Snake Tales

Snake Tales are a set of missions in the game Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, where the player controls Solid Snake through a variety of themes and environments.

History
Because of the ill-spirited reception Raiden received as the main character of Metal Gear Solid 2, a series of stories were created involving Snake. Due to the low production value of these missions, there is no voiceover work—instead, the plot is described in pages of dialog and text interspersed between gameplay. The missions are all fairly challenging; the player's Soliton Radar is disabled and guards are extremely tenacious, deadly, and abundant. All of the Snake Tales are non-canon. Beating a Snake Tale will allow the player to replay it with the M9, which can be used to defeat the bosses nonlethally; this reveals the optimal ending.

A Wrongdoing
The Big Shell has been taken over by heavily armed extremists who kidnap the President while visiting Big Shell on an inspection tour. The extremists take him hostage with other employees of the facility. Their demands were a list of "20-odd trivialities" and $30 billion in cash. In the mission, Snake infiltrates Big Shell and makes rescuing the President and the hostages his top priority, while his second priority is to neutralize the terrorists. First, Snake must find his contact in the Shell, one of the Presidents Secret Service agents, a man named Richard Ames. Colonel Campbell tells Snake it turns out that Ames requested Snake's help in rescuing the president, but whatever he used to communicate with them was destroyed. Upon reaching Ames' location, Snake will have two options: attack Fatman while risking the lives of hostages, or save the hostages using the Directional microphone and coolant.


 * Attack Option: After rendezvousing with Ames, he finds out that Fatman of Dead Cell is behind the kidnapping and terrorism. Snake dispatches of Fatman, but not before Fatman detonates an explosive charge that kills all of the hostages. He learns that the president has escaped the Big Shell thanks to the Navy SEALs, but Snake is still visibly upset at the loss of the hostages.
 * Alternate Ending: Ames shows up to finish off Fatman, then tells Snake that his sister was killed by Fatman in the church bombing years earlier. Afterwards, Ames makes his escape.
 * Rescue Option: Snake disarms the bomb before dispatching of Fatman, but with his dying breath, he tells Snake that Ames is the one who hired him to kidnap the president. Snake later finds out that Ames's sister was killed by Fatman in the church bombing years earlier, and the kidnapping of the president was all an elaborate plot at revenge. By the time this is explained, Ames is long gone - not only from Big Shell, but from the United States completely.
 * Alternate Ending: Ames shows up to finish off Fatman, but is taken down and arrested by Navy SEALs who have already secured the hostages. Campbell then explains that Ames's sister was killed in the church bombing years earlier and the kidnapping of the president was all an elaborate revenge plot. Fatman is also taken into custody.
 * Alternate Ending: If Snake goes back onto the elevator lift in the very beginning, the game ends on a weird note. Snake goes back into the elevator and gets a call from Campbell saying he never should have trusted him. This results in a Game Over forcing the player to go back to the main menu.

Big Shell Evil
Otacon asks Snake for a favor, but Snake knows that Otacon's "little favors" always turn out to be big trouble. Reluctantly, he agrees to help his friend, who has a sneaking suspicion that Emma Emmerich, his younger sister, is in grave danger in her research laboratory on the Big Shell. Snake infiltrates the Big Shell, overhearing guards speaking about "the ghost of Big Shell." Upon reaching Emma, she explains to Snake that there was a guard on the Shell that attempted to kill himself but didn't quite succeed, and now he haunts the halls and struts of the cleanup facility, killing anyone who gets in his way. Guards pour in and demand that Emma hand over the ghost, who they believe to be Snake. Snake dispatches the guards and escapes the Shell with Emma. Along the way, Snake discovers that the ghost of Big Shell was all a ruse set up by the Mafia, who were using various ships and docks connected with the Big Shell to smuggle drugs to and from New York City between two Mafia syndicates. The actual ghost was no more than a Mafia hitman, who was killing any guard that happened to see him leaving or entering the facility on his way to steal the drugs. Otacon arrives in a Kasatka helicopter, attempting to pick up Snake and Emma, but a Harrier jet cuts them off at the pass, which Snake destroys using a Stinger rocket launcher that Otacon dropped to him from the helicopter. Snake, Emma and Otacon all escape the Shell unharmed.

