February 20th, 2065 - 09:36:11, C.I.A. Safe House - Singapore, Singapore City, Singapore, 2 hours of exercise, combat drills in the Immersion's virtual world, and a big breakfast later, Vanguard Squadron 1 is ready to jump back into the fray. But Taylor and Hendricks have a word on the couches of the Living Station first before joining Kane, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow in the Briefing Room.
HENDRICKS: So, according to Kane, the drives were partially corrupted. She's just about finished extracting the footage from the Station's security cams.
TAYLOR: About what I did to Goh Xiulan, there was no other way. We had to stop those leaks.
HENDRICKS: I know. I also know that the Immortals won't take kindly to us popping Goh Bro and maiming his angry-ass sister.
TAYLOR: Kane said whatever the footage shows, we're going to the site of Vanguard Squadron 2's last op. The epicenter of the original disaster. The old Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility.
After that short discussion and getting some new and familiar Specialist Gear and Miscellaneous equipment together, Vanguard 1-1 and Vanguard 1-2 assemble with the others. But once Aphrodite shows C.I.A. Black Station - Singapore's CCTV recording, Vanguard Squadron 1's commanding officer and high-ranking guest immediately start having doubts about O.G.A.
HENDRICKS: I don't buy it. They're being set up. This footage is fake. It isn't real.
SHADOW: I agree. "Partially corrupted", you said, huh, Kane? Was it partially corrupted or ongoing editing to fit O.G.A.'s Vanguard Squadron 2 defection narrative?
SARAH, DIAZ AND MARETTI: Yeah!
TAYLOR: Hendricks, Shadow, all of you, CALM DOWN. Look, I wish you two are right, but this goes further than the Black Station murders. Kane, tell 'em what you told me.
KANE: The intel leaks are spreading like a cancer, weakening C.I.A. operations worldwide. They know all our weak points and they're mobilizing forces in volatile regions. Face facts. Vanguard Squadron 2 sold out.
TAYLOR: So we follow in the footsteps of their last know op. The alarm beneath the old Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility.
KANE: Maybe something down there will help us understand their motives.
HENDRICKS: Let's not forget the Immortals. We just brain-holed one leader and maimed the other. These people will retaliate.
COMPUTER: (visually) *shows Taylor's ID picture* Captain TAYLOR, John/W.A.S.F. Executive Officer/Mission: Analyze Operation Hypocenter *shows a picture of the Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility*
As Kane's Overwatch Drone boots up midair, Taylor, Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow spot what appears to be a new 54 Immortals raider platoon all over the Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility.
--
Hypocenter
Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility, Singapore City Quarantine Zone, Singapore
CPT. John Taylor
W.A.S.F. Wetworks Division, C.I.A. Special Activities Center
February 20th, 2065 - 10:00:26
--
KANE: Stone's team was responding to a priority alert signal. It originated from nearly a mile below the old Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility. I've pulled every piece of intel and schematic available. Whatever's down there isn't on any map. Much of the structure was destroyed in the disaster. Our best option is to descend through the central silo.
HENDRICKS: Thanks, Kane. Big help.
DIAZ: And I thought I was getting fat. You really need to get back to exercising, John.
TAYLOR: I told you, I'm still combat effective. So, we follow Vanguard Squadron 2's footsteps, see if we can find something down there that gives us answers.
KANE: Overwatch Drone confirms multiple signatures topside. 54i. Likelihood is they're already inside.
HENDRICKS: No shit. We just saw reinforcements arriving on site. Ain't much chance of keeping this quiet. Multiple avenues of approach. Spread out.
SARAH: Yes, sir. Inserting with Optical Camo.
MARETTI: Moving to an elevated position overlooking the AO.
DIAZ: Shadow and I will be ready to go hot.
HENDRICKS: Copy all.
[54 Immortals chat with each other]
HENDRICKS: 54i crawling all over. Let's try to keep it quiet. But if you wanna go loud already, we'll be waiting on your shot, Taylor.
TAYLOR: Copy.
