October 2nd, 2026 - 01:00:12, St. Petersburg, Russia, the Ultranationalist Inner Circle as a whole has returned to Russia after 6 years of moving and hiding in one country after another in order to avoid getting traced and eliminated by Laswell and Task Force 141. They are using two recently and entirely rented apartments in the middle of the city as a staging area in case the West is planning a counter offensive against Moscow for World War 3.

5 hours ago, Makarov sent Ivan with a black ops platoon and an IRF on standby to Romanov Island in response to Milena not returning his calls or replying to his text messages. When Czar 9-2 found the carnage of the Ultranationalist Party's worst enemy, he was called back immediately while his forces took care of the fallen.

[door opens]

Ivan: (Russian) It was a mess. Her guards never saw them coming. And getting cornered physically and financially is what pushed Milena to kill herself.

Makarov: (Russian) Price and his royal minions.

Ivan: (Russian) With help from Task Force Rogue or someone else?

Makarov: (Russian) Task Force Rogue has far greater plans than them to bother. MI6 and the non-Ultranationalist portion of the F.S.B., they are as useful to us as they are to them, and they do not even know it. Alpha Team and Bravo 3-0, they only need them as enforcers. Backup. Reinforcements. Nothing more. Now, about any silver linings, are you thinking what I am thinking?

Ivan: (Russian) I think so. She may have told them that Mother Wolf is their Special Agent Kate Laswell, but they do not believe her.

[Makarov and Ivan wheeze and laugh]

[Ultranationalist Inner Circle Operators laugh]

Makarov: (Russian) Oh, I cannot believe it was that easy. Either they are too smart or too oblivious to see Milena's...

Ivan: (Russian) Incomplete truth?

Makarov: (Russian) Something like that but with different wording. Anyway, now that they have the hard drives of Milena's personal computers, they will find us here very soon.

Ivan: (Russian) So what is the plan, boss? Should we move out of the country again?

Makarov: (Russian) That will not be necessary. All we have to do is scatter and hide every gun we have in these apartments all over St. Petersburg for an ambush. The next problem is we need something to lure them here.

Ivan: (Russian) Or someone. I can do it. Task Force 141 needs a big player of the Ultranationalist Party like myself to confirm or contradict Milena's truth. When they get here nice and exposed, we light them the fuck up. Unless you want to rig the staging area with explosives and use looped cameras as the bait instead.

Makarov: (Russian) Looped cameras can be countered with in-person and sky-high points of view. They will get ISR here one way or another. And I do not want to either get The Russian People suspicious of Forever Winter because we got too close to Moscow or be too late to respond to a Western counter-attack on the capital because we got too far. The trap with you as bait will work, and everyone in the staging area will be your immediate response force. I will use Mother Wolf's half of the Inner Circle for the West, Operation Spetsnaz Payback, and the Forever Winter Project.

Ivan: (Russian) You and Mother Wolf always come through. But what if they survive and repel our ambush?

Makarov: (Russian) Then we have to leave them to Task Force Rogue. Try to survive by telling them what we know. If the Americans, Canadians and Australians have bigger fish to fry, so do we. May the best task force win. Either way, they will be too weak to stop us once they finish killing each other.

Ivan: (Russian) Understood. We will be ready. We will not let you down.

Makarov: (Russian) There is no way any of you ever could. Alexandra and I are proud of you, all of you. God is with us.

[Makarov and Ivan fist-bump]

Ivan: (Russian) God is with us.

As Czar 9-0 Actual leaves for Mother Wolf's element's deployment zone, which is located in the city of Arkhangelsk, Watcher shares what she got from Athena's PCs with the cream of her corn on her platinum cob.

Captain Price: Shit. Woman's got some issues.

Laswell: It's alright, boys. No way we could've known that using her money would break her to the point where she can't answer questions. I promised that we won't let this go unanswered, and I think I have at least kept that vow. Our international partners' intel still paid off.

Captain Price: What do we have that's actionable?

Laswell: The Inner Circle's latest financial transaction, which happened merely an hour before we got to Romanov Island, points to a recently completed apartment complex they're using as a staging area. Fun fact, they haven't set foot in Russia for 6 years until now.

