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A Wrongdoing | Big Shell Evil | Confidential Legacy | Dead Man Whispers | External Gazer
Confidential Legacy
The wind howled as the rain beat down
in torrential sheets upon the churning,
undulating surface of the river. A
single, lonely rubber boat, painted jet
black, was being tossed back and forth
upon the waves like the plaything of
some capricious river god. Snake lifted
his face to peer over the edge of the
boat. Over the din of the storm, he
could hear the sound of helicopters.
At length, he saw three black choppers approach the tanker in front of him. "Am I late?" muttered Snake to
himself. Three days earlier, Campbell had
visited Snake at his home in Alaska.
Unlike Snake, who had gone back into
retirement after the Shadow Moses
incident, Campbell had gotten himself a
position at the Defense Intelligence
Agency. Snake had known right away that Campbell wasn't there to rekindle
old ties with his former comrade.
After making some brief small talk,
Campbell had jumped straight to the
point. "Do you remember a man by the name
of Sergei Gurlukovich?"
Snake nodded. A former GRU colonel,
Gurlukovich was known as a ruthless,
cold-blooded strategist. During the Cold
War, when Campbell was the commander of FOXHOUND,
Gurlukovich had humiliated him on
numerous occasions. After the collapse
of the Soviet Union, he had organized
a group of former Red Army soldiers
into his own personal mercenary army.
Since then, Gurlukovich and his troops
had drifted from one war zone to the
next, selling their services to the
highest bidder. "We received a report that Gurlukovich and his men attacked a group of
Marines who were on a secret mission
in the South American republic of
Eldera. The Marines are being
tight-lipped about it -- as usual, they'd
rather keep a lid on the whole affair.
But from what we've been able to tell,
it sounds like Metal Gear is involved."
"Metal Gear?" Snake growled. He'd
heard the rumors, too. Following the
Shadow Moses incident, the technical specs for Metal Gear had been leaked
onto the black market. As a result,
bastardized versions of Metal Gear
were starting to crop up all over the
world. Eldera was a small country in
South America that happened to be
engaged in a civil war. Since the
1980's, the country had been under
the control of a pro-American
dictatorial regime. But as the Cold War
drew to a close and American influence in the region declined, the country's
minority ethnic population had taken up
arms against the government, calling
for the establishment of a separate
homeland. The country had been torn
apart by the civil war ever since.
Mercenaries and arms merchants were
constantly coming and going in and out
of Eldera. Given those circumstances,
Campbell had figured, it wouldn't be
too surprising if one side or the other had managed to get their hands on a
new type of Metal Gear. It seemed that
some people still clung to the belief
that the threat of nuclear war could
bring stability to the region. "And the Marines were there to try and
destroy it?" asked Snake. "No. It looks as if they were trying to
seize it for themselves. There's still a
lot we don't know about the true nature
of the new Metal Gear. This would have been a good chance to pick up a
lot of valuable information."
In other words, Eldera had managed to
get itself a new type of Metal Gear, the
Marines were plotting to seize it, and
Gurlukovich was planning to steal it
from the Marines. And now Campbell
was proposing to go after Gurlukovich.
Snake shook his head. "Sorry, but
you'll have to find someone else to do
your dirty work this time. I'm out of the hero business."
"Snake...."
"Times are changing, Colonel. I think
it's about time you gave it a rest."
"You mean retire from the military?"
"No, I mean time to stop this damn
vendetta of yours against Gurlukovich."
The look of fury on Campbell's face
confirmed Snake's suspicions.
Campbell still hated Gurlukovich with a
passion. It was an old grudge left over from the Cold War. The passage of
time had done nothing to diminish it.
Rather, it had grown in intensity. "Is that why you joined the DIA? To
settle old scores?"
"...Yes, you're right. But I didn't come
all the way here to ask for your help
just for the sake of a personal grudge."
Campbell's hands clenched into fists. "...The truth is... Meryl was part of that
mission." The rubber boat drew up alongside the
tanker. Snake gripped the rope tightly.
Meryl Silverburg. Campbell's niece.
The woman who had risked her life
alongside Snake on Shadow Moses.
At one time they'd been living together.
Then, six months earlier, Meryl had left
him. She said she there was something
important she had to take care of.
Her voice was resolute. Her eyes were clear and cold as steel. There was
nothing Snake could do to stop her. Snake climbed the rope up the outer
hull of the tanker and emerged onto
the aft deck. Nearby, he could see a
number of soldiers standing guard.