In the gameplay perspective of this first gunfight, instead of going quiet for a short period of time and then go loud for most of it because of the Immortals sensing their dead through the Force or something like that, the player now has the option to clear the entire section stealthily with Vanguard 1-1, Vanguard 1-3 and Vanguard 1-5 helping in killing hostile groups without raising any alarms. As Vanguard 1-2, in canon, secures the AO's courtyard quietly.
The boss fight with the ASP-C (Autonomous Sentry Platform - Cannon Variant) before the entrance of the target building is still present because it serves as the introduction to the ASP Combat Robots.
[Anti-Personnel Combat Knife hit]
[SDM fire]
[Taylor pulls a 54 Immortal on a 54i Gun Truck down head first to his Anti-Personnel Combat Knife]
HENDRICKS: Taylor, Sarah, take out the guys inside the Gun Truck. Maretti and I have the squad at 11 o'clock.
[Taylor and Sarah open the 54i Gun Truck's front doors]
[Anti-Personnel Combat Knife hit]
[VAPR-XKG fire]
[SDM fire]
HENDRICKS: That's it.
[SDM fire]
TAYLOR: Snipers are gone. They're blind.
[Anti-Personnel Combat Knife hit]
SHADOW: Courtyard's quiet as a mouse. Vision Pulse sees nothing but dead bodies now. Most impressive, John.
DIAZ: Guess your fats didn't affect your combat effectiveness after all, John.
TAYLOR: Heh, real funny. Advancing on—
[ASP-C powers up]
KANE: Find cover! ASP is active! Repeat, ASP is still active!
HENDRICKS: That tank should be scrap metal! How's it operational?!
SHADOW: We can think about it later! Right now, we need to hit that Repulsor Shield Generator beneath the weapons system with small arms fire! It won't destroy its automated repair feature, but it will disable the deflector shield long enough to get a Micro-Missile Launcher, XM-53, or Tempest shot in!
TAYLOR: I'll deal with it!
[SDM fire]
[Repulsor Shield Generator powers down]
SHADOW: Repulsor Shield Generator's offline! Hit it with a missile before it reactivates!
[XM-53 fire]
[explosion]
KANE: Clean hit!
[XM-53 fire]
[explosion]
HENDRICKS: It's weakening!
[Repulsor Shield Generator powers up]
KANE: Keep hammering its defensive system with small arms fire!
[SDM fire]
[Repulsor Shield Generator powers down]
SHADOW: Shield Gen's down again! Hit it hard now!
[XM-53 fire]
[explosion]
[ASP-C explodes]
KANE: Core destabilized! ASP is out of commission.
SHADOW: Good kill. Now we're clear.
HENDRICKS: Rally at the target building's front door.
KANE: Interface with that panel. A quick hack should get you in.
[Taylor opens the doors with his Hacking Module]
HENDRICKS: Never a dull moment, huh?
TAYLOR: Oh, yeah. Today's just full of surprises.
HENDRICKS: Shadow, take Sarah and Diaz to the right. Taylor, Maretti, on me. We're going left.
[Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility's main lobby lights up]
HENDRICKS: Don't be skittish. It's just a reflex from a long-dead programming.
COALESCENCE CORPORATION SINGAPORE FACILITY AI: (English) Welcome to Coalescence. Please check in at Reception with your party. (Chinese) Welcome to Coalescence. Please check in at Reception with your party. (Malay) Welcome to Coalescence. Please check in at Reception with your party.
HENDRICKS: Clear left. No accessible doors or elevators over here.
SHADOW: Clear right. Breaks my I.T./C.S. heart to see all this tech still active with no maintenance. Wish Coalescence would just let go and demolish this place. Only one accessible door on our side.
HENDRICKS: I'll get us in. *opens doors with his Hacking Module*
Once inside the Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility itself, Vanguard Squadron 1 starts investigating Vanguard Squadron 2's previous work, establishes their own on-site reconnaissance, engages another 54i squad who made it further than most of their fellow criminal terrorists, and goes deeper into a rabbit hole.
HENDRICKS: These bodies have been here for a few days. Must have been before the attack on the Black Station.
KANE: This look like Vanguard Squadron 2's work, Hendricks?
HENDRICKS: Maybe. Heads are shot to pieces. Yeah, but in all honesty, you have to know what a dumb question that is. Course this was Vanguard Squadron 2's work! C.I.A. brought them here because these fucking goons were sniffing around!