Kyle: Likely to hide from us. But a staging area for what?

Laswell: Sorry. My discovery ended there. But I did locate the building. Err, the two buildings. Recent sat imagery shows a recovery balloon and a familiar face on the roof.

Captain Price: Ivan Alexxeve. Makarov's fist.

Kyle: Makarov himself could be nearby. Only good reason for the balloon is quick removal of something or someone you don't want found.

Cypher: Wouldn't count on it. This looks too easy.

Gaz: Maybe, but I think this is a situation where we have to spring the trap in order to get what we need, whether it be intel or the Ultranationalist strongman himself.

Captain Price: Cypher, Gaz, this is STILL my task force. I brought you in to help when the enemy turns up the heat. Not to pretend to be Pixiedust. If you can't help it, fuck off and make your own.

Laswell: Still, I think they have a point. Remember, eye in the sky can't see everything.

Kyle: Then the safest approach is to sweep from the bottom up. Wallcroft, Griffen, Burns and I'll take the south apartment. Captain Price, Colonel MacMillan, Cypher and Gaz will clear the north.

Colonel MacMillan: Hmm. Sounds like a plan.

Captain Price: Count me out. I'll overwatch the rooftops with fire support and join you in taking Ivan via the zip lines set up all over the AO.

Colonel MacMillan: It's your show.

Kyle: How do we extract?

Laswell: Helo's too risky. Thank World War 3 for that. You boys catch anything or anyone worth bringing home, Nik'll pull you out via fixed wing.

Kyle: The balloon.

Captain Price: Skyhook.

Griffen: Fulton Surface-To-Air Recovery System Kit, to be technical. Man, our backs are gonna hate us for a while after this.

Laswell: If Makarov's there, get him, Bravo.

10:57:18, Colonel MacMillan, Captain Price, Kyle, Cypher, Gaz, Wallcroft, Griffen and Burns arrive at St. Petersburg and get to their first phase positions. Bravo 6 makes the first move by deploying an E88 Pro RC Mini Drone to scan the floors as best as he could and see if anything has changed on both of the apartments' roofs.

Captain Price: 6 to Watcher, drone is up. You should have visual.

Laswell: Eyes on, John.

Captain Price: Got negative movement on any of the floors except the rooftop of the north apartment. Ivan and his balloon are still there. No sign of Makarov.

[Ivan sarcastically waves at the drone's camera and flips the bird]

[AK-74M UUK fire]

Captain Price: Of course. He just shot down my drone. He must not want us to see more with it.

Cypher: Blind it is then.

Colonel MacMillan: Breaching in three, two, one.

Gaz: Let's do this.

Captain Price: Kyle, you in position?

Kyle: Affirmative, good to go.

Makarov's Fist

2nd October, 2026 - 11:00:19

Col. Mac 'Baseplate' MacMillan

Task Force 141

St. Petersburg, Russia

Wallcroft: (quietly) No signs of life anywhere so far. Still, NODs on, keep a low profile.

Kyle: (quietly) Alright, Wallcroft. So, you kids ready to operate with the big boys?

Griffen: (quietly) Careful, LT. It's dark.

Burns: (quietly) Just don't break a hip now, old man.

8 minutes of thorough in-person sweeping show all possible signs of Ultranationalist Inner Circle presence in the past but not the present. As the only things Task Force 141 could find at the moment are Ultranationalist Party graffiti, Russian flags hanging on walls with the Inner Circle insignia on them, and dark, empty rooms.

Captain Price: Task Force, report.

Kyle: All I'm seeing is Ultranationalist artwork, Russian flags with the Inner Circle's logo on 'em... That's it. And we're almost at the top.

Colonel MacMillan: Oh, just dark rooms so far.

Kyle: Come on, Ivan. What's your fucking move?

Captain Price: You might be able to find out once on the roofs. But when it comes down to it, leave Ivan to me. He won't get away this time.

Cypher: Figured you'd like to volunteer for that. Can't leave your ego damaged by the man who beat you twice, yeah?

Captain Price: Once, Cypher. Once. That brawl in Rotterdam doesn't-doesn't count.

