Metal Gear Solid: Page 14

Let’s do this, let’s finish this.


THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY!


Liquid : Sleeping late as usual, …eh Snake?

Liquid… you’re still alive…

Liquid : I won’t die. …as long as you still live.

Too bad. It looks like your revolution was a failure.
‘Cuz we blew up Metal Gear. Fucks yeah.


Liquid : Just because you’ve destroyed Metal Gear doesn’t mean I’m done fighting.

Fighting? What are you really after?
Oh, shut up.


Liquid : A world here warriors like us are honored as we once were… as we should be.

That was Big Boss’s fantasy.

Liquid : It was his dying wish! When he was young, during the Cold War, the world needed men like us. We were valued then. We were desired. But things… are different now. With all the liars and hypocrites running the world, war isn’t what it used to be… We’re losing our place in a world that no longer needs us. A world that now spurns our very existence. You should know that as well as I do. After I launch this weapon and get our billion dollars, we’ll be able to bring chaos and honor… back to this world gone soft. Conflict will breed conflict, new hatreds will arise. Then! …we’ll steadily expand our sphere of influence.

But as long as there are people, there will always be war.
Does Liquid ever shut up?


Liquid : But the problem… is balance. Father knew what type of a balance was best…

Is that the only reason?
Holy shit, I just want to kill some Liquid and finish, not gab.


Liquid : Isn’t it reason enough? For warriors such as us.

I don’t want that kind of world!
To understand this, see Metal Gear Solid 3.


Liquid : Ha! You lie! So why are you here then? Why do you continue to follow your orders while your superiors betray you? Why did you come here?

……

Liquid : Well… I’ll tell you then. You enjoy all the killing, that’s why.

What!
It’s possible, on the GameCube version, to get a NoKill runthrough.


Liquid : Are you denying it? Haven’t you already killed most of my comrades?

That was…

Liquid : I watched your face when you did it. It was filled with the joy of battle.

You’re wrong!

Liquid : There’s a killer inside you… You don’t have to deny it. We were created to be that way.

Created?
What?


Liquid : Les enfants terribles… the terrible children. That’s what the project was called. It started in the 1970’s. Their plan was to artificially create the most powerful soldier possible. The person that they chose as the model was the man known then as the greatest living soldier in the world…

Big Boss…

Liquid : But father was wounded in combat and already in a coma when they brought him in. So they created us from his cells… with a combination of 20th century analog cloning and the Super Baby Method.

Super Baby Method?
Who to the what now?


Liquid : They fertilized an egg with one of father’s cells, and then let it divide into eight clone babies. Then they transferred the clones to someone’s uterus and later intentionally aborted six of the fetuses to encourage strong fetal growth… You and I were originally octuplets.

Octuplets…

Liquid : Yes. The other six of our brothers were sacrificed to make us. We were accomplices in murder before the day we were even born. So it was you and I. Two fertilized eggs with exactly the same DNA. But… they weren’t finished yet. They used me as a guinea pig! To create a phenotype in which all of the dominant genes were expressed…. to create you. I got all of the recessive genes!

…….

Liquid : You took everything from me before I was even born! But… you and I aren’t his only children.

What?
I think there’s been more text in the last three updates than the first 11 combined.


Liquid : The Genome Soldiers. They too are his progeny, carrying on his genetic legacy. But they’re different. They’re digital. With the completion of the Human Genome project the mysteries of humanity were laid bare… Thanks to father’s DNA, they were able to identify more than sixty ‘soldier genes’ responsible for everything from strategic thinking… to the proverbial ‘killer instinct’. Those ‘soldier genes’ were transplanted, into the membrane of Next Generation Special Forces. That’s how they became the Genome Soldiers. That’s right… The Genome Soldiers that you’ve been killing are our brothers, with the same genes as ours.

The Genome Soldiers!?
Yes, plot development is done this way in the Metal Gear series. It’s forgivable, because it’s so awesome.


Liquid : That’s right. They are our brothers, created artificially through the alignment of nucleotides to mimic our father’s genes. They too are the product of numerous sacrifices.

