Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain cassette transcripts

In Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, the player can access cassette tapes, either at hand or by collecting them, that will give expanded details on events and character backgrounds, as well as give some information on various missions. Below is a transcript of all of the cassette tapes in the game (not counting those with music stored on them).

Phantom Limbs
Revolver "Shalashaska" Ocelot: Boss, your mission is to rescue the target, Kazuhira Miller. The man you called your partner nine years ago. Miller was training guerrilla rebels near the Pakistani border when he was captured by the Soviets. He's currently being held at Da Ghwandai Khar. Rescue Miller from the Soviet troops and extract him by chopper. It's time to prove to the world you're the real Big Boss.

A Hero's Way
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Farming villages in Southern Wakhan have been subject to a strategic bombing campaign the past several weeks. The damage is spreading. It's part of the Soviets' scorched earth operation aimed at wiping out the guerillas. The target this time is the commander of a Spetsnaz detachment. He's been key to the operation's success. People say this guy's responsible for annihilating the Mujahideen at Da Smasei Laman - the Hamid fighters - overnight. He's a tough, experienced commander. Don't underestimate him. The order from our client in the West is to shoot on sight - they want him out of the picture for good. Sorry, Boss. This one's purely business. Wet work - a hit on a commanding officer of the Soviet military. Nothing personal. We're only doing this because it gets us one step closer to our goal.

C2W
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss, information warfare is more than just intel gathering. It also means disrupting enemy communications. Your mission is to punch a hole in the comms network between the Soviet outposts. That'll cut off their means to call in reinforcements. Technically, we were given this mission by a Western-backed Arab organization supporting the guerillas, but it'll also give us a leg up in the future. Take a look at the location of the eastern communications post on your iDroid. Head there and destroy its comms equipment. He who controls information, controls operations. Just look at Cipher. Good luck, Boss.

Over the Fence
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: If we're going to expand Mother Base, we need more manpower. Not just for combat roles, either - R&D, the Support Unit, Intel... Each demands a different set of skills. If we want to achieve what we've set out to do, Diamond Dogs has got to get stronger. There's a Soviet engineer I want to have join us. He was the one who built your prosthesis. With him on our side, who knows what sort of enhancements he'll come up for it. He tried to defect but didn't make it, and now he's being held prisoner at Wakh Sind Barracks. Find this engineer and get him out. Having him on our R&D Team will go a long way to helping Diamond Dogs grow.

Where Do the Bees Sleep?
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Part of the Mujahideen's arsenal against the Soviets is secretly supplied by the CIA, but the war continues to drag on with neither side gaining the advantage. Now, though, the CIA have started supplying the guerillas with a new weapon. We don't know the details, but rumor has it that it could turn the tide of the war. The Soviets have heard of it, and it has them spooked. Now, the "Hamid" Mujahideen were issued this weapon, but then they were wiped out in no time. There's no trace of fighting at their fort, and all their supplies are just sitting there. Naturally, that screams biochemical weapons, but the Soviets deny using anything that would violate the BWC. Whatever happened, the Soviets have invaded the area and are searching for this Western weapon tech. This is the CIA's worst nightmare. If that weapon falls into Soviet hands, it'll drastically rewrite the history that's being made here. But "the Company" can't be seen entering the area. That's where we come in. Boss, head to the fort of Da Smasei Laman, find the weapon before the Soviets, and bring it back to base - fast. The new weapon is code-named "Honey Bee." To the U.S., it's a vital military secret.

Red Brass
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: This contract comes from a rebel guerrilla faction in Afghanistan. They've gotten wind of a rare meeting between three Soviet commanders running key units in the region. The location is Wialo village. This information comes from a mole planted within the Soviets' Arab support organization. The guerrillas see this as a one-of-a-kind chance to weaken the Soviet forces in one stroke. But if they act themselves, it'll reveal the existence of their mole. That's why this job falls to us. The request is simple. "Eliminate the three pigs, by any means." If these commanders are as good as they say, it'd be a shame to kill 'em... But I leave that decision to you.

Occupation Forces
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Da Smasei Laman was full of Mujahideen - the Hamid fighters - then suddenly, they disappeared overnight and the Soviets moved right in. I guess the old fort is still in good enough shape that the Soviets want to use it as is. This means that the battalion commander stationed at Sakhra Ee Village - a lieutenant colonel - is moving his operations room to the fort. Word is he's an excellent leader. With him stationed at Smasei fort, the Soviet forces in the area will operate all the better. And according to the client's information, he'll be bringing a tank unit to the fort as well. We don't know the redeployment date or the route they'll take, but there must be some planning documentation where the colonel is. You have two objectives: "Eliminate" the colonel, and stop the tank deployment. Counting on you, Boss.

Backup, Back Down
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss, the rebel Guerrillas are launching an offensive against the Soviets. Our job is to eliminate as much as we can of the Soviets' mechanized unit that will come in as reinforcements. The more vehicles you can take out, the higher our pay will be. But the mission's a failure if you can't manage to eliminate a single one. A race against the clock, with plenty of targets to choose from. Show 'em your best stuff, Boss.

Angel with Broken Wings
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: The objective is to rescue and extract a Mujahid captured by the Soviets. He's being held in the ruins of Lamar Khaate Palace. As are a lot of POWs. Civilians, guerillas, suspected guerillas... The Soviets turned the place into their own black site. However, we've only been asked to rescue one of the prisoners. He's known as Malak - "angel" - to his fellow Mujahideen. The client is none other than his father. Or rather, this was his father's dying wish.

Cloaked in Silence
Ocelot: The sniper known as "Quiet" is lurking in the Afghan wilderness. This Quiet has performed a string of hits on Soviet officers. The attacks always occur in the same area. But sweeps of the area turn up no traces whatsoever. They've even posted guards, but they never spot a thing. And then before you know it, another body's lying on the ground. You ever heard of someone who operates like that? Miller has a theory... That this sniper's a hitman for Cipher. He thinks it's time we silence Quiet for good. But I'm against the lethal treatment. I say we bring the sniper back alive and break that silence. Because even if this Quiet doesn't say a word, there's still plenty we can learn.

Pitch Dark
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss, this contract comes out of Angola. That's right - Central Africa, where Emmerich claimed they were working on "a weapon to surpass Metal Gear." There's been a massive oil spill from Mfinda Oilfield. It's flowing into the river and contaminating the water supply. An Environmental NGO has asked us to stop the spill... by destroying the facility. Environmental activism isn't exactly our line of work, but it's not that simple either. The group operating the oil facility and causing the spill is the rebel group UNITA. And word has it that UNITA is getting supplied with U.S. military weapons. That sounds to me like Cipher's pulling their strings. Boss, it's time to give Cipher a little surprise.

Footprints of Phantoms
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss, this contract comes from the MPLA - the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola. Apparently, "new, Western bipedal weapons" have been deployed to Ditadi Abandoned Village and are a threat to their troops. Our job is to eliminate them. The "bipedal weapons" they're talking about are of course Walker Gears. As I've previously reported, they're already in active service with PFs in Africa. But don't you find it strange? A PF employed by the West obtains a prototype developed by the Soviets... Yet the Russia-backed MPLA don't know the details. Eastern weapons technology developed in Afghanistan is being supplied to the West in Africa. Only Cipher would be capable of making something like that happen. So Boss, eliminate the Walker Gears at Ditadi Abandoned Village just like the MPLA have asked. Once you do, the PF will need to contact its supplier. Giving us a chance to close in on that supplier - Cipher.

Rescue the Intel Agents
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss, this is an emergency. We had two Intel Team agents undercover at the PF Contract Forces of Africa. The CFA have captured them both. They don't have long to live. Since our mission at the oilfield, we're no longer just business rivals to the CFA - we're enemies, and they want revenge. Our men will be killed the moment the interrogation's complete. And then it won't just be a matter of two dead soldiers. Their execution will be a catalyst, sparking resentment within Diamond Dogs against the CFA. Our men will push us to retaliate. Then things'll cease to be about business. We'll be starting a personal war. That's not what we set out to do. The two men are being held in Kiziba Camp. Hurry, Boss. They're counting on you. Don't let 'em down.

Blood Runs Deep
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: There are six targets. They're soldiers. The contract is to kill them. They used to be with a platoon of Mbele rebels, but then the Buta authorities captured them. They're at two locations - the Bampeve plantation and the Kungenga mine. The client is none other than the general they served under. He wants them dead to keep them from talking. A commander murdering his former men. That's what this boils down to.

On the Trail
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: We have a new assignment - eliminate the commander of Rogue Coyote, one of the PFs operating in Africa. The target is simply "the Major" to his men. That's his rank from his army days. Instead of your typical boots-on-the-ground work, he's more of a job broker and a recruiter. And apparently, he also runs a little espionage operation on the side... Which could explain why he's picked up a long list of enemies. I don't like getting involved in a PF pissing match any more than you go. There's another reason we took this job. Recently this guy's been talking about dealing in nuclear arms. Think back to the shipment that Cipher was having ZRS transport. If we put the squeeze on this "Major," We might come out of it with some new intel on Cipher.

Voices
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss, the client this time is a child. One of the children you rescued from that mine. He wants us to save the boy who was their leader. His name is Shabani, and he was the oldest among them. Several days before you went into the mine, he was taken away to Nzo ya Badiabulu. Our search turned up a place the locals call by that name. Ngumba Industrial Zone. Nearby residents are terrified of it. They say "the Devil" lives there. And that anyone who sets foot in it never returns. This industrial zone has long been abandoned, but it seems it was sold off a few years back to a certain corporation. SANR. And now the perimeter is tightly guarded by a PF. The reason is unclear. The same goes for why Shabani was taken away. But something is obviously going on there. Those kids from the mine really looked up to Shabani. The "client" has given us the last of their diamonds in return. Go get Shabani out of there, Boss. Whatever Cipher's up to in the region, Shabani might just be our best lead.

