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A Wrongdoing | Big Shell Evil | Confidential Legacy | Dead Man Whispers | External Gazer

External Gazer

I opened the door to Strut B. I went out on the AB connecting bridge. No enemies sighted. Otacon gave me
instructions via Codec. "Listen carefully, Snake. I'll explain again. Our target this time is that mysterious unidentified monster that's got the whole world in an uproar. They call it the Gurlugon." Whats is he talking about? The only ones in an uproar are Otacon and Mei Ling, and I bet they're the only ones using that nickname, too. That's what I was thinking, anyway. But I didn't say anything. Otacon continued. "I think you already know this, but do NOT hurt the target! Take a picture of it before it has a chance to get away. You've made it this far, so don't do anything stupid!"
My hands were tied. Ridiculous or not, a mission is a mission. I made up my mind, and began walking across the AB
connecting bridge.

The Water Swells

I stared in stunned silence at the churning whirlpool the sea had become. The surface of the sea was beginning
to rise. No question about it, something huge was getting ready to make an appearance. My mysterious, ludicrous
quest, my so-called "Monster Search Mission," looked to be coming to an unexpected conclusion... How did I get involved in this ridiculous mission? It all began three days ago. I was testing Otacon's latest invention, the VR system, at Philanthropy's hideout in New York.

Koppelthorn Engine

The world disappeared before my eyes. As my senses returned to my body, I realized that I wasn't actually on a
bomb-disposal mission on a tanker; I was setting in the VR training seat. I pulled off the headset and Otacon turned to speak."You were doing just fine." I nodded reluctantly. Otacon asked me with pride:"What did you think about the new VR system?" "Not bad." "That's all?" Unsatisfied, he cocked his head. "I can't believe it, to tell you the truth. I didn't expect it to work so well." "I know! The VR system incorporates something called the Koppelthorn Engine.
I just got it the other day." "The Koppelthorn Engine?" Hearing the question, Otacon removed his glasses, a smile on his face. "The Koppelthorn Engine is a quantum calculation system that's been getting a lot of attention in certain quarters recently. You know about quantum computing, right?" began Otacon. He went on and on, q-bits this and
Tensor products that. For the next two hours and thirty-seven minutes, I regretted my stupidity in having asked. "...In short, it allows the construction of virtual-reality environments containing a hitherto unprecedented amount of information. That information is converted into a signal and conveyed into your brain via the headset, directly
synthesizing information for each of your senses while simultaneously cutting off feedback from your actual body. That way, it's possible to realize a virtual reality environment that is completely indistinguishable from the real world, down to lights, sounds, even your sense of smell and touch." He took a breather. I couldn't miss my opportunity. "I see, I understand now..." I said, trying to get up out of the seat. But Otacon stopped me. "Wait a second. Let's try it again.
The goal of the next scenario will be to eliminate the enemies and secure an escape path for the hostages on Big Shell." I guess Otacon just couldn't wait to try out his new toy. Reluctantly, I took the seat again. Otacon continued his briefing. "You mission is to eliminate all enemies within a certain period of time. Ready? Here we go!" I put the headset back on and closed my eyes. A burst of light flashed through my eyelids. The next moment, I found myself surrounded by a world I could hardly believe was a mere construct.

Not Quite Real

The VR simulation ended. The all-too-real virtual reality disappeared, and the senses returned to my body. I removed
the headset. "How was it?" asked Otacon. I told him what I'd noticed during my two trials. "It's well done, no question. But it feels kind of unnatural, like something's wrong with my senses." "Unnatural in what way?" "It's tough to explain, but... I feel like I'm possessing someone else's body...." "That's because of the pseudo-signal filling your brain. Theoretically, it should be possible to replicate the exact same stimulus as from the sensory structures of your physical body." Midway through my discussion with Otacon, the door opened, and in strode Mei Ling. "Hey, check this out!" Mei Ling threw us the tabloid she'd brought with her.

A news paper article reads in bold A Monster at Big Shell!?

