[BRIEFINGS] - Peace Walker
Peace Walker Project
H: The aim of the Peace Walker Project is to achieve robust nuclear deterrence across Central America by deploying a new nuclear weapon system along the Caribbean coast. Peace Walker is also the name of the system itself.
BB: A nuclear weapon named "Peace"... I can just see the look on Kaz's face. So why exactly does this new system need legs in the first place?
H: Because it's a "Walker." An unmanned weapon moving under its own power and capable of launching a deterrent strike from anywhere... That's the whole idea behind Peace Walker.
Mobile Nuclear Launch Platform
H: The reason Peace Walker is a mobile nuclear weapons system is to maximize its potential as a nuclear deterrent.
BB: How so?
H: If need be, Peace Walker can stay constantly on the move so that the adversary can't pinpoint its position... That allows it to avoid preemptive enemy strikes.
BB: So you're saying it keeps the retaliation card in play.
H: Coldman likes to brag about it in this way...
BB: Like a land-based version of an SSBN.
H: And there's another reason for them to be mobile. Peace Walker also has a self-destruct function.
Self-destruct Function
BB: Why would Peace Walker need a self-destruct function?
H: You saw it, didn't you, Snake? That sphere on Peace Walker's head?
BB: Yeah.
H: That's a hydrogen bomb.
BB: What?! You're telling me that thing's a thermonuclear device? Do they have any idea what kind of destruction that thing would cause...?
H: I know, it's crazy. I mean, even overkill has its limits. If it's strategic value they want, they could have gone with something smaller. It's like they want a weapon on par with Russia's Tsar Bomba.
BB: This arms race is running way out of control.
H: It's an evolutionary dead-end... A saber-toothed tiger. You can't load a warhead that big on a missile, of course. And no strategic bomber could carry it. That's where Peace Walker comes in.
BB: So it waltzes into enemy territory carrying a hydrogen bomb and blows itself up. Christ.
Tsar Bomba
H: The biggest nuclear warhead ever actually detonated was the Soviet RDS-220, nicknamed "Tsar Bomba." It had an estimated yield of 57 megatons - ten times as much power as all the explosives used throughout World War II. The test took place on October 30, 1961, above Novaya Zemlya. The explosion is believed to have created a fireball over two miles in diameter. Can you believe that? Like a miniature sun. The explosion was seen as far off as Finland - 600 miles away - and some people even reported windows shattering. The shockwave traveled three times around the earth.
BB: Three times?
H: Peace Walker is armed with a massive hydrogen bomb even more destructive than Tsar Bomba. It can sneak into enemy territory, lie low, and - in the event of an enemy nuclear strike - detonate itself in retaliation. And the locomotion system that lets it do that... ...My research... ...Snake, those legs were supposed to make my dream come true. Now they're about to jump the fence of nuclear deterrence. You have to stop them! I'll apply all my energy into developing weapons and equipment to help you do it.
BB: Sounds like a deal.
Peace Walker's AI
BB: What made you put an AI into Peace Walker?
H: Well, for one thing, because it can't be manned. Peace Walker's designed to enter enemy territory and blow itself up - if necessary. You can't put a person inside a weapon that could blow at anytime, can you? So we equipped it with an AI instead.
BB: That's... strangely humane of you.
H: And besides, Peace Walker was designed as a bipedal weapons system. You can't imagine how hard it shakes when it walks. It'd turn a man into mush. Plus, when launching a nuclear missile, it has to perform ballistic calculations in real time, see? Because it's always moving.
BB: Hold on. If that's all it does, then a high-performance computer ought to do the job. It doesn't need intelligence.
H: That's a very good point, Snake. Which brings me to the real reason... Peace Walker needs AI to make decisions regarding nuclear retaliation. It's what ensures perfectly mutual assured destruction.
BB: I've heard all of this before. You want a war between machines?
H: We'd never actually launch the first nuke, of course. It's strictly a counterattack system. Only a politician could make such an illogical decision as starting a nuclear war. Conversely, if an adversary launches a nuke at us, the AI will not fail to retaliate. Therefore, the adversary can't launch. The AI guarantees it.
BB: Even so, launching nukes without authorization...