The War Economy
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: The contract is to eliminate a high-ranking CFA official. CFA doesn't just hire UNITA soldiers as mercenaries. They're also supplying UNITA with weapons. It just smacks of Western nations manipulating them against the Socialist MPLA. Naturally, the MPLA's not happy with the situation, and wants us to put a stop to it. Your standard issue East-West proxy war... except, it appears our target is the man in charge of how many weapons get supplied to UNITA. Apparently his MO is to keep the civil war going as long as possible, so CFA can keep making a profit. Bad for business if UNITA wins too soon. So they sit back and suck the people dry. Parasites of war. Our intel suggests the target rarely ventures outside of Nova Braga airport, but rumor has it that a Western arms dealer is headed there soon for an inspection. That could be your chance to eliminate him from a distance. We also heard he plans to leave the country following the inspection. This may be our only opportunity to take him out.

The White Mamba
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss, the CFA soldiers deployed to Bwala ya Masa have been annihilated. There are no signs of combat, nor any endemic disease. All the adults just... disappeared. Only children were left. All those kids were ever taught was how to fight, and now they're free from the control of adults. They've become a regular bunch of marauders, raiding nearby villages, beating people, and destroying property. Our contract comes from the government. We're to locate this "militia," these kids... and kill them. But I suggest we do this the Diamond Dogs way. The government wants to see these raids stop? We can see to that. But not by killing kids. We're going to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate them. A DDR operation. To begin with, extract their commander to Mother Base. Once they lose that kid, the one they call "White Mamba," the rest of the group will fall apart by itself.

Close Contact
Kazuhira Miller: Two engineers are being held in the observation post southwest of Ngumba Industrial Zone. Boss, your mission is to rescue them. The targets are civilians - one male, one female. They were dispatched to the area by an international health organization, but disappeared shortly after. Extract the two targets, and help them escape the country.

Aim True, Ye Vengeful
Kazuhira Miller: Boss, this contract comes from the Mbele rebel militants. That's right - that "general's" fighters. Recently, one of their child soldier platoons staged an insurrection and split from the main group. Thing is, they took a hostage with them - the general's brother, his No. 2. The contract is to extract both that prisoner and the leader of the renegade platoon. The message reads, "I love my brother - you must bring him back to me alive." It also says this about the leader of the child soldiers: He is an excellent soldier. I want to persuade him to rejoin the ranks of the righteous. Sounds a little too forgiving for the man who ordered those kids dead at the mine. I wonder... I wonder what kind of "persuasion" the general has in store. With that in mind, here are your objectives: First, rescue and return the general's No. 2, as requested. Second, extract the renegade leader and we'll keep him at Mother Base. In other words, extract both targets out of the region. Good luck, Boss.

Hunting Down
Kazuhira Miller: Boss, there's a target on the run somewhere on the savannah. Your job is to find and eliminate him. He's a logistics officer for the PF known as Rogue Coyote. On the side, however, he colluded with the Buta regime, abducting people from Mbele villages and "supplying" them as slave labor. That's right - he's a human trafficker. His victims ended up all over the place - brothels, black-market organ trade, diamond mines... And he was the one who sent Shabani and the other kids to the Devil's House. But then an Mbele rebel group finally added him to their hit list. The target decided it was time to quit, and now he's trying to leave the country. If he makes it back to his country, he'll be no more than a civilian and he'll avoid facing a court-martial. Like so many other war-biz junkies... I'll bet he plans on enjoying a new life financed with his blood money. The client's order is to take him out. How you go about that is up to you, Boss.

To Know Too Much
Kazuhira Miller: The agent that the CIA had working for them inside OKB Zero has gone missing. We've been given the job of finding and extracting him. The target learned of XOF's plans to use the vocal cord parasites, and had hidden himself with the CIA's mujahideen allies. But following Skull Face's death, the Soviets retook OKB Zero and all contact with the target was lost. He may have tried to go back to OKB Zero, but even Langley isn't sure what's going on. After all, they've never even learned of Skull Face's plan. That's probably what they want to get out of the man once he's extracted. But we can't allow Langley to learn of the existence of the vocal cord parasites. That's why I want you to bring the target out, Boss. Once we have him, we can report him dead and keep him on base. All contact with Langley is being conducted through a cut-out. Our reputation should remain intact. All you have to do is get the job done - just like always.

Cursed Legacy
Kazuhira Miller: Boss, research materials have been stolen from Code Talker's mansion. The materials were packed into two containers and hidden in the jungle southwest of the mansion. You have to recover those containers. The pick-up crew coming for those documents is none other than XOF. That's right - they're still active even after Skull Face's death. Now that he's no longer in charge, their original chain of command has been restored. Meaning if XOF gets those documents, Code Talker's research ends up in Cipher's hands. According to Code Talker, the research papers account for over 50 years of study. The problem is the vocal cord parasites. If the papers documenting that research fall into Cipher's hands, they'll take another long, hard look at them. The "ethnic cleaners" we thought were history will become a reality. America - Zero - will have a weapon far more powerful than any nuke. Even worse, if this knowledge were to leak... The world - humanity - can't be entrusted with this kind of power! Recover the containers before the enemy extraction choppers arrive.

Phantom Limbs (A photo of Miller)
Revolver "Shalashaska" Ocelot: The target is Kazuhira Miller, your old partner. He was captured by the Soviets, and is being held at Ghwandai. He's gonna look a lot worse than that photo, but I'm sure you'll know him when you see him.

A Hero's Way (A photo of the target)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: That's the target. Take him out.

C2W (A photo of the base)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: That facility is the backbone of the Soviets' local communication network. It's situated against a rugged mountain, and protected by heavy firepower and tight security.

Over the Fence (A photo of the target)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: The target's an engineer. A mechanical engineer, to be precise. That prosthesis you're using is apparently one of his creations. So you know... first-hand just how good this guy is. It'd be a damn waste to let them kill him. Get him out of there in one piece. Though I gotta say, what was a mechanics whiz doing in a place like that? It's just as we suspected - they must be developing some kind of weapon in that region...

Where do the Bees Sleep? (A photo of the Honey Bee)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: That's the Honey Bee's storage case. We don't know the specifics, but a homing weapon, in a case that size? It's probably a portable missile. Recently, the Soviets have lost multiple gunships in the area.

Red Brass (A photo of the base)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: This is where the meeting is supposed to take place. It's a good spot for security, lots of visibility. You'll have to be extra cautious on your approach.

Red Brass (A photo of the Shago commander)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: This is the commander of the platoon stationed at the Shago village. He's feared by the guerrillas for his fierce on-the-fly tactics.

Red Brass (A photo of the Wialo commander)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: He's the company commander whose troops operate out of Wialo village. This meeting was his idea.

Red Brass (A photo of the Wakh Sind Barrack platoon commander)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: The Wakh Sind Barrack platoon commander. Watch yourself, his bodyguards will have the area secured.

The War Economy (A photo of the CFA Executive)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: The target is a high-ranking CFA officer who manages the supply of weapons to UNITA. He lets just enough through to ensure that neither side can win outright. Prolonging the conflict to maximize profits. He's scum.

The War Econony (A photo of the Arms Dealer)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: He's an arms dealer selected to inspect Nova Braga Airport. Apparently he's the envoy of a major western arms manufacturer, but even the Intel Team can't ID him.

To Know Too Much (CIA agent)
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: The target this time is a Soviet soldier who was passing information about his activities to Langley. He's the kind of scum I'd like to keep off Mother Base, but he knows about the parasites. We need to extract him to make sure neither the U.S. nor the Soviets learn about their existence.

Info Tapes
Headings marked in italics indicate the contents of the file are absolutely necessary to listen to.

British Sovereign Base Area - Dhekelia
Ocelot: You were hospitalized in Dhekelia, a British Sovereign Base Area on Cyprus. It's part of British Overseas Territory that falls outside of Cypriot jurisdiction. You got moved from Cuba's Little America right into Cyprus' Little Britain.

Venom Snake: Why Dhekelia?

Ocelot: The U.K. and the U.S. remain close allies. The last place Cipher would think to look for you is inside their own system. That's what kept you safe in a British military hospital for nine years. The safest place from a whale is inside its own belly - you were a regular Geppetto.

Snake: Well, it wasn't Pinocchio who led me out to safety. So who was that guy...?

Ocelot: Cipher went as far as to attack British territory, burning their own ally. That's how bad they wanted you dead.

Cyprus, A Nation Divided
Venom Snake: You said I was in a British military hospital. But the doctor had a Greek accent.

Ocelot: They hire locally - easier to trust them. Dhekelia is also home to Greek Cypriots after all.

Venom Snake: What about the Turks? They haven't returned to the south?

Ocelot: Not yet - the Cyprus dispute is still a long way from resolved. The country is just as split as it was in '74 - Turkish Cypriots in the north, Greek Cypriots in the south, and between them the Green Line the U.N established.

Venom Snake: And Dhekelia sits right on top of it...

Ocelot: It does. Part of the buffer zone between the two groups. Another reason it was the perfect place to hide you - easy to spot any outsiders snooping around.

Venom Snake: So how do things stand?

Ocelot: Last year, the Turks declared that the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is an independent state, though it's only Turkey that recognizes it. In the past, the Greeks and Turks lived side by side in the same villages. Their reasons to fight? Those came from the outside. Greece, Turkey, Britain, America... They all have their own stake in pitting the two sides against each other. But once you spark something like this, it's impossible to control. Both sides build up grudges like debt, without the foresight to see that each act of revenge just fans the flames. And then it's too late for other nations to rush in with peace talks - the embers keep on smoldering. Each nation's arrogance only breeds anarchy. The world is paralyzed by this hunger for revenge. Cyprus is no different.

The Route to Afghanistan
Ocelot: You're up.

Venom Snake: We're changing ships?

Ocelot: Now, we can't go sailing the Suez in a whaler.

Venom Snake: The Suez Canal... when did they reopen it?

Ocelot: Not long after you were attacked. Once they finished sweeping it for mines after the Arab-Israeli conflict. Can you stand? We're going to transfer to a container ship for passage through the Suez. Our Destination is Pakistan. Afghanistan's neighbor to the south. There, we disembark and head via Peshawar to the Zero line - the border. We'll travel to the Khyber Pass by road.

