the character of Solid Snake, providing conclusions to the events that led up to Guns of the Patriots. The world's economy relies on continuous civil wars fought by private military companies (PMCs), which outnumber government military forces. Soldiers are equipped with nanomachines that monitor and enhance their performance on the battlefield, controlled by a vast network known as the Sons of the Patriots (SOP) system. Revolver Ocelot, missing since the events of Sons of Liberty, is possessed by the will of Liquid Snake and re-emerges from hiding to launch an insurrection against the Patriots, a secret cabal that manipulates global affairs from the shadows. In the meantime, Solid Snake is experiencing accelerated aging and has about a year left to live. He is living on board the airplane Nomad with Dr. Hal Emmerich, nicknamed Otacon, and Olga Gurlukovich's daughter, Sunny, a child prodigy in computer programming. Since the aftermath of the Big Shell incident, Raiden has drifted away from Rose, who had apparently suffered a miscarriage with their child and gone to live with his former commander, Colonel Roy Campbell, and has become a cyborg ninja fighting against the Patriots. Meryl Silverburgh commands a PMC inspection unit in the U.S. military, which includes Johnny Sasaki. Story After learning of his year-long lifespan from Werner syndrome-like symptoms, Snake is tasked by Campbell, now working with the United Nations Security Council, to assassinate Liquid Ocelot. In a Middle-Eastern war zone occupied by one of Liquid's PMCs, Snake meets Drebin, an arms dealer who injects Snake with nanomachines to use the latest weaponry, and Meryl. Snake reaches Liquid, but the latter transmits a signal that incapacitates those nearby with nanomachines. Snake sees Dr. Naomi Hunter, who departs with Liquid. In South America, Snake locates Naomi, herself a captive of Liquid. She explains that Liquid plans to use the biometrics of Big Boss to access and take command of the Patriots' firearms control system. Snake learns his accelerated aging is due to intentional genetic mutations as a human clone. The FOXDIE virus inside him will also mutate within months, spreading to the general populace and causing a deadly pandemic. Liquid's PMC soldiers kidnap Naomi, but Snake rescues her, assisted by Drebin and Raiden, and they escape, though Raiden is injured by Vamp. Snake locates an Eastern-European resistance group to heal Raiden and which possesses the comatose body of Big Boss. Its leader EVA reveals