Sacrifices?
There’s a bunch of big words, and some more.


Liquid : Human experiments. 1991, the Gulf War. The military secretly injected soldiers with the soldier genes. The Gulf War Syndrome that hundreds of thousands of returning soldiers complained about, was a side effect of it.

Hah. Everyone knows that the Gulf War Syndrome was caused by exposure to depleted uranium used in anti-tank rounds.

Liquid : That was just a cover story issued by the Pentagon. First they tried to say it was post-dramatic stress disorder, then chemical or biological weapons. The poison gas detection units and the anti-sarin injections. They were all just a cover up of this secret genetic experiment.

So then… the so called Gulf War Babies that have been reported by Gulf War veterans are…

Liquid : Yes… They too our are brothers and sisters.

So the Genome Soldiers mean that the experiments were a success?

Liquid : Success? Don’t be a fool! They’re a complete failure! We’re on the verge of extinction.

What!?
What!? More like “What if..?” amirite?


Liquid : Have you ever heard of the Asymmetry Theory? Nature tends to favor asymmetry. Those species which have gone extinct all show signs of symmetry. The Genome Soldiers suffer from the same problem… signs of symmetry. So do I, as do you.

!!!

Liquid : That’s right. We are all on the verge of death at the genetic level. We don’t know when or what type of disease will occur. That’s why we need the old man’s genetic information.

You want Big Boss’s DNA so you can save your family? It’s very touching.
Snake’s gotta have the one-liners.


Liquid : In Nature, family members don’t mate with each other. And yet they help each other to survive. Do you know why? It increases the chance that their genes will be passed on to a new generation. Altruism among blood relatives is a response to natural selection. It’s called the Selfish Gene Theory.

You’re telling me that your genes are ordering you to save the Genome Soldiers?
Huh, the what theory?


Liquid : You can’t fight your genes. It’s fate. All living things are born for the sole purpose of passing on their parents’ genes. That’s why I’ll follow what my genes tell me. And then I’m going to go beyond. In order to break the curse of my heritage. And to do that… first I will kill you. Look behind you!
What a touching family reunion.


Meryl!? Is she alive?
I guess I can say it now. Meryl’s life all depends on how we did in the torture room. If I submitted, she’s dead and we get the Otacon ending. If I endured, she’s alive and we get the Meryl ending. Ocelot hinted at this.


Liquid : I’m not sure. She was alive a few hours ago. Poor girl kept calling your name.

Meryl…

Liquid : Stupid woman. Falling in love with a man who doesn’t even have a name…

I have a name!
And we should know what it is, if we paid attention to my Chrono Trigger threads.


Liquid : No! We have no past, no future. And even if we did, it wouldn’t be truly ours. You and I are just copies of our father, Big Boss.

Let Meryl go!

Liquid : As soon as we finished our business. We’re almost out of time.

…You’re talking about FoxDie?
FOXDie, FOX-HOUND, Grey FOX, FOX archipelago. Huh.


Liquid : No. It seems now that the Pentagon knows that Metal Gear is destroyed, they’ve arrived at a decision. They won’t even need a BDA (battle damage assessment). If you want the details why don’t you ask your precious Colonel Campbell?
Alright, I guess. Not the most perfect time for a Codec call, but..


Colonel! Can you hear me?

Campbell : Yes… I’m listening.

What is the Pentagon trying to do!? Colonel! Colonel! Answer me!

Campbell : The Secretary of Defense has taken over active control of this operation. He’s on his way there by AWACS.

What for?

Campbell : To bomb the place.

What!?

Campbell : Not only that. B-2 Bombers just lifted off from Galena Air Force Base. They’re carrying B61-13 surface- piercing tactical nuclear bombs.

What?! Metal Gear is destroyed. Tell the Secretary of Defense!

Campbell : The Secretary of Defense heard that Naomi double-crossed us and he’s worried about Fox Die. Now that there’s no more danger of a nuclear strike from Metal Gear, he’s going to do whatever’s necessary to cover up the truth of what really happened here.