H: Boomer captains have the authority to launch if land communications are cut off. It's the same principle.
BB: Not even the captain of a boomer can make that decision alone. The way I heard it, that's the only situation where insubordination is allowed.
H: Only because humans are imperfect... That's Coldman's line of thinking.
BB: You're saying that machines don't make mistakes? That's a myth. Worse than that - it's blind faith.
H: We wouldn't put our faith - our fate - into the hands of any ordinary machine. That's what the AI is for. The decision to launch a retaliatory strike requires high-level judgment. You have to take into account not only the state of the war, but the entire world. And sometimes you need to make a guess based on incomplete information.
BB: You think an AI can do all that?
H: Yeah. At least, Dr. Strangelove does.
Fighting Peace Walker
H: Peace Walker is fitted with several close-range weapons. We'd also planned for it to be able to enter enemy territory and self-detonate.
BB: Wonderful. What exactly are we dealing with here?
H: Well, the flamethrowers, for one thing - One in the front, and one in the rear. Then there are the S-mines. They're like cluster bombs. It scatters them from its leg hatches. If you see those open, you'd better clear out quickly. And finally, the rockets. These can travel quite a distance, so stay sharp. On the other hand, it can't fire them from too close... but then again there are those flamethrowers. It can also use its legs as weapons against any infantry on the ground.
BB: Ouch.
H: But remember, Peace Walker technically isn't complete. With just the Reptile Pod, it can only perform relatively simple maneuvers. They've got certain quirks too. What's more, look carefully and you should be able to predict which attack is coming next.
Peace Walker with Mammal Pod
H: Snake! You have to stop Peace Walker from launching that nuke!
BB: Calm down. What do I need to do?
H: To tell you the truth, I don't really know... The Mammal Pod has probably enhanced both its thought patterns and mobility. The S-mines, rockets, flamethrowers - they're all the same, but I don't know what else to say... You'll just have to stay sharp and watch for how it behaves before each of the attacks.
BB: I'll give it a shot. There's no time for anything else.
H: Sorry I can't be more helpful. You can do it, Snake!
The Need for Bipedal Locomotion
BB: OK, but why does Peace Walker need to walk on two legs? I'd think treads would be good enough.
H: You'd be wrong. As you know, the terrain in Central America is rugged and complex. Especially along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. You've got jungles, swamps, mountains... And the only way to get across all that terrain, no matter how rugged, is on legs.
BB: But wouldn't it be tough to cross a swamp even on legs?
H: It wasn't easy, that's for sure. The reason we picked Costa Rica as a proving ground is because we can test it on every type of terrain.
The Fake "Peace Walker" Project
BB: This "Peace Walker Project" the CIA's talking about - you believed in it, huh?
H: Yeah. I believed... Actually, maybe I just wanted to believe.
BB: What do you mean?
H: Here's how Coldman explained it. Peace Walker's a weapon for peace, one to ensure true nuclear deterrence. It'd be the anchor to bring stability to Central America... He told me, "The nuclear weapons system you've built will never be used. It will forever stand vigil as an icon of peace." And to achieve that, he needed my bipedal locomotion technology... To be honest, I was flattered.
BB: Flattered?
H: Wouldn't you be? My colleagues in the scientific community have never taken me seriously. They told me bipedal locomotion was a pipe dream, that it'd never amount to anything. It was the first time anybody recognized my work... How could I not be happy? And besides... It was my chance to surpass my father. To create nukes for peace... Or so I thought, anyway.
BB: But Coldman's really going through with it.
H: Yeah. Makes perfect sense, really. No one would give the project any notice unless they could prove that an unmanned system is capable of launching a nuke.
The Reason for Launching a Real Nuke
BB: Why is Coldman gonna launch a nuke? If all he wants to do is prove the AI retaliation system works, he doesn't need to put a live warhead on it.
H: I agree. He could demonstrate the system by launching the missile alone - without a warhead. I asked him the same thing at first. He said there was no point in using a dummy missile... That it'd take an actual nuclear launch to deter potential enemies. Launching the real deal gives him a leg up in negotiations with Langley. That's what he's really after.
Soviet Research on Bipedal Locomotion
H: I based the bipedal locomotion technology used in Peace Walker on Soviet research. ...Actually, I'll be honest with you. I stole most of the basic ideas behind it.