TAYLOR: Hey.
HENDRICKS: Pay no heed, Kane. I'm just in a really bad mood.
KANE: I'm picking up an EMF (electromagnetic field) source in the area, likely a small electronic device. Could be in one of the bodies.
SHADOW: *points* It's this dead Immortal's tactical pad. Do the honors, John. I ain't letting O.G.A. anywhere near my stuff.
TAYLOR: *plants Hacking Module* Got it, uploading data. *throws tactical pad away* Anything useful?
KANE: Uh, the looters didn't just stumble in here. They were tipped off by the U.N.
MARETTI: If we got no intel for anything beyond this point, we're gonna need to do our own recon. Hawk Drone?
HENDRICKS: Yeah, do it.
MARETTI: Vanguard 1-5 deploying Hawk Drone.
KANE: Message received and understood, Maretti. Syncing drone mapping coordinates to your HUD.
HENDRICKS: *kicks a balcony open* Hey, you know what they say about staring into the abyss?
SHADOW: The abyss stares back—duh.
[Sarah, Diaz and Maretti chuckle]
HENDRICKS: *chuckles* Let's go.
[Vanguard Squadron 1 jumps down to the balcony below]
HENDRICKS: Stick to the ledge. That's a long way down. I'll take point.
DIAZ: Got it. You almost sounded like a girl, Shadow.
SHADOW: Ah, Fireteam First Light's mannerisms.
SARAH: The student can influence and guide the master.
MARETTI: I bet you would just LOVE to influence Shadow in more ways than three in an empty classroom, right, Sarah?
SARAH: Ha, ha, fuck you.
[Shadow laughs]
TAYLOR: SHADOW, Hendricks, the footage we saw of the killings. You still think it was fake?
HENDRICKS: I've known Dylan a long time. I can't see how he could have done it. Especially carving them up like that.
SHADOW: Me neither. I've known about Rob and Harold's unwavering patriotism and quick and clean ways of dealing with undesirables even before we were Sailors, let alone SEALs.
TAYLOR: Maybe they weren't the people we thought they were.
HENDRICKS: Even so, it doesn't explain Javier, Joe and Alice. Why would they go along with it?
TAYLOR: We'll get to the bottom of this. One way or another.
SHADOW: Here's hoping and praying that will come sooner rather than later. This is a side quest. We got much bigger problems in the grand scheme of things right now.
[Vanguard Squadron 1 wallruns]
HENDRICKS: (quietly) Shit. Damn 54i are already ahead of us. What do you think we should do?
TAYLOR: I think it's time we introduce ourselves. Tossing 9-Bang.
[9-Bang Grenade detonation]
[Rampart 17 fire]
[VAPR-XKG fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[SDM fire]
[Dingo fire]
MARETTI: Clear. That's another 54i squad with a Warlord. *opens door with his Hacking Module*
HENDRICKS: You trying to send us down a damned rabbit hole, Kane?
KANE: I just want the same thing you do, Hendricks. To shut this situation down before it gets any worse.
[Vanguard Squadron 1 wallruns]
HENDRICKS: Watch your step. This place ain't exactly stable.
[Shadow wallruns to the open doorway]
SARAH: Jesus Christ, Tyler! All this shaking could've thrown you off balance.
SHADOW: Don't worry. It's all about tuning out distractions. I'm still here, aren't I?
SARAH: Yeah, thank Christ.
[Diaz and Maretti smirk at Shadow and Sarah]
If the atmosphere of the target building is not already creepy, it will be when Taylor, Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow encounter some of the Coalescence Corporation's poor trapped General Infantry Unit Combat Robots behaving like zombies and trying to get them.
SARAH: Oh, no.
SHADOW: Poor guys and gals.
TAYLOR: Kane, what's making the robots behave like this?
KANE: Could be some kind of power surge.
HENDRICKS: That power surge... isn't normal. *lifts door open* I got the door, team. Go under and take point.
SHADOW: Clear right.
TAYLOR: Clear le—
[window breaks]
TAYLOR: *flinches back* Shit!