He’s going to drop a nuclear bomb to vaporize all the evidence along with anyone who knows anything…

Campbell : Don’t worry, Snake. I’ll stop the nuclear strike.

How?
Oh, christ. Drop a couple of nukes on it and pretend it’ll go away.


Campbell : I may only be a figurehead here, but I’m still officially in  command of this mission. If I issue an order to delay the strike. It’ll confuse the chain of command and at least buy you some time. It’ll give you a chance to escape!

But Colonel, if you do that…

Campbell : It’s okay, Snake. …The truth is FOX-HOUND was already the subject of an undercover investigation. Meryl was transferred to this base just before the terrorist attack… as a way of manipulating me.

Those bastards…

Campbell : I’m sorry. They forced me to cooperate in exchange for her life. You’d better get out of there, Snake.

Are you sure? …It’ll be bad for you.

Campbell : Don’t worry. It’s the least I can do for you after all the lies.

Colonel…

Campbell : I’m ordering them to cancel the bombing run. After that there’s no turning back… Aaaah! What are you doing!?
Fuck.


Mei Ling : Snake!

Mei Ling, what happened to the Colonel!?

Mei Ling : …I don’t believe it!!

What happened!?

Mei Ling : Snake, the Colonel…!!
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?


HOLY SHIT!! IT’S SEAN CONNERY!

HAGGIS!
Sweet? Anything else, Sean?

Shuck it, Trebeck!


Houseman : Roy Campbell has been relieved of duty. This is the Secretary of Defense, Jim Houseman.

Put the Colonel back on!

Houseman : He’s been placed under arrest for leaking top-secret information and for the crime of high treason.

Ridiculous!

Houseman : Yes, he’s a ridiculous man. He truly believed that he was in command of this operation.

You bastard…!

Houseman : There won’t be a speck of evidence left. I’m sure the President would want the same thing.

The President ordered this?

Houseman : The President is a busy man. I have complete authority here.

How do you plan on explaining a nuclear attack on Alaska to the media?

Houseman : Don’t worry. We’ve prepared a convincing cover story. We’ll simply say that the terrorists exploded a nuclear device.

…Smart. You’ll be murdering everyone here. The scientists, the Genome Army, everyone…

Houseman : Donald… the DARPA Chief is already dead…

So you didn’t mean to kill the DARPA Chief after all?

Houseman : He was my friend.

And you could care less about what happens to everybody else, huh?

Houseman : Well, if you give me the optic disc, I might consider saving them.

What are you talking about?

Houseman : Metal Gear’s test data! Donald was supposed to bring it back.

I don’t have it.

Houseman : I see. Oh well that’s okay… You two are an embarrassment from the 1970’s. …our country’s dirty little secret. You can’t be allowed to live. Well, the bombs will be dropping soon, and you two have a lot of catching up to do. Farewell.
It’s the mysterious Jim that the ArmsTech president mentioned WAAAAAAYYYYYYY back in my second or third update. And, apparently, Jim went over the president to set up the bombing run. What a dick.

But, before we leave you, Sean, anything else you want to say?

You’re the man now, dog!
Excellent.


Liquid : There’s no way out for us. Let’s finish this before the air strike. You stole everything from me. Only your death can satisfy me. Only your death can return to me what is rightly mine. She’ll make a beautiful sacrifice for our final battle. Do you see this? It will be the time limit for our final battle. This nuclear module is set to detonate at the precise moment of her death.


Liquid : If you win… you might still be able to save her. You could enjoy one brief moment of love… before the end.
Less than three minutes to kill Liquid.


Liquid : If you cross this line, you’ll fall… At this height it will kill even you.
Less talk, more fight.


Sure thing.


Battle strategy: Beat the fuck out of Liquid.


Liquid : Snaaaaaaaaake!!!
So, that must mean the fall killed Liquid, too. Since the two are, you know, identical.


Meryl? Meryl!?

Meryl : Uh, Uh, uhnnn… Snake? Is that you? Snake! You’re alive! Thank God!

Meryl? Meryl, are you okay?

