012.25
OTACON
~13,056
[SNAKE
This is Snake, do you read me Otacon?

~128,832
^OTACON
[OTACON
Loud and clear, Snake.

~183,168
[SNAKE
Looks like the Stalking Stocking's busted.

~283,776
[OTACON
Uh... What Stalking Stocking?

~393,728
[SNAKE
The Stocking you had me wear.

~474,624
You said it was made with synthetic Octopus fibers that would make me nearly invisible to the human eye.

~677,888
[OTACON
You didn't really... Snake, that was just an ordinary--!

~853,504
[SNAKE
Right. I didn't plan on relying on this gadget anyway.

~983,808
[OTACON
Well, I'm just happy you managed to get to the sneak point without getting yourself hurt.

~1,187,712
[SNAKE
I'm happy as long as no one gives me any more... unwanted gifts.

~1,341,696
[OTACON
Oh... You mean that thing with Naomi?

~1,427,520
[SNAKE
No, I'm talking about coal!

~1,526,784
[SNAKE
How'm I supposed to have a Merry Christmas if that's all I get these days?!

~1,666,560
[OTACON
Well, Snake... It's been a while since anyone's had a truly Merry Christmas...

~1,855,104
[OTACON
What, with the sudden surge of PNCs popping up around the world...

~2,025,984
[SNAKE
PNCs?!

~2,072,640
[OTACON
Pretty Naughty Children... 
Naughty doesn't even begin to describe them...

~2,234,112
They're more like hired mercenaries, selling their services to the highest bidder.

~2,445,312
It used to be just a few rogue groups, but now it's become a global phenomenon.

~2,643,216
In fact, the world's seen the creation of at least a dozen PNCs in the past three years alone.

~2,894,592
[SNAKE
So it all started three years ago...

~3,005,952
...That's about the time I assassinated Big Bea-- Saint Nick...

~3,171,840
[OTACON
That's right. It's likely that Saint Nick's death lies at the root of all these problems.

~3,381,504
After all, he did play an important role in the SOC System.

~3,533,312
[SNAKE
SOC System?

~3,585,792
[OTACON
The Spirit of Christmas System. A series of checks and balances created by the Three Wise Men in order to maintain an equal balance of naughty and nice.

~3,982,093
[SNAKE
And without a Saint Nick to keep the SOC System in check... there hasn't been an incentive to be nice.

~4,204,497
[OTACON
That's right, Snake. We've dropped you off at Outer Savin' mall.

~4,361,856
[SNAKE
Outer Savin'?!

~4,396,194
[OTACON
Yeah, you know. The one mall in which shoppers will always have a place.

~4,566,180
[SNAKE
Lemme guess, I'm not just here to do some last minute Christmas shopping.

~4,726,250
[OTACON
Afraid not, Snake. I recently dug up some information on the U.S. Government's encrypted security channel about an extremist group that calls themselves the Ghosts of Christmas Past.

~5,166,059
The information I've uncovered shows that they've got their hands on Santa's Hat.

~5,344,128
[SNAKE
What's so dangerous about a hat?

~5,409,408
[OTACON
It's not the hat itself as it is the beliefs behind it.

~5,555,712
Whoever controls Santa's Hat has full control over the SOC System, and whoever controls the SOC System has full control over the entire child population of the world.

~5,998,852
[SNAKE
So what?

~6,032,640
[OTACON
The Ghosts have threatened to use the Hat to create a world of PNCs...

~6,211,435
[SNAKE
A world of perpetual naughtiness!

~6,292,073
[OTACON
That's right...

~6,331,328
[OTACON
The Ghosts are demanding the brain of Saint Nick, but it's anyone's guess as to what they're going to do with it.

~6,563,712
It's gotta be something big... Something worth using the entire world's child population as a bargaining chip for...

~6,878,208
... Something like...

~6,942,720
[
 
~6,996,096
[SNAKE
Metal Gear?!

~7,015,666
[OTACON
No, Snake! There's absolutely no reason to jump to conclusions.

~7,188,783
All we know is that the Ghosts have arranged a meeting with the U.S. President somewhere in that mall. 

~7,406,516
Your mission is to find out what's going on, and to put a stop to the Ghosts' plan before the meeting takes place.

~7,654,992
[SNAKE
Gotcha.

~7,683,183
[OTACON
For the duration of this mission, we'll be referring to each other by code names.

~7,865,600
[SNAKE
What's wrong with my old code name?

~7,944,576
[OTACON
What, "Old Snake"?

~8,004,480
[SNAKE
No, Solid Snake.

~8,072,064
[OTACON
No one's called you that in years.

~8,164,992
[SNAKE
Yeah, but--

~8,192,384
[OTACON
Look, I'll let you decide for yourself. Would you rather be called OLD Snake...

~8,420,352
...Or Cold Snake?

~8,494,560
[COLD SNAKE
...Cold Snake... I guess...

~8,583,680
[OTACON
Good. Remember, Snake, the Ghosts have Santa's Hat, which means that any children you run into during the mission are under their control.

~8,895,488
Do whatever it takes to stay out of the enemy's field of vision.

~9,044,992
[COLD SNAKE
Got it.

~9,081,274
[OTACON
Head to the elevator. I'll be giving you advice and instructions via Codec. My frequency is 012.25.

~9,411,584
Good luck.