It was an article describing the appearance of some kind of huge creature near Big Shell. The title shouted, "A Monster at Big Shell!?" Completely ridiculous. "So what?" I said without hesitation. Mei Ling blinked in surprise. "So what'?! It's a monster, Snake!" Otacon hit the table. "That's right! It's a monster!" "That picture has to be fake." It was the most normal opinion in the world, but you wouldn't have known by the way they glared at me. Finally they
simply decided to ignore me. "It sound incredible, doesn't it, Mei Ling? A monster in New York? It's amazing!" "I agree! It's amazing! Too amazing!!" "So it's at Big Shell.... I want to go and see it...." "Hey, Otacon, I have an idea. How
about catching the monster? What do you say?" "Great idea! Let's get him! It'd be a real boon to biology -- no, I take that back! To ALL of the sciences!" "That's right! Hey, do you think we could get a lot of customers if we built a monster zoo?" "Of course! Judging from the dorsal fin, I think this monster must have come from underwater.... What do you think?" "Maybe. What about making stuffed animals or T-shirts?" "Not bad! But I can't help thinking that it might be a messenger from space, you know?" "Oh, totally. But we'd better register a trademark first." They excitedly kept on with what seemed to be a totally disjointed conversation. I couldn't believe they were actually considering it, but I had to ask. "Hey, I hope you're not serious about catching this thing...." Otacon regarded me with utter shock.
"Wake up, Snake! We're talking about a monster here!" Mei Ling kicked a chair. "He's right! This is about a monster!"
"But..." Otacon leaned toward me. "A monster of unknown origin has appeared! AS a scientist, I can't simply ignore it!" "Do I have to remind you about Philanthropy's financial situation?! We don't even know if we have enough to cover our rent this month!" snapped Mei Ling, fire in her eyes. "But..." "What do you propose instead of catching it?!"
"Are you just going to quietly let this opportunity slip by?! You coward!" "But, but..." Otacon and Mei Ling kept up their simultaneous tirade as I hesitated. "We've got to do it!" "We've got to do it!" At this point, there was nothing to say except "Okay." That's the story. And so I came to Big Shell. That was three hours ago.

The Search For Gurlugon

I contacted Otacon via Codec asI entered Strut C. "What's up Snake? Found any clues?" asked Otacon. "Negative. But I've seen some strange people wandering around." I told Otacon about the soldiers I'd seen on the CD connecting bridge. Otacon replied: "I bet they're trying to get Gurlugon, just like we are." "I don't think..." "It has to be!" he swore with confidence. "Anyway, just move ahead without getting caught. Most of the sightings of Gurlugon have been southwest of Big Shell. Head for the AB connecting bridge." I'd come this far, so there was nothing to do but follow Otacon. I started moving towards the AB connecting bridge.

Snake Finds The Gurlugon

Anyway, that's the story. Here I am, forced to hunt down a monster, and it looks as though something's about to
appear before my very eyes. At this point, there's nothing to do but get ready. I checked over the camera. I have no idea what I'm about to see, but I'm going to shoot first and ask questions later.

Alternate Olga

"Get out of my way!" screamed Olga. She wasn't armed. She didn't seem to be making a move to attack. I began
talking to her as I holstered my gun. "What are you doing here?" Olga smiled a little. But something about her smile wasn't right. She looked so different. She didn't carry the sense of darkness and tragedy I remembered. In fact, she looked like a totally different woman. "Don't get too friendly. I'm not the me that you know, and I don't know the me that you do know." "What are you talking about?" "I'm looking for the key to get back to my universe. And that strange creature is it. It doesn't belong in your universe. Neither do I. We're from a different place. And you universe is in for trouble, too, if you just ignore things!" I just couldn't wrap my brain around Olga's story. I was lost. Grinding her teeth, Olga looked down to the surface of the sea. "Damn. He's getting away. Listen! Check the VR system! It's allowing you to peek into another universe. That's what's causing all this trouble!" shouted Olga as she jumped from the connecting bridge. "Wait!" I leaned over the railing, but Olga had already disappeared into the sea. Olga's henchmen were jumping into the sea one after the other. I was left on the connecting bridge along. I couldn't see Gurlugon anymore.