Meryl : Are you okay… Is that all you can say?

Meryl, it must have been terrible…
Goddamned right, the Meryl ending.


Meryl : It wasn’t that bad. I didn’t give in to the torture.

Torture?

Meryl : …And things even worse than that… I was fighting too. Just like you.

You’re a strong woman.

Meryl : Fighting them… made me feel closer to you. I felt like you were there with me. It gave me the strength to go on. But I was scared.

…I’m sorry.

Meryl : Don’t say that… But it made me realize something. During all the pain and shame there was one thing I was sure of… a single hope that I held onto… And that hope kept me alive… Snake, I wanted to see you again…
I’ll let you guess what ‘things even worse than torture’ could be. Pretty easy if you take Meryl’s last line into thought.


FUCKING WONDERFUL TIME FOR A CALL!


Otacon : Snake, it’s me.

Otacon, good news! Meryl’s okay.

Otacon : All right!!! You saved her, man. Good job!

I got some bad news too. We’re about to be bombed.

Otacon : Oh boy. I guess we’re considered expendable.

Is there a way out of here?

Otacon : A way out? …Uh, yeah. You can take the loading tunnel to the surface. There’s a parking garage right next to you. The tunnel leads from there to the surface.

The door in front?

Otacon : No. It’s a small entrance to the west of that door.

How about the security?

Otacon : I just unlocked it. Who do you think you’re talking to? I’ll take care of security along your escape route too…

What are you going to do?

Otacon : Me? I… I’ll stay here.

Are you crazy!

Otacon : I need a little more time to take care of your escape route.

But…
Wait, don’t tell me that Anime nerd is..


Otacon : Unlocking the security doors is difficult work. Only I can do it.

Otacon?

Otacon : Don’t worry. I’m staying here. It’s my own decision.

Otacon, this is a hardened shelter, but they’re going to use a surface piercing nuclear bomb. It won’t hold.

Otacon : I’m through regretting the past… Life isn’t all about loss, y’know…

……..

Otacon : Snake, I’m a complete person now. I’ve found a reason to live.

Good. Don’t die on me.

Otacon : Same to you. Take care of Meryl, okay.

I will…

Otacon : Okay I gotta go. I promise I’ll do something about your escape route.

Thanks.
..he is. Gah.


Otacon : “Thanks”… oh, that sounds nice.

…I believe in you.

Otacon : Thanks, Snake.
He’s gonna get killed!


Let’s get the hell out of here.

Meryl : …What about him…? Where is Otacon!?

He’s… He’s… fighting right now… With his old self… to be the man he wants to be.

Meryl : He’s fighting for us too?

Yeah, and I don’t want it to be in vain.

Meryl : …Me too.
Guys, you’re leading up to Otacon dying. That’s not cool.


Meryl.

Meryl : …Snake.
GET A ROOM!



Meryl. It’s started…

Meryl : I must be heavy…

It looks like we’re not gonna have a love scene after all.

Meryl : Looks that way. Too bad…
Thankfully.


Let’s get out of here!

Meryl : Snake, it’s freezing outside. You need some clothes.
Oh. Uh. Yeah.



Pushy women.



We’re gonna diiiieeeeeee.


Meryl : Hmm… Looking good, Snake.




I can assure you that there’s ten minutes left in this game.


FUCK!



Time to shoot some fuckers.



YAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!


Another Jeep? Surely it’s Otacon.




HOW IN THE FLYING FUCK DID YOU SURVIVE!?!




WHY WON’T YOU DIE!?!



Ohhhhhh shit.




Oh, look, a sad ending.







So long as the Jeeps don’t explode, or the bombs fall within the next three seconds, we’re good.



Good.



Huh?




ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?!!


Oh shit.



Fox..





DIE! What a seriously lame way to kill Liquid.




Seriously. Lame.




‘Cause they’re STEALTH bombers. Duh.


Campbell : Snake, can you hear me?

Colonel!

Campbell : Are you okay?

Colonel, what happened?

Campbell : The Secretary of Defense has been arrested. Early retirement.

