
that one day he would rebuild his homeland. Rumor has it that
 during the Shadow Moses incident, he planned to rendezvous
with
Liquid Snake's men and assist in their uprising. I assume that
the revolt figured into his reconstruction plans for the
Soviet
regime. I also heard that Ocelot -- Liquid's right-hand man --
was an old friend of the Colonel's back in the old days of the
Soviet Union. In any case, Olga inherited her father's
military
genius and has become a force to be reckoned with. She was
born
and raised on the battlefield, and she's as tough as she
looks.
Not my ideal choice for a date...

Raiden : You sound like you've met her.

Pliskin : No. I haven't had the pleasure. Just remember what I said...
don't turn your back on her.

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02) Otacon Equipment Descriptions
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+=--=+=--=+
Bandage
+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : You've picked up gel bandages, I see. When you're bleeding,

select the bandage as an equipment to stop the blood. The
bandage
is a type of alginate dressing. It's a highly absorbent pad
that
gels blood and other fluids on contact. It releases calcium
ions
during absorption, hence the coagulating effect.

+=--=+=--=+
Camera
+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : I'll explain how to use the camera. That digital camera you
have
was specially made to take pictures of the prototype Metal
Gear.
When a picture is taken, the screen data is first stored in
the
camera's internal memory. Then it's automatically processed
 through various algorithms to protect against tampering. Each
picture is electronically stamped and distinctively encrypted.

So, in the off chance that someone alters the data during
transmission, we'll know immediately. Oh -- there's a limit
to
the internal memory's capacity. If the memory becomes full,
overwrite the pictures you don't need anymore. When you're
ready
to take a shot, use the L1 and R1 buttons to scroll left or
right
among the picture previews at the bottom of the screen. Send
the
pictures to me when you're done. Press the Action button when
you're in front of the workstation southeast from there, and
the
pictures will be sent to me. Get some good shots!

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Cardboard Box
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : Using the old cardboard box trick, huh? Looks good on you,
Snake.
Camouflage is the best way to slip past enemy surveillance.
But
cardboard is just paper when it comes down to it. It won't
withstand any serious assault for long. Don't rely on the
trick
too many times, either. And I recommend you keep it dry.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Chaff Grenade
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : Hey, you have a chaff grenade. You can use that to interfere
with
enemy radio communications and electronic devices for a short
time. The chaff grenade is a weapon that disperses aluminum
foil
or metal-coated glass and plastic fibers to confuse the enemy
radar. What you have is a portable application of the
chaff-launchers built into fighter planes. When detonated, the
grenade releases tiny chaff pieces as well as miniaturized
active
jammers using a small amount of explosives. The grenade can't
create full-scale chaff corridors or chaff clouds, but will
form
a Radar Cross Section area large enough for single-personnel
use.
This weapon is for electronic interference only, though. It
has
no effect on enemy personnel.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Cigarettes
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : Snake, are you smoking? You really should quit. First of all,
it
turns you into an instant target in the dark. As for what it
means to your health, I won't even go there. Remember what
Naomi
said about lung cancer rates Everyone knows that it's a
dangerous
substance.

Snake : So's war, and I've done that all my life.

Otacon : Well, you can screw up your own body if you like, but think
about
other people, okay?

Snake : This is the new kind that has almost no second-hand smoke. It
won't bother anyone.

Otacon : Oh really? Didn't I see you toss the butt off the bridge?
Littering, polluting...

Snake : Ummm...

Otacon : You have a long way to go, my friend.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Empty Magazine
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : Snake, you have an empty magazine in your hand. Why are you
still
carrying that around?

+=--=+=--=+
Grenade
+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : I see you have the grenade equipped. It's an anti-personnel

frag
grenade -- throw it at the enemy and the blast and fragments
will
take the enemy out. Watch out -- pushing the Weapon button
will
pull out the pin. Release the Weapon button to toss it. The
throwing distance depends on how hard you push the Weapon
button.
After pulling the pin, you'll have five seconds until the
grenade
explodes. Get familiar with changing the timing and throwing
distance of the grenade before it goes off.

+=--=+=--=+
M9
+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : What you're wielding right now is a converted Beretta M-92F,

designed to fire tranquilizer rounds. A direct hit will knock
the
target unconscious. Think of those rounds as tiny syringes.
The
impact of the round causes the mixing of two chemicals in the
shell. The resulting gas compresses a tiny piston and injects
the
tranquilizer in the bullet's tip into the target's skin. The
tranquilizer's effects are felt at different times depending
on
where the bullet lands. A head or heart shot will take effect
immediately, but a round that hits somewhere like feet or
hands
will take a while. Use the First Person View Attack for
maximum
accuracy. The gun is fitted with a suppressor, so there is no
need to worry about alerting the enemy with the noise. But
since
it is a tranquilizer gun, the M9 has its limitations. All it
can
do is knock the enemy unconscious. Keep that in mind.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Pentazemin
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : You have Pentazemin in your inventory. If you need to take

some,
select it in the Item Window and push the Enter button.
Pentazemin is a mild tranquilizer used to treat clinical
depression, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and anxiety. It
belongs to the benzodiazepinate family, and along with its
antidepressant and anti-anxiety qualities, it suppresses
convulsions. Take it when you have a tough shot ahead with the
sniper rifle and you need to minimize shakiness. But I guess
you
don't have one of those yet. Well...you can also try some if
you're feeling really seasick.

After taking the Pentazemin

Snake : Otacon, I took the Pentazemin and you're right -- the

seasickness
is gone!

Otacon : Wow! Really!?

Snake : What do you mean, "Really?" You said...

Otacon : Drugs are mostly about placebo effect. If you believe it's
effective, it is. You're more naive than I thought.

Snake : ...
+=--=+=--=+
Ration
+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : So you've got rations now. These are military food supplies,
and
allow you to recover some LIFE with use. If it is equipped in
advance, the ration will automatically be used and LIFE will
be
regained when you receive damage. You can select it in the
window
and push the confirmation button to use the item on the spot.
Rations were designed to be carried and eaten on the field.
They're all about functionality and calories. They use a
special
freeze-drying methods developed by NROC. They're compact,
portable, and last for weeks.

+=--=+=--=+
AP Sensor
+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : You're using the Anti-personnel Sensor, I see. It measures the

electromagnetic fields and heartbeat of life forms and
converts
the data into vibrations. If an enemy draws near, it will
vibrate. The stronger the vibration, the closer the enemy is.
But, remember, when using the Anti-personnel Sensor, you'll
only
be able to feel the vibrations coming from the sensor.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Stun Grenade
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : The stun grenade in your equipment is for incapacitating

enemies
without killing them. Stun grenades are non-lethal weapons
that
knock out enemy personnel with an intense flash of light and a
burst of sound. Once the grenade is airborne, a timed
detonator
ejects an internal cartridge using a small amount of
explosives.
The cartridge then explodes, and releases a flash rated at
over a
million candlepower, with an accompanying bang of over 200
decibels. The combinations of the flash and the bang
temporarily
overwhelms human sensory perceptions. There are no projectiles
released, so it can only knock out enemies, not wound them.
Keep
that in mind.
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Thermal Googles
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : You have the Thermal Goggles equipped huh? They provide night
vision by using variances in heat distribution to create an
image. It uses a two dimensional solid state projection system
to
create high-res images at sixty fps in real-time. By using the
Thermal Goggles, you can take a look at the enemy's neck to
see
if they have dog tags or not.

+=--=+=--=+
USP
+=--=+=--=+

Otacon : Snake, that handgun of yours is a USP. The USP comes in a

variety
of calibers, from a 9mm to a .45. Yours is a 9mm, with 15
rounds
per magazine. It's also equipped with a flashlight for
nighttime
shooting. In the dark, select the USP and aim to turn on the
light. Unlike the M9, the USP isn't suppressor-equipped. The
gunshots may bring enemy reinforcements running, so be
careful.

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03) Otacon's Proverbs
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Otacon : Snake, you of course know the saying "One for all, all for
one."

Snake : What is this, all of a sudden?

Otacon : Oh, I figured you'd need a lot of motivation, so I came

prepared.
It's from 'The Three Musketeers' -- the book, not the candy
bar.
Anyway, it means that if you go up against everyone by
yourself,
they'll gang up on you too. I think. Since you're on your own
on
that ship, you need to take this to heart and avoid
 confrontations. How was that? Just like the old days, huh?

Snake : Almost reminds me of Mei Ling, but... You sure you got it
right?

Otacon : Of course! And I'll teach you a lot more of these, you can
count
on it.

Snake : Great...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : Okay... There's a saying that goes "Even a bird on high dies a
glutton's death, as do the fish of The Deeps." The lesson is
--
er, don't be greedy. The fish that belonged to a family called
the Deeps died from overfeeding, and so did a bird that got
high
on something -- probably fermented fruit.

Snake : ...okay. If you say so.

Otacon : I do, Snake. Don't take unnecessary risks just because you're
greedy for more Items. Remember the Deep family's fish.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : Another Chinese proverb: "Those who look to the Heavens

prosper,
those who defy it are no more." Do you know this one? The
meaning
here is -- hold on a sec -- that you can only survive as long
as
you're a part of the natural order of things. You remember
pre-ripped jeans? Manufacturers thought that just because
people
loved old, broken-in jeans, they would want to buy new jeans
that looked old. So they purposefully --

Snake : What do jeans have to do with nature and order?

Otacon : Denim should fray and rip on its own, naturally. Right? Some
designers tried to go against that, and -- no one bought them!
The earnings report from that fiscal year is enough of a
proof!

Snake : Earnings...?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : Hey, Snake, what's "Hardest won, most easily lost"? It's time,
get it? Amazing how relevant these Chinese proverbs still are!
Once the moment's gone, it's gone. Except for daylight savings
time, of course. That extra hour to do anything you like with
 every autumn... gotta love it. Then again, you lose an hour
every
spring, so I guess the proverbs are right. Wow, they thought
of
everything.

Snake : Did they even have daylight savings back then?

Otacon : Of course not! They knew how to save time. We're the ones that
need to be tricked into it.

Snake : But you said --

Otacon : The moment never returns, Snake. Let's not waste it on idle
questions.

Snake : Okay...?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : The Chinese have a saying: "Those who are lost never question
a
path, and a drowning man doubts not the shallows." And it
means
-- means that you need to make use of other people's help.
Otherwise, you could be in trouble. If you're lost, you don't
even know whether a road you come across is a right one, and,
uh,
what's the difference between shallow and deep if you've
already
drowned...right? Anyway, the point is that help is always a
good
thing to accept. So make good use of the Codec.

Snake : Look -- this stuff seems nothing like what Mei Ling used to
talk
about.

Otacon : Hey, she couldn't do better herself!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : "Acquaintances agree. Friends argue." That's a straightforward

one. The better friends you are, the more openly you can
disagree with each other. So feel free to present a
counterpoint
if you don't agree with what I'm saying. Argue away!

Snake : Sure. All right.

Otacon : ...Not a promising start. OK, forget what I said -- just go

along
with my advice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Otacon : Do you know the saying "One forgets the hurt once the wound
has
healed"? And that of course means -- uh -- where'd I put that
piece of paper --

Snake : Did you say something?

Otacon : No, nothing. So, uh, forgetting the pain when the wound's
healed
means... Um -- That you have to get better fast! Yeah, that's
it.
So stock up on those rations and bandages.

Snake : Is that really all it means?

Otacon : Hey, I'm the expert here.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : Snake, have you heard this one? "Evil is human nature, and his
entire being, falseness." The concept of so-called Original
Sin.
The idea that you're born bad, so you can't help doing bad
things...

Snake : Hold on. I thought the idea of Original Sin was that you had
to
work even harder at being good because you were born evil!

Otacon : Er -- oh yeah, that too. Very good, Snake.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : You know the story about Achilles and Paris? The moral here is
--
er -- something about his heel? Anyway, even the great and
virtually immortal hero Achilles was finally done in by Paris.
Talk about a dangerous city. So don't get complacent. The
mission
can turn around and get you.

Snake : Wasn't Paris a person? Paris. I thought he was a --

Otacon : Snake, there's a time and place for conspiracy theories.

Please,
I'm trying to concentrate here.

Snake : Huh? Ah, sorry...?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : Do you know the saying "Those who walk a hundred leagues think
not that their journey is half ended until the ninetieth
league"?
 That means... -- what does it mean -- OK. It means that if
you're
planning to walk that far, you'd better damn well know how to
do
simple arithmetic. Study! Stay in school!

Snake : This seems to be getting more and more random.

Otacon : Correction -- it's becoming more deep. Trust me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : OK -- "A frog in a well knows not of the great ocean." Hey, I
don't like this one at all. Trapping a little frog in a well?
That sucks, that's really cruel. Of course it's not going to
see
the big blue sea the lack of sunlight alone will kill it
pretty
quick. Sure, locking someone up is a good way to make sure
they
don't see what you don't want them to. But this is a terrible
saying, and I don't like it at all. Poor little froggy...!

Snake : ...I really think you've got this one wrong.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : The Chinese have a proverb that goes "Scholars hold in esteem
knowledge, not acts." See, they just sit around thinking,
instead
of actually doing. Which doesn't make them too useful. Action
is
what matters! I think.

Snake : Look, what I heard from Mei Ling was that --

Otacon : Snake, have you noticed that you bring her up a lot?

Snake : Huh? That isn't the --

Otacon : Here we go again. What am I going to do with you? Like I was

saying -- You and your hyperactive libido. It's a good thing
one
of us can keep all the details straight.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : This is my favorite Chinese saying: "Better to be first among

roosters than last among bulls." Of course, the meaning's
clear:
If you have to choose between being a chicken or a cow, pick
the
chicken. Cows are always being messed with by aliens -- cattle
mutilations are up, you know. Why go looking for trouble,
right?
 If an enemy spots you, you'll be in more trouble than a cow on
a
UFO. You stay out of their sight!

Snake : Why would aliens be in an old Chinese proverb?

Otacon : Everyone knows they've been visiting us for thousands of

years.

Snake : ...news to me.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Otacon : Snake, do you know the Chinese proverb "Care avoids err"? Kung
word meaning "what." There are some linguists who think that
this
accounts for an almost universal utterance of the syllable
"er"
when people are at a loss for words. A kind of vestigial --

??? : What a crock! What did you do with that little cheat sheet I
made
you!

Otacon : Er --

??? : Oh, there it is -- Hey!

Otacon : Er, that's really a...

??? : How could you do that! You know how busy I am and you -- !!

Otacon : It's not what you think...

??? : Oh, so what am I thinking?

Snake : What's going on over there?

??? : Oh, hi, Snake. Do you know that Otacon's been --

Otacon : Er, Mei Ling, we're in the middle of a mission and everything!
So
can we, you know...

Mei Ling : Fine. Sure. And Snake, the real meaning of "Care avoids err"
is
that if you're cautious, you can avoid making serious
mistakes.
Even if you've gotten used to the mission, watch what you do.
Good luck!

Otacon : Yeah, Snake! Good luck!

Mei Ling : You, I'm not done with.

Otacon : Ack... Let's discuss this, shall we?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Otacon : Err...

Snake : What happened to Mei Ling?

Otacon : Hee. She got mad and went offline.

Snake : What did you do?

Otacon : Nothing! Now don't we need to get back to the mission? So much
to
do, so little time...

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04) Pliskin's Equipment Descriptions
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+=--=+=--=+
AKS-74u
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : So, you've got an AKS-74u. If you wear an enemy's field outfit
and carry an AK, you can pass for one of them. The AK is an
outstanding rifle in terms of precision and reliability. As
evidenced by widespread licensed manufacturing -- not to
mention
large quantities of illegal reproductions -- the AK is in high
demand around the world. It is often used as reference for the
design of new rifle models. Designs for Israel's Galil,
Finland's
Valmet, and other rifles are based on the basic structure of
the
AK. You have a smaller model of the AKS-74 that was designed
for
use by Special Forces personnel. The stock will only extend to
a
maximum length of 726mm ...a feature that makes the rifle
easier
to handle in small spaces.

Without suppressor

Pliskin : The AK can be fitted with a suppressor. With a suppressor, you

won't have to worry about your gunshots being heard.
 With suppressor

Pliskin : So, you're using the suppressor. Now you won't have to worry
about the enemy hearing your gunshots.

+=--=+=--=+
Bandage
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : I see you have the bandage equipped. Whenever you're bleeding,
select the bandage in the menu display and press the
Confirmation
button to stop the bleeding. The bandage is an absorption pad
made from alginate fiber. As you probably know, when alginate
fibers come into contact with blood or liquids, the colloid
gels
to produce a moist condition for speeding up the healing
process.
With outstanding absorption properties in terms of speed and
capacity, bandages effectively stop bleeding.

+=--=+=--=+
B.D.U.
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : I see you're wearing the enemy field uniform(B.D.U.). Looks

pretty good on you.

Raiden : Cut it out. It's bad enough that I'm dripping with sweat
wondering when somebody's gonna see through my disguise.

Pliskin : Don't worry. And quit being so sensitive. At least your walk
won't give you away...

Raiden : My walk? Whaddya mean my walk?

Pliskin : Nothing. Forget I said it. I'd worry more about the fact that
the
uniform's a little small for your size. It just might come off
when you bump into an enemy... Normally, a proper-fitting
uniform
is issued to a soldier. You're just going to have to fit your
movement to the uniform...

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Binoculars
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : That pair of binoculars is a high-end military model with

auto-focus and zoom features. The binoculars will be
particularly
useful when used outside the "Big Shell." If you can spot an
enemy in the distance at an early stage, it'll give you plenty
of
 time to do something. Scouting out the location of your enemy
is
vital to the success of an infiltration mission.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Body Armor
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Snake : I see you're wearing body armor. That's a great way to

minimize
damage. Your body armor is interwoven with a special fiber
made
from high-performance polymer materials. The special fiber
tangles around a bullet to cushion and spread out the impact
to
keep damage at a minimum. Bear in mind that the armor just
reduces damage. It doesn't eliminate it.

+=--=+=--=+
Book
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : Raiden... what've you got there? Oh, come on... don't play
dumb.
That kind of thinking might even be helpful on the
battlefield.

Raiden : Yeah, but...

Pliskin : Look... aside from its educational value, you can probably use
it
to distract an enemy...

+=--=+=--=+
C4
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : I see you've managed to get a hold of some C4 plastic

explosive.
Containing inert plasticizers, it's a white, claylike
material.
It's a very stable explosive with over 1.3 times the power of
TNT. Immune to heat or shock, C4 will only explode when
triggered
by a detonator. Since your wireless detonator is equipped with
both a scrambler and encryption, you don't have to worry about
the C4 being accidentally triggered by other wavelengths such
as
those emitted by jamming devices. You set the C4 with the
Weapon
button and detonate it with the Punch button. One other
thing...
don't get caught in its blast.
+=--=+=--=+
Camera
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : Planning to take some pictures? Well, you've got the right
camera
for the task. With auto-focus and zoom features, this camera
guarantees clear pictures. It won't wear with use... so take
all
the shots you want.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Cardboard Box
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : The cardboard box that you have is ideal for fooling your
enemies. It's a very important tool for infiltration missions.
Of
course. I can't begin to count the number of agents whose
lives
were saved by a cardboard box...

Raiden : You mean everyone's using them?

Pliskin : Look. I'm not exaggerating when I say the success of your
mission
hinges on how you use that cardboard box. But in the end, a
cardboard box is only made of paper. Handle it with care or it
won't be of much use to you. Y'know... I've lost a couple
thanks
to you...

Raiden : ?

Pliskin : Nothing... forget it. Treat your cardboard box with care. Take
care of the box and it'll take care of you... Don't think of
it
as just another box. Treat it with love... Don't be rough.
Okay?

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Chaff Grenade
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : You're holding a chaff grenade -- an electronic warfare weapon

designed to disrupt electronic equipment and jam
transmissions.
Detonated with a small charge, the grenade releases chaff and
a
miniature active jammer. The grenade should render electronic
equipment useless for a brief period of time. It's important
to
note that radar and other equipment which you might have on
hand
will also be affected. So be careful with the thing if you're
using electronic devices.
+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Cigarettes
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : I see you've still got those cigarettes I gave you.

Raiden : I quit a long time ago...

Pliskin : Maybe now's the time to start again? Just joking, kid. Those
things'll stunt your growth and ruin your health. But in the
battlefield, you'll find there's other uses for those
cigarettes
besides smoking. I'm sure you'll figure out how to use 'em
when
the time comes...

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Claymore
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : That's a Claymore mine. The Claymore is a directional mine

that
can be set up on the ground. It's mainly used for ambush or
defense. It can also be used against light vehicles and other
soft- skinned targets. This mine goes off when it detects
someone
approaching from the front. The explosion fans out shrapnel
and
metal balls to create a fan-shaped destructive zone. An
important
thing to remember is that the sensor is not selective... the
mine
will attack friend or foe. What I'm trying to say is -- don't
trigger your own trap. You can recover a set Claymore by
crawling
up to it carefully. That means you can collect enemy Claymores
for your own use if necessary...