A picture you took of Gurlugon is shown on the screen

My photo of Gurlugon sat on the table at the hideout. "No sign today?" I asked Mei Ling. No. Looks like it hasn't shown up today, either." It had been a week. No new sightings of Gurlugon. No one knew where he'd show up next.
Maybe he'd never show up ever again. I believed Olga. It didn't seem like she was lying, and what's more, the existence of that ridiculous monster was proof in and of itself. There was no way something like that could live in our world, but it might be possible in another. Otacon brought up a theory about "parallel universes." As usual, Otacon gave far more of an explanation than necessary. But in a nutshell, the idea was that rather than a single universe, there were countless universes existing in parallel. That meant that one universe might be exactly the same as mine, except the number of hairs on my head was off by one. In another universe, civilization might have sprung from paramecia. There could even be a universe full of monsters. Otacon thought these universes were supposed to be mutually exclusive, but for some reason had begun randomly intersecting. That was how the Olga we knew became switched with an Olga from a parallel universe, and how that monster came to be in ours. And Otacon warned that the phenomenon seemed to be progressing as we spoke. But if his theory was correct, we were in for big trouble. For example, it was possible that in an hours, I might switch with another version of myself from a different universe. Otacon might have already been switched with a different Otacon. What would happen to us if we switched to a universe, say, where the Moon was about to collide with the Earth or something? It was simply impossible to predict what might happen next. Fortunately, the moon hadn't smashed into use yet - or at least not in our universe. Of course, that didn't guarantee we'd be safe tomorrow. "How's the analysis of the VR system coming?" Otacon shook his head. "I'm not getting anything at all...." Otacon looked sick when he heard Olga had said that the VR system was the root of the problem. He told me that the Koppelthorn Engine, the heart of the new VR system, was a quantum
computational device designed by Dr. Koppelthorn, but the principles behind it remained unknown. He opened the housing, a literal black box, and found nothing inside except some mysterious circuits, clattering gears, and what appeared to be some iron spheres. But somehow, it worked. That's probably why it was such a source of excitement for some people. Pseudo-science aficionados had examined the thing, but the only conclusions thus far had centered
around the possibility that it made use of components from UFOs or aftifacts from a lost civilization. Meaning nobody
had figured out what made it tick. And what's more, nobody had ever seen this Dr. Koppelthorn himself or herself
either. So what was the connection between the mysterious VR system and the collision of the parallel universes? Olga had said that the root of the problem was the VR system's "peeking" into other universes. But Mei Ling had her
own theory. The Koppelthorn Engine-based VR system wasn't simply constructing a virtual reality through its calculations, but managed to get around the wall separating the parallel universes, peering into parallel realities that satisfied certain requirements, and incorporating that information into the VR systems virtual reality construct. Perhaps that observation and interference was creating the disturbance in the parallel universes. But that wasn't all, said Mei Ling. Perhaps Olga was searching for the Gurlugon because it was the cause of the distortion among the parallel universes. The Gurlugon had become the fulcrum around which space had warped. And if that was true, there
would be no way to stop the distortion without getting rid of the Gurlugon itself. And for that reason, we continued
searching for the Gurlugon. We'd lost all trace of the monster, and hadn't made any further progress into analyzing the VR system. But the disturbance of the Parallel universes might well be continuing. It was possible that some of the universes might even be in peril. And it was equally possible that our universe could follow the same path moments later. We were completely frazzled. Suddenly, Mei Ling spoke. "If killing Gurlugon will make things right, there might be a way." "What do you mean?" Otacon raises his face, and Mei Ling began her explanation. "If it's true that the VR system can interfere with other parallel universes, why not try killing Gurlugon within the VR system? That could mean we're actually killing the original Gurlugon, and the Gurlugon in our universe could disappear...." "Isn't that just a little too extreme?" objected Otacon. To which Mei Ling shot back: "We can't just sit back and stare at the
photo! We've got to do something! You agree with me, right, Snake?!" "I'm not sure...." I answered. Her logic seemed extreme no matter how I looked at it. But at the same time, I had the feeling that I'd end up doing it anyway. Doing something for the sake of doing it wasn't the answer, but I had to agree we still hadn't come up with a solution to the problem. A few hours later, I squared off against Gurlugon inside the VR system.