BB: Soviet... Bipedal... You mean Granin.
H: You know him?
BB: Yeah. I met him at his lab in Russia. He helped me out a little bit.
H: You met him? What were you...?
BB: He was the head of the Granin Design Bureau, creator of countless Soviet weapons....
H: I'd hit a wall in my research at the time... Granin's ideas solved nearly all my problems.
BB: There's nothing unusual about using somebody else's work to further your own research, is there?
H: As long as you cite it, yeah. But I wasn't in a position to do that. His research was classified at the highest level. Soviet research, no less.
BB: So you used it without telling anybody?
H: I wanted to show up my colleagues for once... The ones who never took me seriously! But you reap what you sow. Coldman seized on that vulnerability - told me if I quit the project, he'd expose my larceny.
BB: He had you by the balls, Doc.
Granin
BB: How'd you get your hands on Granin's research?
H: That was also Coldman. He used his Agency contacts to get a hold of it.
BB: Giving you stolen information then using it to blackmail you... Damn.
H: I knew it was Granin's work the minute I saw it. See, I'd been corresponding with him for a while.
BB: Corresponding?
H: Letters. Between scientists doing the same kind of research... He always complained that nobody understood his ideas on bipedal locomotion.
BB: Ah... So you're the "American friend" he was talking about.
H: Obviously he didn't write a word about the technology in his letters. Except for one time. "If by chance anything should happen to me, I entrust my research to you. Better that than handing it over to these ignorant so-called scientists."
BB: Sounds like him, all right.
H: Then one day his papers actually came. It wasn't hard for me to imagine what had happened to him. I felt it was my duty to carry on his work after him... And also...
BB: What?
H: I thought maybe combining his technology with mine could be a way to bring East and West together. Like the docking of Apollo and Soyuz.
BB: It'll never make the history books. And it's still not a reason to plagiarize.
H: ...You're right. You're absolutely right. I never had the courage to tell the truth, that's all. I always looked for excuses to cover it up.
BB: Until now.
H: Huh...?
BB: You told me everything. You're no longer a coward.
"Metal Gear"
H: "Metal Gear"...
BB: Huh? What about it?
H: You mumbled that when I first explained about Peace Walker. I'm curious what it meant.
BB: Exactly what it says. A metal gear... Granin coined the term.
H: Granin did?
BB: He thought of his technology as the metal gear that meshes infantry with artillery.
H: I like the sound of that. "Metal Gear"... it's got a nice ring to it. Better than an outright lie like "Peace Walker," anyway.
Shagohod
BB: Those papers the CIA gave you... Was there any data on the Shagohod in there?
H: Shagohod?
BB: A nuclear tank that launches IRBMs. It competed against Granin's system for approval.
H: Oh, the thing with the rockets. Designed by a guy named... Sokolov, right? ...Heh heh.
BB: What's so funny?
H: No, I was just remembering some of the "commentary" Granin added to the Shagohod papers. You should have seen the way he bad-mouthed it. It was too conservative, too ugly...
BB: I can imagine.
H: He was so angry when he wrote that he smeared up the ink. And you know how shoddy the paper is over there to begin with.
BB: ...I'll bet. That's Granin, all right.
H: Imagine, accelerating the launcher itself to 300 miles an hour to extend the range of an IRBM... As stupid as it sounds, it's a hell of a concept. Who but the Soviets would think of using a tank as the first stage of a rocket? I actually took a cue from the Shagohod when I developed the Pupa.
BB: That hovercraft thing? You stole that one, too?
H: Give me a little credit! I only borrowed the concept. The technology is original. As it turned out, hover technology wasn't enough to handle all the terrain in Central America. It relied too much on brute force.
BB: But the Shagohod was a major threat. That thing could corner like you wouldn't believe - built pretty tough, too.
H: You sure know a lot about it.
BB: It almost did me in. I couldn't forget it if I tried.
H: Did you in? ...So you were the one who took it down! Wow! You really are amazing.
BB: I didn't do it alone.