Alternate Ending: There is no stamina-kill option for the Harrier boss. However, should Snake attempt to leave Strut E without Emma during the firefight, a summary will come up detailing that the door locks behind Snake and Emma is shot to death. This only results in a Game Over however, and the player is given the chance to try again or quit. The real alternate ending option comes in escaping with Emma unscathed (which keeps the data disc she was carrying intact) or hurt (which destroys the disc, preventing the unveiling of further information regarding the so-called ghost).

Confidential Legacy
After the events of the Shadow Moses Incident, Snake retires from FOXHOUND, but Colonel Campbell acquires a position at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Campbell visits Snake at his home and Snake immediately knows why Campbell is there. Campbell tells Snake that Sergei Gurlukovich, the head of the Gurlukovich Mercenaries, have attacked a group of Marines who were on a secret mission in the South American republic of Eldera, and from what he can surmount, Metal Gear is involved. Eldera was in a constant civil war since the 1980s, and both Campbell and Snake remarked that it would not be at all surprising that if they had their own version of Metal Gear, as Revolver Ocelot had leaked out the plans for Metal Gear REX onto the black market after Shadow Moses. Apparently, the Marines were sent in by the government to seize the new Metal Gear, and the Gurlukovich Mercenaries were there to, in-turn, steal it from the Marines. Snake refuses the Colonel's invitation to join him, refusing to rekindle Campbell's grudge for Gurlukovich, which stems back to the Cold War. Campbell reluctantly tells Snake that there is a catch. Meryl was involved with the mission. Snake obliges, after Meryl mysteriously disappeared from his home over six months ago, only remarking, "I have something to take care of."

Upon reaching the Navigational Deck, he encounters Meryl, who is less than pleased to see her old friend and former lover. She tells him that her father, Matt Campbell, Roy Campbell's younger brother, had died in Eldera, which is why she joined the mission covertly. They split up, and Snake eventually goes below deck to find the rusty, broken shell of a Metal Gear hidden under a tarp. He breathes a sigh of relief before Sergei appears from the shadows with Meryl hostage, gun pointed at her throat. Snake tells Gurlukovich to let her free, which he does, and Meryl coyly smiles. Snake then realizes that Meryl is in line with Gurlukovich, and when Sergei tries to shoot Snake, Meryl protests that he had promised not to kill him, and Snake makes his getaway. Snake asks Colonel what Meryl meant when she said that being here was her father's dying wish, and Campbell explains.

During the Cold War, while the country was under the control of a pro-American dictator, the American military had been conducting a top-secret project in Eldera. Matt Campbell had been a member of that project. When the Cold War ended, the project was terminated as well, and the Americans had prepared to withdraw from the country. Matt, however, went AWOL. Shortly afterward, the pro-American regime, having lost its backing, was faced with armed uprisings among the country's minority groups. Eldera was plunged into civil war. Matt's corpse was discovered later. Spetsnaz had been behind the uprising. And the name of their commander was Sergei Gurlukovich. Campbell's words made it sound as if he believed the Gurlukovich himself had killed Matt, and that is why he secretly sent Meryl in.

Snake fights his way through the tunnels and makes his way to the bridge and sees Meryl standing outside. He confronts her, asking her why she is aligning herself with the man that killed her father. She tells Snake that Campbell was lying about Sergei killing Matt. Matt Campbell's part in the top-secret Metal Gear development project in Eldera had been to ensure the country's stability. Part of his job was feeding falsified information to the minority separatist guerrillas, and he was good at it. First he'd pick a suitable candidate and essentially brainwash them. Matt would then send his now-willing accomplice into the ranks of the separatists. Once there, the spy provided the Americans with useful information, selling out his comrades in the process. But in carrying out his mission, Matt made one fatal error. In his dealings with the separatists, he came to sympathize with their cause. He grew to resent the U.S. for the way it exploited smaller, weaker nations for its own gain. In the end, Matt decided to help the guerillas create their own nation. He wanted to give them the trump card they needed to secure their independence. And what better gift than a bipedal, nuclear-capable walking tank that was conveniently being developed in Eldera by the American military?