Gurlugon Defeated

Gurlugon defeated, we turned the VR system off. But somehow, I still wasn't convinced. I removed the headset and
spoke to Otacon. "So. Do you think we really did it?" Otacon shrugged. Looked like he felt the same way I did. Just then, Mei Ling said: "Of coarse the mission has succeeded." I saw a wicked smile on her face. "We've just lost the only way to restore the parallel universes to normal." "What did you say?!" I said, rising from the seat. Mei Ling responded: "There's no question that the Gurlugon was the singularity that represented the warp in the parallel universes. But the only way to restore space as we know it wasn't destroying the singularity. The solution was to capture the singularity, perform a counter-unitary conversation via the Koppelthorn Engine, thereby dispersing the wave function to its state before convergence..." Mei Ling continued, her voice full of satisfaction. "Anyway, the disappearance of the singularity means the disappearance of the only method to restore space, too." "Who are you?!" Mei Ling sneered at Otacon's cry. "TO borrow Olga's words, I'm not the Mei Ling you know. But no hard feelings, okay? I was just following someone's orders to complete a certain objective." "Someone? Who?" I asked her back. "My husband." Mei Ling replied sweetly. "I believe he's called Solidus in your universe." "Solidus?!" we screamed without thinking. Mei Ling slowly pointed at a wall and said: "Oh, speak of the devil..." Just then, the wall exploded. Debris poured from the gap. Dust enveloped the area. And Solidus Snake, clad in a powered suit, stood in the middle. Solidus said to Mei Ling, "Kept you waiting, huh?" "Honey!" Mei Ling threw herself into Solidus' arms. I dove for Solidus. He fired a missile from his snake hand. A dazzling flash. An explosion. I was thrown against the
wall. I lost consciousness momentarily. By the time I managed to get to my feet, I saw Solidus cradling Mei Ling and escaping through the hold he'd just blown in the wall. In the end, I couldn't keep up with Solidus. Otacon and I discussed what to do next as we stood in our half-destroyed hideout. If they were telling the truth, we'd just lost the way to restore the balance of the parallel universes. But there still had to be something we could do.... Finally,
Otacon spoke. "What about Olga?" It wasn't a bad idea. The Olga we'd run into at Big Shell seemed to have a good grasp of the situation. She might be able to come up with some kind of solution. There was just one problem. Where could she be? I told Otacon my concerns, and he nodded with confidence. "I have an idea." "So, what's your skill?" asked Otacon. A beautiful black woman with a slender build was sitting in front of us. She was too cheerful. She laughed far too often. "I've got, like, really good luck!" "Good luck?! Is that a skill?" "You betcha!" Somewhat dismissively, I watched Otacon continue questioning the applicant. Otacon had placed an ad entitled "Wanted: Gurlugon Search Team Members!" in the city's main newspaper the other day. "Let's catch the mysterious monster with our own hands! We have creditable information about where the creature will appear. Experience a plus. Details to be discussed during an interview...." Unbelievable, quite a few people had shown up. We'd already met with more than ten people, but there was still no sign of Olga. "We'll contact you later." "I really look forward to hearing from ya!" The woman stood up, gave him a big smile, and left. I said to Otacon, "DO you really thing this is going to work?!" "She has to be on the lookout for information about Gurlugon. She'll show up." "But all we've gotten so fare are weirdos! Like that old man whose still was back flips and sliding, and..." "Yeah, he was funny!" "Hey!" Obviously, Otacon was getting a kick out of the whole scene. "Relax. Let's wait a little bit longer. Next!" yelled Otacon. The door
opened. Lo and behold, in walked Olga. Back in the remains of our hideout, we explained the situation to Olga. After hearing our full account, Olga told us that there was still a way out. "it's true that the Gurlugon singularity might have been erased, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all of singularities in all of the parallel universes have been." A glimmer of hope flashed through Otacon's eyes. "You mean there are other singularities?" "Most likely. But their forms and locations in the parallel universes are unknown. They won't be easy to find." "we have some data about Gurlugon. If we analyze its pattern, scan the vicinity of the strange attractor with VR, maybe we can..." Otacon and Olga continued their technical discussion. The end result, said Otacon, was settling on a method to find the singularities of other parallel universes by continuously and finely adjusting the wave function parameter of the VR system to mimic the unique pattern generated by a singularity. In other words, it looked like I'd have to make through a series of VR constructs. Preparations were made faster then I expected. I returned to the seat of the VR system. Otacon said, "I'll tell you as soon as I locate the singularity. Until then, I want you to continue clearing VR stages.
But be careful. I don't think Solidus will just take this sitting down. You may run into traps. Stay alert!" Otacon initialized the VR system. A virtual reality spread before my eyes.

Their are Others!

"Located any singularities?" I asked Otacon. "No, not yet," echoed Otacon's voice through the VR construct. "Let me try a different setting. I'm getting ready. Hold on a minute." I was left along in the virtual reality."You must have figured out how to find singularities using VR, Snake. But you won't find one," boomed a voice suddenly from out of nowhere. It was Solidus. I called Otacon. "Otacon, it's Solidus." "I know. I detected him from my end, too. He's hacking into the VR system, but he wasn't gotten full control yet. Let's hurry into the next VR construct. Are you ready?" A new VR space spread in front of my eyes.

Unsuccessful Mission (High Score Not Achieved)

"How are you doing, Otacon?" I asked empty air. Otacon's voice answered. "I detected a likely pattern. But it's too
far away. Change the settings of your variables and aim for a higher score. Let's try again!" I squared off. It looked like I had to get a higher score this time. The VR simulation began again.