They appeared to be Russian
mercenaries. He called Campbell on
the Codec."This is Snake. I've managed to infiltrate the tanker. It looks like our
Russian friends have already taken
control of the ship. I'll try to get in
touch with Meryl somehow."
Snake Finds Meryl
Meryl lowered her gun. "What are you doing here?"
"I just wanted to see you," answered
Snake. "You think you're funny?"
"Actually, I was only half-joking."
"...My uncle sent you, didn't he?"
Snake nodded. He explained that
Campbell had gotten word of
Gurlukovich's attack."You've got a lot of nerve coming here!" Meryl snapped. "Look who's talking," Snake shot back. "What?!"
"Sneaking into another country under
the guise of a military operation when
all you're really after is the Metal Gear.
Who's got a lot of nerve coming here?"
His voice took on a condemnatory tone. "Is this that 'something important' that
you had to take care of?"
"...You wouldn't understand." Meryl turned away. "Someone like you, who
could happily spend the rest of his life
taking care of sled dogs day after day,
could never understand."
"I was only trying to live my life free of
hatred."
"No. You just didn't want to face up to
reality, that's all. Society, your past...
even me."
"...Is that why you left?"
"No, that's not it...." But the look in Meryl's eyes told Snake that it might
well have been. A deep silence fell
between them. Six months of
separation had created a cold, empty
gap that was difficult to fill. At last,
Meryl broke the silence. "...My father... he died here, in this
country," she murmured.
Matt Campbell, Meryl's father and
Campbell's younger brother, had been
a DIA agent. Snake had heard that he'd disappeared during a mission
when Meryl was very young. "I wanted to see for myself what my
father saw...." Meryl's eyes drifter over
to the window, but the only sight was
that of the storm raging outside. She
suddenly turned back to Snake and
held him firmly in her gaze. "Snake, please just get out of here.
This is my battlefield. I don't need
anyone from the outside to get involved in this."
"It's a little too late for that. I'm already
involved."
"Nothing can change your mind?"
"Nothing," Snake said firmly.
Meryl sighed in exasperation. Snake
pretended not to notice. "Now tell me what our situation is. This
mission was supposed to be top-secret,
right? So how did Gurlukovich find out
about it?" "That's what I'd like to know, too."
"You think there's a leak?"
"I doubt it. But seeing as how you
know all about it, then I suppose
anyone might know about it."
Snake thought for a minute. Meryl was
right -- anyone might know. But
whatever the case, might be, they had
to stop Gurlukovich from getting his
hands on the Metal Gear. "Where's the Metal Gear?" "In the cargo hold."
"All right. I'll go check it out. You...."
Meryl cut him off. "I'm not about to
take orders from you. We'll split up and
go our own separate ways. If you're
planning on heading for the cargo hold,
then you'll need me to do something
about the boxes that are blocking the
first deck stairway."
Before Snake could stop her. Meryl
had left the bridge.
The Holds
In the pitch darkness of the corridor, something moved in front of Snake's line of vision. Reacting quickly, Snake dove into the shadow of a nearby crate. There was a flash of light. Snake heard the sound of a gunshot. A bullet whizzed past his head, igniting sparks as it ricocheted off the wall behind him. It was a trap. No time to think about the particulars, though. There were at least five enemy soldiers up against him. He could hear the sound of guns being readied. Snake drew his USP.
Metal Gear!
Snake peered down the corridor. No
hail of bullets came to greet him this
time -- the coast was clear. He pressed
forward, past the bodies of the fallen
enemy soldiers, and entered the cargo
hold.
The cargo hold was dominated by a
massive shape covered by a tarp.
There was no mistaking it -- it was a
Metal Gear, the ultimate weapon of the
21st-century. Sensing the place to be deserted,
Snake approached the Metal Gear. Its
immense shadow loomed over him. He peeked under the tarp. But what he
found was nothing more than a decrepit
shell.
The armor plating was speckled with
rust. The body was covered with a
thick layer of dust. The old, badly
outdated actuator was a crisscross
road map of tiny cracks. It looked as if it hadn't been used in over 10 years. "Do not look so disgusted." A voice
suddenly sounded behind Snake's
back. "What you see before you is a
magnificent legacy of hatred left to me
by my distinguished predecessor. You
really should treat it with more respect."
Snake turned around in time to see
Sergei Gurlukovich emerge from the
shadow of a pillar. "Drop your weapon," said Gurlukovich. "Make me," Snake retorted.
