Huey Emmerich

Dr. "Huey" Emmerich, also known as simply Huey, was a mechanical engineer involved in the development of bipedal locomotion technology used in the Peace Walker Project in 1974. He was also the father of Hal Emmerich.

Early life
Emmerich was born on August 6, 1945 (the day of the Hiroshima bombing) as the son of a Manhattan Project scientist. He was born a paraplegic, unable to walk because his spine was abnormally shaped. Although he used to respect his father because his research had saved American lives, his respect decreased significantly during the fifth grade when a Japanese transfer student showed him photos of what happened in Hiroshima after the bomb. At some point, Emmerich obtained a specially designed wheelchair, which was technologically-advanced for its time, one of its features being the ability to traverse stairs. Then, he joined NASA after graduating from MIT (after skipping a few grades) and worked alongside Strangelove, who gave Emmerich his "Huey" nickname. During this time, Emmerich met and became colleagues with Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin, supporting Granin's bipedal tank theory by writing a paper that was criticized.

In September 1964, Aleksandr Granin revealed to Naked Snake that he intended to send his designs for a bipedal tank to Emmerich in the United States. During this time, a photograph of the two scientific colleagues were displayed in the latter's office in Graniny Gorki.

Post-Snake Eater
Huey was once considered to be part of a project involving space rockets, but he was eventually relocated after it was cancelled due to détente. At some point after 1972, Huey received more designs for a bipedal locomotion system from CIA Station Chief Hot Coldman, which had originally been developed by the Soviets, who himself had also gotten them from one of his contacts at the CIA headquarters. He was then hired by Coldman to build the &quot;Perfect Deterrent&quot; for the Peace Walker Project, after supplying him with Granin's blueprints that Coldman had earlier procured via his CIA contacts, as well as later blackmailing him with the theft to keep him in line. By 1974, Huey was willingly working for Coldman, having been convinced that the "Perfect Deterrant" was to be used solely as a deterrent, never to be launched even once. Huey was also responsible for developing three prototype AI weapons.

In 1974, Huey Emmerich and Strangelove built several AI prototypes for the Peace Walker Project: Pupa (based on a Russian design), Chrysalis, Cocoon, and Peace Walker.

However, Huey learned of Coldman's true intentions of actually launching a live nuke from the weapon, in order to prove its power as a deterrent. He then got into an argument and refused to cooperate with Coldman any longer. As a consequence, Coldman hurled him down a stairway, wheelchair and all. Big Boss, who had witnessed the entire incident when infiltrating the base to track down the cargo, attempted to help Huey back into his wheelchair as he tried to warn the former about Coldman's plans to launch a nuke. Huey later aided Big Boss in the destruction of Pupa when it was deployed to take Snake out.

After Big Boss (Naked Snake) destroyed the Pupa, Huey encountered Snake, who claimed to be an entomologist searching for butterflies for the Washington Treaty. Huey explained to Big Boss the nature of the Peace Walker project, and suggested a way to stop Peace Walker itself: by sabotaging the AI designed to operate the weapon, located within Dr. Strangelove's laboratory. Huey gave Big Boss his ID card, in order for him to gain access to the lab, as well as a love letter addressed to Strangelove for him to deliver (although he allowed Big Boss to believe that it was a recommendation letter). Huey then decided that he might quit working in the field of science due to his role in nearly causing a disaster. However, Snake suggested that he instead join their "Outer Heaven," as he believed that Huey would fit into the group.

Afterwards, Huey was placed into the R&D division of Big Boss's Militaires Sans Frontières, where he provided further information on the AI weapons, as well as overseeing the development of the bipedal tank Metal Gear ZEKE, under his suggestion. Big Boss came to realize that Huey had been Aleksandr Granin's "friend in the United States," after the latter explained how he had acquired the designs for Metal Gear. Upon arrival at the AI lab, he ended up learning that Dr. Strangelove had revoked his identity from the AI lab's security clearance system when Big Boss's attempt at using his ID card failed, for reasons that he feared were related to her negative emotions towards him. After Big Boss failed to sabotage the AI at Strangelove's lab, Huey gave Big Boss and the MSF intel in regards to the location of Peace Walker's final testing base: an underground base disguised as a mine. He later supplied some info about the final test at a U.S. missile base in Nicaragua: namely that it needed some more modifications before it was launch capable, and that the launch date was deliberately chosen on the day of the SALT II talks in Vladivostok. He later operated the entire Mother Base as its skeleton crew while the majority of the Militaires Sans Frontières headed towards Nicaragua to put a stop to Coldman's plans. He later helped Big Boss achieve contact with the Pentagon, after Coldman activated Peace Walker and nearly caused an all-out nuclear war.