Successful Misssion (High Score Achieved)

"How are you doing, Otacon?" I asked empty air. Otacon's voice answered. "We're getting a lot closer I'll get ready for the next setting." As soon as I nodded, I heard Mei Ling's voice. "They're doing a lot better than we expected, aren't they?" "Indeed. We'd better change our strategy. We're going to have to somehow block the singularity so they can't get any closer," answered Solidus' disembodied voice. "How about using 'them'?" "It's too dangerous. Even if they did stop Snake, it'd be pointless if the world was destroyed in the process." "True enough." "Using 'them' has to be our last resort." "Everything is in your hands, honey." Their voices were a lot clearer than before. They were definitely getting closer. I yelled to Otacon: "Otacon, it's Solidus!" "I know. Their intrusion is progressing. We have to find the singularity before they get full control. Let's go!"

Getting Closer

"Otacon, have you sighted a singularity?" I asked from inside the VR. "I'm picking up a reaction! Hurry to the next goal!" "Honey! Snake is..." I heard Mei Ling click her tongue. I heard it as if she was whispering to me. Solidus answered, "I know. It may be time to use 'them.' Get ready.""Roger that." I heard Otacon's excited voice. "Come in, Snake! Solidus has taken control of the VR system! We don't have much time. Let's begin!"

Singularity Found

There was nothing there. There was no light, no sound, no feeling of temperature or even of height. Was this the singularity? I called Otacon. But it was Solidus who answered. "You're in what's called - how can I put this so you can understand it? - a gap between parallel universes." "Solidus?! What are you tryin to do?! Why are you trying to destroy the universe?!" I screamed. "Destroy? Don't be stupid. This is a correction. Back to how things should
be..." "What do you mean?!" "I don't know who created the Koppelthorn Engine, or where or when, or even why. But my guess is that it was designed as part of a grid computing system spread between the parallel universes." Grid computing. I'd heard the term from Otacon. It was a technique for creating a networked supercomputer with massive computational abilities by connecting numerous servers. If one could be built spanning across countless parallel universes, it would be possible to obtain near-limitless computing power. "But when the universe-spanning
Koppelthorn Engine was applied to the VR system, it became a device for controlling possibility itself." Solidus
continued. "Controlling?" "That's correct. When a VR system using the Koppelthorn Engine is instructed to build a virtual reality having a given set of conditions, it selects a group of universes having the potential to satisfy those conditions from amount a still indefinite number of parallel universes that still have wave functions that have not converged. It then presents these as the VR construct you see before you. What you call VR training is nothing less then the external observation of parallel universes!" I recalled the bizarre sensation of possessing another person's body when I was engaged in VR training. I suppose that was the sensation of interfering with another universe. Solidus' voice echoed: "When you go through VR training, your actions within virtual reality are reflected in a set of corresponding universes. The resulting interference simultaneously acts as observation with regards to a group of still-indefinite parallel universes besides the one that is receiving the interference. That means that the possibilities of the universe converge on the conditions corresponding to the actions you took. For example, let's say you just killed an enemy soldier within the VR simulation. That means that the universe containing the killed soldier was observed and made definite. In other words, universes where the soldier has not been killed lose their indefinite potential and are erased from existence," Solidus continued. "The only universe permitted to exist in the end is the one that doesn't contradict the actions you took in the VR simulation. Do you realize what this means? When your game is over
in the VR system and you try again, the potential for existence for that very universe is denied and eliminated as never having existed. That means that every single time you replay the game, an uncounted number of universes are
destroyed!" I was in total shock. "The disturbance of the parallel universes you've seen is a distortion generated by external interference. I suppose you could see it as the death cries of the universes that have been killed off. The singularities are a condensed form of that distortion." I had a flashback of Olga, the Gurlugon, and Mei Ling. If this
disturbance has really been caused by external interference, that meant.... "That means my own universe is
receiving interference from VR systems in other universes?" "Or course. Haven't you ever felt like your body wasn't your own, like you took an unexpected action after the fact? Or you were able to do something you didn't think was
possible? That's because of interference from other universes. Perhaps the reason you were able to topple Shadow Moses is because of a helping hand from someone in another universe." Solidus' laugh echoed through the space.
"Through my research into parallel universes, I learned that I was killed many times in different worlds. I decided to protect my selves. I refuse to recognize any universe when I am killed! And that's why I decided to make thing right with the VR system. I interfere with other parallel universes using the VR system and control them such that I won't die there. I don't care how much of a disturbance I create or how many contradictory universes are eliminated. The only things that's important is my survival. Period." "That's crazy!" "Do you really have the right to criticize me? Haven't you refused to recognize your own failures within the VR simulation by retrying a level again?" Solidus laughed at my lack of a comeback. "This conversation is over. I won't give up the singularity. And I can't let you
restore the universes that I have corrected. So I'd like you to stay here... FOREVER!" He spat. "You're going to regret forcing me to break the seal. 'They' will be here soon... a loathsome unit, infamous in uncountable universes, hatred and feared by all. Their presence along has the ability to destroy a world. They are children of darkness on whom is
focused the combined hate of the entire universe. The princess of hell and the prince of chaos. Allow me to introduce... Rose and Jack!!" A dazzling light enveloped everything.