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Coolant
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : The coolant spray that you have is great for freezing the C4
set
by Fatman. After you equip the spray, you can discharge the
coolant by pressing the Weapon button. When the coolant is
exposed to the open air, it changes into a gel and adheres to
the
C4 and stays at a low temperature. Spray a lot of coolant to
cover the C4 and make sure that it won't melt away. This means
that once you coat the C4 with this stuff, you can assume it
won't explode. You've got enough there so you don't have to
worry
 about running out. It's important to remember that once you
equip
yourself with the spray, you won't be able to move. If an
enemy
approaches while you're spraying the coolant, the best thing
to
do is put it away and hide. On top of dealing with the C4, you
can use the spray against an enemy. Don't forget that.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Directional Mic
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : The directional microphone is a very sensitive piece of

equipment
that picks up the slightest sound. It's a high-precision mike
that's been designed to pick up sounds in front of it. In
short,
it will pick up sounds in the direction you point it. The
microphone comes equipped with a miniature amplifier that will
pick up a heartbeat if it's pointed properly at a living
target.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Empty Magazine
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : What you've got there is an empty magazine for hand guns and
automatic weapons. Press the Weapon button for the windup, and
release the button to throw it. Hitting an enemy with it won't
do
much damage. But if used properly, it will provide a
distraction.
Throwing distance depends on how strong you press the Weapon
button. It might be even more useful if you can accurately
throw
the magazine to a desired spot

+=--=+=--=+
Grenade
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : The hand grenade is an anti- personnel weapon that is manually

delivered to a target. Put simply -- you throw it. The blast
itself and the resulting shrapnel takes out enemy targets. You
press the Weapon button to pull the pin, and release the
button
to throw the grenade. Throwing distance varies with how hard
you
press the Weapon button. After pulling the pin, you have about
five seconds before the grenade explodes. Those five seconds
combined with the throwing distance gives you a certain amount
of
tactical flexibility.
+=--=+=--=+
M4
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : Looks like you've got an M4. The M4 is an assault carbine

favored
by the U.S. SOCOM. It's a descendant of the M1 carbine used in
World War II. The "4" refers to the fact that it's the fourth
carbine to be officially adopted by the American military.
Basically, it was developed for the Special Forces using the
M16A
as a base. The M4 carries thirty rounds of 5.56mm x 45 SS109s.
By
the way, carbines are short-barreled rifles originally
developed
for cavalry use. But as far as you're concerned... you won't
need
to remember that. This'll reduce your chances of discovery as
long as you don't leave too many bodies around... Your ammo is
also limited, so don't go shooting everything in sight.

+=--=+=--=+
M9
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : That's a tranquilizer gun with a sound suppressor. Hit an

enemy
with that and it's good night, sleep tight... The time in
which
the tranquilizer takes effect depends on where you hit your
target. If you want to knock somebody out with a single shot,
aim
carefully for vital spots like the head or heart.

Raiden : I think I've seen this modified gun before...

Pliskin : Yeah. It looks like the same gun used by Solid Snake two years
ago. Following that terrorist incident, similar models were
made
and sold among the fans of his exploits. I think that's one of
them. That's an American military M9 modified for tranquilizer
bullets. When the tranquilizer bullets hit a target, the round
uses the force of the impact to mix the drug, also producing a
gas in the process. The pressure of the gas drives a built-in
piston that injects the target with a powerful anesthetic.
It's
like firing a small hypodermic syringe. This M9 is a
tranquilizer
gun that knocks out the enemy... it doesn't kill them.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Mine Detector
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : That mine detector that you're equipped with displays the
 location of Claymore mines that aren't visible to the naked
eye.
It's not your run-of-the-mill mine detector. It isn't a metal
detector. It's based more on the various systems used in
chemical
detectors. In short, it doesn't respond to a mine's metallic
casing. It actually detects the elements used in explosives.
Basically, it's similar to the sensor that the old man gave
you... the one that responds to the "smell" of C4. That's why
you
can accurately detect the location of mines despite the fact
that
you're in a metal-based structure. There's no point using the
detector without employing the radar.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Night Vision Googles
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : Those night vision goggles will let you see in the dark. The
goggles are equipped with an image intensifier that amplifies
even the lowest levels of light to produce clear images. Night
vision devices were introduced in the 1940s. Since then,
they've
undergone several modifications to improve both sensitivity
and
resolution. Incidentally, the set you're using is a
fourth-generation model.

+=--=+=--=+
Nikita
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : You've got yourself a remote-controlled missile. Referred to

as
Nikita, it's a wireless guided projectile. It's a surveillance
missile based on Micro Air Vehicle technology. You control it
by
watching the image transmitted from the CCD camera mounted on
the
missile. Although it's primarily designed for scouting
missions,
it carries a small explosive charge that allows a long-
distance
attack. You can also trigger the charge by removing it from
equip
status following the missile's launch. You won't be able to
move
while controlling the missile. Also, you'll have to be careful
that you don't run out of fuel while it's in flight. Unlike VR
training, you won't have a bird's-eye view to help you control
the missile.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Pentazemin
+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Pliskin : You have the Pentazemin equipped, huh. To steady your hands
when
aiming with a sniper rifle, select Pentazemin in the menu
display and press the Confirmation button. Pentazemin is a
benzodiazepine anti-depressant used in the treatment of
disorders
such as depression and autonomic imbalance. In addition to its
calming effect, it also relaxes muscular tension and combats
convulsions. The result is a steady set of hands. One more
thing... Pentazemin does not prevent seasickness...

Raiden : Seasickness...? What are you talking about?

Pliskin : I mean sometimes faith can overcome medical science. Never

mind...

+=--=+=--=+
PSG-1
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : The PSG1 is an anti-terrorist automated sniper rifle. It

features
roller-locked action which allows a full free-floating barrel.
The end result is an automatic rifle with precision equal to
that
of a bolt-action sniper rifle. The rifle has a 5-round group
capacity of 50 mm at a range of approximately 270 meters. In
my
opinion, the PSG1 is one of the finest sniper rifles in the
world. Although you've probably fired a few rounds in VR
training, there are a few differences in handling the rifle
you
should be aware of. First, that the PSG1 is equipped with a
special magnification-adjustable scope. For precision
shooting,
it allows you to zoom in on your target. And for wide-range
viewing, all you have to do is zoom out. Another difference is
that you aren't limited to firing from the prone position. In
short, you can fire from a crouching or standing position.
However, the less stable your position, the tougher it is to
hold
your aim steady. For accuracy, the best thing to do is crawl
up
to your target and fire from a prone position.

+=--=+=--=+
PSG-1 T
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : The PSG1-T that you have there is a PSG1 with a modified
barrel
for firing tranquilizer rounds. It handles like a PSG1. The
only
difference is that it spares lives. It's up to you whether you
want to use it or not.
+=--=+=--=+
Rations
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : You've got rations. Rations are military food provisions

capable
of LIFE recovery. Select a ration in the menu display and
press
the Confirmation button for LIFE recovery. If you equip
yourself
with rations, you can automatically recover LIFE the moment it
hits zero. Field rations are not just emergency food. For a
soldier, it's a vital factor in maintaining combat efficiency.
Rations are the result of concentrated research and
development
efforts on the part of the U.S. Military's Cooking Laboratory.
Together with calories, meticulous attention is focused on
balanced nutrition. Freeze-dried, the rations are easy to
carry
and keep well. It ain't home cookin', but it'll satisfy your
nutritional needs.

Raiden : Hmmm.

Pliskin : What's on your mind?

Raiden : Well, just between you and me?

Pliskin : Sure. What is it?

Raiden : I prefer rations over Rose's home cooking...

Pliskin : That bad, huh?

+=--=+=--=+
RGB6
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : You've got an RGB6. A Croatian- manufactured 40mm, 6-round

grenade launcher. It's a weapon that was unavailable in VR
training. The RGB6 has a spring-driven revolver-type cylinder
for
handling six grenades. It delivers grenades with greater
accuracy
than throwing the things, and it's effective for taking out
enemies with body armor -- not to mention those hiding behind
objects. Since a launched grenade travels on a parabolic
trajectory, hitting a target depends on your angle of fire.

+=--=+=--=+
Sensor
+=--=+=--=+
Pliskin : You're using your Anti-Personnel Sensor. It vibrates whenever
an
enemy is approaching your position. The sensor responds to the
electromagnetic field and heartbeat of life forms. The closer
an
enemy, the bigger the vibration. It's a useful device. But
remember that if you're equipped with the sensor, you won't
be able to feel any other vibrations around you. It's like
life... You gain something only to lose something else. It's
up
to you to decide where and when you want to use it.

+=--=+=--=+
Sensor A
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : I see the old man set you up with a Sensor A unit. Aside from
C4,
explosives continually release their own specific particles.
Based on ion mobility spectrometry technology, Sensor A is
capable of detecting particle clusters. Simply put, the
detector
can "sniff out" C4. The detected C4 appears on radar as a
cloud-like shape. The cloud indicates the rough location of
the
explosive. This sensor looks like it's been specially tuned.
It's
been specially modified to sniff out the signature odor of C4
combined with Fatman's special perfume that he uses to
identify
his work. That's why it won't respond to any of the C4 that
we've
set up.

After defeating Fatman

Pliskin : (see above) We got a lot of use out of this thing. We probably
won't need it anymore.

+=--=+=--=+
Sensor B
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : You're using Sensor B. It's designed to pick out the

"odorless"
C4 set up by Fatman. Unlike Sensor A, which detects explosive
particles, this unit detects the explosive inside an object
sealed by neutron emission. The sensor should be able to
detect
C4, despite the fact that it's been securely sealed to prevent
"odor" or more specifically the diffusion of explosive
particles.
When neutronspass through an object, the hydrogen material it
contains interacts to produce a rear diffusion. By measuring
this
 rear diffusion with the detector, the resulting value is
analyzed
to determine the existence of an explosive. Simply equipping
yourself with this unit and the sensor will automatically scan
the area around you, and will sound a warning if there's an
explosive nearby. Always remember that the shorter the
intervals
between the warning sound, the closer the location of the
bomb.
This sensor is adjusted to respond only to the C4 used by
Fatman.
The composition of our C4 and that of Fatman's seems to be
slightly different. I think it may be the wax materials that
he
uses in his explosives. The old man probably concentrated the
bulk of his time on making this modification.

After defeating Fatman

Pliskin : (see above) However, since we've taken care of all the C4, and
given the fact that Fatman is no longer with us... I don't
think
we'll need this sensor anymore.

+=--=+=--=+
SOCOM
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : That pistol you have is a SOCOM. It's a 45-caliber Offensive

Handgun designed for the American Special Ops Command. With
twelve rounds of 45ACP's, it has outstanding stopping power.
The
SOCOM has a minimum service life averaging over 6,000 rounds,
and
has a five-round group capacity that extends within a 1.4-inch
radius. It's a bit large, but the SOCOM is a gun you can
trust.
It also comes equipped with a laser aiming module.

Without suppressor

Pliskin : A suppressor can be attached to the SOCOM to silence gunshots.

You should try to find one.

With suppressor

Pliskin : You've got a suppressor, too. Your SOCOM's got a suppressor.

The
suppressor uses multiple partitions to reduce gas discharge
and
keep sound and muzzle fire to a minimum. By keeping the
internal
baffles moist, sound can be reduced by approximately thirty-
eight
 decibels. That suppressor can be screwed and secured to 10
different positions. This function allows you to adjust the
gun's
impact point. But that doesn't really matter. That's because
the
suppressor's already been adjusted. You should be able to get
the
same results you got when you didn't have a suppressor
attached.

+=--=+=--=+
Stinger
+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : The Stinger is a portable surface-to-air missile launcher.

Once
you lock on to a target and fire, the missile will
automatically
pursue the target using its infrared seeker. However, the
Stinger
you have hasn't been updated to deal with countermeasures. The
missile's seeker might be thrown off course by flares. Don't
forget that.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Stun Grenade
+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : A stun grenade, huh? It's a non-lethal weapon designed to daze

enemies with a blinding flash of light and an ear-splitting
bang.
When it goes off, it emits a flash equivalent to 2.5 million
candels and an explosive sound of over 160 decibels. In
simpler
terms, that's over 120 times the brightness of a police
flashlight and the sound of a jet during take-off. There is
also
a lot of heat. But that's only at the millisecond level. So
don't
expect it to ignite anything. The sound emission is also at
the
millisecond level so there's no permanent damage to the
victim's
hearing. Used properly, your enemies will lose
consciousness...
it's not a lethal weapon.

+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+
Thermal Googles
+=--=+=--=+=--=+=--=+

Pliskin : Those Thermal Goggles provide night vision by creating images

from heat distribution. The goggles have a resolution of over
400,000 pixels. This performance is largely attributed to the
use
 of a two-dimensional solid projection system with outstanding
electric charge transfer capability. With these goggles, you
can
probably see Claymore mines that are rendered invisible with
stealth camouflage. If you look around the necks of enemy
soldiers, you can probably make out their dog tags.

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05) Emma's Arguments
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Otacon : Okay, Raiden. Let me talk to Emma.

Raiden : Sure. One condition... no arguing.

Otacon : No problem. Put her on.

[Raiden does so.]

Otacon : E.E.? Is that you?

Emma : Yes. What do you want?

Otacon : Why did you get involved in weapons development? A lot of

people
will get hurt... even more will die! I'm talking about the
destruction of homes and cities... radioactive contamination
for
years to come. You of all people should know the horror of
nuclear weapons! You know about our family's dark history!
Why,
E.E.? Why!?

Emma : You left me... you made my life a living hell!

Otacon : I didn't have a choice!

Emma : Don't lie to me! The pool... you could never look me in the
eye
after the accident! You took the easy way out, so you wouldn't
have to face me! That way, you could avoid responsibility
every
day... You ran... you ran away so you wouldn't have to face
the
pain!

Otacon : No... that's not why I left...

Emma : You left me and took the easy way out...

Otacon : That's not true. I left the house because...

Emma : You're a criminal! Just like me!

Otacon : A... criminal...?

Emma : I know what you did! You manipulated our account on the
network... Look at what you're doing now... you're nothing but
a
cracker!

Otacon : No. I'm just applying my knowledge for the cause...

Emma : The cause!? What cause!? Justice!?

Otacon : For peace, E.E.! I'm not like Snake... I can't carry a gun and
face the enemy... That's why I do what I do best...

Emma : Oh, right! Nice justification, Hal! Forget about being a

criminal. You'd make a great lawyer!

Snake : All right already... That's enough!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Raiden : Uh...

Emma : Out of my way! Let me talk!

Raiden : You want to talk to Otacon?

Raiden : I'll put him on... Snake...

Emma : Let me talk to him!

Raiden : Uh, yeah.

Snake : Otacon's busy right now. You'll have to settle for me.

Emma : What...? O-okay...

Snake : Right. Now what do you want?

Emma : Hal's wrong. Science doesn't exist to benefit the world.

Snake : Then what is it for?

Emma : Science is for the individual. For me, it's a way to realize
my
dreams.

Snake : That sounds pretty greedy.

Emma : You can't realize your dreams without greed.

Snake : And what's your dream?

Emma : Take revenge on Hal... to beat him at his own game...

Snake : Revenge?

Emma : I'm gonna make him regret the day he left me... I'm going to
make
him realize he was wrong!

Snake : Of all the idiotic... I think that's enough.

Emma : Idiotic!? It's my goal! My reason for being alive! Hal is

wrong!
He's only being used by his country! He's pitiful! Even you
guys
are using him! Me...I'm using science to achieve my own dream!

Emma : Real bright, lady! That's exactly the line that scientists are
never meant to cross!

Emma : Right! I sold my soul for revenge! I will never forgive him!

Snake : I'll pretend this conversation never happened...

Emma : No! You tell my brother exactly what I said! You...

Snake : Emma!

Emma : W-What...?

Snake : You're speaking your mind... not your heart. Just leave it at
that.

Emma : Um... okay...

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The New York Mirror
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"In the Darkness of Shadow Moses: The Unofficial Truth"

Author: Nastasha Romanenko

* Reviewed by George Franklin

Some topics in the recent American past have the immediacy and power that
still engage our collective imagination. Names like, "The Grassy Knoll," or
"Roswell," roll off our tongue with deliberates reserved by most other
nations for holy lands. With this new non-fiction account from Nastasha
Romanenko, Shadow Moses -- the scene of a nuclear siege two years ago -- is
set to join their ranks.

Official history states that the takeover of a nuclear weapons disposal

facility on a lonely outpost in the Fox Islands, Alaska was the work of a
radical right-wing group. Their demands for the release of group members
incarcerated in federal penitentiaries were never met, and the incident was
speedily resolved by the successful deployment of a commando unit. B.S.,
the
author asserts. Romanenko says that she served as an advisor to the Nuclear
Emergency Search Team, and deconstructs what she claims to be a cover-up
story by the government with precision.

According to the author, Shadow Moses Island was nothing less than the U.S.
Army's testing grounds for a top-secret weapon known as Metal Gear REX, an
all-terrain bipedal tank with advanced nuclear capabilities. As for the
facilities takeover, Romanenko alleges that it was the U.S. military's own
shadowy "wet-works" force, known as "FOXHOUND," that staged an armed
insurrection in a bid for REX's possession.

The government responds to this crisis by sending in a lone operative, a

former FOX-HOUND member known only by the code name "Solid Snake," into
Shadow Moses. His infiltration is aided by a remote mission control team
consisting of an unidentified "Colonel Campbell." a FOXHOUND medical chief
"Naomi," a radar and electronics expert "Mei Ling" (supposedly a teenager),
and the author herself. Once on the island, "Snake" joins forces with Metal
Gear's developer-turned-prisoner "Otacon" to eradicate the weapon of mass
destruction.

Among the other remarkable characters that make an appearance in

Romanenko's
expose is another FOXHOUND commando, a revolver-virtuoso called
"Shalashaska"
a.k.a. "Revolver Ocelot." One of the most controversial allegations in the
book deals with this figures connection to a disavowed Russian militia led
by
a "Colonel Gurlukovich," Romanenko paints a bleak picture of a
thousand-strong, highly disciplined army with nuclear weaponry operating
covertly within the American border. Even more irresistible to conspiracy
scholars and students of recent history is her thinly veiled suggestion
that
the whole affair was planned from the beginning by certain forces inside
the
U.S. government.

The U.S. Army and the usual suspect of federal agencies have issued a
statement denouncing the book as a complete fabrication. However, with a
number of detailed eyewitness accounts that back up the author's assertions
cropping up daily on the Web, the denials serve more to enhance the book's
growing reputation. "Shadow Moses" is an engrossing read for casual and
serious readers alike, and promises to involve readers in a meaty debate
over
the truth of the matter for many years to come.

Excerpted from the literary review column "All Booked Up", The New York
Mirror

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The Shocking Conspiracy Behind Shadow Moses
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* By Gary McGolden

The island of Shadow Moses lies due north of Alaska's Fox Islands, deep in
the Arctic Circle. Above one of its rocky cliffs stands a cabin normally
used
for meteorological surveys, and it was here that I found myself, seated on
a
chair with my hands bound behind my back and a burlap sack covering my
entire
head. A blizzard rages outside, and the cabin was a dark, silent patch
somewhere inside the storm. I could sense at least four men around me.

They had been interrogating me for what felt like hours now.

The burlap sack is pungent with the traces of coffee beans. In the biting
cold of the cabin, images of Brazil come to me unbidden: alleys coiled
through with vivid, untended profusion of flowers, children with skin like
frothy chocolate, sunshine capable of burning out the cornea, erupting
between
palm fronds.

I can feel my senses starting to fail.

The man in the front of me asks for the second, or the hundredth, time.

"I'm going to ask you again. What's in the optical disc?"

"Told you, I don't know. I just found it, okay?"

"You're lying, you bastard!"

A fist explodes into the pit of my stomach, bringing up a peanut butter

sandwich of many hours ago along with the rusty taste of blood. The
relentless
beating and numerous knife cuts of the past hour have my whole body
screaming
with pain, but I refuse to tell them what they wanted. I had too much
invested
at this point, too many days of dangerous investigation into the story of a
lifetime. There was no way I was going to give it all up at this point.

"That's enough."

A voice spoke up from somewhere in the back of the cabin.

"We have the disc back. Just get rid of him so we can get out of this
place."

Even in my current sorry state, I was still a journalist. He had said, "We
have the disc back." That meant that my hosts were the original owners of
that optical disc. The last piece of the puzzle was in its place; I knew
beyond a shadow of doubt that everything recorded on the disc was true, and
that the conspiracy I had suspected did in fact exist.

At that moment, I heard a window shatter.

The raging storm outside seemed to gain entry to the cabin in an instance,
and I heard thin screams from the captors that encircled my chair. The next
second, they had already fallen heavily onto the floor.

