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The Big Shell is the fictional multibillion-dollar pollution refinery facility, located in outer New York City harbor featured as the main locale in the video game Sons of Liberty. It was constructed after an alleged oil spill, caused by the destruction of an oil tanker two years prior to the game's events, polluted the entire area.

Design

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The Big Shell consists of multiple struts built in two hexagon shapes placed end on end linked by a connecting bridge. These two structures are named Shell One and Shell Two respectively. Each shell contains a 'core' building and six surrounding 'struts'. These sit high above the water, similar to an oil rig. The core and surrounding struts are all linked by bridges. To help contain the leaked oil from the Tanker incident, two oil fences have been constructed on either side of the shell, spanning from struts in Shell 1 to struts in Shell 2. According to Peter Stillman, the Big Shell depends on a very exact weight balance and if any of the struts failed from damage or destruction, the shell would collapse.

However, the truth about Big Shell is that it is actually a cover up for a new Metal Gear project. Arsenal Gear comes equipped with tactical nuclear launch bays as well as a fleet of mass produced Metal Gear RAYs. It is also designed as a floating fortress to protect the computer program "GW" which controls, filters and censors digital information in an attempt by the Patriots to stop the free flow of information to ensure their secrecy and control over world politics.

Fate of the Big Shell

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During the events of Metal Gear Solid 2, part of a connecting bridge is destroyed by a gun battle between Fortune and Navy SEALS. Not far on after this, severe damage occours in Shell 2 when Peter Stillman fails to disarm a bomb resulting in the failure of one of the struts and the loss of his own life. A battle between Raiden and Solidus Snake in a Harrier jet results in the Shell 1-2 connecting bridge being destroyed and the failure of yet more struts. However the ultimate end to the Big Shell occours when it is ripped from its foundations from the launch of Arsenal Gear, resulting in what is left of the Big Shell toppling into the sea.

Metal Gear