Mei Ling

REAL NAME: Mei-Ling
SEX: Female
STATUS: Single
AGE: Teens
NATIONALITY: Chinese
HEIGHT: 156 cm
ADDITIONAL: Developer of communications equipment for the Shadow Moses Island venture, specializing in image and data processing. Offers support via Codec, saves Solid Snake's infiltration records via satellite communication. Her frequency [140.96] is a dedicated frequency for saving data.
Mei Ling, though born into an American life, spent her earliest years in China. There she lived in a settlement in the province of Kwangtung in the mid-80’s. Capturing her imagination were the many fighter-plane-pilot movies of the time, and she became increasingly interested in an Air Force Career. She also developed an interest in communications technology, which may have gone hand-in-hand with the Air Force idea. Upon moving to the United States sometime around prepubescence, she really delved into her own culture and literature, absorbing many of the ancient teachings and classics of Chinese culture. Once old enough, she rekindled her desire to be in the Air Force and participated in the ROTC program (Army Reserve Officer Training Corps) at MIT institute in Massachusetts to become an officer. Due to her passive nature, Mei Ling wasn’t cut out for life in the Air Force, citing her lack of self-confidence, difficulty in attaining high standards for the training, and poor eyesight (she wears contact lenses). Her blurred vision lead her to develop an inferiority complex, but it also increased her desire to develop a research that would lead to military interests. Thinking military communications systems were her next step, she gained a job using her expertise in image and data processing working with technicians at NOR (in Fort Mead, the Army’s Cold Weather Training Facility), and associates at ENPIC specializing in image processing and electronic and communicative espionage. This allowed her valuable experience with satellite mapping, transmissions, and networks.

Mei Ling, at the time of the Shadow Moses events worked in unison with Roy Campbell and the rest of the crew at the submarine headquarters which controlled operational command of the situation. Her role during the mission was the management and transferal of communicative data processing from homebase to the intended espionage agent (in this case, Solid Snake). and the encryption, transcription and uncoding of the field operative’s incoming and outgoing messages. During Shadow Moses, she was the designated data recorder who made backup recordings of all Codec transmissions, satellite photos, and coordinates received or sent. Her other major contributions to the mission, of which the mission would not have been able to been followed through without, were her communications systems designed and developed by herself prior to Shadow Moses. She is the developer of the Codec system as well as the Soliton radar system used extensively throughout the operation. Without her data resources, the mission simply would never have been attempted.

Mei Ling is very shy, nearly to the point of anxiety, and dislikes threatening situations involving overwhelming personalities, which comes across a lot in her job as a military data specialist. She tends to cover her shyness with exuberant, unimportant small-talk, often resorting to quoting Chinese wisdom she remembers from her cultural readings to suit the situation. The respect she holds for Solid Snake led her to approach life a bit differently during the events on Shadow Moses Island. She found herself more of a comforter to him, offering advice and and a soothing voice; trying to relax Solid Snake from the tensions of the battlefield via Codec. The mission taught her alot about what really goes on in a battlefield and what interaction and communication with people is really about.

Mei Ling’s involvement in the Shadow Moses Island Revolt resulted in helping to solidify the arrest of Secretary of Defense Jim Houseman by showing on record his motives and actions towards the end of the mission. Aside from nabbing Jim Houseman, Mei Ling’s communication skills also turned a near disaster in the mission into a success. After Solid Snake supposedly disarmed the nuclear missile in use by the terrorists, a key conversation was held between Master Miller and Solid Snake. Solid Snake found that instead of disarming the nuclear missile, he had instead activated it for the terrorists. Master Miller then proceeded to jest at Solid Snake, thanking him for helping him achieve his goal. Perplexed by this doublecross, Solid Snake was at the edge of a trap, nearly lured in by Master Miller. Wanting to get to the bottom of the situation and hear it directly from Master, Solid Snake agreed to rendezvous with him.

Meanwhile, Roy Campbell’s reconaissance team had arrived at Master Miller’s home, where he was supposed to be giving support via Codec. Instead, the recon team found Miller dead in his home, three days advanced into the posthumous cycle. This threw the mission into a tailspin. Master Miller was still advising Solid Snake via Codec, but noone knew how. Fearing the worst, Campbell had Mei Ling pinpoint Master Miller’s transmission signal. To Campbell’s alarm, Miller was transmitting from inside the base. Someone was doing a fine job at mimicry. Decoy Octopus was immediately ruled out of the list of possible suspects, for he was already dead. Nearly too late, the person mimicking Master Miller’s cover was blown. Stepping forth to reveal his true self, the person mimicking Master Miller revealed himself as Liquid Snake, the Fox-Hound squad leader and deviant terrorist at large. With help from Mei Ling’s communications feedback, near disaster was averted and Solid Snake was no longer ignorant of the situation, thanks to Mei Ling.

As the mission came to a close, Mei Ling, as an insurance policy, made backup copies of all the mission data, ensuring that all the resistance members participating in the mission were scandal-free and not subjected to any unfair treatment from government sources or other such factions. These same backups were used also as a guarantee that Houseman’s conviction was final.

Mei Ling continues her field of work, but is constantly monitored by the U.S. government for fear she might leak actual mission data from the Shadow Moses Island Revolt to outside sources, which could prove devestating for United States foreign policy.