Raiden Memories

"Jack! Earth to Jack!" Rose leaned over the table. She cocked her head and looked into my eyes. "What's wrong? You looked out of it." I gently stroked Rose's hair. "Uh... I was enchanted by your eternal beauty." "Very funny, Jack."
Rose became as bashful as a little girl. "I'm being serious." Rose touched my hand. "Do you remember what day tomorrow is?" "What, March 21st?" "Yeah." "Of coarse. It's the luckiest day of my entire life. The day I met you." I said. "Wrong!" "...Really?" "Yep." Rose puffed out her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I think of how lucky I am to have met you every day, so I always think of the anniversary as being right around the corner."That doesn't exactly make sense, but I'm happy to hear it anyway," smiled Rose. "By the way, your mission this time is to defuse all bombs. Good luck."

My vision darkened. Just then, I thought I heard someone calling me from far away. For some reason, the voice seemed very familiar. "Snake, that's Solidus' trap! Wake up!"

Raiden Stories #1

I'm smack in the middle of the battleground on a mission. The roar of cannons and gunfire punctuate the darkness. Conditions are unbelievably harsh this time around. No one on either side is without injury, and the bodies of the dead lie sprawled everywhere. It's hell on Earth. I instinctively duck, feeling a bullet cut through the air inches away. Just then, the Codec rings. It's Rose. "Do you want to.... Jack? What happened to the mission?" "I'm in the middle of it!" "Oh, that's right." "Whats is it?" Rose hesitated for a moment before she spoke. "...Jack, I need to talk." "Talk?"
"Yes, it's very important. And we'll talk about it, tomorrow." Why is she telling me now about something she wants to discuss tomorrow? Confused, I put the question to her: "Why not now?" Rose eagerly said:"All right, I'll tell you. Jack... I'm... I'm carrying..." A heavy silence filled the air. Finally, Rose seemed to make up her mind."...I think I'm gaining weight! I'm getting love handles. What should I do?" "What should you...? I didn't notice at all!" "Really? But my old skirt is getting kind of tight on me...." "If it really bothers you that much, why don't you start working out? I'll even join you if you like." "That's great! How about jogging? Oh, before I forget, you mission this time is to hold up all enemies and get to the goal. Good luck."

My vision darkened. Just then, I thought I heard someone calling me from far away. For some reason, the voice seemed very familiar. "Snake! Get out of Solidus' trap!"

Raiden Stories #2

Rose and I were having dinner at a riverside restaurant. Rose was beautiful this night, as usual. A bit of wind had
made her already cute cheeks all rosy. Just as the main dish was being served, the Colonel ran up to the table. "Raiden, something happened to me last Thursday...." "Colonel! What's wrong? Were you abducted by aliens again?"
The Colonel became upset. "Aliens?! What the hell-- There's no such thing as aliens! I highly disapprove." "What is it, then?" Making a visible effort to calm himself, the Colonel began his story. "Listen carefully. There's a barley field
behind my house. Thursday night, I saw something - many things - flashing in there. When I went into the field the
next morning, I discovered that the stalks of barley had been flattened into huge circular patterns. They were very
complex.... What do you think?" "Huh?" I was at a loss for words, but Rose answered on my behalf. "You know, I think it's some kind of a message." The Colonel said in a shaky voice: "I... I thought so. I guess I'll need some scissors, then.... Anyway, your mission this time is to destroy all targets and head to the goal. Stay focused."

My vision darkened. Just then, I thought I heard someone calling me from far away. For some reason, the voice seemed very familiar."Snake! You're caught in Solidus' trap! Get out of VR mode!"