Gaz: Didn't deny the ego part. Anyone caught that? You know, even though this place is quieter than a cemetery, this is still more fun without the micromanaging pants-shitter himself on our backs.

Kyle: Come on, Gaz.

Captain Price: Really? Did Soap actually tell you that?

Gaz: We still talk. Alright, we're outside and topside.

Kyle: Yep, same.

Ivan: HAPPY DEATH DAY, TASK FORCE 141!

Gaz: AMBUSH!

[Ultranationalist Inner Circle Operators cheer]

[C7A2 fire]

Colonel MacMillan: GET LOW AND OPEN FIRE!

[AK-105 fire]

[AK-74M UUK fire]

[PKP Pecheneg fire]

[PKP Pecheneg-SP fire]

[PP-19 Vityaz fire]

[VKS fire]

[Saiga-12 fire]

[M249 Para fire]

[G28 fire]

[G36KV fire]

[HK 433 fire]

[C8 SFW fire]

Gaz: TARGETS! ALL SIDES! ALL SIDES!

[M240L fire]

[G36KV fire]

[TR-1 Ultralight fire]

Laswell: BRAVO, ALPHA, SITREP! Still alive down there?!

Cypher: FOR THE MOMENT!

Griffen: GET DOWN, KYLE!

[Shipunov 2A42 fire]

[S-8s launch]

[explosions]

[Mi-28s fly by]

Upon spotting them on the rooftops, Ivan gives the nice and exposed Bravo Team and Alpha Team a death day surprise with 100 fighting men and women with 200 more on standby and eight Mi-28 Havocs. However, in spite of the overwhelming strength in numbers, Colonel MacMillan, Captain Price, Kyle, Cypher, Gaz, Wallcroft, Griffen and Burns steadily counter-ambush.

Colonel MacMillan: Alpha 6 to Bravo 6, what's your status, over?!

[M32A1 MSGL fire]

Captain Price: I'm fine! You worry about yourself, old man!

Cypher: Don't regroup until all enemy gunships are gone! We don't want 'em to end all of us at an instant!

[Mi-28s crash]

Burns: Good effect on targets, Baseplate! Quick thinking!

Wallcroft: Cockpits are far from bulletproof! Aim for the bloody pilots!

Kyle: Copy!

Burns: Havoc's about to fire! Take cover!

[Shipunov 2A42 fire]

[S-8s launch]

[explosions]

[Mi-28s crash]

Kyle: Got two!

Wallcroft: Havoc on our 2 o'clock's about to cut loose! Get down!

[Shipunov 2A42 fire]

[S-8s launch]

[explosions]

[Mi-28s crash]

Colonel MacMillan: Goodnight, ye bastards.

Griffen: Fuckin' Havoc's about to open fire! Get the fuck down!

[Shipunov 2A42 fire]

[S-8s launch]

[explosions]

[Mi-28s crash]

Kyle: (off comms) R.I.P. (rest in peace), arseholes! (on comms) Gunships are down! Airspace is clear!

Colonel MacMillan: For now! Don't let your guard down!

Laswell: Come on, team, they're thinning out! Keep pushing!

Captain Price: Ivan's enjoyed the show for long enough! I'm going for him! Cover me and stay out of my way!

Kyle: Go get him, sir! I have you covered!

Captain Price: IVAN!

[Flash Grenade detonation]

[Captain Price grunts]

[Smoke Grenade detonation]

Ivan: Better to be late than a no-show to the party, right, Bravo 6?! Let's see how you do when the enemy can see through smoke!

Captain Price: Like I'm gonna need thermals to kill you! COME HERE!

As the herd thins out, Bravo 6 uses the clear and present window of opportunity to zip-line it to Czar 9-2 and settle the score once and for all. Ivan's welcome for his guest of honor involves a couple of Flash Grenades and Smoke Grenades and the thermal vision option in his NODs.

At first, he tries to make things short yet sweet with his AK-74M UUK. But Captain Price is not having any of his bullets and wants to fight up close and personal as he successfully disarms him this time and nails the first shoulder throw and heel kick.