The brief confusion ended before I regained enough presence of mind to even
panic. Whoever was now here, whatever had happened, my tormentors were
obviously out of commission. But now I could hear measured footsteps
approaching across the floor. If this person had just saved my life, who
was
it? Or was I about to share the other's fate? The footsteps came to a halt
in
front of me, but strangely enough, I did not feel any sort of presence
nearby.

The burlap was slowly lifted from around my head, pulled off by an unseen
hand. The stinging night air cooled my face, and my eyes gradually regained
focus in the darkened room.

And I could finally see who it was that stood before me.

Just out of the sight of most of its citizens, a massive conspiracy

determines
the working of this nation.

Weapons of mass destruction secretly developed by the military.

Super-soldiers re-engineered into war machines through genetic

manipulation.

A killer virus that only targets specific individuals with deadly accuracy.

Tanks that walk rather than roll, and carry a nuclear payload.

A covert organization, the third and the most powerful political party, my
encounter with which landed me in this chair in the Alaskan winter...

All of these are a part of the truth I found sealed within the optical
disc,
and I intend to share what I have learned in the pages to follow. That
includes everything I now know about our government, and the secret arena
where an even greater power pulls the strings. This is the truth many have
glimpsed but never dared to talk about.

Everything detailed in this book actually happened, and after I lived it,
my
world was no longer the same safe place I knew. Neither, I promise, will be
yours if you have the courage to keep going.

It all began a month ago --

THE POSTMAN RINGS

A month before my dramatic escape from death on Shadow Moses, I was having
late breakfast in my apartment in New York.

Even since an alien abduction episode in my childhood, I'd been plagued by

a
persistent ringing in my ears.

A large patch of mud was my undoing. I slipped, fell and was knocked
unconscious. When I came to, It was already dawn.

Later, I was trying to see the bump on the back of my head in the mirror
when
I saw a pinprick, had been made behind my ear. You learn a little something
when you watch as much TV as I did. There was no doubt that I had been
abducted by a passing UFO, and had spent the hours while unconscious with
alien beings! Unfortunately, no one in the area recalled seeing a UFO, and
not a single person had the sense to listen my story. I realize now that
this
was the day I decided to uncover truth for a living, and become a
journalist.

But back to the present day. It turned out that the ringing wasn't in my
ear,
but from the doorbell. The thing shrieked somewhere south of a bariton bat
sonar, barely within the range of human hearing. Blame the mangling it took
from a particularly displeased visitor.

Outside the door was the mailman, and in the mailman's hand was a thick
manila envelop. On the envelope was a label, addressed to me.

A letter bomb!

I pressed my ear against the envelope and concentrated hard. But not a tick
from the thing. Of cause. No one uses analog watches in bombs these days.
That's why they call it the Digital Age. In fact, why would there even be a
watch in a letter bomb? The point if that the recipient opens it, and the
bomb goes off. Which means that it's actually the completely silent
envelopes
that are dangerous. I knew that opening that flap would send my eggs to the
big omelet in the sky, but you don't get to be an investigative journalist
for
thinking inside the box.

I tore through the bottom of the envelope instead.

"Riiip"
No!

The contents of the suspicious envelope dropped to the floor with lighting
speed!

In this world, you can never be too careful. Let this be a warning to you,
readers: when circumstances compel you to open an envelope from the bottom,
turn it upside down first. As a rule, I discovered, objects fall down, and
this is happened to the contents of my lethal envelope, straight down into
a
half-eaten depth of a delivery pizza forgotten on the floor. I don't recall
when exactly this food item arrived on these premises, but the thing was
definitely a museum piece by now.

Fortunately, it wasn't a bomb but an optical storage disc, now liberally

smeared with peanut butter. The disc was the kind that comes in a clear
plastic casing, through which the rainbow sheen of the circular unit shone.
I
gazed into it awhile, thinking of the UFO from that fateful day.

Anyway. I fished the optical disc out, noting the lack of a label. A quick
wash at the sink got rid of the crud it had accumulated.

The disc was drying by the window as I hunted through the now-harmless
envelope for clues. A single sheet of Xerox paper was stuck to the inside
and
it read:

"From the desk of MAX SMITHSON, Editor-in-Chief, MEGASURPRISE magazine

I'm mailing you this optical disc that was sent to the edit department.
It's
right up your alley, see if you get enough stuff together. This is your
chance for a comeback, so don't screw it up."

Max is an old friend, and used to manage most of my book deals way back
when.
We hadn't seen each other much since I gave up writing. Not that he has the
right to tell me about comebacks and screwing up, but I fins myself growing
excited by the prospect of writing another book. But there was problem, and
it was a big one.

How the hell was I going to get to the disc's content?

THE SHOCKING TRUCH WITHIN

My next-door neighbor is a starving college student, and I hit him up for

the
use of his computer now and then. I banged on his door and screamed
repeatedly
until he shuffled up to the door half-asleep. Once inside, I made a beeline
for the piece of junk and stuck the disc into the drive. The icon appeared
on
the display with a gentle whir. The file name read: "In the Darkness of
Shadow Moses".

But an urgent click on the icon only brought up an error message. What
nefarious scheme was this!? What secret encryption was preventing me from
accessing the data!? I click again and again with the same result, and
started
to gnaw on the keyboard in frustration. The starving student came running
over, wailing about his equipment. He typed in some moon-man language,
avoiding patched of my spit, and a frighteningly cheerful application
startup
screen appeared on the display. Then lo and behold, I finally laid my eyes
on
the dense mass of text, the contents of the disc!

At the very top it read: "'In the Darkness of Shadow Moses' by Nastasha
Romanenko"

The starving student was being scholarly and trying to read the text over
my
shoulder. I knocked him out with a punch to the solar plexus and devoured
the
file's content. It was like a blow to the head with a frozen tuna; my brain
was reeling from the shock. The file was full of wild stuff: top-secret
conspiracies, incredible genetic experimentation, cold-blooded military
deployment of classified weapons. This was the most incredible stuff I had
ever come across.

THE UNOFFICIAL FACTS ACCORDING TO THE DISC

Most readers should be aware of the series of strange military actions

involving an island farther north of Alaska's Fox Island, some two years
ago.
The island was called Shadow Moses, and received a series of well-
documented
but never-explained visits of obvious significance. USS Discovery, an Ohio
class ballistic missile submarine, was ordered away from its designated
training area and was confirmed offshore of Shadow Moses Island. It joined
an
E-3C AWACS that had already and suddenly been deployed to the area, with
none
other than Jim Houseman, the National Security Advisor, aboard. Sixteen
hours
later, 6 F117 Night Hawks with a full payload took off from the Galena AFB
for Alaska.

Various theories were placed into circulation by the media at the time.
Some
journalists insisted it had been a foiled invasion attempt by a foreign
state,
others suspected a coup d'etat by a part of the U.S military. I myself
wrote
an opinion piece for a magazine explaining that Shadow Moses was the Ellis
Island for the "Greys". This diminutive grey race is after all the most
famous of our alien neighbors, notorious for having secret bases all over
planet Earth.

But according to this file, we had all been off our marks.

What had instead unfolded on Shadow Moses was the most major terrorist
incident in history, an apocalyptic scenario born out of a government-
developed superman project and a doomsday weapon of the same origin.

On that fateful day, the nuclear weapons disposal plant on Shadow Moses had
suddenly been seized by an irregular operations squad called "FOXHOUND",
aided by a group of next-generation super-soldiers. And what they
threatened
was no less than a nuclear strike against the mainland United States!

So how is it that we're still alive?

Apparently we have a man know only as "Solid Snake" -- and his solitary
infiltration of the disposal facility -- to thank for it.

Believe it or not, this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as the Shadow
Moses incident is concerned. The disc contains many more horrifying facts
such as a major government conspiracy, a classified weapon described as a
"walking nuclear-capable tank", and advanced genetic manipulation projects.
Many of these hidden dealings were discovered by Solid Snake as he carried
out his mission, and it is now my job is to relate these facts to you the
readers.

But is it still a little too premature to do so? The content of the disc
may
after all be nothing more than fiction, or even a delusion. After all, who
exactly is this Nastasha Romanenko?

IN SEARCH OF NASTASHA ROMANENKO

A quick search of the Web turned up a few illuminating facts about this
elusive writer. Nastasha Romanenko was at one point with the DIA (Defense
Intelligence Agency). At the time of the Shadow Moses incident, she appears
to have been a freelance military analyst, having already resigned from the
Agency. Nuclear and weapon technology would certainly be right up her
alley,
and in the disc she states that she took part in Solid Snake's mission
support. Her exact role was as a member of NEST(Nuclear Emergency Search
Team)
providing field expertise via the radio. Her intimate involvement in the
mission gives her a complete and clear grasp of the facts surrounding the
case
despite the government's successful cover-up.

A look at Romanenko's curriculum vitae and body of papers makes her anti-
nuclear stance more than obvious. That, along with all the other facts
about
this person, suggests that unless she suffered a sudden chemical imbalance
or
is plotting a second career as a Hollywood screenwriter, Nastasha Romanenko
does not indulge in expounding conspiracy theories for its own sake.

All very interesting. So where is Nastasha Romanenko now? I decided to give

Global Elements Inc., the book's publisher a call. Below is a complete
transcript of the conversation.

Me : "Hello. Listen, you leftover carnival prize, what do you know about a
women named Nastasha Romanenko?"

Whoever it says : "Hey, your village called. They want their idiot back.
And
watch your language, freak." Click.
Clearly, they're hiding something. Why else the abrupt response and the
hasty
hang-up? I was on the trail of something important. Something dangerous. If
the content of disc was true, this Nastasha Romanenko was definitely the
Woman-Who-Knew-Too-Much. Her life would be in danger, and she must either
have gone to ground or was already dead. That brief telephone conversation
spoke volumes: there was a contract out on her life! If this was the price
of
speaking the truth as described in that disc, the picture was complete. But
was everything she wrote really true?

I went back to my apartment and packed a bag. I was headed for Shadow
Moses.

THE COLDEST PLACE

I took a plane out to the northernmost domestic airport and went to see my
cousin John-Dee.

John-Dee is a hardcore Alaskan and a big-eye tuna fisherman. When I asked

him
to drop me off at Shadow Moses Island during one of his trip out to the
sea,
he turned pale and a nervous tick started up at the corner of his eye.

"Shadow Moses? Are you nuts? All the other guys say the place is crawling
with the military. If you get even close to the shore, they shine huge
searchlights in you face, and some of my buddies even got interrogated
once!"

I felt the sudden chill of fear along with a certainty what I was on the
right
track.

"You're a wuss, you know that? Try being abducted by a UFO, that'll teach
you
what's really scary."

"I got a family, you know? I'm not about to go messing around with The
Man!"

"OK, you get me as close as you can then. I'll swim the rest of the way."

"Swim? You're gonna turn into frozen tuna treat."

"Don't worry about that. I have an idea."

We sailed out for Shadow Moses Island that day.

THE TRIP TO SHADOW MOSES

It was colder than the dairy section and the boat pitched like a subway
derailment on caffeine. I shock constantly from the cold, retched peanut
butter into the sea, then downed some more to keep warm. A few days passed
in
this pleasant fashion until John-Dee, drawing lines on his charts, turned
to
me.

"I'm sorry man, but this is as far as I can go. If you really want to do
this
thing, you're going to have your own way."

There were at least 20 miles to Shadow Moses according to the chart. But
John-Dee was already a blubbering wreck, and I didn't have the heart to
strong-arm him. I steeled my nerves.

"It's okay. Help me get ready."

The plan was brilliant. I'd gutted a super-size tuna and stuffed some
inflated balloons inside, along with a small oil lamp to keep the interior
toasty. I would cover the length of my body with the fish and dog-paddle my
way to the island. Any oxygen shortage could quickly be remedied thanks to
the balloon, and my landing would appear to be nothing more than a large
dead
fish swept ashore. All I had to do was slip out of the tuna undetected and
investigate the hell out of the place. Absolutely brilliant.

I bore the fishy stink of the tuna skin with proper journalistic aplomb and
walked to the edge of the ship's deck. The Arctic wind was numbing even
through the wetsuit, but I bade John-Dee a hearty farewell and jumped into
the sea. But right then, disaster struck!

Actually it was the tuna spine. Its bony mass conked me hard on the back of
my head from the force of the landing. I tried to right myself, but I was
jammed tight against the balloons. The tuna started to sink rapidly, and I
kicked my legs wildly as about a gallon of seawater rushed in to my lungs.
To
add insult to injury, the lamp fell over, shedding its cover. I could feel
the heat of the exposed flame dangerously close to my face, and smell the
singed hair. This is why I hate traveling.

But after what felt like hours, I found myself ashore on the Shadow Moses
Island.

Let's take a moment here to review what happened on the island on that
fateful day. Romanenko's disc provides a complete answer.

Shadow Moses was no ordinary weapons disposal facility, but served as a

secret
military training ground among other things. On that day, the wetworks
commando unit known as FOXHOUND and the next-generation Special Forces
group
conducting joint exercises.

FOXHOUND is an "irregular" squad of elite soldiers, equipped and armed to

the
teeth with the latest technology. They were longtime -- and strictly
behind-the-scenes -- players throughout recent history, engaging in
sabotage,
selective assassinations, and other covert military operations. Wherever
the
United States could not officially intervene, whether it was a civil war,
regional unrest or other types of low-intensity conflict, FOXHOUND was
there.
It's unlikely, however, that an average citizen has heard of them before;
these commandos remain a top-secret government project.
And then there's the next-generation Special Forces unit. This is a
cutting-edge anti-terrorist force newly organized to cope with terrorist
incidents specifically involving weapons of mass destruction typified in
nuclear, biological and chemical warfare. They draw heavily from former
mercenary ranks, and are on a diet of rigorous VR training guided by the
FORCE
21 concept. The result is combat capability, which is rumored to surpass
even
those of Delta Force and DEV GRU(formerly known as Seal Team 6). Most
frightening of all, these soldiers have supposedly been manipulated at the
genetic level to increase their combat performance.

They were the purebreds among the dogs of war, and they turned on their
masters with a surprising demand. Having seized the civilians that were on
hand, they demanded that the government turn over to them the body of
FOXHOUND's founder and combat genius, the so-called "Big Boss". The
government had 24 hours to comply or a nuclear strike would be initiated.
But
what would motivate them to make such a demand, and how did they intend to
make good their threat of a nuclear launch?

With these questions still unanswered, the government decided on a

seemingly
reckless course of action. For this daunting task of stopping a nuclear
strike
and freeing the hostages form the clutches of these ultimate soldiers, they
sent in a single man. His name was Solid Snake -- no other than a former
member of the now-renegade FOXHOUND and a legend among mercenaries for a
single-handedly bringing down the fortress cities of Outer Heaven and
Zanzibar
Land.

Your reaction is probably one of incredulity. "Just one guy?" You may
wonder.
"They decided to gamble the future of the entire world on a single
mercenary?"

I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment. But there is more to this

mission
than meets the eye, as I was later to discover.

SOLID SNAKE'S REMOTE SUPPORT TEAM

Snake was delivered to the island by USS Discovery, an Ohio class ballistic
missile submarine. He may have been the lone field operative, but there was
a
distinguished mission control team in contact with him by radio.

The overall control of the mission rested with Colonel Roy Campbell aboard
the USS Discovery. As a former commander of FOXHOUND and Snake's CO during
the 1999 Zanzibar Land standoff, he was forcibly called out from retirement
to
deal with this latest crisis.

Also aboard the Discovery was Dr. Naomi Hunter, a genetic engineering
expert
with the commercial biotech firm ATGC Inc. She was in charge of FOXHOUND's
gene manipulation program.
Mei Ling, the architect of the mission's state-of-the-art radar and
communication system, was the third team member. Apparently something of an
engineering wunderkind, she developed this next-generation communication
technology while still a student at MIT. At the time of the mission, she
may
have still been in her teens.

McDonnell Miller, a former FOXHOUND survival instructor, was the only

land-bound member of the mission control team. Unlike the other four,
Miller
was working out of his home in Alaska at his own request.

Lastly, Nastasha Romanenko, the author of "In the Darkness of Shadow

Moses",
rounded out the team as an expert on nuclear and other weapons of mass
destruction.

WHAT TERRORIST ACTS WERE COMMITTED HERE? THE HOSTAGES AND WHAT THEY TELL US

The first task faced by Solid Snake upon his infiltration if Shadow Moses
Island was the rescue of the hostages. Two of the captives in particular
were
considered top-priority, but neither survived the mission. Though Snake
successfully freed both men, they died suddenly in an identical manner. At
the time, the mission control team tentatively attributed the death to
heart
attacks -- a diagnosis that was to prove starkly incorrect.

The first hostage was Donald Anderson, the head of DARPA (Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency), the R&D body of the U.S. Department of Defense.
The
organization is responsible for planning and overseeing the development of
new weapon technology.

The other VIP hostage, Kenneth Baker, was the president of ArmsTech, one of
the largest and most powerful defense subcontractors in the country.

An overseer of the U.S.'s war technology and a powerful arms producer don't
just happen to meet in an out-of-the-way military outpost. No one reading
this
account can fail to realize that these two had no business in a nuclear
weapon disposal plant. And since neither Anderson nor Baker was in the
habit
of enjoying winter picnics, Romanenko's assertion that there was a new
weapon
secretly being developed on the island rings all the more true. According
to
her, there was indeed such a weapon, and it was close enough to completion
to
warrant a field test. But what exactly was this new weapon?

THE MOTHER OF ALL WEAPONS

Metal Gear. I'm not sure it's a term that many of you have heard. I know it
only as a kind of journalistic urban legend while I was still a beat
reporter.
It was a phantom bipedal tank that moved with unprecedented speed across
difficult terrain such as mountains, desert and swamps, firing nuclear
warheads\
from locations that were previously impossible. Once this weapon rolled off
the assembly line, nuclear strikes could be made from almost any adverse
terrain, and the tactical nuclear map for the whole world would be
rewritten.

This nuclear-capable bipedal tank is said to have lurked in the wings of

both
Outer Heaven of South Africa and Zanzibar Land in Central Asia. One theory
holds that the development had progressed to a working prototype stage, but
the weapon never materialized on the world arms stage. In a strange
coincidence or a causal connection, it was none other than Solid Snake who
saved the world from the threat of Metal Gear during both incidents.

But the history does indeed repeat itself, and the specter of Metal Gear
rose
once again -- in the state-of-the-art weapons development programs on
Shadow
Moses Island.

When I reached this point in the narrative, I suddenly checked myself.

Wasn't
Metal Gear 's time effectively over? Ever since the collapse of the Soviet
Union late last century, the idea of mutual assured destruction and the
arms
race to maintain this dangerous status quo had been fading into
obsolescence.
The START2 treaty signed by both superpowers had already started to chip
away
at the nuclear stockpile even back then.

In fact, the disposal facility at Shadow Moses had been built to disarm and
temporarily store many of these same warheads. With the very idea of
nuclear
weapons under serious scrutiny, why would the military invest in the
development of a nuclear-capable tank? Or was there something more to this
weapon?

THE NATURE OF THE BEAST

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Metal Gear REX, the newest of its
kind.
Almost forty-five feet in height, equipped with Vulcan cannons and laser
array and shielded by a cutting-edge composite armor, rendering the unit
practically impervious to even HEAT(High Explosive Anti-Tank) warheads. And
I
haven't even gotten to the truly scary part of this thing.

The crown jewel of this Shadow Moses Metal Gear was its rail gun
technology.
The gun was designed to fire nuclear warheads clear of the atmosphere,
where
they would automatically align themselves to the target and ride optimal
trajectory back down to Earth.

"So what?" you may think. "There's a big fat missile flying in from the
sky.
Who cares where it came from? Just shoot the dame thing down." But here's
the
catch: You won't be able to find any of REX's warheads, let alone shoot
them
down. Don't believe me? The facts bear me out.

Normally, ballistic missiles go though four phases from launch to impact.

The
first is the boost phase, which consists of the time between the missile's
launch and the point at which it leaves the atmosphere and exhausts its
supply
of rocket propellant. Following the burnout, the rocket enter the post-
boost
phase that concludes with the separation of the reentry vehicle that
contains
the warhead. The third phase is the midcourse phase, in which the reentry
vehicle separates and achieves a controlled descent back into the
atmosphere.
The warhead's reentry into the atmosphere and its arrival at the target
mark
the fourth and terminal phase.

Current missile defense systems are alerted to incoming ballistic missiles

by
detecting the rocket burn during the missile's boost stage. However, Metal
Gear's missile technology employs a rail gun rather than conventional
rocket
propulsion to achieve boost-stage acceleration. As a result, there is
nothing
for existing missile defense system to detect.

The rail gun's effectiveness is nothing short of amazing, with a range of

over 3000 miles, rivaling that of mid-range ballistic missiles. It reliably
homes in within 170 feet of the target 50% of the time, placing it in the
same class as high-end ICBM's. The ability of a Metal Gear to conquer
virtually all terrain means that the rail gun can launch a stealth nuclear
strike from almost any spot on the globe.