Afterwards, Huey participated as a referee in a soccer match between Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and at one time even tried to stop a fight from breaking out, as they were not supposed to be enemies, quoting Big Boss during this point. After Metal Gear ZEKE was completed, he explained to Big Boss of it being utilized for outside operations from Costa Rica/Nicaragua, and also cited it as a works in progress. Shortly thereafter, under the suggestion of Kazuhira Miller it was armed with a nuclear warhead recovered from under Lake Nicaragua's waters, which formerly belonged to Peace Walker. When Big Boss asked Huey why he decided to arm ZEKE with nuclear weapons, citing its similarity to Peace Walker, which he despised, he claimed that it was because the two were actually different with intentions: the CIA won people over with charm, and turned their backs on them when things got hairy, whereas Big Boss was honest about his intentions, so he trusted Big Boss with the decision. When ZEKE was hijacked and used against Big Boss by Paz (revealed to be an agent of Cipher), as well as her threat of nuking the East Coast and frame MSF with the deed should they not rejoin Cipher, Huey was horrified that his creation was once again being used in the exact way he didn't want it to be used for. After ZEKE was damaged due to Paz hijacking it, he suggested to Snake that he should have a mock battle against ZEKE so that the next time something similar happened, Big Boss would be prepared before leaving for Mother Base's AI lab in order to check the progress of ZEKE's repairs. He also visited Strangelove and, after learning that ZEKE had a backup AI so that it could at least walk, asked Strangelove what he needed to ask her some time ago: if she despised him. Strangelove then asked if Huey wanted to ask her out. Huey denied this, to which Strangelove responded that it was a shame as she "had her heart broken before," and that she was only interested in those who could stand up for themselves. She told him that if he loved her, he should "come walk with her" mentioning that some miracles are unexpected and that "love is blind," hinting that she might have been attracted to him at that point.

Later life
Huey managed to escape before Mother Base had been destroyed by the mysterious Cipher-backed group known as XOF. Emmerich eventually retired and got married, fathering a son in 1980, whom he named Hal. He also at some point developed a mechanical exoskeleton to ensure he has the ability to "walk." Emmerich later divorced Hal's mother, and went on to remarry a British woman named Julie Danziger. In 1997, Emmerich discovered that his second wife was having an affair with his son, and decided to drown himself in the family pool, nearly taking his stepdaughter (Julie's daughter) with him. His suicide was later covered up as an accident, something Emma herself believed as well, although Hal secretly knew the truth and blamed himself.

Nickname
"Huey" was not Emmerich's real first name, but a nickname given to him by Strangelove, during their time at NASA. Huey was the name of a crippled service robot in the science fiction film Silent Running (itself part of a trio named Huey, Dewey and Louie, after Donald Duck's nephews). The film was directed by Douglas Trumbull, the man who did the special effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Personality and traits
Huey dreaded being around water, and would later commit suicide by drowning himself in a swimming pool.

Huey often smoked an electronic cigarette of his own design. A mechanical apparatus similar to a cigarette, it expelled vapor instead of smoke, the latter of which would ruin the various computers and precision equipment that he worked with.

Huey resented his father for working on the Manhattan Project, there was a very noticeable strain in his voice when he spoke of him as well as his own disability. He believed in Snake, and trusted him enough to inform him of the larcenous nature of his bipedal locomotive developments. His stealing Granin's designs was part of what made Huey so nervous, his nervousness was detested by Dr. Strangelove making it even more difficult to talk to her.

Wheelchair
Because of his malformed spine, Huey Emmerich was permanently confined to a wheelchair. The wheelchair was significantly advanced for its time, including six wheels on the front (three on each side) that acted as a tri-wheel for climbing up and down the stairs unaided, being operated by a lever to allow him to move around, and also possessing a computer terminal to look up information.

Behind the scenes
Huey Emmerich was a character that was alluded to in previous games, but was fully introduced in Peace Walker. The electronic cigarettes that he developed were in fact patented in 1967 in real life, although they were never developed until 2000.

Relationship to Hal
In Metal Gear Solid 3, Granin mentions "[his] friend in the United States" to Naked Snake, who was strongly suggested to be either the father or grandfather of Hal Emmerich. Two photographs (one of Granin with Emmerich and one of Emmerich by himself) in Granin's office and a radio conversation between Snake and Sigint (following the former's meeting with Granin) supported this. Character biographies leaked prior to the release of Metal Gear Solid 3 as well as the director's commentary for Metal Gear Solid 3 stated that the man in question was Hal's father, though the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database contradicted this by stating that it was his grandfather. This was later clarified in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, when it was revealed that it was actually Huey Emmerich (Hal's father).

In a pre-release interview for Peace Walker, Hideo Kojima hinted that Huey was "exactly the person that everyone thinks he is," though the conflicting information in the Metal Gear Solid 4 Database still made this initially unclear.

Peace Walker is not the first instance to hint that Huey named his son after HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. In Hal Emmerich's bio in the Metal Gear Solid Official Mission Handbook it is stated that Hal's father named him after the computer because he saw 2001: A Space Odyssey when his wife was pregnant. In Peace Walker, it is stated that Huey initially saw the movie years before Hal was born. In Metal Gear Solid, Hal remarks when Snake mentions that Otacon's real name is "Hal" that he "wasn't a computer." When Hal learns of Naomi Hunter's past, he realized that he was actually blessed.