Gurlukovich dragged another figure out
from behind the pillar. It was Meryl. He
drew her closer and jabbed his gun
against her throat. Snake watched as
the barrel slowly traced the contours
of her slender, white neck and brushed
gently against the corner of her mouth.
He threw down his gun. "A wise choice," said Gurlukovich. "All right, Gurlukovich. Let her go!" Meryl shook off Gurlukovich's grasp.
Gurlukovich pointed his gun at Snake.
He regarded Meryl with a leer.
Suddenly, Snake realized what was
going on. Meryl was working with
Gurlukovich. Meaning....
"...So you were the leak?"
Meryl was silent, confirming Snake's
fears. "But why?"
"...What if I told you that it was my father's dying wish?" Meryl looked
pleadingly at Snake. "...I'll ask you one
more time. Please, leave this place."
"I can't do that."
Gurlukovich cocked the hammer of his
gun. "Then I'll just have to get rid of
you!"
He pulled the trigger.
"No!" Meryl grabbed Gurlukovich's
hand from the side. The bullet went
astray, striking the ground between Snake's feet. "We had a deal! You
promised you wouldn't kill him!"
As the two continued to argue, Snake
retrieved his USP and made his
escape. As he ran, he heard the sound
of Gurlukovich shouting angrily at his
men. "Kill him!"
Snake heard Meryl trying to stop him,
but he didn't turn back. His only thought
was to escape as quickly as possible.
Snake's Escape
Snake closed the watertight door
behind him and turned the handle to
lock it. That should buy me some time,
he thought. In the meantime, there was
something he had to check on. He
called Campbell on the Codec and
described what had happened. "Meryl and Gurlukovich...." Campbell's
voice quivered. "Meryl said something about her
'father's dying wish.' What the hell was your brother doing in this country,
anyway?"
Campbell explained.
During the Cold War, while the country
was under the control of a
pro-American dictator, the American
military had been conducting a
top-secret project in Eldera. Matt
Campbell had been a member of that
project. When the Cold War ended, the
project was terminated as well, and the Americans had prepared to withdraw
from the country. Matt, however, went
AWOL. Shortly afterward, the
pro-American regime, having lost its
backing, was faced with armed
uprisings among the country's minority
groups. Eldera was plunged into civil
war. Matt's corpse was discovered
later. Spetsnaz had been behind the
uprising. And the name of their
commander was Sergei Gurlukovich. "Some say that Matt was actually
collaborating with Gurlukovich. But I
don't believe it for a minute."
Campbell's words made it sound as if
he believed the Gurlukovich himself
had killed Matt. "Is that why you've been so obsessed
with Gurlukovich for all this time?"
asked Snake. "...Yes," admitted Campbell. He hated
Gurlukovich. Hatred spawned hatred in kind. "Were you involved in the project,
too?"
"No. There's a rule against that. We're
forbidden to take part in an operation
involving family members. They say it
compromises your judgment."
"Is that all?"
"...I guess Matt wanted to put some
distance between us at the time."
Campbell's voice was tinged with regret. But he ventured no explanation
as to the reason behind his brother's
actions. "The antique Metal Gear you
saw is the end result of that project....
That's all I know. The whole thing is
highly confidential. Even now, the
records are all sealed.
I believe it, thought Snake to himself.
After all, it was only natural for people
to try and forget horrible things that
happened in the past. Governments were no exception. But some people
held on to these kinds of memories.
Some people never forgot their hate.
Like Gurlukovich and Campbell. "Snake, we can't let Gurlukovich and
his men escape with that Metal Gear,"
said Campbell. "It could still be armed
with live nuclear warheads. They're
probably planning to test the Metal
Gear's capabilities somewhere out at
sea. You've got to change the course of the ship. Head for the bridge."
Snake had no objections.
Snake VS Meryl
Snake made his way to the ship's
bridge. Outside the window, beyond the
storm, he could see the figure of Meryl.
He opened the watertight door and
stepped into the navigation room.
Meryl turned around. "You're late."
"Were you waiting for me?"
"There's no one to interrupt us here. I
need to tell you something."
"You mean like the reason why you're helping the man who killed your
father?"
"Is that what my uncle told you?"
Snake nodded. Meryl shook her head. "He was lying."
Meryl explained.
