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A Wrongdoing | Big Shell Evil | Confidential Legacy | Dead Man Whispers | External Gazer
Dead Man Whispers
"Big Shell," off the coast of New York.
The offshore decontamination facility
was selected as the setting for a
top-secret joint exercise between the
Navy SEALs and Dead Cell due to its
complex structure and isolated
environment. During the exercise,
Dead Cell and a team under their
command portrayed terrorists, while
the SEAL team acted to suppress them. Dead Cell was a specialized naval
combat team feared for their brutality.
Their main function was anti-terrorist
training, launching unannounced
assaults on important government
installations to determine their level of
security. Although famous for the
ferocity of their attacks, there was
another reason for their reputation. It
was rumored that their anti-terrorist
training was cover for their true mission: operating above the law to
undermine threats to American
national interests. Whether inside the
country or out, whenever anti-American
sentiment was suspiciously crushed or
leaders died unnatural deaths, military
insiders inevitably associated Dead
Cell's name with the act. The rumors
were never confirmed. However, that
the name of Dead Cell had become
equated with death, disaster, and calamity was undeniable. Until one
year ago.... One year ago, Dead Cell commander
Colonel Jackson was arrested on
charges of graft and corruption. From
that point on, the overzealous tactics
during attacks, the shady pasts of the
team members, and their combined
inhumanity made Dead Cell's name
synonymous with military corruption and dishonor. Even their very fighting
ability had come under question. This
exercise marked their first official
assignment in some time, but only
Dead Cell leader Vamp was granted
permission to participate. The joint exercises were drawing to a
close. I was guarding my assigned
area in Strut F. Immediately after
receiving a report that half of the terrorists had been subdued, a codec
transmission signifying an emergency
situation came through my Codec. ",,,Come in, anyone! This is Alpha
team. We're under attack!"
"This is Pliskin. What happened?!"
I replied.
"...Dead Cell... it's Vamp!
He double-crossed.... The team is
almost... by him...."
I could hear screams and the sound of gunfire in the background. "What is
your location?" I asked. "Strut B...."
I heard a scream, and the line went dead.
I immediately punched in a different
frequency. A low voice answered: "This is Dolph. Is this Snake?"
It was Marine Commander Scott Dolph.
He was in Big Shell as part of the
exercise. I explained the situation to Dolph.
He answered through a burst of noise: "Looks like things just started on my
end too."
"What's the status?"
"There was an explosion in the Shell 2
Core. B1's almost totally flooded."
"...Is this what you were worried
about?"
Three days ago, I accepted a request
from Dolph to join the exercise. Dolph was worried something might happen,
and he asked me to put a stop to it if
it did. But he didn't say why. All he
told me was, "I'm counting on you."
Dolph and Dead Cell were connected.
Dolph's daughter Helena was
Jackson's wife. When Jackson was
arrested, Dolph was the only one who
defended Dead Cell and Jackson. As
a result, he risked his own position.
Dolph seemed to be worried about something concerning Dead Cell.
I accepted without any questions.
I owed Dolph. Dolph created a fake identity for me.
And here I was, along for the exercise
as Lieutenant Junior Grade Pliskin. I
then asked him: "What is Vamp up to?"
"I have no idea...." Dolph said in a
deeply troubled voice."Snake, we must figure out what's happening. We're trapped in the north
part of Filter Chamber No. 2 by debris
and flooding. Looks like it'll take us
some time to get out of here. I want you
to rescue the SEALs. Head over to
Strut B."
"Roger that."
"Be careful! You aren't carrying live
ammunition, are you?"
Dolph was right. I was equipped for
exercise and didn't have any live rounds. "No. But I'll be okay," I replied.
The Massacre
I was greeted at Strut B by the sight of
a total massacre. The bodies of dead
SEALs littered the entire area.
Everything had been torn apart and
splattered with blood. I heard a moan
coming from a body in a pool of blood.
"Hold on!"
I ran over and lifted the soldier in my
arms, He was still breathing, but his
wound was deep reaching his internal
organs. It was clear that he wouldn't make it. He looked at me with
unfocused eyes. "It was Vamp.... He called it a
'lynching'.... revenge for those who
backstabbed Jackson. He called... the
bribery charge... a sham..."