Venom Snake: And then?

Ocelot: We continue on horseback. Afghanistan's main roads are under Soviet control. We'll need to go around them. It'll be all narrow, winding paths through the mountains. We'll do better on horseback. It's a local guerrilla tactic. They use the high ridges to avoid air recons, then they charge down the mountains for ambushes. The Soviets still haven't devised a counter strategy. Our time frame is only half as much as we really need. It's going to be a tough march.

Venom Snake: Better horses than boats.

Ocelot: Well, it'll make for good physiotherapy. Take the time to get used to the new arm.

World Affairs over the 9 Years
Radio: While The Soviets have not indicated they are not participating in the Los Angeles Olympics primarily because "The United States has made no attempt to guarantee the safety of the Soviet Union's athletes," The United States is increasingly demonstrating the belief that the issue has nothing to do with its preparations, and in fact this is retaliation for the Western nations boycott of the previous Moscow Olympics. That concludes today's news.

Venom Snake: That's quite some news.

Ocelot: The Soviet Union not attending the L.A Olympics? Yeah. Andropov's death has changed some things. They're calling it revenge for the Western boycott of the Moscow Olympics.

Venom Snake: Countries boycotted the Moscow Olympics?

Ocelot: Yes, in protest to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan. Over 50 countries were absent. It's too bad I didn't get to see Yamashita's judo. When the 40th Army crossed the Amu River 4 years ago, détente went right out the window. The U.S Congress chose not to ratify SALT II, and Reagan's hardline politics won him the presidency by a landslide. According to him, the Soviet Union's "an evil empire."

Venom Snake: A second Cold War.

Ocelot: And there's been no end to regional conflicts and civil wars. Lebanon, the Falklands, Grenada, Iran, Iraq... The story never changes. Egypt and Israel did sign a peace treaty. But then the driving force on the Egyptian side, President Sadat, was assassinated afterward. Apparently his actions were considered a betrayal of his fellow Arabs.

Venom Snake: Islamic extremists?

Ocelot: Yes. Fundamentalist extremists have been responsible for some bold acts of terrorism in recent years.We've had extremist students in Iran take U.S embassy workers hostage, and suicide bombings in Lebanon. Over 300 foreign soldiers stationed there have been killed. But countries have yet to develop an effective means of dealing with terrorism. Afraid of losing their own men, they pulled their forces out, handing private forces a golden opportunity.

Venom Snake: Private forces?

Ocelot: Small armies with no national affiliation, working for the highest bidder...That's right, they got the idea from you. After Mother Base went down, they began spreading to meet the soaring demand. Miller's organization is just one of many PFs now. The entire world is after you. But at the same time, it needs you too.

What Happened in the Caribbean 9 Years Ago
Ocelot: Miller told me about what happened in the Caribbean nine years ago. You do remember Miller? You'd formed a private army with him. An army with no allegiance to a nation.

Venom Snake: I remember, but...

Ocelot: I see...You're not sure what's fact and what's a...fantasy caused by the coma? It's still all a mess, huh. All I can do is tell you the facts as they were told to me. I've gone easy on you up until now, but this is where the hard stuff begins. 1974, the year before you entered your coma. You were in Columbia, operating with a small unit of men... basically mercenaries. Miller was among them. Miller was trying to find a way to turn his and your "talents" into a line of work. He was looking to start a business where you would fight on behalf of others around the world - Those who needed military force. But the reality was, at that time you didn't even have enough gear to equip your own men. Then, Miller came across this client. It was a huge job he was offering, but you had a shot at pulling it off. You accepted it and headed into Costa Rica. The client even threw in an offshore facility in the Caribbean - the "Mother Base" that would be your new base of operations. Miller sure did have a head for business. As your mission went on, your unit grew and grew. More weapons, more money...And before you knew it, you were commanding 300 men. As the organisation got bigger, your military power swelled to match. It got so that the international community couldn't afford to ignore you. You were just too damn successful for your own good.

The Strike Force: After the Attack
Ocelot: You - your men - had worn out your welcome. Everyone was out for you. East, West, first world, third...It was only a matter of time before someone took you down - and that was XOF. Officially, they're an anti-terror under the CIA. In reality, they're Cipher's private strike force. They lured you to Cuba using Chico, the Nicaraguan revolutionary kid, and Paz, a mole who worked for Cipher as bait. While you were gone, XOF - posing as a nuclear inspection team - stormed Mother Base. At the same time, C4 they'd placed on the strut legs went off. The whole thing went down in minutes. XOF...kisses and hugs followed by a big "F" you. All because of Miller's blind spot - a back door into Mother Base no one suspected. You remember a certain...scientist? Huey was responsible for bringing the "inspection team" on board. Giving the enemy a perfect opportunity to hit you at home. You were returning from Cuba when it happened...Mother came damn close to taking you with it into the Caribbean. Those of your men out on assignment returned right away. They refused to believe the wreckage in the water they found was Mother Base. But they checked the coordinates - again and again - until reality finally settled in. You were supposed to die that day - that was XOF's primary objective. As far as most folks know, you did. The first doctor to see you wasn't even sure what he was looking at...Before they'd even finished operating, your men moved you to that hospital on Cyprus. It was a woman named EVA who arranged that...Rings a bell, hmm? Most men in your condition would have been written off right from the start. But you survived. You went straight down to hell... and they pulled you out, your eye wide open. Full of venom. The days of Naked Snake are long gone. Welcome back, Venom Snake. This world still needs you.

After-effects of Snake's Coma
Ocelot: Here Snake, try this on.

Venom Snake: A prosthetic arm?

Ocelot: Miller was calling it "the arm that wasn't there." The physiotherapy is going well. Your arm's bulked up for it to fit. There. Perfect. A little time with it and it'll work better than the real thing. What do you think?

Venom Snake: I can still feel my real arm.

Ocelot: Well, you'd better get used to this one quick. You have any pain?

Venom Snake: Every now and then...

Ocelot: Where?

Venom Snake: ...My fingertips. My left fingertips.

Ocelot: Sounds like phantom pain. Your brain remembers your old hand.

Venom Snake: Yeah.

Ocelot: What about your vision? Can you see okay?

Venom Snake: Yea, at the moment.

Ocelot: The shrapnel on your skull is pressing on your optic nerve. I'm told any hard impact could have an effect on your visual cortex.

Venom Snake: Yeah, the doctor mentioned that.

Ocelot: Your brain might process visual information incorrectly - in other words, you could have hallucinations. You might see things that aren't there, or see things as they really are. You experienced any of that?

Venom Snake: I think so.

Ocelot: When?

Venom Snake: Right after I wake up. Colors look faded.

Ocelot: Colors, huh...That's not a major concern in and of itself, but it could mean the difference between life and death in the field. You'll need to watch out for that.

Venom Snake: I will.

Ocelot: Alright, you should continue your physio. We'll be arriving soon. This is the last chance you'll get.

Chico and Amanda
''In the final sentence of the tape, the subtitles incorrectly stated that Diamond Dogs was Chico's "mask" on the world, when it should have said "mark". The audio dialogue says the correct word.''

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Snake, do you remember Amanda?

Venom Snake: Yeah, I do.

Miller: Their revolution was a success. Somoza resigned, and Nicaragua has a new government. Amanda's really working hard for her country to be reborn.

Snake: Good for them.

Miller: She says she wishes Chico could be there.

Snake: That revolution was the dream... for Amanda, for Chico, and their father.

Miller: ...That chopper was no place for Chico to die. I'd like to at least think history will remember his part in the revolution.

Snake: When you pick up a gun, there's always the chance you'll die for nothing. He knew that as well as the rest. Now that he's gone, it's up to the rest of us to decide what it was all worth. If we don't, there's nothing to prove Chico ever lived at all. We're his mask [sic] on the world.

Strangelove
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Amanda told us that Strangelove contacted her after the revolutionaries came to power in Nicaragua. Strangelove... The A.I. Researcher from Mother Base?

Venom Snake: I remember her.

Miller: We'd lost touch with her, until Amanda heard from her out of the blue. She told Amanda she wanted to salvage Peace Walker's drive parts or something from the bottom of Lake Nicaragua. Amanda passed the request onto her friends in the new administration. She's a national hero, after all. So Strangelove got a Soviet military aircraft to transport something to somewhere. But apparently the cargo wasn't big enough to have been Peace Walker itself.

Snake: So what was it?

Miller: Who knows. We recovered Peace Walker's nuclear warhead ourselves nine years ago. What could Strangelove have been after? Amanda said she didn't mention what her reason was or where she was headed. Nicaragua's a socialist state now. And with Amanda vouching for her, the government didn't feel the need to concern themselves with the details. All Strangelove told Amanda, was that she was going to continue her research. And that the rest was "a secret."

The Sniper Quiet Appears
Ocelot: A sniper known as "Quiet" is lurking in the Afghan wilderness. This Quiet has performed a string of hits on Soviet officers. The attacks always occur in the same area. But sweeps of the area turn up no traces whatsoever. They've even posted guards, but they never spot a thing. And then before you know it, another body's lying on the ground. You ever heard of someone who operates like that? No matter how still and silent a person tries to be, they always create some kind of ripple. Be it breathing, a heartbeat, eating, excreting, body temperature, sweat... If this sniper can really vanish completely... That's just not human. I guess "Quiet" is the right name. But what is Quiet's objective? The local guerrillas wouldn't use this kind of tactic. I just can't see them hiring some superhuman mercenary. And the Soviet officers who've been killed... They were all opposed to, or skeptical of the secret weapons development being conducted in the area. Sure, they were a problem for those supporting it, but the Soviets have nothing to gain by killing them. So we have an assassin with superhuman combat skills who isn't working for the guerrillas or Soviets. Miller has a theory... That this sniper's a hitman for Cipher. He thinks it's time we silence Quiet for good. But I am against the lethal treatment. I say we bring the sniper back alive and break that silence. Because even if this Quiet doesn't say a word, there's still plenty we can learn. Just remember this, Boss: If our hunch is right, you'll be on this sniper's hitlist too. If things seem a little too quiet, when you are in the field, watch out. Quiet's out there somewhere. And if possible, this is one sniper I want back here breathing.