[Coalescence Combat Robot powers down]
DIAZ: They're somehow like fucking zombies, guys. Jesus.
TAYLOR: Kane, could someone be plugged into the building systems controlling the robots?
SARAH: Color me surprised if that would be the case. Last man.
[Hendricks drops the door close]
KANE: It's unlikely that any systems are operational after the disaster. Look, we don't have any idea what's down there.
SHADOW: Sure you don't.
TAYLOR: Knock it off, Shadow.
MARETTI: Operation Hypocenter's AAR is directing the Hawk Drone down into this silo.
HENDRICKS: Anyone wanna bet a hundred against us finding some fucked up shit down here? No?
DIAZ: Uh, I'm saving money right now, sir.
MARETTI: Yeah, I'm good, sir.
[Coalescence Combat Robots power up]
HENDRICKS: What the hell?! Whoa! WHOA!
[VAPR-XKG fire]
KANE: Hendricks, they're targeting you!
[Rampart 17 fire]
[Dingo fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[SDM fire]
SHADOW: OH, REALLY?! I WONDER WHY!
MARETTI: RPG!
[XM-53 fire]
[explosion]
SHADOW: Clear.
HENDRICKS: Kane, this doesn't make sense. Who's controlling these robots?
KANE: I... don't know. Triangulating a source. No luck yet. I'll keep trying.
[Hendricks opens the silo]
MARETTI: Alright, sending Hawk Drone ahead.
HENDRICKS: Let's see how far down this rabbit hole goes.
KANE: Limited light ahead. Recommend switching to Vision Pulse.
HENDRICKS: (on comms) Acknowledged, Aphrodite, over. (off comms) Let's hustle. Hawk Drone ain't gonna wait on us.
The sense of dread is then backed up by confusion and mistrust as Vanguard 1-5's Hawk Drone gets hacked and brought down inside a room with a glowing sign.
[Vanguard Squadron 1 jumps down to the platforms and balconies below]
[metallic clangs]
[Hawk Drone powers down]
MARETTI: (off comms) The fuck? (on comms) Aphrodite, this is Vanguard 1-5. We lost my Hawk Drone's feed, and I can't seem to reboot it. Interrogative: Problem at your end, over?
KANE: Negative. Blueprints end at the silo's floor. Without the drone, we're blind.
HENDRICKS: Something must have taken it out.
KANE: Keep moving. GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates put the alarm just up ahead.
MARETTI: There it is. Clear right.
SARAH: Clear left.
SHADOW: You have got to be kidding me.
TAYLOR: Kane, we found Maretti's Hawk Drone. It's still intact.
MARETTI: Huh? I can't seem to turn it back on.
HENDRICKS: Well, it was fun while it lasted.
SHADOW: Let me have a look. *connects tactical pad with Maretti's Hawk Drone* Whoa, Maretti's Hawk Drone is being overridden by some malware. Must be why it can't turn back on.
MARETTI: Any idea what the malware's called?
KANE: Hold up. Let me get a closer look at that sign.
SHADOW: The MK-ASHLEY Software.
SARAH: MK-ASHLEY? As in *points* "Project MK-ASHLEY"? The same as this sign?
SHADOW: Yes, actually.
TAYLOR: You recognize it?
KANE: The designation suggests a C.I.A. Black Project. The place must've had a proximity hack that brought Maretti's drone down.
MARETTI: Shit. Well, looks like I gotta give you a dose of anti-virus at home, little guy.
HENDRICKS: Well, if this shit was here at the time of the disaster, they wouldn't have been able to send in a clean-up crew.
TAYLOR: Until Vanguard Squadron 2.
SARAH: Left doorway's blocked. Guess it's this automatic door.
HENDRICKS: Yeah. I think someone wants some shit buried. Blood trails lead this way.
[door opens]
SHADOW: Left doorway looks like it leads to an elevated position or path. I'll take it.
SARAH: I'm right behind you.
DIAZ: Likewise. Evenly split is good.
[doors open]
SHADOW, SARAH AND DIAZ: Clear left. Clear right.
HENDRICKS AND MARETTI: Clear left. Clear right.
TAYLOR: What is going on here, Kane?
SHADOW: Yo.