All while his teammates keep the surrounding Ultranationalist Inner Circle Operators occupied as long as needed despite getting dangerously low on personal ammo. Once back on his feet, Czar 9-2 parries, blocks and dodges his most favorite foe's flurry of punches, elbow strikes and semi-amateurish kicks with mastered speed, cunning and precision.

But Bravo 6 then shows his most despised rival the consequence of playing around with defense as he catches an incoming left cross and delivers a counter attack of his own via left uppercut. The strong punch cracks Ivan's jaw and ruins his focus, giving Captain Price the best chance to land offensive strikes with ease.

And just as the rest of the Task Force 141 strike team clear the north and south apartments' roofs for now, subsequently buying some time since the AO itself and the surrounding buildings the enemy IRF have to climb are relatively tall, Bravo 6 finishes Czar 9-2 with a German suplex, shattering his spinal cord and readying him for a chat.

Captain Price: GAME OVER, IVAN! *yells* *German suplexes Ivan*

[Ivan painfully screams]

Kyle: You did it, Captain! Feel better now?

Captain Price: Fuck yeah.

Colonel MacMillan: Oi! We've bought some time, not secured the entire city. Get him talking, or we take him with us.

Captain Price: Standby.

Ivan: *painfully grunts* That... was a memorable fight, no?

Captain Price: Maybe, but this isn't a pro mixed martial arts match. We can guarantee your safety if you give us what we want. I'm sure Makarov doesn't take too kindly to failures.

Ivan: Ah, okay. Listen, from one warrior to another, I respect you. So I will talk straight. What do you want from me?

Captain Price: Where is Makarov?

Ivan: Broad question. To narrow it down, take my phone.

Captain Price: *takes Ivan's smartphone* Next question. What is Makarov up to?

Ivan: Try Moscow. Sooner or later, the West is going to try to attack it for World War 3. We are ready and waiting to defend. That should bring undecided and opposing Russian citizens to our side. If you hurry, you might catch Task Force Rogue in the act. May the best task force win.

Captain Price: Final question. Who is General Alexandra Makarova, callsign: Mother Wolf?

Ivan: Who is Mother Wolf? *wheezes* *laughs* I am sorry. I cannot help it. I know for sure Captain MacTavish has asked Milena that same question. After all, it was me who found her body and her camera footage first. You honestly do not believe that Special Agent Kate Laswell is Mother Wolf?

Captain Price: Bollocks.

Ivan: I am serious. What do you think lying would do to me, hmm? Perhaps something like... this? *pulls Frag Grenade pin*

Captain Price: GRENADE! GET BACK!

[Frag Grenade detonation]

After finding out that Captain Price and his element also do not believe in Milena's truth, Senior Lieutenant Ivan Alexxeve detonates a Frag Grenade on himself to go out with a bang without expecting to take anyone with him.

Captain Price: (off comms) Shit! Shit! SHIT! FUCKIN' HELL! (on comms) 6 to Watcher, Ivan was cooperative but he pulled a Frag on himself in the end.

Laswell: What did you get from him?

Captain Price: Makarov and Task Force Rogue's possible whereabouts and next moves, and the same horseshit Milena threw at Soap. He also claims you are Makarov's precious Mother Wolf.

Laswell: That's sweet. I'm flattered.

Captain Price: Yeah, well, I'm worried. Do you think—

Cypher: Team! Exfil now, speculate later! We got incoming!

Kyle: I can hear 'em coming, Captain. We gotta leave.

Colonel MacMillan: Ivan's confession is good enough for me. Now, move your arse!

Captain Price: Alright! 141, hook up and hang tight! We are leaving!

Nikolai: Skyhook imminent. 141, hook yourselves in.

Kyle: We're set, sir. Just in time.

Captain Price: Job well done, Leftenant. Hang tight.

[A400M flies by]

Colonel MacMillan: Red Coat would've loved this!

Griffen: My back doesn't, but it's still fun!

Task Force 141 then exfiltrates with Ivan's Fulton STAR Kit and their Royal Air Force Airbus A400M Atlas with Nikolai in the helm just as the Ultranationalist Inner Circle IRF catches up with them. The mission is a partial success since not all wanted answers were acquired.