Events after Quiet's Extraction 1
Ocelot: Quiet is still in her cell. Only a few staff are authorized to go near her. She hasn't tried anything funny... But that's what bothers me most.

Venom Snake: In particular?

Ocelot: What did she have to gain by coming to Mother Base? I first thought she was under orders from Cipher to take you out. She didn't manage it in Afghanistan, so Round 2 happens here. So I lightened the guard. And that lock on her door is a joke.

Snake: You gave her an opening. And?

Ocelot: Well, she hasn't killed you yet. And I hate to say it, but she's had plenty of chances.

Snake: You made me the bait.

Ocelot: Poisonous bait - what better. Anyway, she didn't bite. Quiet is "keeping her silence." So I'm left with no idea again - what's she doing here. We tried communicating with her through writing, but that didn't work either. Whether she's illiterate, dyslexic, or just plain stubborn, she just won't cooperate. I just don't get it. If she tried to contact the outside, it'd be picked up by our counterintelligence net. But it's clean. There's no sign she's had contact with the staff, the base facilities, nothing. She's almost got the men wanting her to try something, just to find out what she's up to. And she's in there putting on the failed soldier look - all downcast eyes and defeated sighs. But she doesn't kill herself. She can't be trying to leave Cipher and surrender to us?

Snake: So what's the verdict?

Ocelot: This may sound optimistic, but here's how I see it... Quiet came to fulfill some objective. To kill you, maybe to destroy Diamond Dogs. Whatever it was, before she could do it, something changed her mind.

Snake: Yes...

Ocelot: When I look at her... I sense hesitation.

Snake: You think she'd betray Cipher?

Ocelot: Can't say for sure. I prefer the ones that talk. Anyway, we'll keep her under watch. And we're also looking into those special abilities of hers. You'll be the first to know if something comes up. Why not look in on her yourself once in a while?

Snake: Right.

Quiet's Message
Quiet: I did not choose to be Quiet. I wanted to express my feelings to you. If only we shared a common tongue. Vengeance was what drove me to them... The only language left to me, revenge. But the words we shared... No, that was no language at all. That is why... I chose the language of gratitude instead, and go back to silence. I am Quiet... I am... the absence of words.

Emmerich's 9 Years
Huey: It wasn't just Cipher. Back in the Caribbean, every eye in the world was turned on us. A private army - just a bunch of guys with guns - in possession of a nuke? Why wouldn't they be uncomfortable?

Ocelot: And that's why you made sure the inspection happened.

Huey: Well I thought our best move was to prove to the UN, through the IAEA, that we had no nuke. ...Of course, I was against us having it in the first place. But that was Snake's decision.

Miller: The Boss wasn't responsible.

Huey: Don't get me wrong, I still believed in Snake. I thought I was making the best decision for all of us, that's all. I figured we should get a third party to exonerate us before proof of the nuke did get out. And who better to do that than an organisation with international authority?

Ocelot: So the truth is, you took it upon yourself to agree to an inspection arranged by the UN. Only the inspection was a ruse, and Cipher's strike force, XOF, showed up instead.

Huey: I had no idea that would happen.

Miller: Enough bullshit!

Huey: Oh sure, like I could've known! You know I was just trying to prove our innocence to the world. What's wrong with that?

Ocelot: We're not interested in the excuses you've thought up,. The truth is objective.

Huey: Just see it from my point of view...

Ocelot: You led XOF to the control tower. They seized it, giving them complete control over the base. Moments later, they detonated C-4 on the strut legs. Anyone who'd managed to survive was hunted down by the assault force and their choppers.

Huey: You can't believe I did that on purpose?

Ocelot: That was the end for Mother Base. But it wasn't the end for you.

Huey: How can you...look, think about it. I lost something too. I built ZEKE, and it got buried underwater. I am a victim.

Ocelot: That raises the big questions. Why were you the only one spared? You got away without a scratch. Why did Strangelove leave the base on the eve of the inspection? You two were close.

Huey: Strangelove?

Ocelot: And how did you manage to build something that surpasses ZEKE in every way? Because you did everything they told you. You're the only one who didn't lose a thing. That is the truth.

Huey: ...I was taken away against my will. Skull Face forced me to do his research these past nine years. He used me. I lost nine years!

Miller: Nine years? We all lost nine years. It wasn't just you.

Huey: ...I suppose blaming me makes you feel better, does it? But, who is gonna give me back all the time I lost!

Ocelot: You're not getting anything back.

Miller: You're not a victim here, Emmerich. You're the perpetrator.

Huey: I didn't know anything.

Ocelot: Nobody can back that up.

Miller: Yeah, all the evidence...is at the bottom of the ocean.

AI Pod's Final Recording
Strangelove: Open this thing! Huey! Damn it Huey! Open it now! Please...Let me out...Kill me...If only I tried to get out sooner...Perhaps I'd have made it. Why didn't I stop the hatch from closing? Even if it meant losing an arm? Well, I guess I'll...stay a while. My voice...It's so distant. But you can hear me, can't you, Joy? I know you can. You're recording all of this. Deep down in some memory board he'll never find. Duplicating it...Burying it under heaps of meaningless code. Anyway, I guess I can say what needs to be said. I can still do that much - talk to you...Even if I can't face you. Even if there's a heaven - even if you're waiting there - I don't deserve to see you again. I don't deserve to love you. I signed up for Zero's plan. Even now that he's halfway to dead, his plan lives on - leeching away at the world. And it took your strength to make it happen. In using you, I put the world in his palm, once and for all. Zero...Zero...Or whoever it is who's taken his name...They found me - after the Caribbean. They made me...simulate his will. So that - even after the body was gone - that will would keep the world turning the way they wanted. I had no choice. They dredged Lago Cocibolca, pulled up your phantom...Forced me to revive and modify you. I thought I could bring you back! But in the end...I sold your will to "him." Now this pod is just one big shell - a husk. Your phantom is no longer here...As for me, everything I touch turns to ashes. I could never make anyone happy. ...And now I'll never see my son again. But at least Hal's free from his father's hands. Me, with child. Can you imagine? I wonder how you took the news. Were you jealous? I knew what I was doing. If I could pass your will onto a child I carried...My genes, your meme...The father would be...irrelevant. If I did that, that child would be ours. I've been a fool. Pride, conceit, baseless theories...Of course I couldn't see through the dream. The "false you" I created...I only wanted to pass your will on to the next generation. But Zero took it away. And now I haven't just lost you, I've lost my...Oh Hal, can you forgive the mother who couldn't protect you? The one who let them take it all away from us? There's still hope. You - the one he took away. He'll never break your will. The will to make this world...The way you saw it could be. I buried code - just to be sure. Inside of you, there's an "egg." And when someone finds it...When they crack it...They'll be nothing left to stop you. The world you envisioned will become a reality. Joy...I know you can hear me...You do remember my voice, don't you? Please...Take care of our son. Hal...Don't ever be afraid. Whatever happens out there, she'll be watching over you. The system - the framework for your world - will protect you. You don't need me...You just need to be strong enough for the both of us. Talked...too much...I'm glad it's you...Here at the end...I think I hear your pulse...

Copper Ore
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss, I have the report on the cargo we stole from Cipher's truck. The PF was transporting two things. The analysis of that malachite has come back first. Naturally, the main compound is copper. There's also a small amount of cobalt. Nothing unusual so far. Southern Zaire is a well-known copper belt. However, in addition to these, we also detected a trace amount of uranium. The content percentage, though, is too low for nuclear development. It most likely came from Shinkolobwe mine. That's where the uranium in that area comes from. The mine's closed, as all the high purity uranium ore dried up a long time ago, but you could probably still find it there in small quantities. That said, there are plenty of other uranium mines that are in operation, like in Niger, Namibia, South Africa... Why go to an abandoned mine to scrape up whatever's left and ship it out in mass quantities without refining it? They were transporting that yellowcake too, which would suggest they have the technology to refine uranium. Anyway, that about sums it up. Unfortunately, the analysis of that yellowcake is taking a little longer. I'll let you know when it's done.

Yellowcake
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Boss, sorry to keep you waiting. We finally finished analyzing that yellowcake Cipher was moving. There was nothing unusual about the composition of the yellowcake itself. Most of it was oxidized uranium, with the rest being impurities - various metals, as well as traces of organic matter.What's interesting is the composition of those impurities. When we checked them against the impurities found in the copper ore, it was clear the yellowcake didn't come from Shinkolobwe. Meaning they went through the trouble of mining two sources of uranium, then transported them together in different states. Another thing. We detected a very thin layer of highly enriched uranium in the middle of the yellowcake. Now that is very interesting. It may not be a lot, but it points to the existence of uranium enriching technology. After all, yellowcake can't naturally produce highly enriched uranium. If they could mass produce this, they'd be just one step away from a gun barrel type nuclear bomb. But uranium enrichment requires advanced technology and a large-scale facility. If that kind of place existed in Zaire, the Soviet Union wouldn't sit idly by. And there's another question. Where were they transporting the yellowcake and malachite uranium? The first place that comes to mind is South Africa. The government was supposed to have abandoned nuclear weapons development after caving to international pressure. But rumors persist that it's continued in secret. Plus, ZRS were escorting the truck, and they're based out of South Africa. And then South Africa does have an abandoned test site. If Cipher's involved with nuclear development in South Africa...But how would that fit with their "weapon to surpass Metal Gear"? We need more information.

Shinkolobwe Mine
Ocelot: Shinkolobwe. There's a name I haven't heard in a while.

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: The U.S. bought a lot of uranium from Shinkolobwe mine during World War II, for the Manhattan Project. They even sent a squad from the Army Corps of Engineers to reopen the mine after it was flooded. That's how good its uranium must have been. With that, the worlds first nuclear test was a success. Shinkolobwe uranium might have been used in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs too. Just hearing its name is like seeing all the phantoms of the war rise up to haunt us. But all the uranium's dried up, and the mine's been closed for years.