H: No, seriously, thank you. We might not be here today if they'd begun mass-producing that thing. Then again, they're hard at work now miniaturizing nuclear warheads. Pretty soon they won't even need an accelerated launcher like the Shagohod.
BB: Great. That means they're that much closer to being able to launch from anywhere in the world.
Basilisk
BB: Chico called Peace Walker the basilisco.
H: Basilisco? ...Oh, right, Spanish. That's funny. I once used the codename Basilisk for the Peace Walker platform myself.
BB: What for?
H: The class of lizards called basilisks can walk atop any type of terrain. In a pinch, they can even stand up on two legs and run across water. Perfect name for a system that can walk anywhere in Central America, right? Plus there are the legends.
BB: What legends?
H: The basilisks of legend were highly venomous creatures. There's a story told by the ancient Romans. A knight slew a basilisk by piercing it with his spear. The creature's poison seeped up the spear and killed both horse and rider... Remind you of anything, Snake?
BB: Nuclear deterrence.
H: Bingo. Kill it, and you die along with it - your hands are bound. I wanted Peace Walker to be like that.
BB: You should know that people aren't that rational. Sometimes people do things that don't make sense, even when they know they're going to die - or maybe it's because of that.
H: Maybe you're right. But that's exactly what I don't understand.
The Two AI Pods
H: Peace Walker contains an assembly of two AI pods. One of them is the Mammal Pod, which Dr. Strangelove developed. The other's the Reptile Pod, which is mine.
BB: What's the difference?
H: The Reptile Pod is the attitude control AI. If it's destroyed, Peace Walker grinds to a halt. The Mammal Pod is responsible for making the decisions regarding nuclear retaliation. Reflex and thought... One is the brainstem and cerebellum, the other the cerebrum.
BB: So the one that houses the will of The Boss...
H: ...Would be the Mammal Pod.
Reptile Pod
H: We call it the "Reptile Pod" for a reason. The parts of our brains that govern basic life and reflex developed ages ago, when our ancestors were still reptiles.
BB: We were reptiles?
H: Well, only at one stage of our evolution. The theory was proposed by the neuroscientist Paul MacLean.
BB: Huh.
H: The reptile brain corresponds to the brainstem and basal ganglia in our brain. The Reptile Pod also incorporates the functions of the cerebellum.
BB: So basically, it's the deep parts of the brain.
H: Dr. Strangelove came up with the name.
Mammal Pod
H: The part of our brain that developed after we became mammals is responsible for high-level brain functions.
BB: Such as?
H: Such as intelligence, judgment... even love.
BB: That's high-level, all right.
H: Location-wise, the mammal brain is on the outside of the reptile brain. The cerebral cortex is part of it. I think it's very telling that Dr. Strangelove named her pod "Mammal." It's almost like she wants it to be more than just an advanced AI - what she really wants is for it to have a mind of its own.
Transmitting Data to Norad
H: Snake, how much do you know about the U.S. homeland air defense network?
BB: I don't know much about what goes on up in the sky. What I do know is that NORAD tracks Santa Claus on its radar.
H: Ha! Nice one. I didn't know you were a comedian, too!
BB: Huh? No, I'm serious... It's true. NORAD tracks his... Listen to me! Every December, they set up a hotline and...
H: OK, OK, I get it.
BB: ...He's real, I tell ya. He... used to bring me presents and...
An Oversight in the System
H: OK, Snakey. As all good little boys know, keeping tabs on Santa Claus is a very important job for NORAD.
BB: Ugh...
H: But they also have another mission - the one they were created for. And the system they set up for that... Has been hijacked by Coldman.
BB: ...You mean Peace Walker's fake data transmissions?
H: NORAD's early warning system is composed of DSP satellite-mounted infrared sensors, and an array of surveillance radar stations across North America. The network sends out warnings to NORAD at Cheyenne Mountain, where the data undergoes human evaluation. Peace Walker, on the other hand, has to make its retaliation decisions autonomously. So it's set up to automatically receive the same data as NORAD through covert channels. Those channels were also used on the test platform to telemeter the AI's decision-making. Peace Walker reversed the system to transmit a fake warning about incoming nuclear missiles outside the usual exercise schedule. I mean, the system could have used better safeguarding, nobody's going to argue with that. But cracking the AI - that seemed unimaginable. And you can see what happened.