Matt Campbell's part in the top-secret
Metal Gear development project in
Eldera had been to ensure the
country's stability. Part of his job was
feeding falsified information to the minority separatist guerillas, and he
was good at it. First he'd pick a
suitable candidate. Next, he'd find his
target's weak point and use it to
blackmail him. Then he'd dangle a
carrot in front of the victim's eyes and
convince him to cooperate. Matt would
then send his now-willing accomplice
into the ranks of the separatists. Once
there, the spy provided the Americans
with useful information, selling out his comrades in the process.
But in carrying out his mission, Matt
made one fatal error. In his dealings
with the separatists, he came to
sympathize with their cause. He
became enchanted with the idea of
independence. He grew to resent the
U.S. for the way it exploited smaller,
weaker nations for its own gain. In the
end, Matt decided to help the guerillas
create their own nation. He wanted to give them the trump card they needed
to secure their independence. And
what better gift than a bipedal,
nuclear-capable walking tank that was
conveniently being developed in Eldera
(albeit secretly and quite illegally) by
the American military? Sergei
Gurlukovich, who was also supporting
the guerillas, agreed to cooperate.
Matt's plan was executed. The guerillas
succeeded in stealing the Metal Gear from the American base. But then their
plan was discovered. Matt was
executed by the Americans. Meryl's
father had been punished for the crime
of believing in his own ideals. The price
of having a conscience was high in
those troubled times. In the tumult of
the civil war that followed, the Metal
Gear disappeared without a trace.
However, six months ago, its existence
was reconfirmed, and the Marines had been sent to recover their long-lost
dirty secret.
After hearing the true story from
Gurlukovich, Meryl agreed to follow his
instructions and infiltrate the Marines.
Her intent was to transfer the Metal
Gear over to the guerillas through
Gurlukovich, who was still providing
support to the rebels. In this way, she
could carry on her father's memory and
the ideals for which he died. "Is that what Gurlukovich told you?"
asked Snake.
Meryl nodded. Snake shook his head. "Didn't it ever occurs to you that he
might by lying?"
Meryl looked at Snake with sorrow in
her eyes. "...You're not going to let me
get away, are you?"
"So what are you going to do?"
Meryl drew her gun and pointed it at
Snake. "You're not going to shoot me," said
Snake.
She released the safety with her thumb."Watch me."
Meryl Defeated Via Leathal Means
Snake watched as Meryl crumpled to
the ground. He rushed to her side and
cradled her in his arms. She was
bleeding profusely. Her breath was
faint... and her wounds were mortal.
Snake clasped her tightly to his chest,
covering the wounds he himself had
given her. He felt her body grow cold
and lifeless in his grasp. "Do not trouble yourself over it," said a
voice behind Snake's back. It was Gurlukovich. He held a pistol in his
hand. "Why were you using Meryl?" Snake
demanded, fighting to control his anger. "USING her? I merely told her what
she wanted to know."
"I don't think so."
A slight smile crossed Gurlukovich's
face. It was the smile of a master
strategist, a smile that told of lies,
manipulation, and betrayal. "Perhaps I did embellish the truth a bit. After all,
people will believe what they want to
believe."
"Is this your idea of revenge on the
Colonel?"
"Of course. He deserved to suffer. I will
make him squirm in agony until his pain
is as great as the suffering of all of the
men that I have had to bury, and all of
the widows and orphans they left
behind." Gurlukovich hated Campbell. Campbell
hated Gurlukovich. Hatred spawned
hatred in kind.
"That is why I chose her. Is she not
the most important person in
Campbell's life? This I heard from
Matt... as he lay dying."
"So it was you that killed Matt?"
Gurlukovich's eyes darkened for an
instant. "I see my reputation precedes
me. I simply gave him that which he desired. He was only waiting for
someone to kill him. That is the kind of
man he was." For a moment, it almost
looked as if Gurlukovich were truly
grieving the loss of an old friend.
Perhaps his grief was real. But the look
soon passed. "I will not hand the Metal Gear over to
the Elderan guerillas. My men and I
have other plans for it. The machine
itself may be a wreck, but all we really need to do is recover the nuclear
warheads and the launching system. A
nuclear-equipped ballistic missile is still
a precious commodity, even in this day
and age."
Snake gritted his teeth. Gurlukovich
laughed. "Do not be so angry with me. This is
Matt Campbell's dying wish. This was
his intention from the beginning."
"What do you mean?" "If you do not believe me, than ask him
yourself."
Gurlukovich aimed his gun at Snake. "In hell!"
The sound of a gunshot ripped through
the air. Gurlukovich fell to the ground.
The shot had come from Meryl.