"You'd better not talk now," I said,
trying to quiet him.
But he kept on talking. "Vamp's going after Captain O'Brien...
but that's nonsense. There's no way the Captain's involved... He's just...
not like that."
Navel Captain O'Brien, multiply
decorated in the Persian Gulf, Europe,
and Africa, was commander in chief for
the entire exercise. The mass media
praised the Captain as a competent
and noble-minded military man who is
well-liked by his fellow soldiers.
He grabbed my chest. His grip was
surprisingly strong for a man on his deathbed. "The Captain is... on the first floor of
the Shell 2 Core.... Save the Captain!
Please...."
His body lost its strength. I closed his
eyes. That was all I could do for him.
I contacted Dolph, telling him what I'd
just heard. "I see...." mumbled Dolph.
His voice didn't sound surprised at all.
In fact, he sounded like he'd just confirmed some bad news. "Did you know about this?" I asked.
He became quiet, answering hesitantly. "There've been a lot of cases involving
murdered government employees and
servicemen lately. Rumor has it Vamp
is behind it all...."
"Is Jackson really innocent?"
"I don't know for sure, but perhaps. He
was a real proud soldier. He was not
the corrupt kind." "You think O'Brien backstabbed
Jackson?"
"No, I don't think so. I know his
reputation...."
"How can you be so sure?"
"It was O'Brien who planned this
training. If he was involved in Jackson's
case, there's no way he would involve
Vamp."
"That's only if O'Brien knew of the
rumors of the lynching, right?" "He knew."
"Are you sure?"
"Oh yeah. I heard of the rumors from
O'Brien."
"...You and O'Brien talked about the
rumors?"
I was a bit surprised. O'Brien and
Dolph... political Navy captain and
head of the Marines. They didn't seem
like a likely pair of friends.
Dolph answered as if he knew of my doubts. "O'Brien and I didn't always get along
because of our positions. I don't think
he liked me either. But I don't think he
hated me so much that he wouldn't give
me advice that would save my life."
"What do you mean?"
"O'Brien came to warn me -- that I was
Vamp's next target."
I then knew the true person Dolph had
participated in this exercise. "So you tried to rid Dead Cell of its
infamous rumors by revealing yourself
to Vamp...."
"Correct. If nothing happened to me
during this exercise, I could prove that
the rumors were false."
"... You do trust Vamp."
Dolph scoffed. "I wouldn't go that far. If I trusted him
completely, I wouldn't have called you....
I'm a coward." I said to him that trusting something or
someone isn't that easy. Dolph did not
respond. I then asked him. "But then
it's not you but O'Brien that Vamp's
after?"
"Yeah.... Either O'Brien's information
was wrong or Vamp's wrong..."
It seemed Dolph was confused too. "The only thing that's certain is that
Vamp is trying to kill O'Brien.... Snake,
you've got to stop Vamp." "Got it."
I considered the structure of Big Shell
again. I'd need to use the Shell 1 - 2
connecting bridge from Strut D to get
to Shell 2, where Vamp should be heading. That meant I'd have to head
for Strut D first.
Vamp' Gone Crazy!
Dolph contacted me as I arrived at Strut D. He had apparently managed to get a hold of O'Brien. O'Brien had sealed off the door to the Shell 1 - 2 connecting bridge from Strut D to prevent Vamp from getting through. He'd also reorganized the remaining SEALs to defend Strut G. Dolph said: "Snake, join the SEALs. Vamp is the enemy. Those men might be SEALs. but I doubt they can stop him on their own." "But how can I get to Shell 2? The Shell 1 - 2 connecting bridge is closed off." "There is another way. Go across the oil fence in the lower part of Big Shell. Use the ladder on B1 of Strut E to get down to the oil fence. You should be able to get to Strut L of Shell 2 by crossing it." Vamp must have already left for Shell 2. I needed to hurry.