Sergei Gurlukovich, who was also supporting the guerillas, agreed to cooperate. Matt's plan was executed. The guerillas succeeded in stealing the Metal Gear from the American base. But then their plan was discovered. Matt was executed by the Americans. Meryl's father had been punished for the crime of believing in his own ideals. The price of having a conscience was high in those troubled times. In the tumult of the civil war that followed, the Metal Gear disappeared without a trace. However, six months ago, its existence was reconfirmed, and the Marines had been sent to recover their long-lost dirty secret. After hearing the true story from Gurlukovich, Meryl agreed to follow his instructions and infiltrate the Marines. Her intent was to transfer the Metal Gear over to the guerillas through Gurlukovich, who was still providing support to the rebels. In this way, she could carry on her father's memory and the ideals for which he died. "Is that what Gurlukovich told you?" asked Snake. Meryl nodded. Snake shook his head. "Didn't it ever occurs to you that he might by lying?" Meryl looked at Snake with sorrow in her eyes. "...You're not going to let me get away, are you?" "So what are you going to do?" Meryl drew her gun and pointed it at Snake. "You're not going to shoot me," said Snake. She released the safety with her thumb. "Watch me."
 * If you defeat Meryl lethally: Gurlukovich congratulates Snake on eliminating his link to Campbell and tries to eliminate Snake, but is shot in the head by a wounded Meryl. Snake then cradles a dying Meryl in his arms.
 * If you defeat Meryl nonlethally: Gurlukovich congratulates Snake on eliminating his link to Campbell and tries to eliminate Snake, but is shot in the head by a barely consicious Meryl. The next week, Snake meets with Campbell, who reveals that Meryl is in fact his (Campbell's) daughter.

Dead Man's Whisper
Lieutenant Scott Dolph invites Snake to the Big Shell to participate in a simulated terrorist situation. Vamp, from the team Dead Cell, acts as a lone terrorist, and the Navy SEALS play the role of stopping them. To avoid drawing attention to Snake, Dolph gives him an assumed identity: Iroquois Pliskin, Lieutenant Junior Grade.

Snake, as Pliskin, is doing his scheduled rounds in Strut F for the exercise, when suddenly a call of pain is heard over his radio from the SEALS in strut B. Panicking, he heads there, only to find that Vamp has massacred them all. Believing Vamp to have turned to prove the innocence of his wrongfully imprisoned Colonel Jackson, Snake contacts his commander, Scott Dolph. Dolph says that he is apparently Vamp's next target, but he cannot believe that Vamp has turned, after all he was nothing but loyal to him. Snake makes it to the core of Shell 2, where an explosion has apparently flooded the basement, and where Dolph, as well as Navy Captain O'Brien is hiding.

Snake manages to gain access to the room where O'Brien is hiding by destroying the circuit panel controlling an electrified floor outside with a remote controlled missile launcher. He finds the captain inside, barely alive. O'Brien explains that there is no way Vamp could want to prove Jackson's innocence, as there is no hope of him succeeding; the case is airtight. He must merely be killing out of revenge, and so he must be stopped. O'Brien then draws his last breath.

When Snake cannot get any answer from Dolph, he heads down to the basement of the core. It is indeed flooded, but he swims through and makes it to the Air Purification Chamber where Dolph is supposedly hiding. Instead, however, he finds Vamp, who proceeds to do battle with him.