H: The aim of the Peace Walker Project is to achieve robust nuclear deterrence across Central America by deploying a new nuclear weapon system along the Caribbean coast. Peace Walker is also the name of the system itself.
BB: A nuclear weapon named "Peace"... I can just see the look on Kaz's face. So why exactly does this new system need legs in the first place?
H: Because it's a "Walker." An unmanned weapon moving under its own power and capable of launching a deterrent strike from anywhere... That's the whole idea behind Peace Walker.
Mobile Nuclear Launch Platform
H: The reason Peace Walker is a mobile nuclear weapons system is to maximize its potential as a nuclear deterrent.
BB: How so?
H: If need be, Peace Walker can stay constantly on the move so that the adversary can't pinpoint its position... That allows it to avoid preemptive enemy strikes.
BB: So you're saying it keeps the retaliation card in play.
H: Coldman likes to brag about it in this way...
BB: Like a land-based version of an SSBN.
H: And there's another reason for them to be mobile. Peace Walker also has a self-destruct function.
Self-destruct Function
BB: Why would Peace Walker need a self-destruct function?
H: You saw it, didn't you, Snake? That sphere on Peace Walker's head?
BB: Yeah.
H: That's a hydrogen bomb.
BB: What?! You're telling me that thing's a thermonuclear device? Do they have any idea what kind of destruction that thing would cause...?
H: I know, it's crazy. I mean, even overkill has its limits. If it's strategic value they want, they could have gone with something smaller. It's like they want a weapon on par with Russia's Tsar Bomba.
BB: This arms race is running way out of control.
H: It's an evolutionary dead-end... A saber-toothed tiger. You can't load a warhead that big on a missile, of course. And no strategic bomber could carry it. That's where Peace Walker comes in.
BB: So it waltzes into enemy territory carrying a hydrogen bomb and blows itself up. Christ.
Tsar Bomba
H: The biggest nuclear warhead ever actually detonated was the Soviet RDS-220, nicknamed "Tsar Bomba." It had an estimated yield of 57 megatons - ten times as much power as all the explosives used throughout World War II. The test took place on October 30, 1961, above Novaya Zemlya. The explosion is believed to have created a fireball over two miles in diameter. Can you believe that? Like a miniature sun. The explosion was seen as far off as Finland - 600 miles away - and some people even reported windows shattering. The shockwave traveled three times around the earth.
BB: Three times?
H: Peace Walker is armed with a massive hydrogen bomb even more destructive than Tsar Bomba. It can sneak into enemy territory, lie low, and - in the event of an enemy nuclear strike - detonate itself in retaliation. And the locomotion system that lets it do that... ...My research... ...Snake, those legs were supposed to make my dream come true. Now they're about to jump the fence of nuclear deterrence. You have to stop them! I'll apply all my energy into developing weapons and equipment to help you do it.
BB: Sounds like a deal.
Peace Walker's AI
BB: What made you put an AI into Peace Walker?
H: Well, for one thing, because it can't be manned. Peace Walker's designed to enter enemy territory and blow itself up - if necessary. You can't put a person inside a weapon that could blow at anytime, can you? So we equipped it with an AI instead.
BB: That's... strangely humane of you.
H: And besides, Peace Walker was designed as a bipedal weapons system. You can't imagine how hard it shakes when it walks. It'd turn a man into mush. Plus, when launching a nuclear missile, it has to perform ballistic calculations in real time, see? Because it's always moving.
BB: Hold on. If that's all it does, then a high-performance computer ought to do the job. It doesn't need intelligence.
H: That's a very good point, Snake. Which brings me to the real reason... Peace Walker needs AI to make decisions regarding nuclear retaliation. It's what ensures perfectly mutual assured destruction.
BB: I've heard all of this before. You want a war between machines?
H: We'd never actually launch the first nuke, of course. It's strictly a counterattack system. Only a politician could make such an illogical decision as starting a nuclear war. Conversely, if an adversary launches a nuke at us, the AI will not fail to retaliate. Therefore, the adversary can't launch. The AI guarantees it.
BB: Even so, launching nukes without authorization...
H: Boomer captains have the authority to launch if land communications are cut off. It's the same principle.