The Race to Find Vamp
I reached the Strut E ladder and
climbed down about 40 meters. When I
finally made it to the oil fence, I heard
the sound of gunfire from above. It
was coming from the Shell 1 - 2
connecting bridge. I could see the
SEALs fighting Vamp. But it wasn't a
normal fight. It was a one-sided
massacre. Vamp ran. The SEALs fired.
But the bullets didn't hit him. Vamp
threw knives. Some of the mean went down. Other SEALs fought back. Vamp
wove and dodged. He slit the throats
of the SEAL man, slicing their
stomachs open and stabbing deep into
their hearts. The SEALs went down in
a split second. I saw the last man
screaming at the totally unhurt Vamp.
Suddenly, the connecting bridge
exploded. It must have been wired up
with bombs beforehand. A series of
explosions enveloped the connecting bridge in flames, and it began to
collapse with a roar. Debris rained on
the surface of the sea. I made a run
across the oil fence. A huge column of
water rose behind my back. Waves
churned, throwing the oil fence up with
every undulation. I struggled along and
finally made it to the lower part of
Strut L. As I turned around, my eyes
met Vamp's. He had tumbled from the
sky and landed on the Shell 2 side. Vamp sneered, licked a knife with his
long tongue and hurled the knife at me.
And then he disappeared into the
interior of Strut G.
I climbed the ladder and made it into
Strut L of Shell 2. Vamp had already
penetrated Shell 2. O'Brien was in
danger, I ran for the Shell 2 Core.
Reaching Shell Core 2
I entered the Shell 2 Core. There wasn't any gunfire, or any sign of people. The silence made me uneasy. The Codec rang. It was Dolph. "Snake, what is your location?" "Right above your head. I've just entered the first floor of the Shell 2 Core. How's O'Brien?" "I've lost contact." I clicked my tongue. Were we too late? "We still don't know what's happened for sure...." said Dolph. But he didn't sound too sure of himself. "O'Brien should be on this floor, right?" I asked. "That's right. He should be barricaded in the Air Purification Room. He told me he was going to electrify the floor to stop Vamp from getting inside." I looked at the passageway. The floor there was glowing dimly. "Looks like the trap's still working." "Yeah? ... But we're up against Vamp. Who knows if it'll help." There was only one way to confirm if O'Brien was dead or alive: going inside. "How do I disarm the trap?" I asked. "Destroying the circuit breaker in the room is probably the only way. You should be able to do it with a remote-controlled missile from a duct. You're going to have to find a remote-controlled missile first."
Finding O'Brien
As soon as I entered the Air Purification
Room, I found O'Brien on the floor
slumped against a wall. Judging by the
cut covering O'Briens body, Vamp had
tortured him instead of killing him
instantly. O'Brien looked at me,
recognizing my uniform. He was
covered with blood, but he smiled in
relief. "I guess we haven't been wiped out
yet...?" I signaled for him to keep quiet and
examined the surroundings. O'Brien
said, "Vamp isn't here anymore.... Looks
like he left for B1 from the duct."
It seemed nobody was in the room
except the dying man and myself. I
went up to O'Brien.
He was bleeding pretty badly. It looked
like he didn't have much time.
I tried to treat him, but O'Brien refused. "Stop it... I'm not going to make it
anyway. I know that.... get out of here
now. Call for backup."
"No, I can't do that. You said he went
to B1, right?" I said.
Dolph was on B1. As O'Brien told
Dolph, he might be the next target.
But Dolph was Jackson's father-in-law.
And besides, he wasn't the kind of
person to backstab someone....
Something was wrong. While I was turning this over in my
head O'Brien said, "Don't do it,
Lieutenant. You'd better leave. Don't
get involved with Vamp."
"But we can't let him continue his little
lynching game, right?"
"Lynching?"
O'Brien tried to laugh. But he coughed
up blood instead. "Vamp said you falsely charged
Jackson...." "That's crazy. I didn't do that. Nobody
could."
"What do you mean?"
"The corruption case is airtight.
There's plenty of proof...."
"What?!"
O'Brien tried to say something, but
only coughed. He coughed up more
blood. Then he was quiet for good.
I tried to contact Dolph numerous
times by Codec without any response. I knew Vamp had already left for B1.
