There is a time and a place for subtlety, my friend. When one's reputation is on the line, one can be quite direct.

But you mentioned alternate universes... I don't seem to recall ever having stepped into one, but admittedly I have focused on little other than Halley these past few years. We are, after all, eternally bound to each other, as God and Lucifer, Tom and Jerry. Had he fallen into some alternate space where he was not the real or the only Solid Snake, it sounds possible that the same could have happened with my own legacy.

But that is no matter. There can be only one ruler of Outer Heaven, and I assure you, I am skilled enough!

[He pauses, if just for a moment. Had the Pain met with this imposter personally? What could he know about him?]

...Why, may I ask? What sort of tutelage did the Big Boss you know have?