[Taylor and Hendricks look up and nod]
MARETTI: *looks up* *nods* Okay, that is an accessible elevated path.
If Vanguard Squadron 1 thinks they have seen it all, they have not seen nothing yet. But before they could uncover the mother lode of a seemingly buried C.I.A. Black Project named Project MK-ASHLEY, they are attacked by surrounding Coalescence G.I.U.s and occupied by a little intel collection.
[Coalescence Combat Robots power up]
HENDRICKS: What the hell?!
[VAPR-XKG fire]
SHADOW: They're coming back to kill us! ENGAGE! ENGAGE!
[Rampart 17 fire]
[ICR-7 fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[VMP fire]
[Anti-Machinery Combat Knife hit]
MARETTI: Clear!
DIAZ: Fucking zombies, guys. I'm telling you.
MARETTI: Yeah. Isn't this place creepy enough already?
SARAH: It's like the Left 4 Dead combat drill. Now I know why we have it.
DIAZ: *exhales* Yeah.
HENDRICKS: Stay alert. We don't know what's down here.
TAYLOR: What's going on with these robots, Kane?
KANE: I've never seen any robot behavior like that. It's not in their programming. Somehow, they've gone rogue from their preset parameters.
SARAH: John, Shadow, over here.
SHADOW: Active PCs. There could be something useful inside.
TAYLOR: *plants Hacking Module* Let's have a look.
[Shadow plants his Hacking Module]
DR. SALIM: Dr. Yousef Salim Journal Entry no. 1: Project MK-ASHLEY trials are now underway with a new set of subjects. Similar physiology, different environmental conditioning. Dr. Yousef Salim Jounal Entry no. 2: Primary focus is to establish any correlation between the recorded neural traces and subsequent cognitive recollection. Dr. Yousef Salim Jounal Entry no. 3: Early results in promising post procedure. Subjects recall the intended stimulus with relative certainty. Dr. Yousef Salim Jounal Entry no. 4: Post immersion. Several subjects have experienced fleeting bouts of paranoia. In these cases, I have been unable to determine if this was a pre-existing condition or a consequence of the procedure itself. Dr. Yousef Salim Jounal Entry no. 5: Following minor seizures during trial, Subject D2 reported a brief period of impaired hearing. Similarly, D5 complained of a decreased sense of taste. Dr. Yousef Salim Jounal Entry no. 6: Unfortunately, adjusting Group B's chem levels has so far failed to reduce the frequency of seizures among subjects. Dr. Yousef Salim Jounal Entry no. 7: As of Day 42, only four of the original test subjects survived of the others most died of coronary failure during the trials. One died later... by some self-inflicted wounds.
TAYLOR: Okay... let's move on.
SARAH: Please don't tell me this is similar to the other vile Black Projects O.G.A. has had.
SHADOW: I wish I could tell you "no", but it seems you're right.
TAYLOR: Hall, Shadow, speculate when we get back to the Safe House. Move.
KANE: Okay, according to the GPS, the source of the signal should be through there.
HENDRICKS: Wanna hurry up? We need to get in there. Hack the panel, John.
TAYLOR: *opens doors with his Hacking Module* Clear left.
HENDRICKS: Clear right.
TAYLOR: Holy shit.
SHADOW: Holy shit indeed.
DIAZ: Fucking human test subjects?
KANE: Hendricks, check those control panels. I may be able to pull something from the local drives.
HENDRICKS: *plants Hacking Module* Okay. Kane, you're in.
KANE: This shouldn't even be here. D.N.I. human trials weren't even underway at the time of the accident. At least not officially.
[Shadow shakes his head]
HENDRICKS: I don't think these people volunteered.
KANE: They're all hardwired into a central server.
SHADOW: Great. This is in breach of every U.S. and W.A. ethics mandate in the book. Not that O.G.A. would care.
TAYLOR: *looks closer* Jae Xiong? Wasn't he our mark? That-That-That doesn't make sense. That makes *shakes head* no sense. If-If— If he's dead, then why are we finding a bunch of slaughtered C.I.A. matching his M.O. (Latin: Modus Operandi, English: Mode of Operating)?