I had to get to B1 right away.
The Flooded Path to Vamp
I got on an elevator. I arrived at B1.
B1 was exactly as Dolph had described.
The passageway had been closed off
by an explosion and flooded from a
damaged water-purification tank.
I swam through the debris to move forward.
Dolph had to be to the north. I opened a
door and entered the second filtration
room. Dead silence. Suddenly I spied
someone standing in the darkness. Vamp. He slowly opened his closed
eyes."I was waiting for you...."
"Waiting for me?"
"That's right. I was waiting for the
perfect opponent to commemorate the
end of Dead Cell. And you're it... Solid
Snake."
"What are you saying!? Vamp, knock
it off. No one backstabbed Jackson.
His corruption...." Vamp spoke calmly. "I know."
"What?!"
Vamp stared at me with sad eyes. "Snake, you don't understand anything,
and you won't have to. All you need to
know is that you'll be gracing Dead
Cell's legacy... as the final victim.
C'mon!"
The Truth is Dispelled
I approached Vamp as he lay in a
pool of his own blood. "Vamp, tell me why you went on with
your lynching when you knew it was
meaningless?"
Vamp's mouth twitched. "Because it wasn't meaningless."
Jackson's arrest had been the final
blow to Dead Cell's reputation. They
called it a stain on the entire U.S.
military, called them a group of disgraced losers.... The military had cut
Jackson off as a liability. But that
wasn't all. The brass tried to bury
Dead Cell's previous record of success
as well. It was a fate worse than death. "We killed more then a few people. We
killed civilians, woman, children, the
elderly. Some were unarmed. Some
didn't resist. Some even begged for
their lives. But we killed them all. Of
course, we didn't kill them for pleasure. It was our mission. Dirty work, those
types of missions. Everyone hated
them, but they had to be done. So we
took them all. A man like O'Brien owes
his spotless reputation to the fact that
we got our hands dirty, crawled
through mud, and woke up screaming
from nightmares...." Vamp clenched his
fist."Are we the lowest of men? Perhaps.
But the lowest of soldiers? Definitely not. I won't allow our honor and purity
to be stained. That was all we had!
But now... this last bit of pride has
been denied us as well. That's why I
went on this mission."
"You mean your 'lynching'?"
"That's right. If I kill people out of
revenge, people may start wondering.
They may even think that perhaps
Colonel Jackson could be innocent.
The more I keep on killing, the more the public will have to believe. Believe
in his innocence...."
"Did you really expect anyone to
believe that crap?"
"Of course. The world lives and
breathes on what you call 'crap.' Don't
you think?"
Vamp coughed coldly. But his eyes
looked empty. His eyes weren't those
of someone who had regained what
they had lost. They were of those who had lost something instead. Then I
realized. "But you don't believe it, do you?
Even if Dead Cell's reputation is
restored, it won't matter for you...."
Vamp shut his eyes as if he were in
pain. "Maybe you're right."
Any "purity" Dead Cell had possessed
in its mission had been lost at Vamp's
hand. The person in front of me wasn't a proud soldier. He was nothing more
than a pathetic terrorist. And he knew
it. Perhaps that was the punishment
for the 'lynching' Vamp said:
"I don't care. At least I can protect
someone."
"Protect?"
"I'd do anything for Colonel Jackson,
Helena, their unborn baby... and
Scott...."
"You fool!" The shout echoed through the air.
It was Dolph. He must have heard the
battle and found us. Vamp smiled as
he saw Dolph. His eyes quickly began
to cloud. Dolph came up to Vamp and
said:
"Nobody asked you to do what you did.
Not Helena, no Jackson... not even
me. You knew that, didn't you?"
Dolph picked up Vamp's hand. "Just having you around was good enough for me...."
Vamp died with a smile on his face. Vamp died. A backup SEAL team
secured the Big Shell. Dead Cell was
officially dissolved some time after
that. Dolph retired from the military,
and Jackson died in prison. They said
it was due to mental exhaustion. Some time later, a rumor began
making the rounds. It said Jackson
had been falsely accused, and Dead
Cell had been framed.
The End...