This invisible attack would make it impossible for anyone to pinpoint the
origin of a given missile even in the event of a strike. Without a clear
aggressor to retaliate against, the concept of mutual assured destruction
falls apart. Without the fear of MAD, the existing rules of nuclear
non-engagement would no longer apply.

It also wouldn't matter if the whole world knew that a nuclear missile
would
be launched from Shadow Moses Island; the missile defense system was
helpless
against the new breed of ballistic missiles. This was exactly what the
terrorists counted on in unleashing Metal Gear REX and its all-powerful
nuclear weapon against the world.

WHAT I FINALLY SAW INSIDE THE FORTRESS

Anyway.

I trudged through the cave, sweating under the weight of my trusty tuna.
Soon,
the rocks gave way to smooth walls and a row of bright lights. I had
finally
arrived -- this was no doubt the cradle of insurrection, that military
facility which Solid Snake so brilliantly penetrated, the eye of the storm
that threatened to engulf of the world!

Fortunately, there was not a soul to be seen. I could, however, hear a

faint
cry amidst the whistle of the wind.

"Gary, help me --"

I couldn't believe me ears. How could anyone on a remote island that I'd
never visited know my name? I took a good cautious look around and saw a
familiar figure among the steel pillars in the corner. It was -- John-Dee!

My cousin, who'd so carelessly pitched me overboard into the subzero water

only a few hours ago, was now sitting on the ground, tied to a post. What
had
happened?

"Help me, Gary?"

I trotted over to where he was calling pathetically, the tuna heavy on my

back. He smiled weakly when he saw me.

"What the hell happened to you, John-Dee?" I asked, crouching down next to
him.

"I dunno. Right after I let you off, this black helicopter came around."

"A helicopter?"

"Yeah. A kind of squarish black one. The next I know, I'm tied up here...
Gary, why're you still wearing that fish?"

Was there more to this as I'd suspected? Who was responsible? The military?
Or that mysterious group mentioned in the disc, the one whose authority
outstrips even that of the President of the United States?

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden gunfire. I instinctively pulled

the
tuna over me again.

"Gary, you gotta help me! Untie me, will ya!?"

Where was the shooter? The bullets were wildly ricocheting off the posts,
making it impossible for me to pinpoint the origin. If I stayed put, I was
a
dead meat. What should be my next course of action?

"Untie me, man! Gary!"

"Don't call me Gary! I'm just a tuna!" I started to run, dodging bullets
and
sprinting up the stairs. I was unstoppable, speeding away like a gazelle in
a
large fishskin. Farewell, cousin John-Dee. There are responsibilities
greater
than your safety that I must shoulder. Mine is a high and lonely path.
SOLID SNAKE VS. THE ARMY OF THE DARKNESS

Let's take this moment to review Solid Snake's footsteps. The nuclear
weapons
disposal facility that he had infiltrated was crawling with terrorists, and
engaging the enemy was unavoidable. This was a battlefield, no mistake
about
it.

Snake's progress had been impeded at every step by the patrolling squads of
super-"genome soldiers," and such formidable FOXHOUNDs as Psycho Mantis,
the
master of psychokinesis and mind reading, the chameleon-like Decoy Octopus,
the chaingun-wielding giant Vulcan Raven, and Sniper Wolf, one of the best
marksman in history. The following is a profile of individuals whose
involvement with the government conspiracy seems to be the most intimate.
The
information should help make the terrifying truth about this case more
clear.

- Revolver Ocelot

An ex-Spetznaz, also known as "Shalashaska." After the collapse of the

Soviet
Union, he found lucrative contracts as a mercenary in conflict-ridden
regions
throughout the world. His activities led to his recruitment by the U.S.
government, and his entry into FOXHOUND. As his code name indicates, he is
a
brilliant marksman whose preferred weapon is a revolver.

Ocelot challenged Snake when he came looking for Kenneth Baker, the
President
of ArmsTech Inc. But the battle never reached the conclusion Ocelot wanted
due to the sudden intrusion of the stealth camouflage-clad Cyborg Ninja.
The
Ninja's sword cut a deadly arc right through Ocelot's right arm, and Ocelot
retreated in agony.

The Russian sharpshooter also served as a liaison between his terrorist

band
and a Russian militia led by the renegade Colonel Gurlukovich. According to
FOXHOUND leader Liquid Snake's master plan, the Russian militia would join
them on Shadow Moses after the nuclear strike had been launched. They would
then commence an all-out assault on the rest of the world from their from
their safe retreat on the island. With nuclear missiles that could neither
be
detected nor defended against, over a thousand first-class Russian
soldiers,
next-generation genome commandos and the combat and tactical cunning of
FOXHOUND, this new army's objective was nothing short of World War III.

- The Ninja

The mystery figure equipped with a reinforced exoskeleton and stealth

camouflage confounded Snake as well as the terrorists with his superhuman
strength and agility. His interest seems not to have been what was
happening
within the facility; evidence suggests that he was there solely to engage
Snake in battle. It was through such a encounter that Snake realized the
identity of the Ninja.

His name had been Gray Fox, and he was supposed to have been killed by
Snake,
his best friend. This may seem surprising, but the dead coming back to life
is a fairly routine occurrence. There are examples throughout the world to
prove the fact. When a Roland Greace's grave was relocated in 1952, there
were deep gouge marks discovered on the inside of Hungarian farmer's casket
lid. It looked as though the dying man had tried to claw his way out of the
coffin. On a brighter note, a Japanese man called Jin-emon Natakama walked
out of a stalactite cave in 1914 a full ten years after he had gone missing
while exploring the same cave. His family was doubly astonished to discover
that he had apparently not aged a day since they last saw him. All this
makes
complete sense to me, and it should to you as well in a moment.

Two words: pyramid power. I have no doubt that Gray Fox was forced to
undergo
the same revival process by military scientists in the course of their
horrific genetic experiments.

- Liquid Snake

I know exactly what you are thinking as you hear the name of the man who
led
the Shadow Moses uprising -- and my answer is yes. Solid Snake, our hero,
and
Liquid Snake are none other than twin brothers.

They are not, however, twins in the usual sense. This is yet another
manifestation of the U.S. military's dangerous love affair with genetic
engineering. The two Snakes are fighting machines created through the
so-called Project "Les Enfants Terribles"!

The rumors that the government is attempting "mass-production" of

super-soldiers are numerous and persistent. Just the other day, I came
across
something called "D-People-E-O", a humanoid combat driod. Development on
the
outer shell had gone off without a hitch, but the unit had to have a human
being inside to function, which decreased its utility somewhat. The
military
finally realized the fact late in the game, and pulled the plug. There was
also a plan to use a well-known psychokinetic's DNA material to breed an
army
of gifted soldiers.

Unfortunately, someone pointed out that there is indeed no spoon -- at

least
not in a normal combat situation.

Solid and Liquid Snake, however, were successfully created from their
"father"
Big Boss' genetic material. They were literally born to be extraordinary
soldiers, and it was no surprise that when they finally met, the result
would
be a titanic confrontation.

WHAT I SAW ON THE ROOF

I hauled myself and the tuna up the steps, dodging the invisible sniper.
The
spiral staircase seemed to go on forever. Just as I was about to give up
the
climb, I saw the exit to the roof.

I pulled open the door and lurched into the faintly lit gloom. The subzero
wind felt soothing on my overworked body. I laid the tuna down and sat down
next to it, trying to catch my breath. The enemy may pursue me even here,
but
I had nothing left in me to run with.

I pulled out my hip flask of peanut-butter-and-bourbon, and took a long

swig.
The fiery liquid slid down my throat, hot and thick.

Peanut butter is my Waterloo. When I was a kid, I was a wuss who couldn't
eat
peanut butter like other red-blooded children.

One day, I decided to confront this weakness of mine, and put myself on a
peanut butter overload: anything I put in my mouth had to have peanut
butter
on it. I piled the stuff on everything from chilidogs without onions -- my
favorite dish -- to spearmint gun to my first girlfriend's lips.

The inevitable result was that I came to hate peanut butter. If I didn't
much
like it before, I now loathed it with abandon. If I could gather the entire
world supply of peanut butter and dump it to the Bermuda Triangle, I would.
As it is, all I can do is eat as much of the stuff as I can. Peanut butter,
I
will always hate you.

How does that song go?

"And I-ai-ai will always hate you-u-U-u"

No, that's not it.

"Will always -- "

It must be another song I'm thinking of. Can't remember. Snow is starting
to
coat my shoes.

Where was my tuna? Oh, there it is, right next to me.

Bright light in my eye. Now I remember what day it is -- June 24th. Why am
I
so sleepy? And that is that sound?

It was a chopper. A squarish black one, and it was coming closer.

FOXDIE -- THE SECRET ASSASSINATION VIRUS

If you recall, I wrote that the two hostages -- the DARPA chief Donald
Anderson and ArmsTech president Kenneth Baker -- died of a heart attack
while
they were being rescued by Solid Snake. The actual cause of their death,
however, was a specially engineered assassination virus called FOXDIE.

FOXDIE is a retrovirus that kill only a select people; its development was
passed onto Naomi Hunter from her predecessor. Once FOXDIE finds its way
into
its target's system, the person dies almost immediately. It's practically a
viral equivalent of spontaneous human combustion.

Dr. Hunter had injected Solid Snake with this Virus, and as he unwittingly
made contact with his targets one by one, they fell prey to the retrovirus'
power. But the decision to infect Snake was not hers -- that order in fact
came directly from the Pentagon!

THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT'S GOAL

The true objective of the DOD was to selectively assassinate the

perpetrators
of the terrorist uprising. All Snake had to do was to come into contact
with
the targets; the mission objective he was actually given -- namely to stop
the nuclear launch and rescue the hostages -- were nothing more than a
smoke
screen. By simply sending Snake in as a disease vector, the Pentagon stood
to
reclaim their expensive investments, Metal Gear and the bodies of the
genome
soldiers. with little risk of damage.

The Pentagon also believed that FOXDIE would successfully cover up the
incident by the virtue of its lethality. However, Naomi Hunter's
reengineering
of the virus cast grave doubts on the reliability of FOXDIE itself. Even
though the nature of her manipulation was unknown, the Pentagon decided to
take extreme measures to counteract this development.

THE BOMBER ON THE HORIZON

Alarmed by the news of Dr. Hunter's tampering, the then-Defense Secretary

Jim
Houseman personally took over as the mission's commander and headed for
Shadow Moses on an AWACS. Around the same time, a bomber took off from a
base
in Genela, Alaska, carrying a payload of surface-piercing B61-13 tactical
missiles. The Defense Secretary decided on a more direct approach to cover-
up.

Fighting nuke with nuke -- it was a rationale that smacked of a return to

the
arms race, and Snake was furious. He had already succeeded in destroying
the
Metal Gear REX, and the terrorist incident was over for all intents and
purposes. Was a nuclear air strike to be his prize for a accomplishing all
this?
As it turned out, the air strike never happened. Somebody had countermanded
Jim Houseman's orders. You man think that the only person with the
authority
to override the orders of the Secretary Of Defense was his commander-in-
chief,
the President of the United States. But like most things in this account,
the
truth is far from obvious. The hand that stopped the nuclear strike was
that
of a shadowy secret society!

But what kind of a group is it whose power outstrips even that of the
American Presidency?

THE FACE OF THE ENEMY

When I came to, I was sitting in a weather station cabin with a burlap sack
on my head and my hand tied behind my back. I haul myself all the way out
to
this pimple on the Arctic and die at the hands of an invisible executioner
without finding out a thing.

One of my captors moved in closer and started to rummage through my inside

chest pocket. I cursed inwardly; this was where I carried Nastasha
Romanenko's
disc, the entire account of the Shadow Moses incident! My policy is, the
best
way to ensure that something doesn't get stolen is to have it with you at
all
times. Clearly, I need to re-evaluate that one.

The man easily found and seized the disc.

"What is this?" He demanded.

"Whatever it is, it's worth more than you." I respond with as much menace
and
dignity as the burlap on my head allowed.

"Well, well, that is something..."

What followed was both highly tedious and painful, and nothing of great
significance was said until that electrifying statement, "We have the disc
back."

We've now come full circle since the start of my account, and caught up to
the point where it originated. It was unclear how the disc had gotten to
Max
Smithson as MEGASURPRISE, but my captor's words indicated that the disc had
originally belonged to them. Either that, or they were the ones who wanted
it
the most urgently. I took my courage in my hands and opened a dialogue with
them.

"You, you guys happen to be that secret society whose power outstrips even
that
of the American Presidency? Answer me, you artificial coloring on a cheap
drugstore candy cane!"
This had the exact effect I'd hoped for, namely to send them into a violent
fit of rage. I must have hit pretty close to home. The contents of the disc
were as good as verified -- this was indeed the secret society whose power
outstripped even that of the American Presidency! In my delight, I hardly
paid attention to the obscenities that were being screamed at me, nor to
the
distinct sound of a gun being pulled out of its holster.

It was then the cabin suddenly erupted into controlled chaos. It seemed
only
seconds from the time the window was smashed in to the moment I realized
that
my captors had been decimated and I was alone with my savior.

Who was this human whirlwind? I was ready to lose my lunch from the
curiosity
and the terror. I could taste the peanut butter in my mouth. I could hear
the
enigma walk up to me, and lift the burlap sack off my head. I concentrated
on
the hammering of my heart for a moment, then slowly looked up.

There was nobody there.

I could see nothing, sense nothing. But someone was untying the ropes
biting
into my wrists. Invisible hands placed themselves on either side of my head
in a strange parody of a coronation. They deftly removed the bandanna I had
earlier fashioned into a clumsy bandage for my bruised head; the faded
piece
of cloth was not my own, but a flotsam found on the beach. I reached for
the
unseen figure with my shaking hands, but with one quick flick of the
bandanna,
it was gone.

But there were more surprise to come. As I gingerly moved my stiff body, I
felt an unfamiliar bulk against my chest, and discovered the precious
optical
disc, miraculously recovered. Not only that, but there were enough backup
copies to fill me with awe and pop the stitches on my flimsy pocket.

I thought of my mysterious savior: possessed of superhuman fighting

ability,
invisible, and capable of burning discs in an instant. There was only one
possible explanation.

He had to be an alien, probably the little gray kind.

LIFE AFTER SHADOW MOSES

And so I came in from the cold to my hole of an apartment in New York, my

trusty tuna beside me. The landlord mentioned that my neighbor the starving
student had gone missing recently. It could be that I was nosing around the
wrong information from his machine. If I ever see him alive again, I should
apologize.

I am currently banging out this manuscript on an antique typewriter. This

is
the truth as described on the optical disc, and as elaborated and verified
by
my own experiences on that fearsome island.

As this account draws to a close, my thoughts dwell more and more on

Nastasha
Romanenko, the woman who risked everything by recording the facts of the
incident onto the disc. I think it was her way of giving voice to the
victims
of this mission, the casualties of nuclear weapons throughout modern
history,
and to all the lives disrupted and damaged by an elaborate government
conspiracy. Her will was passed onto a counterculture journalist in New
York
City -- that's me -- and the truth is now out there for all to see, just as
she dreamed. Readers, the responsibility to disseminate the facts of the
Shadow Moses incident is now yours. What will YOU risk to know the truth?

PUBLISHER'S AFTERWORD

This nonfiction work was based on the factual account written by Nastasha
Romanenko, a military analyst who allegedly took part in a secret mission
to
counter a terrorist incident on Alaska's Shadow Moses Island. Her account
was
published in its original, unabridged form as "In the Darkness of Shadow
Moses" after the successful publication of this volume.

Gary McGolden, the author, is a journalist and a nonfiction writer who is

best knows for his past bestseller, "The Telekinetic Powers of the Loch
Ness
Monster -- The True Energy Source of UFOs". The details of McGolden's
adventures on Shadow Moses remain uncorroborated, but there are serious
doubts
as to his tuna-aided landing on the island. There is in fact ample evidence
that he was swept out to another small island several miles south of Shadow
Moses and fail to realize that fact.

McGolden has seemingly vanished into thin air following his manuscript's
arrival at our humble offices. While this had been a source of great
pleasure
to our accounting department, I sincerely hope that this notoriously fickle
but talented writer is hard at work on a follow-up to this volume.

Though certain aspects of the book require further fact-checking, this

alone
should not dissuade you of the veracity of many of its main assertions, nor
should you dismiss the contents of Nastasha Romanenko's disc outright.
Instead, readers should approach this account with an open mind and a sense
of adventure, much as Gary McGolden did when he first receive the disc in
the
mail.

I should note, however, that Gary was mistaken about one thing. I never
mailed
him that disc.

Max Smithson, Editor-in-Chief

MEGASURPRISE Magazine

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In the Darkness of Shadow Moses: The Unofficial Truth
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* Nastasha Romanenko

In the Darkness of Shadow Moses

I dedicate this book to the casualties of Shadow Moses as well as to all

those who suffered the tyranny of the nuclear weapons - and to Richard
Ames.
- Nastasha Romanenko

Shadow Moses Island: XX XX'N , XX XX'W

Even the local fishermen rarely venture to this outcropping of land. Yet
the
incident of all incidents took place on this remote isle, north of Alaska's
Fox Islands. A number of confirmed facts undermine the U.S. government's
denial of the entire affair. Among those are the sudden appearance of the
Ohio-class nuclear submarine USS Discovery off Shadow Moses, far away from
its designated position, and an official record that shows that a squadron
of
six fully-armed F117 Nighthawks departed from Galena Air Force base for
Alaska a scant event, an E-3C AWACS on emergency deployment to the Alaska
area is said to have had none other than the then National Security Advisor
Jim Houseman as its on-board VIP. What exactly happened on Shadow Moses?

There was no lack of rumors to account for this series of unusual military
activities: an armed incursion, a coup attempt by a branch of the military
and other theories made its way to the public table. I can state
unequivocally
that none of them came close to the truth. What actually took place was the
single greatest terrorist incident in modern history. It was an act of
political violence on a scale the world had never seen, a blow that
threatened to send the Damocles' sword of nuclear warfare into a free-fall.
Most significant of all, the attack stemmed from several so-called 'Black
Project' which the U.S. government had been conducting in top secret, away
from public scrutiny. I have in my hand two optical discs. One contains the
entire record of events that took place on Shadow Moses Island that fateful
day: the takeover of a nuclear weapons disposal plant by an armed group.
Other key points of this incredible record are:
- The identification of the perpetrators as the government's own
genetically-
enhanced next-generation commandos and a covert special forces squad,
FOXHOUND, with a long dark history of secret intervention.

- The existence of one Metal Gear REX, a bipedal nuclear-capable tank whose
development was one of the most classified projects of all time.

- The discovery of a massive government conspiracy.

- The activities of a former FOXHOUND operative who single-handedly took on

this daunting situation and averted the crises, a man who is known only
by
his code name: Solid Snake.

The other remaining disc holds the details of Project FOXDIE, a massive
cover-up, which the U.S. government planned and executed in order to
prevent
exposure. There are, after all, forces within the U.S. government who seek
to
maintain the military power structure established in the last century, and
will not hesitate to resuscitate the terror of nuclear arms in order to
achieve that end. My intent is to expose their activity, and the entirety
of
the Shadow Moses Affair, through this book. Only then can we hope to free
the
coming generations from the daminosa heredities of the 20th-century nuclear
arms race.

I looked up from the mass of documents at the sound of the doorbell. On the
monitor in front of me was a half-finished status report on the resurgence
of
nuclear arms development in a certain Middle Eastern state. The UNSCOM
(United
Nations Special Commission) had officially requested a survey by the UN
weapons inspectors, and had been refused entry; tensions were once again
running high in the Gulf. As a military analyst whose specialty was nuclear
arms, I was under contract from a think tank to produce a study of the
situation. It was due the day after the next, and interruptions were
definitely not welcome. I ground out my cigarette in the ashtray and
stepped
out of the study. All visitors to my house are checked via a surveillance
camera and then let in through the heavy gate. The property itself is
surrounded by a high wall. It may seem like overkill for a beach community,
but security is a necessity in greater Los Angeles, if only to keep out the
legion of swimsuit-clad tourists. However, there was nobody to be seen at
the
gate. It was either a prank, or the camera was malfunctioning. Reluctant to
investigate but feeling unsettled nevertheless, I headed back to the study
and sat back down at the computer to continue my work. Just then, someone
spoke behind me.

"You always were a little careless." I spun around, kicking the chair over.
There was a man standing at the entrance of the study, slouching in a
well-tailored suit.

"Richard!" He caught my eye and grinned. Ignoring my surprise, he strolled

into the room, gazing around at the pile of books and papers.

"And still as disorganized as ever."

He shrugged his shoulders in a familiar gesture, triggering a wave of
memories
laced with bitterness. Richard Ames and I were married, once upon a time.
We
were both young, and working for the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency.) We
spent much of our brief marriage in disagreement over virtually every
issue,
and just as I came to realize that our union was a mistake, he disappeared
from my life. A while later, I received the paperwork for divorce from his
lawyer. There was a generous alimony offer involved, which I refused. Not
only did I find the thought of owing him anything intolerable, I also
wanted
to prove that he was not the only one who could walk away without an
explanation. The divorce was finalized without us ever meeting face-to-
face,
and we were legally strangers once again. In the five years since, I quit
the
DIA and became a freelance analyst. I had not see Richard at all, nor even
heard of his whereabouts.