Raiden Stories #3

Rose and I were taking a walk in the park early one afternoon. The sunlight filtered down through the treetops. We walked to a pond and sat down on a bench. As I put my arm around Rose, somebody jumped out of the pond with
an odd squeal. It was Vamp! Pulling out a knife, he threw it directly at us. Protecting Rose with my body, I drew my gun and shot down the knife. I continued firing. A bullet struck Vamp between the eyes, knocking him to the ground. But groaning slightly, he stood back up again. I heard Rose's trembling voice. "I don't believe it.... How...?" Licking a trickle of his blood with his long tongue, Vamp replied: "I died once already, I can't die twice." Rose nodded "Well, I guess it can't be helped, then." Squealing again, Vamp lunged toward the pond. Landing directly on the ponds's surface, he ran across while yelling: "Your mission this time is to take out all enemies and get to the goal! Go, NOW!"

My vision darkened. Just then, I thought I heard someone calling me from far away. For some reason, the voice seemed very familiar. "Snake! Get out of VR! Turn it off! Exit!"

Raiden Stories #4

Rose and I were watching a monster movie in her bedroom. Suddenly, the screen filled with static. "Is it broken?"
When I got up from the bed, the static-filled television screen began to speak. "Raiden, are you receiving? We're still
here." "The La-li-lu-le-lo?!" said Rose, in shock. The La-li-lu-le-lo continued: "Raiden. You want to know who we are, don't you?" I jumped from the bed in surprise. The La-li-lu-le-lo let out something approximating a laugh. "Heh, heh, heh. As you already know, we're not what you'd call -- human. But you know what? Toilets get all kinds of stains: dried urine, yellow stains, water stains.... They need constant cleaning. Don't you agree?" "What are you talking about?!" Just then, I heard another voice from the radio, in spite of it being turned off. "Raiden, are you receiving? We're still here." "Ta-ti-tu-te-to! Jack! It's the Ta-ti-tu-te-to!" shrieked Rose. The Ta-ti-tu-te-to said, "Heh, heh, heh. We have some advice for you about those yellow stains. First, lay some toilet paper over the stain. Then sprinkle on the detergent. Let it sit for a few minutes, and then scrub hard... with the paper." "What the--?!" As soon as the words left my mouth, the answering machine began to speak."Raiden, are you receiving? We're still here."
"I-ro-ha-ni-ho-he-to?! Oh, no, Jack! What should we do?!" Rose held on to my arm. I held her as she trembled. The I-ro-ha-ni-ho-he-to said, "Make sure to pay attention to the rim, inside the toilet. The urine sprays onto it." The La-li-lu-le-lo jumped in. "Wear rubber gloves, and use a sponge or a piece of cloth to rub dirty spots you can't reach with a brush." The Ta-ti-tu-te-to continued. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to use an old toothbrush." The I-ro-ha-ni-ho-he-to spoke up."Don't forget to wipe the outside of the toilet or the floor, either. If you leave any urine stains behind, it'll smell later." I yelled a question. "What in the hell does this have to do with who you are?!" "NOTHING!!!" La-li-lu-le-lo yelled back. I was floored. "Uh, so... what's your point, then?" The three of them answered at the same time.
"Heh, heh, heh.... Our point is very simple." The La-li-lu-le-lo said: "This time..." Ta-ti-tu-te-to said:"...your..."
The I-ro-ha-ni-ho-he-to said: "...mission is..." Rose said: "...to get to the goal without being discovered. Good luck!"

My vision darkened. Just then, I thought I heard someone calling me from far away. For some reason, the voice seemed very familiar. "Snake! Get out of VR! Turn it off! Exit!"

Escaping the Loop

I was enveloped in an overpoweringly bright light. The next moment, I was thrown into a huge space with a mysteriously lit floor surface. I could hear Otacons voice. "Snake! Snake!! Are you okay?!" I shook my head to clear a mile headache. It felt like I'd been dreaming for a long time. "I've completely retaken control of the VR system from Solidus!" said Otacon excitedly. "That's good. So where's the singularity...?" I've found it! It's there! You're in the
singularity! Now we can start returning the universe to normal!" Just then, I felt something huge closing in from the front. A Metal Gear RAY emerged from the darkness. Then a second one, then more, right after the others. Otacon screamed: "It's Solidus' final attempt to stop us! I need a little more time to finish things on my end. Just hold on for a little bit!" The Metal Gear RAY units closed in. I squared off against them. I'd have to fight until Otacon finished his work.