BB: Not even the captain of a boomer can make that decision alone. The way I heard it, that's the only situation where insubordination is allowed.
H: Only because humans are imperfect... That's Coldman's line of thinking.
BB: You're saying that machines don't make mistakes? That's a myth. Worse than that - it's blind faith.
H: We wouldn't put our faith - our fate - into the hands of any ordinary machine. That's what the AI is for. The decision to launch a retaliatory strike requires high-level judgment. You have to take into account not only the state of the war, but the entire world. And sometimes you need to make a guess based on incomplete information.
BB: You think an AI can do all that?
H: Yeah. At least, Dr. Strangelove does.
Fighting Peace Walker
H: Peace Walker is fitted with several close-range weapons. We'd also planned for it to be able to enter enemy territory and self-detonate.
BB: Wonderful. What exactly are we dealing with here?
H: Well, the flamethrowers, for one thing - One in the front, and one in the rear. Then there are the S-mines. They're like cluster bombs. It scatters them from its leg hatches. If you see those open, you'd better clear out quickly. And finally, the rockets. These can travel quite a distance, so stay sharp. On the other hand, it can't fire them from too close... but then again there are those flamethrowers. It can also use its legs as weapons against any infantry on the ground.
BB: Ouch.
H: But remember, Peace Walker technically isn't complete. With just the Reptile Pod, it can only perform relatively simple maneuvers. They've got certain quirks too. What's more, look carefully and you should be able to predict which attack is coming next.
Peace Walker with Mammal Pod
H: Snake! You have to stop Peace Walker from launching that nuke!
BB: Calm down. What do I need to do?
H: To tell you the truth, I don't really know... The Mammal Pod has probably enhanced both its thought patterns and mobility. The S-mines, rockets, flamethrowers - they're all the same, but I don't know what else to say... You'll just have to stay sharp and watch for how it behaves before each of the attacks.
BB: I'll give it a shot. There's no time for anything else.
H: Sorry I can't be more helpful. You can do it, Snake!
The Need for Bipedal Locomotion
BB: OK, but why does Peace Walker need to walk on two legs? I'd think treads would be good enough.
H: You'd be wrong. As you know, the terrain in Central America is rugged and complex. Especially along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. You've got jungles, swamps, mountains... And the only way to get across all that terrain, no matter how rugged, is on legs.
BB: But wouldn't it be tough to cross a swamp even on legs?
H: It wasn't easy, that's for sure. The reason we picked Costa Rica as a proving ground is because we can test it on every type of terrain.
The Fake "Peace Walker" Project
BB: This "Peace Walker Project" the CIA's talking about - you believed in it, huh?
H: Yeah. I believed... Actually, maybe I just wanted to believe.
BB: What do you mean?
H: Here's how Coldman explained it. Peace Walker's a weapon for peace, one to ensure true nuclear deterrence. It'd be the anchor to bring stability to Central America... He told me, "The nuclear weapons system you've built will never be used. It will forever stand vigil as an icon of peace." And to achieve that, he needed my bipedal locomotion technology... To be honest, I was flattered.
BB: Flattered?
H: Wouldn't you be? My colleagues in the scientific community have never taken me seriously. They told me bipedal locomotion was a pipe dream, that it'd never amount to anything. It was the first time anybody recognized my work... How could I not be happy? And besides... It was my chance to surpass my father. To create nukes for peace... Or so I thought, anyway.
BB: But Coldman's really going through with it.
H: Yeah. Makes perfect sense, really. No one would give the project any notice unless they could prove that an unmanned system is capable of launching a nuke.
The Reason for Launching a Real Nuke
BB: Why is Coldman gonna launch a nuke? If all he wants to do is prove the AI retaliation system works, he doesn't need to put a live warhead on it.
H: I agree. He could demonstrate the system by launching the missile alone - without a warhead. I asked him the same thing at first. He said there was no point in using a dummy missile... That it'd take an actual nuclear launch to deter potential enemies. Launching the real deal gives him a leg up in negotiations with Langley. That's what he's really after.
Soviet Research on Bipedal Locomotion
H: I based the bipedal locomotion technology used in Peace Walker on Soviet research. ...Actually, I'll be honest with you. I stole most of the basic ideas behind it.