"How did you get in here?" I demanded. After all, attempting to scale the
wall
or force the front door would immediately trigger the security system. But
he
refused to be ruffled.

"If you're going to use a flimsy lock like that, may as well not bother.
I'd
recommend a more professional security setup."

"Does the term 'breaking and entering' mean anything to you Richard?"

"You know law isn't my field of expertise," he replied nimbly and peered
over
my shoulder at the report on the computer display. "Radio isotope
projectile
separator uranium-235 production feasibility for high-speed gas centrifuge.
This must be about that Middle East nuke development. Looks like your
career
is going well. That's great." I pushed Richard aside and asked him flatly.

"What do you want?" He took a step back and regarded me with a slightly
mischievous smile.

"What, you afraid I came back to give us another chance?" He let the
silence
linger as if to relish my reaction. Then, suddenly formal, he continued,
"It's
an official request from the DIA." He placed a folder on the desk. "I'm
asking for your cooperation as a member of NEST."

NEST stands for Nuclear Emergency Search Team, a group that operates on the
Department of Energy budget. It was established in 1974 to provide
technological support to the FBI in areas of intelligence, investigation,
site securement, damage contain and medical response, damage containment
and
medical response during incidents involving criminal threats of nuclear
weapon use. Call it a band of experts on nuclear terrorism, if you will.
NEST
consists of independently contracted scientists from federally funded
research entities like Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore, and military
specialists from groups dealing with nuclear arms issues. I happen to be
one
of the latter group. Richard was opening the file folder.

"You've heard of Shadow Moses Island, I assume." I nodded assent. I had

indeed
heard of the remote place, north of Alaska's Fox Islands. Though it was
hardly public knowledge, the island was home to a nuclear weapons disposal
facility. According to the terms of the START2 (Strategic Arms Reduction
Treaty), the total number of tactical nuclear warheads owned by the U.S.
and
Russia were reduced to somewhere between 3000 and 3500 in the later decades
of the twentieth century. The outcome was a massive number of warheads in
need of disposal when there was already a shortage of storage space for
radioactive materials. As a result, warheads had to be kept somewhere
before
they could be dismantled and their radioactive elements extracted for long-
term storage. The Shadow Moses facility was the answer. It was the
crystallization of the forces of nuclear proliferation, political
engineering
that gives preference to delaying a solution rather than producing one and
a
hidden military agenda to preserve what it could of the old nuclear
stockpile.
Richard took out sever photographs from the folder and handed them to me.
They
all appeared to be satellite captures of the nuclear weapons disposal plant
on Shadow Moses Island, perhaps acquired from the NRO (National
Reconnaissance
Office). There were multiple human figures around the building structures.
Richard broke the silence.

"The disposal plant was seized by terrorists." I looked up sharply at the

news, but his next words left me speechless. "And the ringleaders are
FOXHOUND
members." An 'irregular' team of the best commandos the military has to
offer,
armed with cutting-edge technology. That was FOXHOUND. The best of the
best,
and completely unknown to the public they ostensibly serve. Their function
was
to intervene in the kind of low-intensity conflicts the U.S. could not
officially touch. They were the shadow soldiers of numerous regional
conflicts
and civil wars, shaping history with sabotage, selective assassination and
other covert acts of war. Richard had more to say.

"It's not just FOXHOUND that's involved in this. FOXHOUND was conducting
joint exercises with the next-generation special forces, and they're a part
of the takeover as well."

The next-generation special forces is an aggressive anti-terrorism squad

deployed to counter acts of political violence involving weapons of mass
destruction such as nuclear, biological and chemical warfare methods. The
combat philosophy is derived from the one used for Force 21, and most of
the
recruits come from a mercenary background. The men are intensively trained
in
VR environment, and well beyond even those of Delta Force or the Night
Stalkers. While the government categorically denies the accusation, there
are
persistent rumors that the men have been genetically enhanced to increase
tactical advantage. FOXHOUND and the next-generation special forces. They
were without a doubt the most skilled group of fighting men produced by the
U.S., and they had hijacked a nuclear arsenal. Richard had more bad news.

"There are also civilian hostages involved. Two of them happen to be the
DARPA chief, Donald Anderson, and Kenneth Baker, the president of ArmsTech,
Inc."

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is the research satellite of

the U.S. Defense Department, charged with planning and leading the
development
of new weapons technology; AT happens to be one of the top three defense
contractors in the country. There is no such thing as a coincidence,
especially the kind that involves the head of these two organizations
meeting
in an out-of-way nuclear weapons disposal plant. I decided to be direct
with
Richard.

"There was something going on in that 'disposal' facility, I take it? Let
me
guess - a demonstration of a new weapon."

"How should I know? Shadow Moses is also a prime Northern Lights

observation
locale, you know." Whatever Richard knew, he wasn't telling. But his
evasiveness only confirmed my suspicions. Whatever was going on, this was
no
ordinary terrorist incident. With that in mind, I moved onto another point.

"What are their demands?"

"They want a body. Not just any corpse though -- they want FOXHOUND's
founder,
Big Boss. Legendary soldier, best fighting man of the twentieth century,
the
whole works."

"His body? Why would they want something like that so badly?"

"No idea, but unless they have it within 24 hours, they'll launch a nuclear
strike. Richard glanced at the clock coolly. "So we have about 19 hours."

"You don't seem too worried."

"The DOD is already working on the situation." Just as I'd suspected.

Richard
always had a plan in place and the machinery in motion before opening up to
someone else. All he asks from others is approval after the fact.

"Shadow Moses is completely locked down. We had to rule out deploying an

entire assault team. Instead, we're inserting a single operative to free
the
hostages and prevent the nuclear strike."

"Impossible."

"Possible, for Solid Snake."

Solid Snake! The former FOXHOUND, a legend among mercenaries for single-
handedly bringing down the fortress cities of Outer Heaven and Zanzibar
Land.
Yes, with Solid Snake in the picture, there was a possibility of success.
But
still.

"USS Discovery, an Ohio-class nuclear submarine, is already in place with

Snake aboard." So the plan was already a go. I looked Richard in the eye
and
held his gaze.

"And what do I have to do with all this?" He grinned.

"Snake may be a legend, but he knows jack about nuclear weapons. Which is
why
I'm asking you to be a part of mission support. We'll have you set up in no
time." Right on cue, two men started to move a large piece of hardware,
apparently communication equipment, into the study. Richard nodded towards
the bulky load.

"I'd like you to be available to Snake for consultation via satellite

linkup."

As soon as the equipment was in place, an engineer-type started to make

adjustments. I could see another group of men setting up a satellite dish
in
the back yard. They were all in civilian clothes, but not a few of them had
the build and the oddly-fitting jacket that marked them as armed military
personnel. Clearly, refusal was not an option. But there was still
something
that puzzled me. NEST has a small investigative team, SRT, on standby at
all
time for immediate response. They were stationed at Nellis AFB in Las
Vegas,
just over in Nevada. Clearly, they were the natural choice for this
assignment. And if not the SRT, the DIA also had a number of qualified
nuclear
weapon specialists. Richard had started to direct his men on where to set
up
the equipment, but I interrupted him.

"Why me?" He turned and answered without missing a beat. "I need people I
can
trust. There's too much at stake."

It was a lie. The Richard Ames I knew trusted no one. But it was clear that
whatever the reason, he did not intend to tell me.

"It's a good thing I was in. What would you have done if I weren't?"

"You have to be somewhere. We would have located you."

"I'm sure you would have."

"So are you in?" I took a deep breath. "Of course."

I don't enjoy being a pawn, especially Richard's, but I had no intention of

standing by while nuclear terrorism was in progress. A nuclear strike takes
an untold number of lives, all in a blink of an eye. Adults and infants,
women and men, it kills indiscriminately. If there was a chance that I
could
do something to stay the hand on the nuclear button, I had to do it.

"So everything is set," Richard slapped a fist into the other palm.
"Insertion
was a success. Snake is on Shadow Moses." Richard walked into the study
with
the update he'd just received from one of this men.

The study was almost unrecognizable, thanks in part to the racks of

communication hardware. Cables snaked across every square inch of available
space, and engineers and DIA agents were coming and going in controlled
chaos.
The place looked like what it now was - a temporary mission control room.
Richard laid a hand on my shoulder.

"You should be hearing from him soon. You're clear on how to use the
radio?"
I nodded assent.

While the engineers were busy setting up the equipment, I had been briefed
on
its use as well as the mission. Snake had been delivered to the general
area
of Shadow Moses Island by USS Discovery, an Ohio-class nuclear submarine.
He
was then ejected from the submarine on a swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV),
which
he abandoned once within the range of under-water listening devices located
near the disposal plant. He would swim the rest of the way, in the freezing
cold Bering Sea water. The last leg of the insertion struck me as nothing
short of suicidal until I learned that Solid Snake was outfitted with a
state-of-the-art sneaking suit and had been injected with a compound
designed
to prevent the onset of hypothermia. In addition, while Snake would be the
only field operative involved, he would be in radio contact with a support
team during much of the mission. The members of this support team drew from
a
wide range of backgrounds. The mission control officer was Colonel Roy
Campbell, who would remain aboard the USS Discovery. I knew him by
reputation
alone. He was a former FOXHOUND commander, and Solid Snake's CO during the
quelling of the 1999 Zanzibar Land uprising. He had retired soon after, but
after the looks of things, he had been called out of retirement for this
mission. Dr. Naomi Hunter, a genetic engineering expert on a temporary
assignment from the gentech giant ATGC, was also on the team. She had
apparently been leading the bioengineering program for FOXHOUND. Richard
matter-of-factly confirmed that both FOXHOUND and the next-generation
special
forces had been undergoing genetic manipulation to enhance their combat
capability. I have a difficult time grasping what we have come to --
modifying
a person's essential genetic structure for the sake of creating a better
soldier. Also aboard the Discovery was Mei Ling, the inventor of the new
radar
and communication system deployed for this mission. She was something of an
engineering wunderkind, an MIT student who managed to turn the current
protocol of secure communication completely on its head. The last of the
support team was McDonnell Miller, a former survival instructor for
FOXHOUND.
Unlike the rest of us, he had volunteered his services upon receiving news
of
the incident on Shadow Moses. Like myself, he was working via satellite
linkup
from his home in Alaska. The five of us were more than equipped to support
Snake from our respective areas of expertise, but Snake was still the lone
field operative and the mission was a desperate one. Despite that, Richard
maintained that this was the most workable plan produced by the DOD
situational analysis. In hindsight, perhaps I should have suspected
something
then. The signs of a conspiracy were there, cleverly disguised as it was in
a
seemingly reckless mission plan. But we failed to see it, and both Solid
Snake
and I were to regret our folly bitterly.

"It's time, Nastasha," Richard called out as the call signal came on. The
line was already live as I nodded to him and took my position. I could feel
myself growing keener, more on edge.

"This is Nastasha Romenko. Good to meet you, Solid Snake."

"You the nuke expert that the Colonel was talking about?" The voice that
responded over the radio was, above all things, calm. Here was a man
operating alone out of a deeply hostile territory, and I could sense
nothing
resembling tension or impatience in his tone. Instead, it was as level and
unruffled as someone answering a routing telephone call at their office
desk.
Impressed, I continued on.

"Correct. If you have any questions about nuclear technology, all you need
to
do is ask. My department is military analysis, so I should be able to
provide
support with weapons information as well. I was called into this mission as
a
Nuclear Emergency Search Team (NEST) consultant, and I'd like to emphasize
that my cooperation was freely given. I have no intention of allowing any
nuclear strikes on my watch, let alone the rogue kind. Let me work with you
on this one."

"You get to the point fast, don't you?"

"There's a missile that's about to fly. A nuclear strike can never be

someone
else's problem, and I'm not good at standing around twiddling my thumbs.
Not
that I can do little more than advise in this case."

That fact was all too obvious. Snake was the one who was putting his life
on
the line in Alaska, and I was safe and sound in California. All I could do
was talk over the radio. Snake's voice became less abrupt.

"It may not seem like much, but it's enough. No one's asking you to come
out
here and fight. That's my job. Anyway, Nastasha, I'll be counting on your
help." It was a strangely comforting voice, a voice that inspired trust.
"Same here." As I answered, I resolved to myself to do everything in my
power
to help him complete this mission. "The nuclear weapons disposal plant on
Shadow Moses dates back to 2002. It was built solely for the purpose of
temporarily storing nuclear warheads slated for disposal." I started to
brief
Snake on the background of the disposal facility, running through the
points
he needed to know. My first short exchange with Solid Snake ever, and I was
beginning to understand why he was called the man who "makes the
impossible,
possible." The icy calm in the face on insurmountable difficulty, the
absolute confidence, made it suddenly seem possible that he would pull off
this deadly mission. He had the power to make me believe. I grew conscious
of
Richard's gaze.

"What?"

"Oh -- it's just that you have a kind of glow about you when you're
working. I
like it."

"A glow? Funny you used to call it workaholism in the past. You found it
very
unappealing, I recall."

"Time flies. People change their minds."

"It's called nostalgia. You'll dislike it again soon enough."

"Perhaps" Richard continued to look at me.

Solid Snake certainly managed to live up to his reputation. He adroitly

wove
his way through the enemy's patrols and infiltrated the nuclear weapons
disposal plant, where he made contact with Donald Anderson, the DARPA
(Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) director. Throughout the
mission,
we had radio monitoring capability over Snake's every movement thanks to
his
internal nanomachines. It was through this access channel that I learned a
shocking fact. Donald Anderson -- discovered in solitary confinement by
Solid
Snake -- confirmed that the terrorists had full nuclear capability, and
that
Shadow Moses Island was the site of field exercise for Metal Gear. Metal
Gear.
The very mention of that name sent me reeling. It was the ultimate weapon,
a
nuclear-capable bipedal tank that could launch a rapid and accurate nuclear
strike from virtually nay terrain, from mountains to marshlands to the
desert
dunes. It could bestow the dubious privilege of initiating a missile strike
from sites that were previously out of the question as launch locations.
For
that very reason, analysts had long predicted that if brought to fruition,
Metal Gear technology would rewrite the tactical map of the world. There
are
speculations that this Unholy Grail of weapons development was being pursed
late last century in the South African fortress state of Outer Heaven, then
in the ultra-nationalist sovereignty of Zanzibar Land of Central Asia. One
source went so far as to claim that a working prototype had been produced,
but the weapon never made it onto the world military stage; instead, it was
destroyed by a special forces operative. The squad in question was
FOXHOUND,
and the operative was a man codenamed Solid Snake. I briefly wondered if it
were some strange quirk of fate that had brought Snake into this latest
incident, but I knew Richard too well. Snake had to have been called in
because of his past battles. Whoever had planned this mission had been
thorough, and the more I realized the fact, the less I liked it. A few
years
ago, I interviewed a high-ranking DOD official and led the conversation to
the subject of Metal Gear. His response at the time was that the U.S. had
very little interest in developing a weapon like Metal Gear (not that he
officially admitted that such a thing as the Metal Gear existed -- on a
purely
a hypothetical lever, IF such a technology were available.) With the
collapse
of the Soviet Union, nuclear arsenals built to enforce the idea of mutually
assured destruction had lost its justification, and the deterrent argument
was losing ground. In the current "multilateral world order rife with
smaller
regional powers" as he put it, development priority lay with cruise
missiles
and smaller weapons with lower lethality that could be carried by stealth
bombers. He also went on to not that Metal Gear, with its affinity for
rough
terrain, would be extremely difficult to discover and destroy. Hence, it
was
the perfect nuclear strike system for rogue states. He was deeply concerned
that if such non-democratic sovereignties were to get a hold of Metal Gear
technology, the resulting upset in the balance of military power would lead
to a massive rupture in world order. It was a fear that I myself shared. An
artifact of the Cold War. The devil's candy, created by nuclear
proliferation.
That was what Metal Gear seemed to be. So why was this weapon, a cutting-
edge
technology that was politically long-obsolete, being developed once again
on
American soil? It was possible that the Defense Department wanted to
restore
last century's nuclear strategy to the national agenda. Or did this new
Metal
Gear have something that set if far apart from Metal Gear as I knew it?
Anderson had more to say. Metal Gear's launch key consisted of two separate
passwords, on held by Anderson himself and the other by Kenneth Baker, the
president of ArmsTech. Anderson's own password was already in the
terrorist'
hands, and he feared that the same was true for Baker's. A renegade
FOXHOUND
psychic, codenamed Psycho Mantis, had literally read Anderson's mind and
obtained the key. The bottom line was that the terrorists could activate
Metal Gear and launch the missile whenever they pleased. The worst-case
scenario had come true. However, Anderson revealed that there was still a
way
to prevent the nuclear strike. Kenneth Baker alone had the emergency
override
key that could be used to reenter the launch code and cancel the missile
launch. Even if the terrorists had already completed preparation for a
strike,
the override would reverse the process. His only hope now riding on
obtaining
the override key, Snake attempted to leave the cell area with Anderson in
tow.
We heard the terrible cries over the radio at the same time Snake did.
Anderson had suddenly started to clutch at his own chest in agony, and
before
we could even recover from our initial shock, he was dead. Dr. Naomi
Hunter,
monitoring the situation from onboard USS Discovery, tentatively diagnosed
the
cause of death as a hear attack. Snack walked out of the cell alone in
search
of Kenneth Baker, leaving behind what had until recently been Donald
Anderson,
chief of DARPA.

"All right, what exactly is going on here?" I confronted Richard as soon as

I
confirmed Snake's safe departure.

"You know the situation. There was a Metal Gear field exercise being
conducted
on Shadow Moses. FOXHOUND and the next-generation commandos were in charge
of
the exercise, and now they're threatening to use the Metal Gear to launch a
nuclear strike."

"Apparently, I didn't know about that particular situation."

"If you say so." I glared at Richard, but he didn't turn a hair. He knew as
well as I did that I could not abandon the mission. Even if I did refuse to
cooperate further, there was an entire group of DOD personnel around me
that
would not permit that to happen. I briefly closed my eyes and brought the
recent events into focus again.

"What happened to Anderson? Why is he dead?" This time, I could see a trace
of a reaction in Richard's eyes.

"It's hard to say from our end. Naomi thinks it was a heart attack but --
I'll
have his medical records pulled just in case. He turned and left the study,
presumably to give orders to that effect.

The sounds and the voice being broadcast from the radio told me that Snake
was moving deeper into the complex in search of Kenneth Baker. Snake found
the ArmsTech president in one of the underground levels. Kenneth Baker was
bound to a steel girder along with multiple packets of C4 explosives.
Before
Snake could free Baker, he came face to face with the originator of this
trap:
a FOXHOUND operative called Revolver Ocelot. It seemed that he had
anticipated
Baker's rescue attempt upon receiver news of Snake's arrival. According to
Naomi Hunter, the former director of FOXHOUND's genetic manipulation
program,
Revolver Ocelot is a former Spetznaz. He moved into OMON (Otryad Militsii
Osobogo Naznacheniya, the Interior Ministry riot squad, AKA Black Berets)
and
the SVR (the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service) -- a successor to the
KGB's
First Chief Directorate - after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but was
unable to adapt to the new regime and dropped out. He cut a swath through
the
world's hot spots as a mercenary before being recruited by FOXHOUND. As his
codename indicates, Ocelot is a master marksman with a marked preference
for
revolvers. We could hear the gun battle between Snake and Ocelot over the
radio. Ocelot was using an antique Single Action Army revolver against
Snake's
SOCOM pistol. The first Single Action Army Revolver was manufactured in
1873.
A small number of them are still in production today, but strictly for
collectors and antique weapon fanciers; using this outmoded weapon for live
combat is unheard of. But Ocelot seemed to invest the vintage gun with
diabolical powers. He would purposefully fire against the walls and the
floor, weaving a tight web of ricocheting bullets around Snake, gradually
hemming him in. All we could do was silently monitor the battle. However,
Snake was slowly but surely gaining the upper hand by dodging the ricochets
and exploiting the revolver's lengthy reload window. Finally, just as Snake
was about to deliver the decisive blow, an explosion rang out.

"My hand!" Ocelot's scream came a second later, followed by more

explosions.

"What the hell is going on!?" Richard cried. The controller in charge of
the
data sent in by Snake's nanomachines started a running commentary. "We
don't
know yet. I'm seeing a life sign other than those of Snake, Ocelot or
Baker."
Explosions continued to boom out over the radio.

"The unidentified fourth subject is knocking down girders. No sign of

firearm
use! Whatever it is, it's moving fast!" The controller's voice rose with
excitement. "The speed is well above anything a human being should be able
to
handle." The situation was chaotic. I could make out Ocelot's voice through
the roar of collapsing metal.