In Metal Gear Solid, when contacting Nastasha Romanenko about the Manhattan Project, she erroneously refers to Hal's father (Huey Emmerich) working on the Project, rather than Hal's grandfather.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
In the TGS 2009 debut showing of Peace Walker, Kojima cited that Hideyuki Tanaka utilized his MGS1 Otacon voice when voicing Huey instead of his MGS4 Otacon voice under Kojima's own request. Although Huey makes his first appearance in Peace Walker, he has been mentioned several times in previous games: "Huey's letter to Strangelove entrusted to Snake. He made it clear he didn't want it to be read..."
 * His birthdate (August 6, 1945) was pointed out by Hal to Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid.
 * His suicide (drowned himself and almost took Emma with him) was remembered by Emma and Hal, who described it to Solid Snake and Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2.
 * Being mentioned by Granin as his "friend in the United States" to Naked Snake in Metal Gear Solid 3.

- Huey's letter basic description in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

If the player decides to read Huey's letter through the Model Viewer, a Briefing File will be unlocked in which Huey, as soon as he learns that Snake not only failed to deliver the letter to Strangelove, but also read it, tells him off. The letter is written in a humorous fashion, portraying Huey's nervousness in communicating to the woman he admires, with some of his words explicitly transcribed as being stuttered. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010). Huey's letter: Hey. Long time no see, huh? // Sorry for writing out of the blue like this. I've been trying to keep in touch, but you know, you haven't been answering... Was it something I said, maybe? If so, I apologize. It's just there's something I want to tell you. So... I decided to put it in a letter... // I mean, obviously this isn't the best time all. But I was, you know, kind of curious. About your.. research and stuff... // Speaking of which, how's the pod coming along? I was wondering if the program I wrote was working or not. You know, the one that links our two AIs together. If it's not, I could always... go over and fix it... if that's OK, of course. For my own peace of mind, really. You know, make sure the program's feeling alright... Er I guess you wouldn't really say the program "has feelings" would you? Ha ha ha... // Sorry, I'm getting off track here. So, um, anyway, I've been meaning to tell you something for the longest time. I've been thinking... back when we first met at NASA... Those were fun times. You know, living the dream, getting to work all the time with the... the... science we loved. Ever since then, I've always held you... your... your research, that is... in the highest esteem. No, more than that. I think you're a w... w-w-w-wonderful person. Sorry, I don't even know what I'm trying to say here. // So when you disappeared from NASA all of a sudden, I was devastated. That's when it finally dawned on me... I... I need you... For my research, you see. I mean no! Well, yes... and no... It's hard to explain... // Anyway, when I saw you again in Costa Rica I could hardly believe it. I thought maybe it was some divine intervention or something... you know, like it was written somewhere that we were supposed to be like this. You and me, the two of us, from now on... you know... you and me... doing research together. I mean, not just research... Well, there is the research, of course. But research can have so many different meanings, can't it? // I'm rambling again, sorry. But we don't have much time left. When Peace Walker's finished, that's it, right? That's the end of the project. So... what I'm trying to say is... um... Peace Walker is kind of like... something we created together, you know... And when it's finished... then we'll..... // ...I know, we're not done yet... Need to finish it first, right? Yeah. Until we do, I just hope you won't disappear on me, like you did last time. // Sorry for taking up your time. I wish you the best of luck with your research. // Your dear friend, // Huey. The letter's model viewer design is reused for the classified documents/design specs item design that is found on every level.

During Huey's and Big Boss's first encounter, both remark that the situation feels like "déjà vu," referencing the future meeting of their respective sons from the previous games.

His suicide was left out of both ending timelines.

Some artwork for Huey Emmerich depicts him standing without the aid of a wheelchair, indicating that he was originally envisioned as being mobile.

Gameplay
During the boss battle with Pupa in Peace Walker, if Snake shoots the window of the control room where Huey is hiding, he will shriek and yell at him to shoot them, not him. Also, if Pupa manages to pull off a mid-air flip during the boss battle, Huey will briefly express praise for Pupa accomplishing this, before realizing that he's supposed to help Big Boss defeat it and promptly apologize.

"My father worked on the Manhattan Project. In a lifetime of research, he produced two things. The illusion of peace through deterrence... And me and my useless legs. One way or the other, I had to face up to the nukes."

- Huey's character quote on Mother Base's staff menu.

Huey is a unique staff member at Mother Base, available after Snake defeats the Pupa. His skill ("Bipedal Weapons Design") allows Metal Gear ZEKE to be developed if he is assigned to the R&D Team. His job is listed as Bipedal Weapon Developer


 * Life: 1000
 * Psyche: 1000
 * GMP: 1096


 * Combat Unit: E
 * Shoot: E
 * Reload: E
 * Throw: E
 * Place: E
 * Walk Speed: E
 * Run Speed: E
 * Fight: E
 * Defense: -
 * R&D Team: S
 * Mess Hall Team: D
 * Medical Team: -
 * Intel Team: A

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
It was revealed in the E3 2013 trailer of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain that Huey will return in the game. He suffers electrical torture at the hands of Ocelot and Kaz, the latter observing.

Appearances

 * Metal Gear Solid/Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (mentioned)
 * Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (mentioned)
 * Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (mentioned and picture)
 * Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
 * Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops (trading card)