Ocelot: So someone reopened it?

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Right. Zero Risk Security seized control of the area, and were forcing locals to work in it. And the Zairian government was getting a slice of what they took in exchange for looking the other way. Mobutu has to finance his tastes somehow. He'll gladly sell the rights to some old mine. The question is, why would Zero Risk Security do this kind of thing?

Ocelot: Or rather, why were their employers, Cipher, interested in an abandoned mine? They'd be getting trace of amounts of uranium, yet to the naked eye it appears to be ordinary malachite. Meaning security would be lax. Not a very efficient way of obtaining it, but easier to move.

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: But how did they enrich it at its destination?

Ocelot: Did the yellowcake really have a layer of highly enriched uranium in it?

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Having trouble believing it?

Ocelot: No, if they say it's real, then it's real. In which case... they might have some enrichment method that we don't know about.

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: And this was to test it out?

Ocelot: It's possible. And that would mean it's almost complete.

The Legendary Mercenary
Ocelot: Ever since the attack on your unit nine years ago, the name Big Boss has become known the world over.

Private Forces: CFA
Kazuhira Miller: The CFA - Contract Forces of Africa. These guys are a major player. Their head office is in Pretoria, South Africa. That's also where the South African Defence Force is headquartered. We think the two are closely connected. An HEC investigation revealed that most of the CFA's operators are former SADF soldiers. South Africa has been locked in struggles with neighboring regimes for years. That means constant action - and we know better than anyone that's the best kind of training. A company drawing its recruits from hardened military vets. You can bet they know how to handle themselves. Do not underestimate them.

Private Forces: CFA's Locally Hired Mercenaries
Kazuhira Miller: Within the CFA is a company of soldiers made up mainly of locally hired operators. They speak Afrikaans to communicate with personnel from the CFA, but if you notice any speaking the local language, that's them. Though hired from the local population, they were originally part of a paramilitary group, so they'll have plenty of combat experience. And unlike their days shooting junkyard rifles out of beat-up pickup trucks, the CFA now supplies them with the latest gear from the West. On top of that, they've been combat-trained by South African Army. All that adds up to a much stronger fighting force. So don't brush them off.

The Spread of Walker Gears
Ocelot: Hard to believe how many of these bipedal weapons have popped up around Africa.

Venom Snake: When did that start?

Ocelot: No more than six months ago. Didn't really hit me until I came here.

Venom Snake: They're not supposed to be in use yet.

Ocelot: Emmerich says they were still doing the last round of fine-tuning. The doctor has no idea.His research has already hit the black market. Both sides of the Iron Curtain will have it by now.

Venom Snake: [grunts]

Ocelot: ...Even so, they're spreading much too fast. Sure, the Walker Gears can operate in any terrain. Their mobility's just as good in the jungle, as it is in the desert. That would come in handy in a place like Africa. They're modules that can one day be used as nuclear weapons - and with that in mind, the numbers are way too large. There must be another reason trey're so widespread.

Venom Snake: Like what?

Ocelot: It's all about needs. To small-time outfits like most of these private forces this product is a dream come true. And it goes beyond PFs. This is the ultimate weapon, the forbidden fruit for anyone with an enemy to fight and people to defend.

Venom Snake: A nuclear deterrent.

Ocelot: Exactly. Sounds familiar, huh? PFs are all operating off your playbook. You created these types. But could this be the new weapon in Africa that Emmerich talked about? If it is, why is Cipher letting anyone and his brother get their hands on one? And what comes next? Selling nuclear weapons to the open? Making them public property?

Venom Snake: Why don't they give that a try? Then the next war really will be fought with sticks.

Ocelot: Right. The man we're dealing with isn't foolish enough to make a suicide pact with the world.

Venom Snake: So what is Cipher really up to?

Private Force: Zero Risk Security
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Zero Risk Security aren't as hardcore a military outfit compared to the other two PFs in the region. The company sends operators to conflict regions around the world, not just Africa. They have decades of combined experience.They're also based out of South Africa. Their headquarters is in Johannesburg. A lot of their work involves corporate security for South African companies, but a good number of their operators are retired South African military. So don't mistake them for a bunch of security guards.

Private Force: Rogue Coyote
Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: Rogue Coyote operates mainly out of Africa these days. Of the three PFs, they're the smallest. However, they scooped up most of the Rhodesian SAS after the country collapsed four years ago. Picture their organization as one big special forces unit. With Rhodesia a British colony, the Rhodesian SAS had its origins 22 SAS, C Squadron. They started out as a group known as the Southern Rhodesia Volunteers, but in '51 they were incorporated into 22 SAS as members of the British Commonwealth, and deployed to fight guerrillas in the Malayan Emergency. Even now, 22 SAS keeps the "C" squadron designation empty in recognition of their service. In a way, you could say the SAS almost makes up the core of Rogue Coyote. Later on, they were bolstered by other talent including former Selous Scouts and 32 Battalion. These guys are direct descendants of some of the best special forces in the world. They won't go down without a fight.

The Man on Fire's Weakness
Ocelot: Snake, I wanted to ask you about the man on fire. What do you remember from the hospital? Anything we can use?

Venom Snake: Well, he took off the moment the sprinklers started up.

Ocelot: Sprinklers - the fire system?

Venom Snake: And when he got sprayed by water from a burst pipe, it slowed him down.

Ocelot: ... When he escaped on horseback, he wouldn't cross the river either.

Venom Snake: And then it started to rain... and he disappeared.

Ocelot: Water against fire? Is it that simple? [I mean] It makes sense, it's just hard to believe it would work on a guy like that.

Eli's DNA Test
Ocelot: Boss, we've got the results of Eli's genetic tests. We can finally put this worry behind us.

Miller: We used the PCR technique and conducted DNA fingerprinting of the copied DNA sequences. Neither is mainstream science yet, but the concepts and procedures are sound. Both tests say there is 0% that the two of you are blood relatives. Meaning, the results are negative. He's not your son, nor is he your clone. He's just another person.

Ocelot: It was 12 years ago that Zero made plans to clone you. Eli's age and appearance certainly are a good fit. I admit the first time I saw him I did a double take, but it looks like we were worried for nothing. Eli isn't your clone. Though you might still have one somewhere out there.

Miller: But if Eli isn't the Boss's clone, why does he seem so obsessed with him? Not to mention having one hell of an attitude for his age.

Ocelot: I don't know - learning the truth about himself, cursing the fact that he's a clone, bearing a grudge against selfish adults and coming to hate who he was cloned from - Big Boss.If that were really the case, I could understand it, I might even feel a bit sorry for him.

Miller: (hm)

Ocelot: But no clone could have a totally different DNA fingerprint. And the tests left no room for error. You yourself were there when we drew Eli's blood sample.

Miller: Come to think of it... when we went to OKB Zero, he'd snuck onto a chopper and was there.

Ocelot: Yeah.

Miller: He was acting strange even then - or actually from a little before that time.

Ocelot: That was exactly when we began these tests.

Miller: Maybe he suspected something when we drew the sample. Not knowing what we were doing to him... and becoming mistrustful of us.

Ocelot: Hard to say. Eli's had an attitude problem from day one.

Miller: So what is he, then?

Ocelot: If he's going to tell us that himself, we'll need to get him to open up more first.

OKB Zero
Ocelot: About this OKB Zero Emmerich was talking about. Its location and features match the citadel in the mountains northeast of the Soviet Base Camp. Built during the time of Alxander the Great, it was left in ruins following one of Genghis Khan's campaigns. Its occupants changed time and time again due to war, and it was expanded on more than one occasion. Ultimately, in fell into the hands of the Soviet Philosophers. The Soviet Army was using it as the headquarters of its Afghan invasion force. But it would seem that Skull FaceÄs connection with the Philosophers gave him license to develop Sahelanthropus there. And that's what Emmerich was doing at the place... before he got the axe. But "OKB" is a designation the Soviets use for weapon design bureaus. There's no way they'd have one of those in Afghanistan. And in principle, the numbers that folow "OKB" are always integers above "1". There is no Zero. Perhaps this was a secret facility of the Soviet and Chinese Philosophers dating back prior to World War II... Though it's more likely Skull Face just picked a fake name that more or less fit the Soviets' pattern.He doesn't go there often, but he sure as hell won't miss this. They use the heliport on top of the tower for his visits. Start by heading for the heliport. Then wait for your chance to make contact with Skull Face.

Sahelanthropus's Armor Material 1
Miller: It seems Sahelanthropus' armor is made from depleted uranium. That offers some serious protection. The U.S. military's planning on using it for its main battle tanks too. Maybe that's where Emmerich got the technology.

Venom Snake: Uranium? They're using nuclear fuel for armor now?

Miller: No, what they use for nuclear fuel is uranium -235, which is extracted from natural uranium. Depleted uranium is a by-product of that process. Sort of like the leftovers, I guess. The garbage. Uranium -235 makes up 0.72% of natural uranium, whereas depleted uranium contains only 0.2%.

Venom Snake: What are the benefits of using it for armor?

Miller: It's a pretty short list. Uranium's a heavy metal, like lead. Meaning, it can hold a greater amount of kinetic energy. But it also boasts a hardness closer to tungsten. That makes it an ideal material to use for, let's say, armor-piercing ammunition penetrators.But it's not the best choice for armor. Its volume is less than that of ceramis, but for an equal weight, you end up with less protection.

Venom Snake: So why use it, then?

Miller: According to Emmerich, it cam down to him being unable to source ceramics technology from a manufacturer. Plus, given that it's an upright, walking vehicle, he wanted to reduce the bulk of certain areas. Despite all that, depleted uranium still makes for some tough armor. And Emmerich says, it's been proven in live-fire tests - it stops most Soviet tank shells.

Sahelanthropus's Armor Material 2
Miller: Emmerich didn't go with depleted uranium for Sahelanthropus' armor because of its strength.

Venom Snake: He had nukes in mind.