Arrested?

Campbell : I was able to get into contact with the President. Metal Gear, the training exercise…all of it…it was all the Secretary of Defense acting alone.

Acting alone? What happened to the air raid and the nuclear strike?

Campbell : The orders were rescinded. The F117s and the B2 Spirits have returned to the base. Once again, I have complete authority over this operation.

I see…
What a bastard, that Jim.


Campbell : Washington isn’t stupid enough to use nukes to cover up a few secrets.

I wonder about that.

Campbell : In any case, the danger’s over… Thanks, Snake.

Colonel, you can rest easy. Meryl’s fine.
You and me both, Snake.


Campbell : Really? Thanks… Thank you, Snake. Snake, I’m sorry I… I kept a lot of things from you.

It’s okay, Colonel.

Campbell : Snake, I’m not a Colonel.

Oh that’s right.

Campbell : I’ve got a present for you. There’s a snowmobile close to you. Mei Ling saw it on the satellite photos. This time of the year the glaciers are pretty calm. You should be able to ride right out of there. I’ll bet the boys at the DIA and the NSA never expected you to come home alive.

Me neither. I better not show my face around here.
Just think about how Mei Ling found the snowmobile.


Campbell : No danger of that. You two officially died after your jeep sank into the ocean…

That’s not too far from the truth.

Campbell : Also there’s a helicopter waiting for you on Fox Island.

Dr. Hal Emmerich should be somewhere on the base. I want someone to bring him in.

Campbell : I understand. Leave it to me.

Okay, Roy. Are you going to be okay?
Good! That means Anime nerd is still alive!


Campbell : Don’t worry. I’ve got an insurance policy… a hard copy of all Mei Ling’s data. As long as I’ve got that, you, me and Mei Ling will be fine.

The battery on these nanomachines will run out soon. They won’t be able to follow us.

Campbell : I guess we won’t meet again.

Don’t worry. I’ll pay you a visit sometime.

Campbell : Really? I’ll look forward to that.

Roy, just tell me one thing.

Campbell : What?

About Fox Die.
Oh yeah. I forgot about that.


Campbell : Meryl will be fine. She wasn’t included in its programming.

What about me? It killed Liquid…

Campbell : Naomi said that she wants to talk to you face to face about that.

How is she?

Campbell : Don’t worry. Mei Ling’s with her right now. I’m switching over to Naomi.
Maybe she’ll finally tell us.


Naomi : Snake, it’s me…

Naomi…

Naomi : I heard…about my brother…
Yeah, he kinda died.


I’m sorry… but he had one last message he wanted to say to you. He told me to tell you to forget about him and to go on with your own life.

Naomi : Frankie said that?

Yeah. He also said he’ll always love you… Naomi, your brother just saved you, me and the whole world. He fought with every ounce of strength in his body.

Naomi : Maybe… maybe now he’s finally found some peace. He wasn’t really my brother anymore… Ever since he fought with you in Zanzibar he’s been like a ghost. A ghost looking for a place to die…
Well, he didn’t really. We’re just sparing your feelings so you don’t become a COMPLETE sadistic psycho bitch.


Naomi, Liquid died from Fox Die too. What about me? When am I gonna go?

Naomi : That’s up to you.

What do you mean?

Naomi : Everybody dies when their time’s up…

Yeah, so when’s mine up?

Naomi : It’s up to you how you use the time left to you. Live, Snake.  That’s all I can say to you.

……….
Oh, GOD DAMNIT! JUST TELL ME ALREADY!


Let’s get the hell out of here.







Naomi : Each person is born with their fate written into their own genetic code… it’s unchangeable, immutable… But that’s not all there is to life. I finally realized that. I told you before. The reason that I was interested in genes and DNA. Because I wanted to know who I was… where I came from. I thought that if I analyzed my DNA I could find out who I was, who my parents were. And I thought that if I knew that, then I’d know what path I should take in life.