BB: Soviet... Bipedal... You mean Granin.
H: You know him?
BB: Yeah. I met him at his lab in Russia. He helped me out a little bit.
H: You met him? What were you...?
BB: He was the head of the Granin Design Bureau, creator of countless Soviet weapons....
H: I'd hit a wall in my research at the time... Granin's ideas solved nearly all my problems.
BB: There's nothing unusual about using somebody else's work to further your own research, is there?
H: As long as you cite it, yeah. But I wasn't in a position to do that. His research was classified at the highest level. Soviet research, no less.
BB: So you used it without telling anybody?
H: I wanted to show up my colleagues for once... The ones who never took me seriously! But you reap what you sow. Coldman seized on that vulnerability - told me if I quit the project, he'd expose my larceny.
BB: He had you by the balls, Doc.
Granin
BB: How'd you get your hands on Granin's research?
H: That was also Coldman. He used his Agency contacts to get a hold of it.
BB: Giving you stolen information then using it to blackmail you... Damn.
H: I knew it was Granin's work the minute I saw it. See, I'd been corresponding with him for a while.
BB: Corresponding?
H: Letters. Between scientists doing the same kind of research... He always complained that nobody understood his ideas on bipedal locomotion.
BB: Ah... So you're the "American friend" he was talking about.
H: Obviously he didn't write a word about the technology in his letters. Except for one time. "If by chance anything should happen to me, I entrust my research to you. Better that than handing it over to these ignorant so-called scientists."
BB: Sounds like him, all right.
H: Then one day his papers actually came. It wasn't hard for me to imagine what had happened to him. I felt it was my duty to carry on his work after him... And also...
BB: What?
H: I thought maybe combining his technology with mine could be a way to bring East and West together. Like the docking of Apollo and Soyuz.
BB: It'll never make the history books. And it's still not a reason to plagiarize.
H: ...You're right. You're absolutely right. I never had the courage to tell the truth, that's all. I always looked for excuses to cover it up.
BB: Until now.
H: Huh...?
BB: You told me everything. You're no longer a coward.
"Metal Gear"
H: "Metal Gear"...
BB: Huh? What about it?
H: You mumbled that when I first explained about Peace Walker. I'm curious what it meant.
BB: Exactly what it says. A metal gear... Granin coined the term.
H: Granin did?
BB: He thought of his technology as the metal gear that meshes infantry with artillery.
H: I like the sound of that. "Metal Gear"... it's got a nice ring to it. Better than an outright lie like "Peace Walker," anyway.
Shagohod
BB: Those papers the CIA gave you... Was there any data on the Shagohod in there?
H: Shagohod?
BB: A nuclear tank that launches IRBMs. It competed against Granin's system for approval.
H: Oh, the thing with the rockets. Designed by a guy named... Sokolov, right? ...Heh heh.
BB: What's so funny?
H: No, I was just remembering some of the "commentary" Granin added to the Shagohod papers. You should have seen the way he bad-mouthed it. It was too conservative, too ugly...
BB: I can imagine.
H: He was so angry when he wrote that he smeared up the ink. And you know how shoddy the paper is over there to begin with.
BB: ...I'll bet. That's Granin, all right.
H: Imagine, accelerating the launcher itself to 300 miles an hour to extend the range of an IRBM... As stupid as it sounds, it's a hell of a concept. Who but the Soviets would think of using a tank as the first stage of a rocket? I actually took a cue from the Shagohod when I developed the Pupa.
BB: That hovercraft thing? You stole that one, too?
H: Give me a little credit! I only borrowed the concept. The technology is original. As it turned out, hover technology wasn't enough to handle all the terrain in Central America. It relied too much on brute force.
BB: But the Shagohod was a major threat. That thing could corner like you wouldn't believe - built pretty tough, too.
H: You sure know a lot about it.
BB: It almost did me in. I couldn't forget it if I tried.
H: Did you in? ...So you were the one who took it down! Wow! You really are amazing.
BB: I didn't do it alone.
H: No, seriously, thank you. We might not be here today if they'd begun mass-producing that thing. Then again, they're hard at work now miniaturizing nuclear warheads. Pretty soon they won't even need an accelerated launcher like the Shagohod.