Miller: Exactly. It's meant to use its body as a fuel component for a nuclear weapon. Sahelanthropus uses built-in uranium enrichment archaea to melt its own body and extract uranium-235 from the depleted uranium in its armor. Those arachea perform the enrichment in an extremely short time. The concentration jumps by a factor of several 100, from 0.2% to over 90%. The end result being highly enriched, weapons grade uranium. Sahelanthropus' body itself becomes a nuclear bomb. Emmerich says if it were to self-destruct, the nuclear yield would be somewhere in the region of 15 kilotons. Since you need about 50 kilograms of highly enriched uranium to trigger a nuclear reaction, that would mean Sahelathropus contains something like 23 tons of depleted uranium.

Venom Snake: That's not very much.

Miller: No, it isn't. That's about what you'd expect to find in a main battle tank's armor. The point is it can be transported anywhere, even use its conventional warfare on the battlefield, and the international community will never suspect a thing.

The Captured Sahelanthropus
Miller: I've just received word from the R&D team and the transport team out of Afghanistan. They've finished installing Sahelanthropus on the base. It's ours now.

Venom Snake: All right. Don't let any of the staff touch that thing - especially Emmerich.

Miller: Of course. That guy's crush on Sahelanthropus is beyond a joke. Guess he really wants to see his tech stand on its own two legs this time.

Venom Snake: That's not gonna happen.

Miller: I know it. o, you've got no plans to make it operational again?

Venom Snake: Damn right.

Miller: ...Boss, I want to hear it straight from you.

Venom Snake: Hear what?

Miller: What the hell do you want with that thing? The drive is busted, it's not like it has a nuke on board... Even if the metallic archaea could turn it into a nuclear weapon, all it can do is self-destruct. Sahelanthropus just isn't a weapon anymore. It'll draw unwanted attention without even being a deterrent.

Venom Snake: I know.

Miller: The weapon's development sank two feet under that thing's weight. That's one year's drop in a single night. We've started on reinforcing the strut, but there's no guarantee it will hold up if a storm hits.

Venom Snake: I know that, too.

Miller: Boss, why keep it?

Venom Snake: It's a mark.

Miller: A...

Venom Snake: Us Diamond Dogs, we don't have a country to call home, that means we have no past, nothing to prove that we lived. Everyone of us threw it all away when we came here. Sahelanthropus is a symbol that the likes of us brought at least one crisis to its end.

Miller: A mark in history...So we can't just fade away...

Venom Snake: It's of no practical use to us, but we still need it.

Miller: A symbol of what we've done... I'm glad I sounded yo out on this. Snake, on behalf of all of us, I want to thank you.

Venom Snake: I don't need gratitude - I need security. Keep Emmerich away from that thing.

Miller: Roger that.

Ocelot's Fears
Ocelot: You know, when you brought back all the child soldiers who escaped... Eli knew they'd returned. Needless to say, nobody said a word to him.

Venom Snake: I guess, they got a message to him, somehow.

Ocelot: Eli wasn't put in the corner n time-out. He was locked up in that room, completely cut off from the outside world.

Venom Snake: Then how'd he find out?

Ocelot: There's only one possibility I can think of. The Soviet Union has been researching military applications for psy phenomena.

Venom Snake: Psy?

Ocelot: Things like psychokinesis and ESP - extrasensory perception.

Venom Snake: You mean moving objects without touching them? Knowing what card somebody's holding up? Psychic powers? Come on. I thought that was just another bunch of disinformation aimed at the West.

Ocelot: Just bear with me a second. One type of ESP is telepathy. It's the ability to know another person's thoughts through non-verbal means.

Venom Snake: You're saying Eli read our minds?

Ocelot: It's the only idea that doesn't involve someone getting to him.

Venom Snake: Ocelot...

Ocelot: Look. Psy research isn't some hocus pocus, it's all evidence-based, scientific...

Venom Snake: There's gotta be another explanation. Maybe one of the other kids stuck a note to your back.

Ocelot: ...I hope that's the case. But I am convinced that they have - or Eli has - a connection to some force we have yet to identify. You'd better watch yourself, Boss.

Venom Snake: How am I supposed to do that?

Ocelot: If he is depending on something for help, well, that's his Achilles heel. If you can figure out what that "something" is, you might be able to use that against him.

Venom Snake: I'll keep that in mind.

Ocelot: Oh, and the Medical Team is looking after the kids left on Mother Base.For the moment they don't seem too panicked. But Boss, get this. Eli got those kids to plot their armed uprising as a diversion. All so he could steal Sahelanthropus and escape. That brat got us good. Set us up, and knoked us down. And then there's that mystery kid who was with Eli. With those two working together,b Id' say things won't be over for a long time yet.

Part 1
Ocelot: We've finished decoding the informant's report. That floating kid we've run into a few times now... looks like he was a test subject in clinical experiments. The Soviets called him "the Third Boy". The Third Boy was brought to a lab on the outskirts of Moscow from Czechoslovakia, after which he was due to be sent to a research center in Leningrad, then Siberia, and finally an academic town in Novosibirsk. It doesn't appear that the researchers witnessed the "talents" we've seen from him, but nevertheless he was quite the popular subject. His "latent cognitive abilities" suddenly awoke en route to Moscow. According to the report, the Third Boy was easily influenced by other individuals' "bio fields". "Evil thoughts" in particular. They affected his mind like a virus. Extreme anger, or resentment... motives for revenge, in other words. During the transport flight to Moscow, the boy was exposed to a powerful mental energy field coming from a certain individual. Ever since, being conscious of his powers, he's become a sort of energy generator. What's unique about him is the way his acute telepathic abilities get taken over by another person's will. The boy began to physically parasitize individuals experiencing extreme anger and codify the host's desires. This includes amplifying the host's natural strengths... Or, in accordance with the host's desires, he can also implant program code in another individual - making them a puppet, essentially. Human neural synapses transmit weak electrical currents between neurons. These electrical currents, though at a level difficult to observe, warp the magnetic field outside the body. The Third Boy is able to "pick up" these weak fluctuations. Contrary to psychotronics, which involves controlling the human mind, his abilities as a receptor are too high. The emotions he picks up from another individual are amplified and unleashed into his body as they recur in his brain. They turn into microwaves, which then affect the physical world. Triggering paranormal phenomena like the spontaneous combustion of organic matter, or psychokinesis - moving an object without touching it. And one other thing. While he's parasitizing a host, the boy's ego gets shut away. Allowing the will of the host to take control of his powers. Like some annoying static drowning out your own voice. That means he isn't responsible for what's been happening. Somebody's extreme anger has manifested through the Third Boy's powers in ways none of us could have predicted...Which would mean this was going on somewhere around us.

Part 2
Ocelot: Looking back on it, a lot of things make sense now. The Man on Fire, Sahelanthropus...they both came to life thanks to the Third Boy's powers. Everything has been happening through him as a catalyst. We first saw him in the hospital on Cyprus. The boy, parasitizing the Man on Fire's desire for revenge, gave him his new abilities in return. He next appeared in the Hamid fighters' fort, where the Honey Bee was hidden. There, the boy parasitized Skull Face's vengeful mind. He controlled Sahelanthropus, making it do whatever Skull Face wanted. Same goes for when we extracted Emmerich onto the chopper. When he appeared at the Devil's House in Central Africa, Skull Face's will controlled the Man on Fire via the Third Boy's powers. Everything is clear up to this point. But even the informant couldn't pinpoint who the host was in the cave within Serak Power Plant. Sahelanthropus suddenly became active, then crushed not only the Man on Fire but Skull Face as well. Surely neither of them could have been the host. Who else was at that location and bore anger more exreme than either of them? Whose will was controlling Sahelanthropus? According to the report...Emotions transmitted in children's brains affect the surrounding magnetic field more strongly. Cerebral nerves are covered with insulation called myelin sheaths to increase impulse speed. The reason for this "linkage" has to do with the fact that children's myelin sheaths are still developing. So... how many children do you remember being there? Children with a burning desire for revenge, and bearing a grudge against you. I can think of only one. Eli. We don't know what kind of life he's had, but the resentment he's shown towards adults is nothing short of extraordinary. The Third Boy resonated with Eli's mind. And that means Eli bore the strongest animosity of all individuals within the boy's reception range - estimated to be a 3-mile radius - beating out even Volgin and Skull Face. The Third Boy has probably remained hooked on Eli's anger since. You remember the Devil's House? The Third boy showed an interest in Shabani. That must have been his ego making a rare appearance. He may possess abilities far beyond anyone else in the world, but he's still a kid. Maybe them both being kids was enough to bring them together. And if so, maybe with Eli he isn't feeding off him, but acting in symbiosis with him.

Part 3
Ocelot: So what kickstarted the Third Boy's powers? If we look at the location and time that his plane went down, we can make a pretty good guess. When the plane experienced the first anomaly, it gave an acurate report of its position to a control tower. Due north of the Black Sea, 125 miles east of Kiev. Dead south from the Black Sea is Cyprus's Green Line. So the plane's position was directly north of the hospital where you'd been asleep for nine years. And this anomaly was reported at exactly the same time as you woke up. The plane was enveloped in flame from the inside out. The fuselage burnt to ashes. There were no survivors. At least not publicly admitted. Your thoughts formed a synchronicity with the boy's psyche, and were amplified inside his brain. That would have been more than enough to trigger his abilities. Your rage was like a Big Bang in his head blowing the lid off his powers. The boy was then secretly moved to the lab outside of Moscow where Volgin was comatose. There, Volgin's thoughts resonated with the boy and he was awakened. Volgin became the Man on Fire, hellbent on getting revenge on you. His instincts led him straight to you. Skull Face knew Volgin from Operation Snake Eater, or perhaps from even before. Monitoring this pair of "extraordinaries", he discovered the hospital and sent his assassin and XOF. Skull Face was probably watching the situation from close by. Then, realizing how useful these two test subjects could be, he approached them. Reacting to Skull Face's thirst for revenge, this time the boy let Skull Face's will control Volgin. Volgin, at times driven by personal revenge, at times through Skull Face's will, kept on moving, though his body was little more than dead meat. Perhaps there were moments where even your thoughts affected hm as well. But without the boy's power, it was like the plug had been pulled from the socket. Everything was powered by anger, malice, revenge. This is how the end of the report sums things up. Both the Third Boy and the Man on Fire were originally test subjects of paranormal research for "military applications". Like telekinetically controlling the leader of an enemy nation and making him launch a nuke. Or stopping the heart of someone on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall. Experimenting with latent human abilities. They were used as tools of the Cold War. The boy's only crime was being born with unique gifts, but he was sacrificed on the altar of war, his life reduced to slavery under other people's wills. Turned into a living weapon with no will of his own. Eventually the only emotion he could feel must have been the desire to get revenge for the hand he'd been dealt. Boss, it's you that awakened the boy's powers. But there's more to it than that. I guess the anger emanating from you was something he could truly relate to.