But I was wrong. I didn’t find anything. I didn’t learn anything. Just like with the Genome Soldiers… you can input all the genetic information, but that doesn’t make them into the strongest soldiers. The most we can say about DNA is that it governs a person’s potential strengths… potential destiny. You mustn’t allow yourself to be chained to fate… to be ruled by your genes. Humans can choose the type of life they want to live.

Snake, whether or not you’re in the FoxDie program isn’t important. The important thing is that you choose life… And then live! Don’t you think, Snake?

Don’t worry. I’m going to choose life too. Until today, I’ve always looked for a reason to live. But from here on, I’m going to just live.

Genes exist to pass down our hopes and dreams for the future through our children. Living is a link to the future. That’s how all life works. Loving each other, teaching each other… that’s how we can change the world. I finally realized it. The true meaning of life… Thank you, Snake.
Gab, gab, gab.


Meryl : Look. I found this.

Let’s keep it. As a reminder.

Meryl : Of what? A reminder of a successful mission or the first time we met?
A bandana?


A reminder of how to live. Until today, I’ve lived only for myself. Survival has been the only thing I cared about in my life.

Meryl : That’s not just you. That’s how everyone is.

I only felt truly alive when I was staring Death in the face. I don’t know, maybe it’s written into my genes.
Yeah, everyone has survival instincts.


Meryl : What about now? What do your genes say about your future now?

Maybe it’s time I live for someone else.

Meryl : Someone else?

Yeah. Someone like you… Maybe that’s the real way to live.
Looks like they might get their love scene.





Interesting note: The voice actor that plays Snake is, as you know, David Hayter. Snake’s real name has nothing to do with his voice actor, however.


Hmmm. I think it’s time we look for a new path in life.

Meryl : A new path?

A new purpose.

Meryl : Will we find it?

We’ll find it. I know we’ll find it.

Meryl : What are those?

Caribou. To the Aleutians, the Caribou is a symbol of life. It’ll be spring here soon…

Meryl : For us too…

Yeah. Spring brings new life to everything. It’s a time for hope. I’ve lived here a long time… But Alaska has never looked more beautiful. The sky… the sea… the caribou… and most of all… You…

Meryl : I think I’m gonna like this new life…

C’mon. Let’s enjoy life…
What a goddamned charmer.



The two ride off into the sunset.


Chilling.


That’s good.


Even more chilling.

I was going to include pictures of the voice actors here, but I remembered this one detail: They all acted under aliases in this game, except for David Hayter (Solid Snake) and Doug Stone (Psycho Mantis).


Naomi : You mustn’t allowed yourself to be chained to fate… to be ruled by our genes. Humans can choose the type of life they want to live. The important thing is that you choose life… And then… live!
Thanks, Naomi.


Ocelot : Yes sir. The entire unit was wiped out. Those two are still alive. The vector? Yes sir, FoxDie should become activated soon… Right on schedule.


Ocelot : Yes, sir. I recovered all of Rex’s dummy warhead data. …No, sir. My cover is intact. Nobody knows who I really am. Yes, the DARPA Chief knew my identity, but he’s been disposed of.


Ocelot : Yes. The inferior one was the winner after all. …That’s right. Until the very end, Liquid thought he was the inferior one. Yes, sir. I agree completely. It takes a well-balanced individual… such as yourself to rule the world. No, sir. No one knows that you were the third one… Solidus. …What should I do about the woman? Yes sir. I’ll keep her under surveillance.




Hole. Lee. Shit. Are you telling me that Ocelot was working for the President that knew about ALL of this the entire time? And the only one that knew who he really was was the DARPA chief? And that Solid was the inferior clone?! And what does he mean that the President is the “third one” ‘Solidus’? Find out in Metal Gear Solid 2!


Here’s my stats. Play time would have been shorter, but I documented every required Codec call, and there are a LOT of them.


Doing this lets us restart the game with any special items that we may have collected. And since the next time will be the third time through..


Well, everything seems normal.


The bandana from last game. Infinite ammo.




Snake takes off his excess equipment.


Something’s not right here..


Is that a..?


Why, yes, I think it is.


Motherfucking Solid Snake in a motherfucking tuxedo!