"Stealth camouflage! Someone left a job only half done! As for you -- we'll
continue this later!" It seemed Ocelot had left the area. The explosion
went
on one after the other as girders crashed to the ground. In the midst of
the
collapse, Snake confronted what we could only guess was the fourth life
sign.

"Who are you?"

"I'm like you, I have no name." It was not human, but an artificial machine
voice that answered. In spite of the metallic tones, there seemed to be in
that voice an unspeakable pain. Baker's labored groans could be heard over
the conversation.

"You have a reinforced skeleton -- !?"

Suddenly, the possessor of the metal voice let loose an animal howl. The
shattering scream set the communication speakers screeching, and I
instinctively covered my ears to shut out the maddening sound. The cry went
on and on, then cut out as abruptly as it had begun. In the ringing
silence,
the controller's voice floated out, thin and hollow.

"The fourth subject had disappeared." The words brought us out of a state
of
shock.

"Can we track him?"

"Negative. He's vanished, no traces."

"Collect as much data as you can."

"I have the full results on information relayed by the nanomachines.

There's
an electromagnetic pattern that resembles a stealth camouflage signature."

"Stealth camo and reinforced exoskeleton," Richard muttered, deep in

thought.

"Not everything is happening according to plan, I take it?" I inquired with

some sarcasm.

"It's within acceptable deviation. The mission will go on as planned." For

a
split second, his eyes betrayed his disquiet; then he quickly recovered his
characteristic arrogance.

"You just concentrate on your job."

Snake had called the fourth life sign the 'Ninja'. I could not help but
wonder
about the identity of the name's bearer, and what it was that accounted for
the superhuman abilities he had just demonstrated. Far away on Shadow Moses
Island, Snake was attempting to raise the shaken Kenneth Baker back on his
feet. We could hear Snake asking him about the nuclear launch code, knowing
the answer even as he spoke. Baker painfully acknowledged that he had
volunteered the information. His arm hung broken and useless by his side,
presumably Ocelot's handiwork. According to Naomi Hunter's intelligence,
Revolver Ocelot had served as a Special Interrogations Consultant in the
Soviet gulags during the days with the Spetznaz. In other words, he was an
expert in torture. There was no way that the weapons technology executive,
an
untrained civilian, could withstand the techniques of coercion developed in
the cells of Lubianka. We now had confirmation that the terrorists
possessed
both launch keys. The situation was more desperate that ever. Baker's
response to Snake's queries about the emergency override keys was almost
grim.
He had entrusted a soldier, a woman who had refused to join the mutiny,
with
it while they had been sharing the cell. I caught Snake's sudden murmur.

"The Colonel's niece?"

The 'Colonel' was presumably Campbell, and Snake seemed to know something I
certainly did not. I stole a glance at Richard, but his expression was as
closed as ever. He no doubt had known from the outset about the presence of
Campbell's niece on Shadow. Snake was pressing Baker, asking him whether
there was a way to stop the launch without the override code. The executive
gave him a name: Dr. Hal Emmerich. If it were indeed the case that the
launch
codes were in hostile hands and the strike sequence had been started, it
stood to reason that the only person who may know of a way to cancel the
launch was the chief of Metal Gear's development program. As Snake promised
to search out Emmerich, Baker handed him a single optical disc. It
contained,
he said, all the data from the training exercise. What exercise data? He
had
to be referring to the Metal Gear exercise. I saw Richard raise his eyebrow
sharply. Baker, oblivious to the frenzy of speculation he had remotely set
off, continued.

"There's no need to feign ignorance. You were sent to retrieve this, and we
both know it."

I was now even more puzzled than ever. If Metal Gear was being developed on
Shadow Moses, surely the research data was backed up somewhere outside of
the
ArmsTech Lab. Not only that, but why would the president of the company
have
been carrying the data himself? I was apparently not alone in my
disconcertment. Snake took the disc, obviously uncertain. It was clear that
he, like myself, had not been briefed on the existence of the disc. The
disc
safely out of his hands, Baker's tones became pleading.

"You have to stop them. If the truth got out, AT would be finished -- I
would
be finished!"

"But Metal Gear technology is already a known factor."

"The core technology is, but that's not -- " Baker trailed off, suddenly
pale
with pain. "Oh God, what did you do to me?" We could hear his labored
coughing as he gasped out.

"It can't be. That thing! Damn Pentagon bureaucrats! I get it now! You son
of
a -- !" He tried to lunge at Snake, but reeled back in a fresh wave of
pain.
Still clutching his chest he fell down, dead. It was too similar to the
last
moments of Donald Anderson's life, and the fact had not escaped Snake. He
was
immediately on the radio with Campbell.

"Colonel, you'd better be listening real well. This one dropped dead too."

Snake demanded an explanation, but neither Campbell nor Dr. Hunter could
provide an adequate one. Snake was clearly dissatisfied, but Campbell
directed Snake to cooperate with his niece, Meryl. The only way left to
prevent a nuclear strike was to obtain the emergency override key, and the
key was in Meryl's hands. Snake walked away from Baker's body in search of
the elusive commando. Kenneth Baker had been colluding with Donald
Anderson,
the DARPA chief, to secretly develop a new Metal Gear on the government's
so-called Black Budget. My later investigations revealed that regular
payments
in the tens of thousands of dollars had been made to the cooperate account
of
a firm for which Anderson's wife ostensibly acted as a consultant. The
ArmsTech payoff into this dummy company had started several years ago. The
total amount is difficult to estimate, but there is little doubt that
Anderson
had been bribed to the tune of an astronomical sum. Even the government's
Black Budget had limits, however. I recalled a rumor from some years before
the Anderson payoff started. The CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) at the
time
had a classified pet project, and the scuttlebutt was that it involved the
construction of a completely new type of battleship. Just what kind of a
ship
was never revealed, since the entire program fell apart after the CNO
suddenly
passed away. The unexpected death coincided with ArmTech's launch of the
Metal
Gear development program. The Black Budget earmarked for the CNO's little
project must have been freed up by his death; the question was whether it
had
been freed up for allocation to the new Metal Gear development. The manner
of
the CNO's death was officially ruled a suicide, but I could not help recall
the theories to the contrary that had made its rounds back then. Whatever
the
background, Anderson and Baker's deaths could not be a coincidence.
Anderson's dying words included a reference to the Pentagon, and I was
certain
that there was more to it than met the eye.

"So now Baker is dead as well. Are you looking into his medical records
too?"
I asked Richard.

"We'll do that. Just as a precaution." He did not seem particularly

disturbed.
It may have been for the best, anyway, Having to baby-sit a senior citizen
with a broken arm sure wasn't going to help Snake with his mission.

"You haven't changed a bit, I see."

"What?"

"That bad-boy act of yours. You only talk like an insensitive jerk to
divert
attention from something. I wonder what you're hiding?" Richard turned
away.

"Nothing. There's nothing to hide."

Having successfully made radio contact with Meryl, Colonel Campbell's

niece,
Solid Snake agreed to put off a rendezvous with her in favor of rescuing
Dr.
Hal Emmerich, the chief of Metal Gear development. He reached the lab just
as
the Ninja was attempting to attack Dr. Emmerich, and the two fighters
immediately squared off. Snake and the Ninja launched into a silent hand-
to-
hand combat, a balletic exchange of blows that seemed almost to serve as a
private dialog. The fighting seemed interminable to us as we followed over
the radio, but just as in the last encounter, the Ninja suddenly let loose
an
inhuman howl, and vanished in the maelstrom of its ragged echo. It was our
second encounter with the Ninja, and we were as in the dark about him as
ever.
But Snake had recognized something during their battle, and he raised
Campbell
on the radio.

"Its Gray Fox -- the Ninja is Gray Fox. I'm 100% sure."

"That's impossible. You took him in Zanzibar Land." We could hear the
perturbation in Campbell's voice. Naomi Hunter suddenly cut in.

"Yes, he was supposed to have been killed. But he wasn't."

Dr. Hunter revealed that her predecessor at the helm of FOXHOUND's genetic
treatment program, one Dr. Clark, had been conducting human testing. Gray
Fox,
the alpha soldier of FOXHOUND and the only member allowed the FOX
designation,
was the subject. After he had been shipped back from Zanzibar Land mortally
wounded, his superior physical abilities and combat skills had marked him
as
an ideal test subject for genetic manipulation and skeletal reinforcement
experiments. He was listed as killed in action, but kept alive in a lab. I
could not help but note with some surprise the emotional tone in which the
normally collected geneticist described these events. When Snake asked why
she had not volunteered the truth of the Ninja's identity earlier, Naomi
had
only a terse reply. 'It was classified information. According to records
she
had seen, the subject "Gray Fox" had died in an accidental lab explosion
two
years ago. I turned to Richard.

"Is this true?"

"What's true?"

"The accident in the lab."

"It's true. The cause of the explosion was never determined. Dr. Clark died
in
the accident, and the only remains they could find of Gray Fox were
fragments
of the reinforced skeleton."

"So Naomi wasn't the only one who knew about this and didn't say anything."

"It was classified information." Richard mimicked.

Snake secured Dr. Emmerich after the Ninja's departure. Amazingly enough,
the
engineer had believed Metal Gear to be a portable tactical missile defense
system, rather than a nuclear-capable tank. It was a peculiar irony that
the
chief developer himself had been unaware that the project was one of
offense,
rather than defense. On discovering that he had been deceived, Dr. Emmerich
volunteered his expertise to Snake. He mentioned his grandfather's
involvement
in the Manhattan Project, and the ethical turmoil the man had carried with
him to the end of his days as a result. Ironically enough, the older
scientist's son, Hal Emmerich's father, was born on the day the atomic bomb
had found Hiroshima.

"Three generations - sometimes I wonder if nuclear warfare is our personal

albatross, an inherited pathology."

We could hear the pain and the regret in Dr. Emmerich's voice. He seemed
genuinely upset that the technology he had developed purely for the
furthering
of knowledge and betterment of mankind had been exploited for weapons
development. You may call me harsh, but I felt little sympathy for him.
Technological and scientific innovation need not have direct bearing on
nuclear or biological research to contribute to the making of weapons of
mass
destruction. After all, the Ninja was born of genetic engineering and
cybernetic research, which could easily have healed a civilian rather than
improved upon a soldier. A scientist cannot plead naivet¿ to the practical
products of their own research. The consequences must be anticipated, and
the
ethical burden of a newly developed technology must ultimately rest with
the
individual researcher. I wonder if Dr. Emmerich would ever realize that
onus.
Freed from the laboratory where he was being held, Emmerich cloaked himself
with a stealth camouflage of his own making and promised to keep out of
sight.
With the stealth camo, he could easily evade the terrorists' surveillance.
His
rescue charge safe, Snake departed for a rendezvous with Meryl. Snake's
objective was to meet with Meryl and re-enter the launch code using her
override key, outwitting the FOXHOUND psychic Psycho Mantis all the while.
To
this end, he headed towards the hangar where Metal Gear was being stored.

The best laid plans: Meryl was ambushed on the way by the FOXHOUND
sharpshooter Sniper Wolf. Snake, attempting to rescue the wounded commando,
was himself captured. He was taken to the terrorist command post still
unconscious, stripped of all his gear. However, his cochlear-implant radio
passed unnoticed, and we could hear the terrorists conferring about the
incapacitated operative. We gathered from their talk that the preparations
for
the nuclear launch were complete. Richard was unusually intent on
identifying
the individual terrorists in the room. From the voices involved in the
conversation, we confirmed the presence of Sniper Wolf, Revolver Ocelot,
and
the leader of this uprising himself, Liquid Snake. What little I knew of
Liquid Snake was troubling, and it came entirely from a slim file folder
Richard showed me just prior to mission commencement. The man with the same
designation as Solid Snake was recruited into FOXHOUND after Solid Snake's
departure from the unit. His fighting skills were formidable, and he
quickly
rose to the leadership position in FOXHOUND's field operation team. His
real
name, place of origin and other information remained classified. Only a
single photograph accompanied the documents, and I had not been able to
contain my astonishment at the sight of it.
"It's not a mistake. That IS Liquid Snake," said Richard, echoing my
thoughts.

"But -- how?" The face in the photo was the spitting image of Solid Snake.

"I wouldn't know. But once the two Snakes run into each other, something
may
come out." His words were noncommittal, but Richard's tone spoke volumes.
And
now, the two Snakes - Solid and Liquid - had indeed come fact to face. But
Liquid had little to say.

"So long, brother." He called out before turning and walking away. The
voice
was full of hatred, but there was also something in it that seemed to
confirm
and gleefully anticipate another meeting. Why this was so was as mysterious
to me as the reason he called Solid Snake 'brother'. I would no find out
the
truth until a little later.

What awaited Snake after his brief encounter with Liquid was Ocelot's
KGB-tested 'interrogation' techniques. Ocelot apparently had no interest in
extracting information, but rather appeared to be enjoying the acts of
torture for their own sake. Snake's ragged gasps echoed from the radio in
the
silence of the control room. The heart rate and other physiological data
transmitted by his nanomachines graphically demonstrated the extent of his
suffering. All we could do was listen and wait. After Ocelot was done, the
battered Snake was taken to a cell. Campbell soon established radio contact
with him, but Snake had some hard questions for his former CO instead. He
had
realized that Metal Gear was a nuclear delivery system, and for once,
Campbell
was at a loss for an answer.

"So you did know about this all along!" Snake rasped out bitterly. Campbell
continued to be silent. It was all the confirmation Snake needed.

"You should have told me."

"I'm sorry."

"Pawns don't need to know, is that it? You've changed." Campbell had no
rebuttal to Snake's barbs.

According to Campbell, even the President had apparently been unaware of

the
existence of Project Rex until the day before. To make matters more
complicated, he was due to meet with the Russian president the following
day
for the formal signing of START3. The treaty stipulated further reduction
of
the nuclear arsenal, picking up where START2 left off. The agreement would
reduce the number of Russian and American tactical ballistic missiles to
somewhere between two thousand and twenty-five hundred, and the signing was
a
historic event that had been made possible by long and arduous process. If
the fact that a new nuclear weapon was being developed by the United States
were made public, there was a significant chance that the signing would
never
take place. Worse still, the loss of confidence in America's commitment to
non-proliferation could create international turmoil. The government
clearly
had every reason to keep the situation under wraps, and there were ample
indication that the terrorists had counted on the fact. The timing of this
takeover as well as the twenty-four hour deadline said as much. Campbell
continued to plead his case with Snake.

"Snake, you've got to stop them."

"Sing it to someone else."

"You're the only hope we have."

"All right then, tell me what this new warhead is about."

"I told you, I don't know."

"I don't believe you."

"..."

"If the situation is so desperate, why don't you accept their demands? Give
them Big Boss's body. It's just a corpse."

"That's not an option." Campbell was floundering under the barrage of

Snake's
questions.

"Is there a reason you can't comply with that demand? A reason you haven't
told me?"

Naomi broke in as Campbell fell silent.

"The President passed a number of policies that severely restrict genetic

engineering on humans. He can't afford to have the public know about the
military's use of genetically-enhanced soldiers."

"Is that really all there is to it?" Campbell did not reply.

I received a call from Snake soon after. Captive, alone in enemy territory,
unable to trust his own mission controllers to tell him the truth - there
was
little I could say to help a man in Snake's situation. "Capture does not
mean
defeat. Stay vigilant for a chance to escape, and don't give up." I had
doubts
about the effectiveness of these words coming from someone with no combat
experience, but it was the best I could offer. We had no choice but to
trust
in Snake's abilities. As I closed the radio channel, I caught Richard
studying
me.

"Yes?"

"You're very -- passionate about this job."

"Do you object? It's the job you forced on me, after all."
"No, but I admit that I'm a little jealous."

"Ah, the jealousy act. Yes, I know that one too."

Richard averted his eyes.

"I wouldn't call it an act. If - no, forget it." He lit a cigarette.

Chesterfields. The same brand as Humphrey Bogart.

"You still smoke the same brand."

You know me. Once I decide I like something I can't kick the habit.
Cigarettes, line of work, woman - everything." He didn't look at me as he
replied.

The torture was conducted again and again, solely for the purpose of
breaking
Snake. He held out each time, but his strength was steadily ebbing, and the
voice we heard over the radio was growing more labored.

"Naomi, talk to me. I need something to distract me."

"What do you want me to talk about?"

"Anything."

"I'm not good at finding things out to talk about"

"Tell me about yourself."

"About me? That's not so easy."

"You got any family?"

"It's not a very happy story."

"I don't have any family. I guess there was one person, someone who called
himself my father."

"Where is he?"

"Dead. I killed him." I was even more taken aback by what Campbell
volunteered
next.

"You're talking about Big Boss."

"What? Big Boss was your -- ?"

"No reason you should have known." Campbell elaborated to Naomi. "It was
six
years ago, in Zanzibar Land. Snake and I are the only ones who know about
it
now."

"Oh God -- was Big Boss really your father?" Naomi still seemed
disbelieving.

"That's what he said, and that's all I know."

"You knew and you still killed him?"

"Yeah."

"Why?" Naomi asked fiercely. There was a pause before Snake answered.

"Because that's what he wanted. And what I wanted."

"But it's still - patricide."

"Yeah. I know. My personal nightmare too." Snake's voice was the faintest
we
had heard.

"Is that why you left FOXHOUND?"

"Maybe. I can't deny that it felt good to lose myself. It's easy to do that
in Alaska." After a moment of silence, Naomi confided in a low voice.

"I don't really have a family of my own either. I have a brother who put me
through college, that's it. He's not a biological brother -- and a lot
older
than me."

"Where's he now?" Naomi's reply was deeply pained.

"He's gone." There was deep sorrow in her voice, and, I thought, something
more.

"A stepbrother who put her thought school. I wasn't told about that."
Richard
muttered. There was suspicion in his voice, and puzzlingly enough, a hint
of
anger.

I opened the personnel profile on Naomi. Naomi Hunter. Born New York City,
198X. Ph.D. in genetics. Recruited by the industry giant ATGS soon after
completing doctoral program, moved to California's so-called Biotech Bay
area.
Led several genetic therapy programs, until recruited by FOXHOUND to fill
the
post of chief geneticist as a result of her accomplishments in this field.
Parents died in car collision when Naomi was two years old. One brother,
ten
years her senior, a U.S. Marine. Killed in training-related accident when
Naomi was seventeen. Richard thought for a minute, then scribbled something
in his notebook. Summoning one of his men, he tore the page out and handed
it
to him.

"Wire this message to the skipper of USS Discovery. And make sure Campbell
doesn't know about it."

"What are you plotting now?" I knew even as I asked that Richard would not
respond.

The torture was repeated time and again, but Snake managed to take
advantage
of the guard's waning vigilance and escape. The location and the fate of
his
fellow hostage, Meryl, eluded us. Evading the intense manhunt that
followed,
Snake still refused to stray from the course that led to the Metal Gear
hangar. What drove him? Guilt for Meryl's capture and an urge to avenge
her?
A sense of duty to the mission? The will to stop the carnage of a nuclear
strike? None of them seemed to apply to Snake. He was an enigma. We could
do
little but watch over him as he ran, wounded and exhausted. After
successfully
taking on Sniper Wolf as she reemerged for an ambush, Snake closed in on
the
Metal Gear hangar only to discover Vulcan Raven blocking his way. The giant
FOXHOUND operative, armed with a fighter-plane GATT ling gun, was a
daunting
enemy. In the end, however, Snake eventually prevailed. The stricken Rave,
leaning against the wall, started to speak as Snake approached him.

"There are some breeds of snakes that nature never intended. I think you
and
the Boss belong to one of those. Go and settle it with him. I'll be
watching
how it ends." The dying Raven then dropped the bombshell.

"I'll give you one clue. The man who died in front of you wasn't the DARPA
chief. It was Decoy Octopus - one of us FOXHOUNDs. He was a master of
disguise. I guess the Grim Reaper was the only one he couldn't fool."

"Is he dead?" Raven did not answer Snake's sharp query. Snake tried another
track.

"Why go to all that trouble and impersonate Anderson?" Raven smiled

faintly.

"That's all the clue you're going to get. Everything else, you'll have to
figure out yourself." A few minute later, Vulcan Raven died. Richard was
chagrined.

"So that's how it was. They had us completely fooled."

"Why would Octopus impersonate Anderson?" I asked.

"I don't know. Maybe to get information out of Snake."

"That would mean that they knew Snake was coming." Richard stubbed out the
cigarette without answering. His face was expressionless, but I knew
exactly
what he was thinking.

We had a leak.

While Richard and I were talking, a call was made to Snake.

"Snake, it's me -- "

"Master?" Snake answered. It was apparently Master Miller.

"I need to talk to you about Naomi Hunter. Turn the monitoring off -- "
Miller had barely finished his instruction before Campbell cut in.
"What about Dr. Hunter?" Miller made an exasperated sound. It was clear
that
he had not intended Campbell to hear what he had to say.

"Colonel, is Naomi there?" Snake asked.

"No she's trying to catch up on her sleep."

"Okay." Campbell turned his attention back to Miller.