Code Talker's Eating Habits
Code Talker: ...I have spoken enough. Your men can take it from here. Will you permit me to rest? Have something to eat?

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: I... thought you don't eat.

Code Talker : I can subsist without food. But there is more to the act of eating than nourishment. We receive nature's blessings, and reaffirm our part in it. And in doing so, we express our gratitude.

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: [laughs] Sorry, it's... ah... Hearing you say you don't need to eat and that you're a part of nature in the same breath...Anyway... What can we get you? Not exactly five-star restaurant, but the kitchen's used to serving a lot of different appetites...

Code Talker: Hamburgers.

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: [surprised] ...Hamburgers?

Code Talker: Even we Diné have become Americanized. I eat them often back home.

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: [laughs] And you just can't let 'em go. Well... as far as symbols of the American empire go, hamburgers are pretty good The victory of capitalism. (hm) Your people suffered so much at the hands of America, and you ask for hamburgers.

Code Talker: We have suffered more than you can know. But I don't see hamburgers as an accomplice. A single dish providing a balanced helping of nature's blessings: meat, grain and vegetable. How could anyone hate such a magnificent thing?

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: ...Says the guy who can survive on photosynthesis. Balance has nothing to do with it. You just like a good burger.

Code Talker: That is also true. Be warned though. I have very high standards.

Benedict "Kazuhira" Miller: [ah] Don't worry, I do too. All right, then. One good old fashioned, all-American icon, comin' up.

Code Talker: [chuckles] I look forward to it.

Doublethink
Ocelot:  Boss. How are you back on your feet so quickly?

Big Boss: It's a non-smoking ward.

Ocelot: Boss...

Big Boss: If I listened to everything the doctors said I'd probably die in here. No point waking up after nine years for that.

Ocelot: ...Well, having you out of that bed makes things a little easier...

Big Boss: Bad news, huh?

Ocelot: Things are looking worse.

Big Boss: Go on.

Ocelot: They found out. About you waking up. And the man on fire picked this time to wake up too. We'll have to move forward ahead of schedule. Miller already has the preparations under way. We'll have to wake up your "neighbor" too.

Big Boss: So he's not- ... He seems awake now.

Ocelot: No. Well, he's not actively conscious yet at least.

Big Boss: He was a doctor too.

Ocelot: In his mind that past no longer exists. Your past is his past now. He's going to be your phantom. Not some simple diversion - he'll act as the new Big Boss. And the act just isn't for Cipher - he'll be your face on the world stage. Until the time comes for your resurgence.

Big Boss: You make it sound easy.

Ocelot: We've been busy over the last nine years. His altered state of consciousness has helped us implant powerful suggestions through induced hypnogogia. He's experienced all your missions on record, and shares all your knowledge and experience. To make him believe that he is the one true Big Boss. No one around him will doubt that he's the Big Boss they know. So is he the real Big Boss or a stand-in? What does that mean to him? Nothing. The human brain is capable of many illusions. Of pain, of the future. What happens from here depends on his skill. But you can vouch for that.

Big Boss: He was always the best man we had. But...

Ocelot: Nine years ago in that helicopter, he threw himself between you and the blast. In that moment, the man you knew died. He died protecting you. And now, by becoming you, he protects you again. This is just a detour in his journey to Hell. And don't forget it's what he wanted. He's in his Dog Days now. It's not just him. We'll be putting the people in this hospital in the line of fire. They'll be your shield, and a necessary diversion. To buy us some time.

Big Boss: And you?

Ocelot: I'll be right by his side.

Big Boss: Can you keep it up? It's a hell of a lie.

Ocelot: It won't be a lie. I won't know his secret either. I'll believe that he's the real Big Boss. I'll have no conscious knowledge of you - where's the lie in that?

Big Boss: Self-hypnosis?

Ocelot: It's nothing knew in my line of work. Manipulating memories...the past. But that's not all. When the time is right, I need to remember that you're the real Boss. In the world, it's doublethink.

Big Boss: In this year?

Ocelot: Two plus two equals five. And I want you to do the same.

Big Boss: Right - his bodyguard.

Ocelot: Correct. It won't be long before this hospital comes under attack. We'll wake him up right away, but he won't be back to full health in time. You'll need to take him through his final paces.

Big Boss: Yeah. I want to see his face again.

Ocelot: All right...John. I've never forgotten you in these nine years, but I have to forget you now.

Big Boss: Adam, I'm counting on you.

"Les Enfants Terribles"
Big Boss: What’s up?

Ocelot: About the 1972 project, “Les Enfants Terribles.”

Big Boss: [chuckles] You never did like the French.

Ocelot: Ugh, all the Catherine the Great, aristocratic pompousness gets to me, that’s all. Palace talk! They can keep it.

Big Boss: Les Enfants Terribles… The terrible children.

Ocelot: That madness Zero started- or the start of his madness.

Big Boss: You found out something new?

Ocelot: The plan itself was abandoned in ‘76. ATGC dismantled the project and their account with DARPA was closed. So I was worried about what happened to you, your sons.

Big Boss: They’re no sons of mine and they’re sure as hell not me.

Ocelot: Just a bunch of cells grown in a lab?

Big Boss: What they are is much sicker than that.

Ocelot: Well Zero doesn’t think so; EVA doesn’t either. To them, those boys are your clones: they’re you, down to the last hair.

Big Boss: And?

Ocelot: The first boys were raised… free-range, like we thought. Both of them. David has never left the States, but the other, Eli, has disappeared. Might as well call it abandoned. They’re through with him.

Big Boss: Where is he?

Ocelot: He was in England, Zero’s home ground. Apparently he traveled to Africa after that, but… he escaped from Zero’s care.

Big Boss: Just like that? Why?

Ocelot: Who knows? Maybe he found out about his birth. If he’s alive, he’d be eleven or twelve by now, old enough to think and act for himself.

Big Boss: So he might still be alive?

Ocelot:  On his own? There? I wouldn’t bet on it.

Ocelot: John. If he is alive, what’s the plan?

Big Boss: I have nothing to say to him. Treat him like a human being, just another person.

Report to Big Boss: The War Economy
Ocelot: Boss, this war business you and Miller started... Since the industry's spread out to the PF's, it may have a favorable influence on Cipher.To a ruler, an everlasting enemy is convenient. By directing the public's animosity outside his borders, he can unify their frame of mind. Guns-for-hire continue the war. Then enrich the economy with their spoils. War as a business will become a permanent tool for manipulating the public mind. A new business model. You might even call it a "war economy." Before long, Cipher, or rather the Patriots, will be drawn to this. Probably only a few decades before it takes hold,... it's not far off at all.

Report to Big Boss: Cipher's Information Control
Ocelot: Still no leads on Zero. We don't even know whether he's still alive. But the protocol he put in motion's making steady progress. Every day, SIGINT's web covers a little more of the globe. Total information control. Big Brother Zero. And it'll happen before anyone even realizes. I don't like it. You're the Big Brother of the battlefield - you've earned a firm grip on the world's military power. But soon, Zero will have nations in his. He'll erase the Cold War - all war - from peoples' minds. And with it, the world's borders. Zero's will - his influence - will be unleashed, with nothing to stem the tied. When that happens, opposition will no longer match the lines on the map. And Boss, with no borders left, what difference can we make? War will have lost any true meaning to the world. Just one more gear keeping the wheels of economy turning. Another product bearing down the capitalist conveyor belt. The future your friend Miller wanted - that's all there is in store. Perhaps it's already too late. But, human will should only be handed down and nutured by human hands. It can't be entrusted to "the system" - especially not that soulless phantom that Zero's left in his wake. No matter what happens, we'll have to fight some day - to reclaim our truth. Until next time... Big Boss.

Secret Recording of Ocelot and Zero
Ocelot: It's me.

Zero: Ocelot, it's been quite a while.

Ocelot: Yeah I'll say. Took a lot longer to surface than I expected, Major.

Zero: I wasn't planning on coming back at all, but I had no choice.

Ocelot: Well, after the Caribbean...

Zero: My hunch was proven right. You wouldn't believe who was behind it.

Ocelot: Oh, I have an idea. How did you respond?

Zero: Immediate disinformation campaign. Most bought into the story, but not everyone. It was quite an incident, after all. I couldn't cover everything. But I did hide the fact that Snake survived. And that should buy us some time.

Ocelot: Where is he?

Zero: Enroute to an old foxhole of mine. A base in the British Sovereign area of Cyprus.

Ocelot: The military hospital at Dhekelia?

Zero: EVA's leading the operation.

Ocelot: EVA? Following your orders?

Zero: Funny, isn't it? That we should all reuinite like this?

Ocelot: This is an emergency. Otherwise I sure as hell-

Zero: Yes, yes, I don't expect you to bury the hatchet between us. Some things simply won't ever happen. Even I can appreciate that.

Ocelot: (sigh)

Zero: You, too, can only bear to speak with me from time to time. That's fine. But I don't want Snake to die. Surely we can come together on that. There are so few men I can turn to. And you're number one, Ocelot. Keep him hidden. Keep him safe.

Ocelot: But...

Zero: I'll stay where I am, and leave the rest to you. That's how he'd want it too.

Ocelot: Isn't it better for you to be there? To supervise...?

