Names Tommy - last name omitted to protect the guilty. I was involved in that Shadow Moses incident some years way back, before my kid started going to high school. Want to see a picture? Oop sorry. Forgot. You can't see me. Well that doesn't matter - and it's probably a good thing too. At the time I was a low level grunt enforcer type, I've read "In The Darkness of Shadow Moses" and all that stuff. So I know what kind of shit was going down out there. - A lot better than I did back then anyway. But I got the gist of it. Liquid filled us in real nice; like a glass of water. We were the 'Super Soldier Squad', except those 'super' experiments wielded some not so fuckin' super results! I was supposed to be twice the soldier and I ended up half the man I was when I left; letdown insurance agent - ain't that a shit job.
'Mr. Legendary Soldier' [Solid Snake] himself had just taken out Vulcan raven. Which may come as a surprise to you; that it didn't surprise me, not at all. Because I was THERE for that tank thing, and that was some impressive shit! If this skinny no account little punk could take out a live tank with some grenades there's no telling what he could do. I have a feeling a bald Native American gatling gun wielding maniac wasn't too far of a stretch for Solid Fucking Snake.
He'd been moving forward all night, there hadn't been too many reports of him popping up in the same place twice - which made sense right, because he had to get to REX. So I thought: 'I'm safe! It's freezing... And fucked up... but I'm safe' Why would Liquid do this to me? The guy must've hated me. Putting me in a goddamn freezer when outside it's already 20 below. Maybe it wasn't so bad though. I felt more sorry for the other guys, at the blast furnace. They had to wear our Snow Gear because those were the only uniforms we had! Can you imagine wearing eight layers of clothes in 125 degree heat!? - Let's just say 'at least I was dressed for the occasion.'
"If he comes through here you're to alert us of his presence immediately..."
Liquid was cool, I mean it, a real nice guy, don't believe all the stories you hear. (Still not sure if he liked me any though) And it's no wonder - you know other than being Big Boss son [clone] you could see why he became the leader of Fox. Even with veteran's like Ocelot on the squad. With a voice like that how could you not listen, it a had a regality, a smoothness that I suppose stemmed from the name; Liquid Snake. Sounds fuckin' cool dunnit?
"Are you sure about this? He looks like an imbecile." Ocelot: Fucking asshole.
"No, he'll do fine. Won't you?"
Liquid was pretty reassuring. But I was nervous. Ocelot had tortured that DARPA Chief guy to death - and I don't think it was an accident, no matter what he says.
"Yes, sir!" I insisted, "I won't let you down."
I was pretty shaken up, but Liquid accepted it and - "Good." - he was on his way.
Ocelot on the other hand stayed behind, giving me a sneer through that Stalin moustache - I swear I thought he was going to growl. Then he placed his (good) hand on his revolver thumbing the hammer lightly.
"I'm watching you.." Then with a single scoff he followed the boss out the door.
Now that place was cold, but I was thinking of a different kind of heat - if you know what I'm sayin. Tits. I hadn't felt a pair of tits since I got on that goddamn island. Well maybe once when that Meryle chick bumped into me in the lunch line. But that was it. Damn she was a babe, I got to wondering what had happened to her. Maybe I could give her a little chat, take the key to her cell with me and voila! Mr. Knight in Shining armor rescues the beautiful damsel in distress... Hehe. - Eh, but I was (and still am) married and so, uh, I didn't - I mean it never REALLY crossed my mind, but... well, you know. It's stands to reason that the only chick in the squad would be the only one against Liquids little uprising I guess. But she was also the only one who wasn't part of the project, so that might've had something to do with it. I wanted my ability to function back, I don't care how insane it is to request the body of Big Boss, it didn't even seem like Solid Snake could stop Liquid when he told us what he was going to do.
Back to where I was at; I was thinking, seriously; almost exclusively about my beautiful wife [name ommitted] her nice thick lips and plump... well, you know. - I - and you know seriously our relationship always transcended that superficial shit! But lets face it when you truly love someone, and you miss the sound of their voice, those long lonely nights in a meat freezer; that's not all you end up missing. So I come around one of those containers and what do I see? 'It must be my lucky fuckin' day!' I think. 'God has smiled upon me.' Right on the ground, less than two feet away from me, is a Playboy Magazine. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack or somethin! My blood was racing so much I actually got WARM in that fucker. So What'd I do - I picked the fucking thing up and -
"FREEZE"
I'll never forget that gravelly voice. And it scared the SHIT out of me. I don't have to tell you I dropped that fucker - quicker than I picked it up.
The barrel of that thing was sticking right next to my temple, even worse I could see it out of the corner of my eye. Of course, if I had known then what I know now; I would've laid the smack down on him.
"Don't move.........Hmmm..." What he did next, I'll never understand. Now pointing the gun between my eyes, he takes his left hand and rips off my fucking dogtags. Then, nothing, black - there was like; a flash, I thought maybe for a second I was dead... I think I even heard him say "thanks." in that strangely honest way before I completely blacked out.
When I woke up I thought it was a dream. First of all - I woke up, so I must've been asleep. Second, I'd met Solid Snake. Third, I was shot. And fourth well, I had met (and was shot BY) Solid Snake; and was still alive. If I was in hell and it had frozen over, it looked exactly like Shadow Moses Island. Which I suppose; is exactly what it WOULD look like, huh? The magazine was gone. I didn't have my dogtags though, which I should have noticed earlier. I was too busy worrying about how weird that dream was.
So now I feel real light-headed, and my brain ached. I had a relative who died of cerebral edema. You know what that is? It's when fluid fills up in your brain. That's what it felt like to me. Every step made me woozy, I spotted a box on the floor, not far from where I was at. I remember thinking 'I don't remember any boxes in here...' and it seemed to settle where it was at, like it was being placed by some invisible force. But do you think I really cared? - I was nauseated. Relieved. I got over to that box as quick as possible and took a seat. Of course it sank right under my ass and I heard this loud "ARGH!" Next thing I know I got the crap whipped out of me.
Already reeling from the tranquilizer before, that ass kicking knocked me out cold. When I came to; I was fairly certain it wasn't a dream anymore. Especially since, there was blood running from above my kneecap down to my ankle. Son of a BITCH shot me in the leg!
My first thought is to go for my radio. But I hear a knock on the other side of one of the containers, I ready my sidearm and go to check it out. I find the body of one of my comrades, shot through the head. So this time I grab my walkie, I press the button and... nothing! There's a bullet hole right through the battery slot. Now I have to check in manually to warn my superiors, so I wobble back in the direction I came and 'BOOM!'
Fucking C4. And that's how I lost my leg. I would tell you how I got off that godforsaken strip of ice in the middle of nowhere. - And survived for that matter. - But that's a story for another time. - And I don't wanna ruin the suspense. I could tell you Solid Snake ruined my life; and he probably did. But you want to know what I heard before I blacked out once again?:
"I told you they were perfect. How else was he going to figure out the trick to the three keys." Liquid.
"Like I said, imbeciles. All of them." Ocelot's eyes pierced down at me, I don't think either one of them knew I was alive.
"Hmnm... I didn't expect him to do this much damage. Oh well, he should be activating the last one now. It's time for us 'Snakes' to do battle."
"Good luck... Boss."
Now whose fault is it?
They set me up?
Sort of.
You know whose fault it is: mine... For being such a dumbass.
