In 1995, the Western powers received intelligence that warned of a weapon of mass destruction that was supposedly being constructed deep within Outer Heaven. The U.S. Government called upon High-Tech Special Forces Unit FOXHOUND, commanded by the legendary soldier Big Boss, to infiltrate the enemy fortress, assess the situation and neutralize whatever threat the weapon posed to the West. The mission was carried out by Gray Fox, one of FOXHOUND's top agents. After successfully infiltrating Outer Heaven, Gray Fox scouted the first building of the fortress, noting the locations of the inner courtyard, cameras and elevators, along with various weapons and equipment, such as card keys and Beretta handguns. Sometime afterwards, he stumbled upon information relating to the new weapon being developed.[1] However, the mission ended in failure when Gray Fox was captured, though not before relaying some of the details of his reconnaissance back to FOXHOUND. His final words before his transmission was cut were simply: "Metal Gear..."