Zero: Where I am, where he goes - it makes no difference. All that matters is getting him the very best treatment and security. The latter being where you come in. Will he wake up? And if so, when? I have absolutely no idea. But as long as his heart is beating, he will keep fighting. So please, watch over him.

Ocelot: This location... it's safe?

Zero: No one will find him. And if they try, I will deal with them. The information must be suppressed.

Ocelot: ...Which is what you do best. Guess you're still at the top of your game, huh?

Zero: Anything but. I'm sick, Ocelot. Donald's taken over a great deal. He'll be handling this situation from here on as well. Though I wish it weren't so, this will probably be the last time you and I speak. ...So. You won't say no, will you?

Ocelot: I have no choice.

Zero: Thank you.

Ocelot: Save your thanks.

Zero: [laughs] One more thing - a proposition. I've prepared a ruse of sorts. One I imagine you'll quite like.

Ocelot: What is it?

Zero: You could say I've... made another Snake.

Ocelot: Major...

Zero: I'm not talking about the children. A mental copy. His phantom, if you like.

Ocelot: I don't understand.

Zero: You will when you get to Cyrpus. I've set the ball in motion, but the rest is in your hands. You're good at this kind of thing - the best. I need you on this.

Ocelot: If it's in his best interests.

Zero: I assure you... it is. Look after Snake. He's the toughest son of a bitch I've ever known.

Secret Recording of Miller and Zero
Miller: ...Yes?

Zero: It's me. You weren't in hospital long. I had trouble finding you.

Miller: Where is he?

Zero: Safe - but in the same state as when you last saw him. We've had our misunderstanding, you and I, but - as you've made clear - our relationship is strictly business. Therefore, I will limit this conversation to the business at hand. Please understand that I don't dislike you - not inherently. Miller: Where's Snake?

Zero: Now, now, settle down or I'll have to hang up.

Miller: [frustrated sigh]

Zero: And then you never hear from me again. Do you understand?

Miller: [exhales]

Zero: First, about your boss. I had him moved, once he was stabilized. I'm sure it came as quite a shock to you when you woke up. You'll have to forgive me...

Miller: I told them to stop putting me under...

Zero: Surely you understand. Specialized medical treatment in places like that can be positively nightmarish. We couldn't have left him there forever. And to be honest, I wasn't entirely comfortable leaving matters in your hands. Don't take it the wrong way. Anyone looking for him would be looking for you. He needed to be as far from you as possible. In fact, I'm still not sharing his location, even now. Problems could arise. So instead I'm giving you a point of contact. An introduction to a network of messengers who will lead you to a man. A friend to your Boss - I'm sure he's mentioned him before. He knows Snake's location. More than any man alive, I trust him with this sort of thing. Keeping secrets - or men - in the dark. He's known Snake quite a while. Ten years longer than you.

Miller: Hmph.

Zero: Kazuhira, I don't care if you don't trust me. But I require your absolute trust in him on this. Snake will be brought back into this world, however long it takes. Understood? The only reason we're having this conversation is because you still have a role to play. Which brings me to the next issue: What happens after he regains consciousness. When Snake wakes up - and he will - he'll need your help again. So when he does,I promise you'll be the first to know. The code phrase will be "V has come to." I'll then mobilize all the necessary parties. Think of it as an overture to a prologue. Until then, do what you like. Just be ready when the time comes. But you don't need me to tell you that, do you?

Miller: [sighs]

Zero: ...I know it's been hard on you, too. But I can't imagine you're willing to just walk away. Miller: What are you talking about?

Zero: Hm?

Miller: If what you're saying is true... Then this is like wrapping a rope around your own neck and throwing it around a branch. What's your play in all this?

Zero: This? This is for Snake. So that he survives after he wakes up. Nothing more. After that, I don't care what you do.

Miller: Then tell me something.

Zero: Go on.

Miller: I only joined you after I found out what you were after. To make the world one - you need Snake for that. And he's already done a hell of a lot for you.

Zero: He has.

Miller: So on some level, at least, I think you're being straight with me. Then why'd you do that to him? I get what you were trying with Paz. You wanted to get Snake any way you could. But after that. What you did... How could you do that to him?

Zero: After that wasn't me. You may not believe this, but I never intended for any of this to happen. My organization has many arms. It's... just going to take a little longer before we're all on the same page. I admit I may have been lax in my supervision. But something like that will not happen again.

Miller: ...Whatever. One day I'll know the truth. Just as soon as the Boss wakes up. And then we're coming after you. This end with you begging us to put you out of your misery.

Zero: Is that so? Fantasy can make for a powerful ally, but remember this reality Kazuhira Miller. Big Boss will wake up. And when he does... Be there for him.

Secret Recording of Skull Face and Zero
Skull Face: Major... I wondered whether you'd really call.

Zero: XO, I presume this was your doing?

Skull Face: Do you like my gift?

Zero: I've been searching a long time for this...

Skull Face: It is what you were looking for, yes?

Zero: The winged dagger of a comrade lost to the sands of Egypt... He served under The Boss back in Rayforce. I delivered this pin to her after his death. We were both so very young. From that moment on, she never let it leave her side.

Skull Face: She was still carrying it in Tselinoyarsk. How about the back?

Zero: Hmm... Mmghh...!

Skull Face: Something wrong, Major?

Zero:  Nothing, just pricked my finger...

Skull Face: The back...?

Zero: The scar is there - just as I remember it. And this white stitching on the back... From the white berets the SAS wore in the early days. Ah...!

Skull Face: Major?

Zero: "30th of December, 1941" - It's the inscription I made. The day he died.

Skull Face: Of course...

Zero: His body was never recovered. This pin badge is the closest thing he has to a gravestone. When I gave it to her, she just kept on running her finger over the inscription. "Never again" she uttered... as if reprimanding herself for his death. She pressed hard, embedding the inscription itself into her finger. You see, it's why this spot on the back looks shinier than the rest. He was. our brother-in-arms.

Skull Face: So...

Zero: Yes, it's real. Thank you. There's no doubt about it.

Skull Face: Good. Now I have no regrets.

Zero:  What do I owe you?

Skull Face: Nothing... Just want to talk for a moment.

Zero: Very well then...

Skull Face: It's about our man, Major. He's been making some moves.

Zero: Miller? Yes, I know. Rhodesia, is it?

Skull Face: Yes, and up to his old tricks again.

Zero: No matter. He'll stumble soon enough.

Skull Face: Although, he is under my jurisdiction now...

Zero: And that's what you want to talk about?

Skull Face: Not exactly.

Skull Face: You see, my being here's made me realize I can still be of use to you.

Zero: How so?

Skull Face: This country is rich with biological resources. Bacteria, nematodes, viruses... I'm sure we can find something here to bring that plan back into action...

Zero: Forget it. The cleanser project was just another one of my predecessors' daydreams.

Skull Face: And the vocal cord parasites...?

Zero: Were an excellent test case for reverse evolution - nothing more. What matters now is the genetics technology behind that work. With genetics, the clumsiness in targeting an entire race isn't an issue. We can target specific individuals. No need to breed multiple generations of parasite just to get results.

Skull Face: But I...

Zero: Don't be quaint, XO. Once the Cold War is over, our enemies won't be so clearly-defined. Using HUMINT alone won't be enough. An electronic network will span the globe, and our enemies will blend right into it.

Skull Face: You may be right. But will people really settle for an enemy they can't see? Men want to feel righteous... Need to see the evil in the enemy they fear. Without it, they'll turn their aggressions inward, find an enemy inside - you know this is true.

Zero: I see what you're saying. Just as those robbed of their parasites develop allergies and auto-immune diseases, a man robbed of his enemy develops self-destructive tendencies. And I know all the symptoms: Ethnic conflict, religious strife, terrorism... And with asymmetrical conflict, deterrence is a joke. That's why we must depend on information control. People need an appropriate context for their lives. A context that's stimulating, without being destructive. That balance is the basis of equilibrium.

Skull Face: You mean to say people will blindly accept your context, without developing any "allergies?"

Zero: If we're to unite the world, literacy must be suppressed. To suppress the "information immune system," to borrow your metaphor.

Skull Face: Immunity to information... But, to ensure there's no allergic reaction, while the immune system fights off parasites and pathogens...

Zero: It's done, XO. This world will become one.I have found the way. The world that The Boss envisioned will finally become a reality. Race, tribal affiliations, national borders, even our faces will be irrelevant. The nature of communication itself will change, and it will make mankind whole again.

Skull Face: Some things can't be undone. My face was taken from me. There's no taking that back.

Zero: A face means nothing when one soul is able to communicate directly with another.

Skull Face: I have no intention of hiding behind your technological veil, Major. I wear my broken visage - this skull, in the open, so that I may never forget what I've lost...

Zero: You...? What are you...?

Skull Face: The chain of retaliation is what will truly bind this world together as one!

Zero: Rrgh...

Skull Face: Major?

Zero: You son of a... the pin... You...

Skull Face: Yes, the pin. It's too late. They can't extract it. You see, Major, some things can't be undone.

Zero: How did you find me? The girl... You made her talk...?

Skull Face: I'm sorry I couldn't visit - or thank you in person - but it has been lovely chatting. And now that I know you're no longer interested in the garden... It's time for you to step aside.

Zero: Rrrgh...

Skull Face: You're a busy man - lots to do. So I've left you... a little time.

Zero: Go to hell! How dare you... You planned this all along... Had your own agenda... All these years...

Skull Face: Now you see. The world can never truly become one.

Zero: But The Boss... I've been...

Skull Face: You've been wrong!

Zero: You're no different... Just like him... None of you understand the world she saw.

Skull Face: I would say the same to you, Major.

Zero: Just like that, you steal it all away. Everything.

Skull Face: The Boss said the same thing. Only... I understood what she meant. Major... I'll handle the rest. Oh, and one more thing. That pin badge... It was a fake.

Zero: Nghhh...

Skull Face: I held on to the real one. I'll take good care of it... ...and continue The Boss's work.

Zero: Gi... Giv... Jack...