BB: Great. That means they're that much closer to being able to launch from anywhere in the world.
Basilisk
BB: Chico called Peace Walker the basilisco.
H: Basilisco? ...Oh, right, Spanish. That's funny. I once used the codename Basilisk for the Peace Walker platform myself.
BB: What for?
H: The class of lizards called basilisks can walk atop any type of terrain. In a pinch, they can even stand up on two legs and run across water. Perfect name for a system that can walk anywhere in Central America, right? Plus there are the legends.
BB: What legends?
H: The basilisks of legend were highly venomous creatures. There's a story told by the ancient Romans. A knight slew a basilisk by piercing it with his spear. The creature's poison seeped up the spear and killed both horse and rider... Remind you of anything, Snake?
BB: Nuclear deterrence.
H: Bingo. Kill it, and you die along with it - your hands are bound. I wanted Peace Walker to be like that.
BB: You should know that people aren't that rational. Sometimes people do things that don't make sense, even when they know they're going to die - or maybe it's because of that.
H: Maybe you're right. But that's exactly what I don't understand.
The Two AI Pods
H: Peace Walker contains an assembly of two AI pods. One of them is the Mammal Pod, which Dr. Strangelove developed. The other's the Reptile Pod, which is mine.
BB: What's the difference?
H: The Reptile Pod is the attitude control AI. If it's destroyed, Peace Walker grinds to a halt. The Mammal Pod is responsible for making the decisions regarding nuclear retaliation. Reflex and thought... One is the brainstem and cerebellum, the other the cerebrum.
BB: So the one that houses the will of The Boss...
H: ...Would be the Mammal Pod.
Reptile Pod
H: We call it the "Reptile Pod" for a reason. The parts of our brains that govern basic life and reflex developed ages ago, when our ancestors were still reptiles.
BB: We were reptiles?
H: Well, only at one stage of our evolution. The theory was proposed by the neuroscientist Paul MacLean.
BB: Huh.
H: The reptile brain corresponds to the brainstem and basal ganglia in our brain. The Reptile Pod also incorporates the functions of the cerebellum.
BB: So basically, it's the deep parts of the brain.
H: Dr. Strangelove came up with the name.
Mammal Pod
H: The part of our brain that developed after we became mammals is responsible for high-level brain functions.
BB: Such as?
H: Such as intelligence, judgment... even love.
BB: That's high-level, all right.
H: Location-wise, the mammal brain is on the outside of the reptile brain. The cerebral cortex is part of it. I think it's very telling that Dr. Strangelove named her pod "Mammal." It's almost like she wants it to be more than just an advanced AI - what she really wants is for it to have a mind of its own.
Transmitting Data to Norad
H: Snake, how much do you know about the U.S. homeland air defense network?
BB: I don't know much about what goes on up in the sky. What I do know is that NORAD tracks Santa Claus on its radar.
H: Ha! Nice one. I didn't know you were a comedian, too!
BB: Huh? No, I'm serious... It's true. NORAD tracks his... Listen to me! Every December, they set up a hotline and...
H: OK, OK, I get it.
BB: ...He's real, I tell ya. He... used to bring me presents and...
An Oversight in the System
H: OK, Snakey. As all good little boys know, keeping tabs on Santa Claus is a very important job for NORAD.
BB: Ugh...
H: But they also have another mission - the one they were created for. And the system they set up for that... Has been hijacked by Coldman.
BB: ...You mean Peace Walker's fake data transmissions?
H: NORAD's early warning system is composed of DSP satellite-mounted infrared sensors, and an array of surveillance radar stations across North America. The network sends out warnings to NORAD at Cheyenne Mountain, where the data undergoes human evaluation. Peace Walker, on the other hand, has to make its retaliation decisions autonomously. So it's set up to automatically receive the same data as NORAD through covert channels. Those channels were also used on the test platform to telemeter the AI's decision-making. Peace Walker reversed the system to transmit a fake warning about incoming nuclear missiles outside the usual exercise schedule. I mean, the system could have used better safeguarding, nobody's going to argue with that. But cracking the AI - that seemed unimaginable. And you can see what happened.