"What were you saying about Dr. Hunter?"

"All right. Maybe it's better that the Colonel hears about this now."
Miller
said resignedly.

"Go on," urged Snake.

"That's not the real Naomi Hunter you're working with, Colonel."

"What!?" Campbell raised his voice, astounded. Miller continued coolly.

"Naomi Hunter does exist. Or rather, she did. She went missing in the
Middle
East some time ago. This impostor must have gotten a hold of her identity
somehow."

There were a number of ways to obtain someone's Social Security Number and
commit an identity theft, certainly. But Dr. Naomi Hunter an imposter -- !

"Who is she really then!" Campbell was agitated, but Miller remained cool
as
ice.

"Probably a spy."

"A spy!"

"Yes - sent in to ensure this mission's failure."

"Are you saying she's one of the terrorists?" Campbell's tone was
disbelieving, but Snake backed up his former instructor.

"I don't want to believe it either, Colonel. But it's true that she's a
FOXHOUND personnel."

"So it would not be surprising if she took part in this insurrection."

Campbell finished dully, as though Snake's words had crystallized his own
doubts.

"Or she could be working for another organization." Miller suggested.

"Another -- ? No, that's not possible.." As Campbell trailed off, Miller

spoke
up, his tone ruthless.

"Take her into custody, Colonel."

"What!"
"It's clear that Naomi Hunter is working against us. Interrogate her and
find
out what her objective is."

"If she really is their spy, we're in serious trouble." Campbell murmured.
Miller pounced on the gravity of the Colonel's tone.

"What are you talking about?"

"N-Nothing in particular." Campbell tried to recover himself.

"Campbell, did you give her access to some other line of classified
information?"

"..." Campbell remained silent, but Miller pressed on.

"Does it have anything to do with the way the DARPA chief or the ArmsTech
president died?"

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about."

Clearly, Campbell knew something. It was equally obvious that he had no

intention of revealing what he was privy to. Perhaps sensing that fact,
Miller
dropped the pursuit abruptly.

"In any case, it's too dangerous to retain her in the mission."

"H-Hold on a minute. She is an integral part of this mission. In fact, we

can't afford to proceed without her." Campbell was being too insistent
about
Dr. Hunter's value. I had to wonder if it was indeed the case that he had
trusted her with highly classified information. Snake was also suspicious.

"More secrets, Colonel?"

"Give me time. I'll have her background and movements re-checked." That was
all Campbell could say.

"Hurry. Find out what she wants as quickly as possible." Miller was
unrelenting.

"Of course." Campbell agreed reluctantly. "Snake, just give me some time."

"Time is something I wasn't given a lot of." Snake growled bitterly.

"What's the deal?" I said to Richard. "Is Miller right about Naomi?"

"I don't know, to be honest. It's obvious there were things in Dr. Hunter's
past that I didn't know about. I'm having them go over her background
again."
Richard was visibly upset, a rare occurrence. I suddenly wondered there had
been something between him and Naomi. Richard lit a cigarette and continued
in a more composed tone.

"But if what Miller said about Naomi is true, it raises questions about him
in
turn."

"Why do you say that?"

"He's supposed to be in his cabin in Alaska."

"So I hear."

"How did he manage to find out so much about Naomi by himself and from the
middle of nowhere when the DIA investigators couldn't?" Richard called one
of
his men over and ordered them to look into Miller's activities.

"You check up on even one of your own?" I asked as the agent who hurried
away.

"How do you know he's one of our own?" Richard shot back, blowing a stream
of
smoke.

"Should I assume you don't trust me either?"

"You're the one who doesn't trust me. Never have." He said quietly, and
ground his cigarette into the ashtray.

Snake had finally reached the Metal Gear hangar, and stood in the shadow of
the machine's fifty-foot-tall bulk. But considering Metal Gear's
state-of-the-art composite armor and Snake's limited arsenal, it was
improbable that he could destroy the tank while evading enemy patrols. The
most practical avenue of attack was to re-enter the launch code using the
override key and thereby cancel the scheduled nuclear strike. As Snake
methodically searched for the code entry interface, Emmerich radioed in. He
had been making himself useful by breaking into Baker's protected files.
From
these, he had pieced together the true nature of Metal Gear and its
prototype
warheads. According to Emmerich, the weapon used a built-in rail gun to
fire
the ballistic missiles clear of the atmosphere. The missile would then
automatically realign itself, and reenter the atmosphere on its designated
trajectory toward the target.

I understood exactly what all this meant, and the knowledge left me cold.
Normally, ballistic missiles go through four phases from launch to impact.
The
first is the boost phase, which consists of the time between the missile's
launch and the point at which it leaves the atmosphere and exhausts its
supply
of rocket propellant. Following the burnout, the rocket enters the post-
boost
phase, which concludes with the separation of the reentry vehicle that
contains the warhead. The third stage is the midcourse phase, in which the
reentry vehicle separates and achieves a controlled descent back into the
atmosphere. The warhead's reentry into the atmosphere and its arrival at
the
target mark the fourth and terminal phase. Current missile defense system
detect incoming ballistic missiles by scanning for the rocket burn that
takes
place during the missile's boost stage. However, Metal Gear's missile
technology employs a rail gun rather than convention rocket propulsion to
achieve boost-stage acceleration. As a result, there is nothing for
existing
missile defense systems to detect. The rail gun's effectiveness is nothing
short of amazing, with a range of over 3000 miles, rivaling that of mid-
range
ballistic missiles. It reliably homes in within 170 feet of the target 50%
of
the time, placing it in the same class as high-end ICBM's. The ability of a
Metal Gear to conquer virtually all terrain means that the rail gun can
launch
a stealthy nuclear strike from almost any spot on the globe. This invisible
attack would make it impossible for anyone to pinpoint the origin of a
given
missile even in the event of a strike. Without a clear aggressor to
retaliate
against, the concept of mutual assured destruction falls apart. Without the
fear of MAD, the existing rules of nuclear non-engagement would no longer
apply, and the world would fall into chaos.

"I can't believe Naomi was Gray Fox's foster sister!" Richard murmured
bitterly.

"Are you happy? You know who she is now after all."

"I wouldn't say that." Richard's expression was complex.

"She said she wasn't the one who deployed FOXDIE." I decided to risk
putting
out a feeler. Richard said nothing, and that told me everything I needed to
know.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes," I was taken aback by his ready admission. "FOXDIE was one of my
projects."

"And Naomi?"

"Was a top-notch professional. The FOXDIE research had hit a brick wall
when
she pitched herself to us. She'd somehow heard that we were looking for a
genetic engineering expert. As soon as she joined the team, the project
took
off in a major way." Richard paused, then plunged ahead.

"I assigned her to lead the development effort. When the virus was finally
engineered, it was she that named it FOXDIE."

"What I thought was dedication to the work was actually thirst for
vengeance.
She didn't let that slip, not once." He murmured ruefully. I knew what his
relationship had been with Naomi when I studied his face.

"You were seeing her."

"She was using me." He corrected and gave a hollow laugh. At that point,
one
of his men came tearing over. After an urgent whisper, Richard's face grew
grim.

"What happened?"

"Master Miller wasn't Master Miller." Richard was visibly shaken.

"What?"
"The man I sent to investigate Miller just reported in. He found Miller
murdered in his home, up in Alaska."

"Who was it that we were talking to then --!" But there was no one who
could
provide an answer to that question.

Around the same time on Shadow Moses, Snake had finally made it past the
enemy's defenses and successfully re-entered the launch code. But something
was amiss: as the code was accepted, an alarm was triggered.

"Launch code entered." An electronic voice intoned. "All systems ready.

Standby for missile launch." Snake stared around him, aghast.

"No! I just overrode the launch authorization!" He cried. His questions

were
answered by an unexpected source when a radio call came in.

"Thank you, Snake." It was Miller -- or rather, an imposter who had taken
the
murdered man's identity. "The launch preparations are now complete. Nothing
can stop Metal Gear now."

"Master, what's going on!"

"We're very grateful to you. Not only did you bring the key, you just
entered
the launch code for us as well."

"What?"

"We never did get his part of the code form the DARPA chief. Even Mantis'
abilities couldn't break through, and Ocelot managed to kill Anderson off
before we could try anything else." As Snake listened in horror, "Miller"
continued.

"You see, we couldn't launch the missile. Not even a warning shot. We were
dead in the water, with nothing to back up our demands."

"Master, what are you saying?"

"With the launch code out of our reach, we had to fall back on another
plan.
We decided to have you work for us, Snake."

"What?"

"Having Decoy Octopus impersonate the DARPA chief was a part of it. We were
trying to extract information from you but -- FOXDIE got to him first,"
"Miller" said savagely.

"Are you saying this whole thing was fixed?" Snake asked through clenched
teeth. And it was all to get me to unlock the launch sequence?" The
terrorist's mocking laugh rang out.

"Did you think you got this far thanks to your own abilities? Think again."

"Master, what about you? Are you a spy?" The other continued as though he
had
not heard Snake's question.
"But everything is ready for the launch now. Once they get a taste of the
new
warhead, the White House will have to hand over the antidote. And they'll
have nothing on us anymore, ever again."

"Have nothing on you? What do they have on you now?"

"The Pentagon's already accomplished what it set out to do with you. It

happened right there in that torture chamber. You're the only one who's in
the dark. It's not fun, is it, Snake?" He sneered.

"Who are you!?"

"I'll tell you -- if you manage to get to me."

"Where are you?"

"Very close, Snake. Very close."

Campbell suddenly broke in.

"Snake, that's not Miller!"

"Hello Campbell. It's a little late for that," the impostor said mockingly.

"Master Miller's body was discovered at his home. He's been dead three
days.
We didn't know sooner because the communication was down. According to Mei
Ling, the transmission is originating inside that base."

"Then who are you?"

"You've been talking to me all along -- " The man responded. "... Snake."
His
voice suddenly changed, and I knew who it was. So did Snake.

"Liquid..." Snake broke off communications, and started to run. Metal Gear
had already been activated by the time Snake reached it. Liquid was about
to
climb into the pilot's seat when Snake called out to him, the barrel of his
SOCOM pointed straight at Liquid.

"Liquid!"

"Are you going to shoot your own brother?" Liquid remained languid.

"Why did you impersonate Miller?"

"To manipulate you, of course." Liquid said conversationally as though the

two were discussing the weather. "It worked too. You did exactly what we
needed you to do." Snake's indignity was compounded by Liquid's next
comment.

"I'm sure your masters at the Pentagon agree."

"Why do you keep mentioning them?"

"You don't even question the orders that you're given any more, hm, Snake?
Where's your pride? A warrior, reduced to a pawn." Liquid sighed
exaggeratedly. "All this 'stopping the nuke, rescuing hostages', it's a
charade."
"Charade?" Snake was taken aback.

"All the Pentagon wanted was to effect a meeting between us." Liquid
explained, obviously enjoying Snake's reaction. "That's how the ArmsTech
president and Decoy were gotten rid of."

"Can't be..."

"Actually, it can be. The point was to selectively kill us off and retrieve
our extremely expensive genetically engineered corpses along with Metal
Gear.
You were sent in by the Pentagon merely as a FOXDIE vector!" Snake was in
shock.

"That's insane. And Naomi -- was she working with the Pentagon all along!?"

"That's what they thought. But it seems she wasn't quite as soft as they
read
her to be."

"What do you mean?"

"I have ears at the DOD. Naomi apparently managed to make some tweaks to
the
virus right before the mission. Her motive and objective are unknown." I
heard Richard's impatient grunt beside me.

"Is that what you had Naomi arrested for? To discover why she did what she
did?" Snake challenged.

"Very good. It's disappointing that this was nothing more than a
run-of-the-mill revenge scheme. But we still don't know what kind of
changes
she introduced to FOXDIE." Liquid fell silent for a moment, then continued.

"But enough of that. I've already added the FOXDIE antidote to my list of
demands to Washington."

"There's an antidote?" Snake asked in surprise.

"There should be. Hunter would be the only one to know but even that may
not
be necessary."

"Why not?"

"You've successfully infiltrated the facility. We've all been affected with
the execution virus according to their plan. Octopus and the ArmsTech
president died of it for certain. But neither myself nor Ocelot -- not to
mention you - have shown any signs of infection."

"You're saying there may be a flaw in FOXDIE's targeting program."

"Who knows. But as long as you're healthy, I'm safe. We share the same
genetic code after all."

"So we are -- "

"Twins, yes. But not in the ordinary sense. We're the flip sides of a
counterfeit genetic coin. 'Enfants terrible'" Liquid's voice grew hoarse
with
anger. "You lucked out. They handpicked all of our father's superior traits
for you." Snake was silent. His father, Big Boss, was a part of the past he
wanted to leave behind, a past tainted by the crime of patricide. But
Liquid
was not finished.

"Everything that was undesirable, I got. Or should I say that I was

everything
undesirable left over from the creation process that was designed to
produce
you. The only reason I came into being was so that you could be born."

"How could I be the superior -- specimen?"

"Oh, but you are. And I'm the dregs. You couldn't begin to understand what
it
was like starting out life as genetic garbage!" The hatred and rage in
Liquid's voice shook us, and left Snake speechless.

"But it was me that our father chose." Liquid said slowly and purposefully.

"Is that why you're obsessed with Big Boss? Some kind of twisted love?"

"Love? Hatred, my brother. He chose me knowing that I was biologically

inferior. Now I'm about to pay him back for that crime!" Liquid laughed,
mocking Snake's bewilderment.

"You couldn't understand that either. Someone who got the chance to kill
his
own father wouldn't! You managed to deprive me even of that revenge. But I
will accomplish what our father dreamt of and never achieved. That's how
I'll
kill him - by surpassing him." Liquid ended his proclamation by leaping
into
Metal Gear's cockpit. Snake fired a burst from his SOCOM, but the bullets
ricocheted off Metal Gear's armor.

"Damn!" Snake gnashed his teeth as Liquid called out mockingly from the
cockpit.

"Snake, count yourself lucky. You get to die by the greatest weapon the
world
has ever seen. It's the least I can do for my brother."

Metal Gear, already in activation mode, started to stir. A high-pitched

noise,
like the whine of a turbo engine, began to sound as Liquid's voice boomed
out
of the amplifier, "I'll give you an advance showing of what the rest of the
world will learn soon -- that the 21st century will belong to a devil they
don't know!" Metal Gear struck at Snake like a living thing. Its
state-of-the-art composite armor was virtually impregnable to all but
high-yield explosives like HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank). But Dr.
Emmerich
had advised Snake to take out the radome and knock the sensors offline in a
bid for survival. Snake struck again and again, but he was fighting a
difficult battle, given Metal Gear's immense firepower and agility.
Finally,
one of Metal Gear's huge feet lashed out towards Snake in a crushing blow.
"It's time to die, Snake!" Liquid called out. The foot hit the floor with a
deafening crash. Snake, however, had escaped. Someone had pulled him out of
the foot's path at the last second.

"Get out of her now!" The voice was a familiar one.

"Gray Fox!" Snake cried out. The Ninja -- or rather Gray Fox -- launched a
fiery arc towards Metal Gear, destroying the radome. The tank froze in
confusion for a second, and Snake and the Ninja found cover during the
brief
lull.

"Why, Fox? Why are you helping me?"

"I'm a captive, Snake. Death is my prison. You're the only one who can
release me!" Gray Fox replied, his voice clear and sane.

"Fox, don't involve yourself in this business anymore. Think about Naomi.
She's destroying herself trying to avenge you!"

"Yes, Naomi!"

"You're the only one who can stop her," Snake urged, but Gray Fox's replay
was discouraging.

"No, I can't!"

"Why not?"

"I'm the one that killed her parents." Gray Fox's startling words stunned
Snake. "I was just a child myself, and I couldn't stand to kill her too. I
took her with me because it was the only way I could think of to assuage
the
guilt. I raised her to satisfy my half-baked conscience, but she gave me
the
love and respect I didn't deserve - called me her brother."

"Fox -- "

"We may have looked like a happy little family, but I was terrified every
time she looked me in the eye - that she would see the truth. Tell her for
me,
will you? Tell her that I'm the one who took her family from her, not you."
Many former child soldiers are permanently traumatized by their horrific
was
experiences. It was possible that Gray Fox's compulsions - whether it be
taking in his victims' orphaned child or returning again and again to the
battlefields with Big Boss -- had its roots in his childhood scars.

"There you are!" Liquid called through Metal Gear's speakers. A

concentrated
volley of Vulcan cannon fire followed, the rounds closing in on Snake and
the
Ninja.

"It's almost time to finish this," Fox cried. "I'll slow him down!"

"Fox!" Before Snake could stop him, Gray Fox leapt out into the open and
went
for Metal Gear. We could hear the roar of Metal Gear's Vulcan cannon. Gray
Fox's reinforced skeleton gave him a faster reflex, and he dodged the
volley.
But the next second, his body had been plucked up by Metal Gear's massive
jaw.

"Fox! Snake's shout reverberated throughout the hangar. Metal Gear's engine
revved louder and Fox's reinforced skeleton creaked audibly.

"How long will his bones hold out? Hm, Snake? Are you going to abandon
him?"
Liquid taunted. But Fox was far from dead.

"A cornered fox is one of the most dangerous animals!" Laser fire burst
from
Fox's right arm and Metal Gear's radome exploded. Liquid was now blind,
since
Metal Gear's cockpit was completely sealed from the outside.

"They didn't give you a Fox rank for nothing, old comrade. But this is
where
it ends!" Liquid's unamplified voice called out. He had apparently
discarded
the cockpit hatch to use his own eyes in lieu of sensors. The next thing we
hear was an explosive crash. Was Gray Fox now under Metal Gear's foot? My
fear was confirmed by the ominous and unmistakable sound of Fox's
reinforced
exoskeleton creaking under pressure. At the same time, we heard Fox's
gasping
voice.

"Finally -- I can finally die, and with you as my witness. After Zanzibar
Land
they took away the fight from me. I wasn't dead but didn't feel alive. So
futile for such a long time. But finally it's over!" Fox's voice was down
to
a whisper now.

"Snake! We're not just tools for politicians and generals! All I did with
my
life was fight, but at least it was my choice. Goodbye, Snake." With a dull
crunch, his reinforced skeleton finally gave away.

"FOX!!" Snake screamed. Liquid laughed.

"He was a fool. It was over the moment he begged for death." He ground
Fox's
battered corpse underfoot with Metal Gear, then bellowed.

"Do you get it now! You can't protect anyone, let alone yourself! Die!"
Metal
Gear's Vulcan cannons roared into action. But with all sensors offline, the
fire lacked its previous accuracy.

Robbed of his old friend and comrade, Snake gave free rein to his rage.
Taking
up a Stinger missile launcher, he fired at Liquid, sitting exposed in his
cockpit. It was a direct hit; even the composite armor could not protect
against a shot that penetrated into the cockpit itself. Its piloting system
destroyed, Metal Gear abruptly spun out of control and pitched towards the
ground with a deafening screech. A massive explosion followed seconds
later.
Snake was still out cold, but his radio was online. We could hear smaller
explosions from the wreck of the Metal Gear, and the sound of flames
greedily
sucking up the leaking fuel. Snake showed no signs of coming around. A few
minutes later, a sound of footsteps emerged from the general chaos. It was
moving towards Snake. There was a faint murmur.

"Snake -- it's not over yet." It was Liquid's voice.

"Snake!" I yelled into the radio, but Snake did not stir. "Isn't there any
way to wake him?" I asked Richard, but he shook his head.

Liquid had reached Snake's side, and to our surprise, picked up Snake's
limp body. He started to carry Snake, heading in the direction of Metal
Gear's
prone form. We listened, helpless, in a tense silence. It was Snake's
battle;
there was next to nothing we could do. Liquid had now climbed onto Metal
Gear's back, where he carelessly laid Snake down. He apparently planned to
simply wait for his adversary to regain consciousness.

"So -- " Liquid said. Snake was still out of action.

"I know you're listening. You have a radio implant in this one." It was
clear
that Liquid was talking to us.

"You think you've pulled off FOXDIE. Think again. You're never going to
kill
me with a thing like that. Never." The knowledge that he was already
infected
with the killer retrovirus made no difference to Liquid Snake. It was a
force
of will that commanded respect.

"You have no idea how excited I am - knowing that you're still out there.
Revenge is a candy I've been deprived of too many times!" The hatred in
Liquid's voice was chilling. "You -- 'Patriots'!" At that moment, Snake let
out a groan. He was starting to surface.

"He's almost ready. Listen, all of you. When I've settled the score with
this
one, I'm coming after you next. I'm going to end your miserable lives in a
way that'll make even the Reaper's stomach turn."

"I'll look forward to it," Richard murmured starkly. Snake groaned again.
He
was apparently awake.

"Still a light sleeper, huh?" Liquid said to Snake conversationally.

"Liquid -- you're alive?"

"You won't get rid of me, not as long as you're breathing."

"Sorry your insurrection was a bust," Snake commented.