Snake Meets Alternate Solidus

When I camo to, I once again found myself in what Solidus had called the gap between the parallel universes. I heard Otacon's happy voice from somewhere. "Snake! We did it! Everything went perfectly on my end! Space has begun to repair itself!" "Exactly like it was before?" I spoke to thin air. "Should be. You should be pulled into our universe soon. But it looks like the repairs are occurring sequentially. It could be some time before everything goes back to normal...." "SNAKE!!" echoed Solidus' angry voice. There was a flash of light, and when I opened my eyes I found myself standing atop the destroyed Federal Hall along with Solidus. Solidus drew his swords. I said: "Just stop! It's over. The universe is repairing itself." "No, it's not over. If I manage to kill you here, at least one universe where
I survive will be made definite!" "Stop it! There has to be another way! I'm returning to my universe. I have no
intention of interfering with yours. There's no reason for us to fight!!" But Solidus merely laughed at my words, readying his swords. He fixed me with a piercing, menacing stare. "Enough talk! FIGHT ME!!"

The Truth Revealed

Solidus tumbled from the roof of Federal Hall. I threw my hand out for him, but caught nothing but air. Solidus' body fell in silence. I couldn't do anything but watch. The moment his body hit the ground, I was enveloped in a blindingly
powerful light, When the light cleared, I found myself in the hideout. Otacon and Olga stood right in front of me. Otacon raised his hand. "Hi. Welcome back, Snake." "Your return could mean that I'll be next to go," said Olga. "We'll miss you." Olga smiled gently. "I'll miss you, too. But I have to go. There's somebody I want to see." "Your kid?"
Olga looked at me in surprise. "What? I don't have any children.... not yet." She lowered her eyes as if embarrassed and said, "My husband is waiting for me." "H-Husband?!" Otacon and I exclaimed in shock. "That's right. In my universe..." I quickly interrupted her. "No. We'd probably be better off not knowing." Olga smiled broadly. A bright light enveloped her body, and she was gone. Otacon said sadly:"She's gone." "Yeah." "...But now that I think of it, the Snake standing in front of me seems different from the Snake I know from my universe...." It was just as Otacon said. In an uncountable number of parallel universes, there had to be some that were incredibly similar. We hadn't felt anything out of the ordinary, but it was possible that the Otacon in front of me was a millimeter taller than the Otacon I knew. Or maybe he didn't like dogs. Perhaps his father was still alive. The memories we thought we shared
might have been erased from existence. But there was no way to check for sure. As I stood engrossed in though,
Otacon extended an open palm. "... The Snake in my universe owes me a hundred bucks." Ignoring him, I said: "The Otacon from my universe wouldn't be angry even if I told him I accidentally broke one of his action figure toys." Otacon's eyes widened in shock. "What?! Which one did you break?!" I let out a laugh. Soon both of us were
laughing. We realized something. We might not have the same shared memories. And perhaps we'd be going to different universes shortly. But one thing was clear. We were friends. The world filled bright light. Otacon and I shook hands. When I came to, I was sitting in a chair in the hideout. I looked around the room. It was the same hideout as ever. There was no trace of the damage Solidus had caused. Had I returned to just before the whole incident even
happened? MY path of vision crossed with Otacon, who was sitting across from me. "Did we come back?" asked Otacon. Judging from his tone of voice, it seemed he'd been through a similar experience to mine. But there had to be
an uncountable number of universes where nearly the same thing had occurred. I didn't know if this Otacon had been in the same universe with me, and there was no way to check. But I didn't really care. The person sitting in front of me was Otacon. "It's all over..." said Otacon, stretching. Something occurred to me, and I said: "Are you sure?"
"What do you mean?" "...I just wonder if it's really over yet." I told Otacon about what I couldn't get out of my head. When I faced Solidus at the end, I really hadn't wanted to fight him. But I did fight, and I killed him. It was as if I hadn't been in control of my own body.... Solidus said the Koppelthorn Engine and the VR system interfered with the parallel universes, but what if he was wrong? Or what if there was another device that allowed one to externally observe and interfere with a parallel universe...? "You're thinking too much," Otacon said, laughing it off. "And anyway..." He leaned towards me. "Did you say you broke one of my action figures?!" "No, I was just..." Suddenly the door opened, and in walked Mei Ling. She looked like nothing had happened to her at all. "Hey, check this out!" Mei Ling threw us the tabloid she'd brought with her...

The End...