 * If you defeat Vamp lethally: After Snake defeats him, Vamp reveals that he did not want revenge nor did he want to prove Jackson's innocence. Instead, he wanted to kill seemingly out of revenge to make the public wrongfully believe that Jackson had been framed. Although he originally did not want to the Dead Cell name tarnished any further than it already was, this motive grew out of his control and he had become a pathetic terrorist. Dolph shows up at the last minute, chastising Vamp for his foolishness, and Vamp apologised to Dolph before dying.

Later, rumours escalate about Dead Cell. It seems people are starting to believe that Jackson had been framed and that Dead Cell's acts of terrorism had been set up, implying that, in his death, Vamp may have succeeded in his mission.


 * If you defeat Vamp non-lethally: After Snake defeats him, Vamp reveals that he did not revenge nor did he want to prove Jackson's innocence. Instead he wanted to kill seemingly out of revenge to make the public wrongfully believe that Jackson had been framed, a concept that Jackson (who had grown insane in prison, thinking about nothing but to restore the name of Dead Cell) had put to him.

Dolph shows up at the last minute, and gets this information out of him, but still inquires further. Vamp explains to Dolph that he went along with the mission under orders from Jackson in order to carry out this plan, but Captain O'Brien had a different agenda. O'Brien had indeed set Vamp up and had lied to Snake about the case being watertight. In reality, O'Brien wanted to show the world that he could tame Vamp and Dead Cell, and planned this entire incident. Vamp had no choice but to kill O'Brien, as O'Brien threatened to blame Dead Cell for the terrorist acts if he disobeyed him. As a last act of loyalty, O'Brien had asked Vamp to kill Dolph. With O'Brien dead, Vamp does not have to carry out this order, and asks Snake to kill him, but Snake refuses, saying "Don't make the people who care about you any sadder than you already have".

Vamp is taken into custody, and Dead Cell is officially dissolved some time later. Dolph retires, and Jackson receives a life sentence, remaining in prison to this day. Later, rumours escalate about Dead Cell. It seems people are starting to believe that Jackson had been framed and that Dead Cell's acts of terrorism had been set up, implying that, in Vamp's death, Jackson may have succeeded in his mission.

External Gazer
Snake, currently on the AB Connecting Bridge, has been given the assignment of photographing the Gurlugon, a monster from another dimension, resembling a Gurlukovich Mecenary, spotted around the Big Shell. This is revealed via a flashback, in which Snake is testing out Otacon's VR simulator. After completing several missions, Mei Ling entered and showed them a newspaper report on Gurlugon sightings. Snake set off to the Big Shell, and made his way from the BC Connecting Bridge to the AB Connecting Bridge.

Suddenly, the Gurlugon appears under the bridge. After snapping a few pictures, he is ambushed by a string of soldiers. He takes them out, and encounters Olga Gurlukovich. Of course, this is not the Olga he knows; it is an alternate Olga from another dimension. She explains that the Gurlugon came through from her dimension through a crack in the walls between realities caused by the Kopplethorn Engine, and Snake has to send him back to prevent reality from breaking down.

Otacon realises that his VR system is causing the cracks in reality. Determined to do all he can, he realises he must defeat the Gurlugon within the VR system, and does so. This, however, does not stop the problem as Otacon had predicted it would. It turns out that the actual breakdown in reality is being engineered by Solidus Snake.

Snake goes back into the VR system, but finds it beginning to malfunction, even forcing him into the body of a young, blonde man at one point. After successfully navigating through several VR stages, he must face off against a seemingly endless guard of Metal Gear RAY units, before finally facing Solidus in a VR map based on Federal Hall. After defeating Solidus, the VR system and all of reality returns to normal.

Sometime later, Mei Ling enters Snake and Otacon's office with another newspaper cutting. It seems there have been Genola sightings.

Trivia

 * Although the Harrier pilot uses Solidus's voice samples, Solidus has no part in Snake Tale B;
 * David Hayter seems to have recorded new voice samples for Snake Tales A & D: using the D-mic to talk to hostages and screams of pain if Snake steps on the electrified floor.