"Do you think that I'll give up my fight just because we've lost Metal
Gear?"
Liquid had lost one of his confidence.
"Your fight?" Snake shot back. "What's your real objective here?"

"To make sure that the age of warriors comes again. Warriors like us,
Snake."

"That's Big Boss's pet delusion all over again."

"No, his legacy!" Liquid exploded at Snake's words. "All throughout the
Cold
War - during the times of turbulence - the whole world wanted us. Gave us
our
due. We were needed!" He fell silent, as if to mourn for the days that were
no
more.

"That's all changed. Hypocrisy and fraudulent peace are replacing warfare.
There is a terrible emptiness that comes from losing an arena for your
gifts.
And the terror that you will become a dinosaur, no longer useful. You must
know that fear better than anyone." Snake had no reply to Liquid's
entreaty.
I wondered whether Liquid's words had found their mark.

"The prototype nuclear warheads will provide me with the leverage to

acquire
my campaign funds. The funds will make more global acts of terrorism
possible.
Violence begets violence, and this complacent world will erupt into
confusion.
Violence, mistrust, and conflict will compound each other and create more
hatred -- and our sphere of usefulness, the ecosystem of war, will grow
larger and larger."

"As long as human beings are around, there will always be war, somewhere in
the world." Snake argued. "There's no need to create more."

"It's a question of balance," Liquid responded in a flash. "The balance

that
our father fought for."

"And that's the only reason you need to do this?"

"It's more than enough for me. And for you too."

"That's not the kind of thing I want. Not now, not ever!" Liquid laughed at
Snake's dogged refusal.

"You're lying. Why do you think you're here? You've been lied to, betrayed
by
your own team. But you still wouldn't abandon the mission. Why?" Snake
could
not answer.

"I'll tell you why," Liquid continued. "Because you enjoy it. The thrills.
And
the kills."

"No, that's not -- !" Snake was struggling for words, but Liquid cut in.

"Are you going to deny it? You've killed dozens of my men today."
"But that was-" As Snake faltered, Liquid laughed in contempt.

"Every time you delivered the kill shot, your face brightened up."

"No!"

"There's no reason for you to deny your own killer instincts. That's what
we
were created for, after all."

"What we were -- created for?"

It was all the encouragement Liquid needed to reveal the details of a

secret
project known as 'Les Enfants Terribles.' It was the 1970s. The U.S. had
not
yet awoken from the nightmare of the Vietnam War when a plan was hatched by
key figures in the government to artificially create the ideal soldier. The
man selected to serve as the genetic template for the project was the most
famous living mercenary of the time, Big Boss. Big Boss was, however,
incapable of reproducing, a result of past war injuries. As a result, his
body cells were harvested for a cloning attempt. In addition to the
existing
'analogue' cloning protocol, the program incorporated the so-called
"super-baby" technique. The super-baby technique involves carefully
dividing
the fertilized egg whose nucleus had been switched with that of the donor
cell. The result is usually eight zygotes which are then implanted in a
surrogate's uterus. Six of the embryos are strategically aborted over a
period of time in order to boost the growth of the remaining two.

"We started out as octuplets." Liquid reflected.

"Octuplets?" Snake was clearly taken aback.

"Six of our brothers were killed so that we could be created. We've been
causing death and destruction even before we breathed outside air."

"That left the two of us. Two zygotes that shared the same DNA. But there
was
one more sacrifice to be made. One of the embryos was engineered to
manifest
the full potential of its genetic makeup - at the expense of the other one,
which was purposefully relegated to the bottom of the curve. You are what
you
are, Solid Snake, thanks to the death and deprivation of your brothers!"
Liquid surveyed the stunned Snake and smiled.

"But if you think that I'm the only sibling you have left, think again."

"What?"

"The genome soldiers. They were bred from our father's DNA too. The only
difference is that they're not analogs of him like we are." Liquid went
onto
tell an astonishing story. The Human Genome Project, concluded late last
century, the "Les Enfants Terribles" Project and the intensive study of Big
Boss' genetic samples had led researchers to many of the secrets of the
so-called "soldier genes." The isolated traits for initiative, discipline
and
other tactically desirable characteristics had been secretly integrated
into
the genetic structure of next-generation special forces soldiers.

"All those commandos you murdered on this base were your brothers."

"The genome soldiers -- !"

"Incomplete creatures, certainly, forcibly grafted with a piece of Big

Boss'
genetic sequence. But still family. They share in the family dysfunction
too
-- their lives also cost dearly."

"How so?"

"Human experiments." Liquid hissed angrily. According to Liquid, the

military
had secretly started 'treating' its men with the soldier gene when the 1991
Gulf War broke out. The unexplained "Gulf War Syndrome" among the returning
personnel was apparently one of the gene therapy's unfortunate side
effects.

"That means that those Gulf War Babies born to vets are -- ?" Snake asked,
stunned.

"Exactly. Our earliest siblings."

"And the next-generation special forces were the finished product?"

"Finished?" Liquid sneered. "Hardly. They're defective. We all are. On a

path
to extinction, if you will!"

"What did you say?"

"You ever heard of the law of biological asymmetry? There's a natural

tendency
towards left-right asymmetry. On the other hand, species that ran out of
genetic diversity and are on path to extinction start showing complete
symmetry. That's what's happening to the genome soldiers. And to us." Snake
stared at Liquid in bleak shock.

"Every one of us is dying on a genetic level. The question is when the

decline will start. That's why I need our father's body, to get some
answers."

"You expect me to believe," Snake asked, "that you demanded Big Boss' body
so
you can save yourself and the genome soldiers?"

"Siblings start out life competing, but they always band together against
outside threats. Why do you think that is?" Liquid waited for Snake to
respond, but the latter said nothing.

"It's because they share your genes, and by helping them, the chances of
your
genes making it to the next generation are bettered. Natural selection
favors nepotistic species. The instinct to help our own kind is an
inherited
trait."
"Your DNA is ordering you to help these genome commandos?" Snake said
skeptically, but Liquid agreed in reverential tone.

"No one can go against their genetic destiny. We were born for the sole
purpose of recreating our father's DNA in its basest and most ideal
incarnations. I will follow my destiny - and surpass it. I can break my own
biological curse, and that's why I'm going to kill you, Solid Snake..." He
spoke quietly, but it was clear that he meant every word. He suddenly
called
out in a different tone.

"Look behind you!"

"Meryl!?" Snake exclaimed. Meryl was apparently lying behind Snake. I

guessed
that she had been brought there before Liquid had carried Snake onto the
roof.

"Is she alive?"

"I wouldn't know. She was definitely breathing a few hours ago, though. She
kept calling your name, over and over again." Liquid said coolly.

"Meryl..."

"She's a fool to fall for a man who doesn't even have a name."

"I do have a name."

"No, you don't. And no past and no future! That's the way it is for us!"
Liquid shouted. "The only thing we do have are instructions written in our
father's genomes!"

"Liquid, let Meryl go!"

"After we settle things between us. We're just about out of time."

"Are you talking about FOXDIE?"

"No, the Pentagon. It seems that the DOD came to a decision when they heard
about Metal Gear's destruction. They're not even interested in a Bonder
report at this point. Ask your shadow Campbell if you want. He likes to
listen, doesn't he?" Snake raised Campbell on the radio.

"Colonel, can you hear me?"

"I'm here."

"What's the Pentagon up to? You'd better tell me, Colonel."

"The Defense Secretary's personally taken control of the mission. He's on

an
AWAC heading your way."

"For what?"

"An air strike." Campbell replied bitterly.

"WHAT?"
"That's not even the bad news. A bomber just took off from the Galena AFB.
It's carrying the B61-13 surfacing-piercing missiles."

"Christ, Metal Gear's already been destroyed." Snake raised his voice.
"Doesn't the Defense Secretary know that?"

"He knows. But because of Naomi's betrayal, he no longer has any faith in
FOXDIES's effectiveness. Your taking out Metal Gear means that the threat
of
nuclear strike has been removed, and he's free to ensure a direct and
complete cover-up of the whole affair."

"By blowing up all the evidence and everyone who knows anything sky-high
with
a nuclear bomb." Snake finished angrily. But Campbell's next words were
unexpected."

"Don't worry, Snake. I'll halt the air strike."

"What?"

"It may be a technicality, but I'm still the field controller for the
mission. If I call in an order to halt the strike, it should wreak enough
havoc within the chain of command to buy you some time. Use it to get out
of
there." Richard called one of his men over and muttered an order. There was
little doubt that it was for Campbell's arrest. Snake and Campbell,
ignorant
of the roomful of ears who were listening in on their every exchange, were
still talking.

"Colonel, you know what would happen to you!?"

"It's all right, Snake. But you should know something. There was a top-
secret
internal investigation being conducted into FOXHOUND these past few months.
Meryl was transferred out to Shadow Moses the day of the insurrection -- as
hostage to ensure my cooperation."

"What a -- " Snake broke off in disgust.

"Now go, Snake."

"Are you sure about this? You'll lose everything you've worked for."

"I'm sure. And this way, I get to keep the things that are really important
--
that I would otherwise lose."

"Colonel -- "

"All right, I'm putting in an order to halt the strike. This is the point
of
no return- What the hell!?" Campbell gasped. It seemed that Richard's men
were trying to restrain him. The only thing we could hear over the radio
were
gunshots and unintelligible noise. I was once again a helpless spectator of
a
life-or-death struggle. Mei Ling burst in abruptly, as though she had
seized
the microphone.
"Snake!!"

"Mei Ling, what happened to the Colonel!"

"I don't believe this -- !"

"Tell me what's going on!"

"Snake! The Colonel!" Mei Ling's voice was lost in the shower of static
before she could reveal more. Instead, an unfamiliar male voice started to
speak.

"This is Jim Houseman, Secretary of Defense. Roy Campbell was just relieved
of duty."

"Let me talk to Colonel Campbell!"

"He's been arrested for compromising national security. He'll be charged

with
treason."

"That's insane!"

"No, it was Roy Campbell who was insane if he truly believed that he had
any
real say in this mission!"

"You -- !" Snake was seething, but Houseman went on nonchalantly.

"The nuclear strike will go forward as planned. The sea will take care of
what little there is left. It's what the President wants."

"So this is an executive order?"

"The President of the United States is a very, very busy job. Let's just
say
that I take full responsibility for this strike."

"How are you going to explain to the media why you dropped a nuke on
American
soil?"

"Don't worry, there's a cover story ready. A band of terrorists took over
the
Shadow Moses facility, and were extremely careless with their nuclear
missile."

"You'll be killing your own genome commandos -- all the researchers too."

"Donald is already dead," Houseman suddenly said with genuine sorrow in his
voice.

"So you didn't plan on killing the DARPA chief after all." Snake asked.

"He was my closest friend."

"And the rest of the poor bastards stranded here aren't so to hell with
them,
is that it?"
"That depends. If you transfer the contents of the optical disc over to me,
there may be room for negotiation."

"What disc?" Snake feigned ignorance, but Houseman was not so easily put
off.

"The disc that contained the full exercise data. Donald was supposed to
personally bring it back."

"I don't have it."

"Hm. That's unfortunate." Houseman said calmly. "The fact remains that the
two of you are a liability. You belong to an age no one cares to go back
to,
and you have the potential to needlessly embarrass this great nation. No,
you
cannot be permitted to ever leave that island. Take the time until the air
strike to catch up. Then rest in peace - you are a ghost of the Cold War,
after all." The transmission ended.

Snake and Liquid had engaged each other in a fierce hand-to-hand combat,
but
Richard had other things to attend to. He had one of his men open a radio
channel.

"Yes, what is it?" I realized with surprise that the person he had called
was
none other than the Secretary of Defense Jim Houseman.

"An air strike was an unwise decision." Richard sounded displeased. "With a
nuclear-armed Stealth bomber airborne, a complete cover-up is no longer an
option. 'They' are not happy with this."

"It's the only way to destroy the evidence. The results will bear out the
correctness of my decision."

"There will be no results. I've already aborted the air strike."

"How dare you!" Houseman started to roar, then suddenly petered out. He no
doubt had remembered the powers-that-be that stood behind Richard.

"What do you intend to do then?" He asked with barely suppressed rage.

"There is another viable way to salvage the situation."

"Make me take the fall? I don't think so!" Houseman's voice shook with
fury.
Richard sighed exaggeratedly.

"You don't think so? It seems, Mr. Secretary, that Colonel Campbell is not
the only one who 'truly believed that he had any real say in this
mission.'"

"What are you saying!" I heard the sound of scuffling on the other end.
"Hey,
what do you think you're doing! Get your hands off of me!" Houseman had
apparently been restrained. It was exactly the same scenario that had
played
out during Campbell's arrest.
"You have several choices." Richard explained with something resembling
pity.
"It's up to you which ending this particular story has. I myself would
suggest
a quiet retirement from public life."

"You'll pay for this, Ames. I swear to God!" Houseman spat out as he
struggled
vainly against his captors.

"Personally, I don't condone rough measures. I hope you'll come to the same
decision." Richard ended the call. The transmission from Shadow Moses was
still active. Liquid's dying scream tore through the speakers.

"Looks like things are wrapping up nicely over there," Richard murmured.
Richard cleared all of the personnel out of the study. We were now alone. I
could hear Snake and Meryl over the wires. It seemed that he had succeeded
in
rescuing her in time.

"Now the question is, what am I going to do with you?" Richard said as he
turned away from the radio. The time had come for me to make my move; I
walked up to my computer.

"This machine has been recording everything that went on in this study and
relaying it out to a remote location. Once there, the data was immediately
backed up on an optical disc." It was no bluff. It was just a more covert
version of a real-time remote conferencing system. Because of my work, I
frequently must acquire information from such unsavory types as black-
market
arms dealers and Mafia members who specialize in plutonium smuggling. The
recordings were my standard insurance policy.

"I've already sent a message to the collocation administrator. He'll give

the
disc to my media contact if he can't get in touch with me by a certain
time."
That had been the mail I'd secretly sent from my PDA earlier.

"If anything happens to me, the contents of the disc will be all over the
world." But Richard was unfazed. I started to feel apprehensive as he
calmly
lit another cigarette.

"You mean this disc?" He took out a shining optical disc from his inside
jacket pocket and slid it into my PC's drive. A few quick clicks of the
mouse
and the playback started. I stared at the slightly grainy footage,
horrified.
The audio seemed overly loud in the silent room.

"You should be hearing from him soon. You're clear on how to use the
radio?"
Richard's voice was raspy in playback, but it was definitely the data I had
secretly collected and sent out.

"How?"

"You shouldn't underestimate me," Richard said as he ejected and pocketed

the
disc. "Everything in this house has been vetted and monitored since the
operation started. Nothing got in or out without my knowing about it --
including electronic signals. That e-mail you sent from the bathroom never
got to its destination." He'd seen right through me. With that realization,
I
felt strength leaving my body. The game was up.

"But even if you had managed to get this data out into the world, that
wouldn't have guaranteed your safety. No one would have believed yet
another
conspiracy theory, least of all the press."

"Your - people would have made sure of that, I'm sure."

Instead of answering, Richard stubbed out his cigarette and slid his right
hand inside his jacket. There was an awkward bulge there, in the clean line
of his tailored jacket. It was where he kept his gun holstered. Cold sweat
trickled down my back. I was slowly backing away from Richard, and I did
not
even realize the fact until my back hit the wall. There was no way out.

"Are you really prepared to kill me?" I could not hide the tremor in my
voice.

"You should know the answer to that." He said quietly, looking me straight
in
the eye. Then he pulled his hand out from under his jacket, and I
instinctively shut my eyes. But even after what felt like an eternity, the
muffled shot and the pain I was expected did not come. I warily opened my
eyes, and saw what was in his hand. It was not a gun, but a disc.

"Everything you ever wanted to know about FOXDIE." Richard walked up to me

and placed the disc in my hand.

"As I said, a recording of what took place in this room won't guarantee
your
safety. There's no solid proof, just talk. It can easily be denounced as a
fabrication and covered up."

"But the FOXDIE data is a different story," He continued. "This disc

contains
everything about that project, from its origins to the names of every
individual involved. As long as you have this as an insurance, they won't
be
able to touch you."

"Why, Richard?" He did not answer my question.

"You'd better get out of her quickly. Your car's just out back."

"What about you?"

"That's not something you need to worry about."

"But --"

"You don't need me, Nastasha. And I have things to take care of."

"Why are you doing this?" I asked again.

"You'll figure it out someday. Do what you have to do, all right?" He
suddenly held me close and put his lips on mine. As we broke apart after a
long kiss, he whispered in my ear, "I wanted to do this again, just one
last
time." Then he gently eased my away.

"Now go. Hurry." There was gravity in his voice that allowed only one
response. I nodded, and sped out of the room.

That was the last I ever saw of Richard Ames.

After I fled from California, I went into hiding. There has been no sign of
pursuit, for now. The terrorist incident on Shadow Moses Island came to a
conclusion with the destruction of Metal Gear and the death of Liquid
Snake.
The United States government, however, has not yet officially acknowledged
the incident. The roster of the dead included Liquid Snake, Psycho Mantis,
Sniper Wolf, Decoy Octopus, and Vulcan Raven. Revolver Ocelot's body was
not
recovered, but his personnel file was closed with the notation, 'Missing in
Action.' FOXHOUND had, in effect, been decimated. The survivors from the
next-generation commando unit were all removed to the Peace AFB in New
Hampshire, ostensibly for training. As far as I know, they remain prisoners
there to this day. The government has repeatedly denied allegations of
genetically engineering super-soldiers, but rumors that the research
continues remain persistent. The deaths of Donald Anderson, the DARPA
chief,
and Kenneth Baker of ArmsTech ended the development of a new Metal Gear.
The
Metal Gear REX unit itself had been all but completed under Hal Emmerich's
leadership, but my source at Lawrence Livermore indicated that the rail gun
warhead delivery system had not been fully operational. Apparently, there
had
been some serious issues with the rail gun's targeting accuracy. This was
no
doubt the reason Baker had entrusted Snake with the exercise data, and Jim
Houseman, the Secretary of Defense, had so aggressively pursued its
whereabouts. The data is now lost, and the development program has been
closed
down. I dare to dream that the new nuclear delivery system will never see
the
light of day. A few days after the incident, I heard on the news that
Houseman had shot himself. The suicide was attributed to a temporary
nervous
breakdown related to job stress. Supporting statements from family and
subordinates were widely aired. The air strike order for Shadow Moses was
glossed over as an unfortunate evidence of the late Defense Secretary's
unraveling mental state. I remembered Houseman's words from the final hours
of the mission, and thought I knew what had really happened. He had refused
to take the fall, and paid for the defiance with his life. The record of
the
Shadow Moses Incident and the FOXDIE data disc that Richard gave me are
still
under my vigilant guard. The FOXDIE program data covers Naomi's careful
analysis of the unauthorized reconfiguration she had made to the virus. The
information showed that Snake was indeed one of the targets for the deadly
retrovirus, but the incubation period had been changed to a wildcard value.
Even Naomi herself did not know when the virus would awaken within Snake.
It
must have been the best revenge she could think of, condemning him to live
in
this fearful limbo. Colonel Roy Campbell was released after the Defense
Secretary's own arrest, and is once again enjoying his retirement.
Mei Ling also made it safely out of the mission, and is back in academia.
Dr.
Hal Emmerich did not return to ArmsTech following his rescue from Shadow
Moses. His whereabouts are unknown, but there is some indication that he
made
his way to England where he has family members. Snake and Meryl appear to
have successfully made if off Shadow Moses Island. I could however find no
tract of them; I hope that the same is true for those who have an interest
in
seeing them silenced. Naomi Hunter was formally taken into custody after
the
incident's conclusion. Three weeks later, as she was undergoing debriefing
in
a certain facility, she escaped. She has not been heard of since. Officials
were close-mouthed about the circumstances of the escape, but inquiries
into
other quarters elicited the fact that someone had broken Naomi out of the
base. I knew of only one person who could have breached the base's tight
security and successfully led someone to freedom.

And then there was the matter of Richard Ames.

I called in a favor and had an inquiry made to the DIA about one Major
Richard Ames. The Agency's response was that there was 'no DIA personnel
fitting that name and description.' Buying my safety and freedom had been a
costly act for Richard. It was then that I decided to go public with what I
knew. By exposing the conspiracy, I may be putting myself in renewed
danger.
But I am through with being a spectator, an objective bystander. The
powerlessness I felt watching Snake's solitary infiltration on Shadow Moses
has been a bitter wake-up call. This time, I am determined to make a stand.
This is my war now -- to tell the truth about what happened on the island.
That is my responsibility and privilege as a survivor, and a cause for
which
I am prepared to give my life.

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This document is Copyright 2004 Don Fleming. It may not be reproduced nor
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advance permission from the author. All outside sources which have
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to the making of this guide in some form have been cited in the guide.
Violation of the above terms can and will result in a lawsuit.

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Copyright 2004 Don Fleming

Submitted by El_Greco - Created 8/13/04 (Last Modified 1/20/05)

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