Meryl's body slowly went limp in
Snake's arms. The gun slipped from her fingers. "Snake...." Meryl moaned. She looked
as if she were trying to say something.
Snake lowered his head closer to her
mouth. But his ears could not detect
the slightest trace of breath.
The End...
Meryl Defeated Via Non Leathal Means
Snake watched as Meryl crumpled to
the ground. He rushed to her side and
cradled her in his arms. Fortunately, she'd only been temporarily knocked
out. He clasped her tightly to his chest. "Do not trouble yourself over it," said a
voice behind Snake's back. It was
Gurlukovich. He held a pistol in his
hand. "Why were you using Meryl?" Snake
demanded, fighting to control his anger. "USING her? I merely told her what
she wanted to know."
"I don't think so."
A slight smile crossed Gurlukovich's
face. It was the smile of a master
strategist, a smile that told of lies,
manipulation, and betrayal. "Perhaps I
did embellish the truth a bit. After all,
people will believe what they want to
believe."
"Is this you idea of revenge on the Colonel?"
"Of course. He deserves to suffer. I will
make him squirm in agony until his pain
is as great as the suffering of all of the
men that I have had to bury, and all of
the windows and orphans they left
behind."
Gurlukovich hated Campbell. Campbell
hated Gurlukovich. Hatred spawned
hatred in kind. "That is why I chose her. Is she not the most important person in
Campbell's life? This I heard from
Matt... as he lay dying."
"So it was you that killed Matt?"
Gurlukovich's eyes darkened for an
instant. "I see my reputation precedes
me. I simply gave him that which he
desired. He was only waiting for
someone to kill him. This is the kind of
man he was." For a moment, it almost
looked as if Gurlukovich were truly grieving the loss of an old friend.
Perhaps his grief was real. But the look
soon passed. "I will not hand the Metal Gear over to
the Elderan guerillas. My men and I
have other plans for it. The machine
itself may be a wreck, but all we really
need to do is recover the nuclear
warheads and the launching system. A
nuclear-equipped ballistic missile is still
a precious commodity, even in this day and age."
Snake gritted his teeth. Gurlukovich
laughed. "Do not be so angry with me. This is
Matt Campbell's dying wish. This was his intention from the beginning."
"What do you mean?"
"If you do not believe me, then ask him
yourself."
Gurlukovich aimed his gun at Snake. "In hell!" The sound of a gunshot ripped through
the air. Gurlukovich fell to the ground.
The shot had come from Meryl.
Meryl staggered painfully to her feet
and turned her back to Snake. The rain
beat down upon her ragged frame. "Meryl...."
"Please, just don't say anything."
Her shoulders were trembling. Snake wondered if she was crying. The tanker and the Metal Gear it was
carrying were recovered by the U.S. forces.
Meryl, meanwhile, found herself the
subject of a military inquiry.
Several days later, Snake ran into
Campbell while visiting Meryl at the
detention center.
According to Campbell, the military had
conducted a full investigation on the
recovered Metal Gear. It was judged to
be a complete failure, little more than scrap metal. The nuclear warheads
too, were noting but cheap imitations.
Whether or not Matt had been aware
of this was unclear. There were no
records left. And, Campbell added, it
was his fault that Matt had betrayed his
country. "What?!" Snake exclaimed. "Matt hated me. And not just me,
either. He hated his wife, too... and
Meryl...." "What are you trying to say?"
"Meryl is my daughter."
Snake was thunderstruck. He started at
Campbell in utter disbelief. "So... you
and you brother's wife...?
Campbell nodded. "...I knew what I did
was unforgivable. But I thought she...."
He hung his head. "Did Matt know about it?"
"He sensed that something was up.
That's why he went to Eldera along -- to get away from us. And that's where
Gurlukovich found him...."
The first rule of intelligence gathering
is to find your opponent's weak point.
Dig up the ghosts of his past. Rub salt
into his old wounds. Then pretend to
sympathize. Gain his trust. Steal his
heart. Then he would be yours to
control. In Matt, Gurlukovich had found
the perfect target. "...Does Meryl know about this?" "No. But... I was about to tell her."
With that, Campbell turned and started
walking towards the visiting room. As
Snake watched him recede into the
distance, he thought to himself. It
would take time for Meryl to accept the
truth about what had happened. He
wasn't even sure whether or not she'd
ever acknowledge Campbell as her
father. But it would be enough for
Snake if, one day, the two could smile at each other once again. There wasn't
any room in the world for more hatred.
The End...