HENDRICKS: (on comms) Give us a minute, Aphrodite. Vanguard 1-1, out. *cuts the C.I.A. off from Vanguard Squadron 1's comms channel* (off comms) C.I.A. brings us in, assigns us an unknown contact... and then we just happen upon a C.I.A. ops site? That makes sense to you?
TAYLOR: Hendricks? What are you saying?
HENDRICKS: I don't know yet. Just keep your eyes and ears open, especially around Kane.
TAYLOR: *shakes head* Alright.
SHADOW: With pleasure.
SARAH: What about this Dr. Yousef Salim's journal entries we got from that computer lab nearby? There's something else going on here, boys.
MARETTI: Yeah. If we've just uncovered a C.I.A. Black Project that has been buried for 6 years, are we continuing this tour or getting cement shoes when we RTB?
TAYLOR: Enough with this paranoia bullshit, Maretti, Hall, Diaz, Shadow. You know the C.I.A. doesn't do that anymore. Now you're just going to the darkest corners of the room.
SHADOW: The hell is that supposed to mean?
KANE: Everything okay, Vanguard Squadron 1? Hendricks?
DIAZ: The fuck? She can bypass disabled comms now?
HENDRICKS: (off comms) Shh. *gestures at Diaz to simmer down* *reconnects the C.I.A. to Vanguard Squadron 1's comms channel* (on comms) Affirmative, Aphrodite. We're good, over.
KANE: Okay. I'm seeing network activity from a server room a few floors down.
HENDRICKS: Hey. Can't be a coincidence. Let's move.
TAYLOR: Roger.
After unearthing Project MK-ASHLEY in its earliest form, learning about the long-lost fate of Jae Xiong, the 54 Immortals Enforcer creator of the Denial of Reincarnation execution method, and debating about the trustworthiness of O.G.A., Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow get even more perplexed when Aphrodite somehow manages to get through Vanguard Squadron 1's offline communications channel. But Taylor does not believe in the looming doubts and focuses on the new development coming from deeper into the operations site.
Regardless, everyone moves on to a new pointed out area for investigation. And this one is the most unsettling of them all as it is populated by an EMF that disables all Exo Suits and Specialist Gear, more Project MK-ASHLEY test subjects, and even more hostile Coalescence Corporation Combat Robots.
KANE: Lights out ahead. Switch to your Vision Pulse.
HENDRICKS: Copy that.
KANE: Picking up a massive EMF in there. Move slow. It may play havoc with your optics and Specialist Gear— *static*
TAYLOR: Kane? Kane.
SHADOW: EMF must've also disabled our comms. No HUD, no optics, no Vision Pulse, no Exo Suits, no Specialist Gear, just like the old days.
HENDRICKS: Igniting flare.
[Flare ignition]
HENDRICKS: Taylor, help me get up there. Maybe I can find a way to get this door open.
TAYLOR: Copy.
SHADOW: Better to have some security with you. Diaz, Maretti, I'll get you two up there as well.
DIAZ: Copy.
MARETTI: Roger.
[Taylor and Shadow jump lift Hendricks, Diaz and Maretti up to the balcony]
[doors open]
TAYLOR: Nice job. You got the door open, Hendricks.
HENDRICKS: Uh, I didn't open it.
SHADOW: I think whoever or whatever is in the server room wants us to come in here.
TAYLOR: We got more test subjects in here. Shadow, go left. Sarah, go right. I'll take center.
SHADOW: Copy.
SARAH: Copy.
[doors close]
SARAH: And probably doesn't want us to leave.
[Coalescence Combat Robots power up]
[Rampart 17 fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[ICR-7 fire]
HENDRICKS: They're in the water!
[VAPR-XKG fire]
[Titan fire]
[VMP fire]
SHADOW: Rendezvous at the end of your paths!
[Flare ignition]
SARAH: Our tech's back on.
TAYLOR: Kane, optics back online.
KANE: Copy that. I'm picking up a massive energy surge just ahead.
SHADOW: Guess the controller of the server room must still have some tech work to do. Can't keep the EMF on if that's the case.
SARAH: That's one theory.
TAYLOR: Lot of robots in here, Kane.
KANE: Easy. Take your time.
HENDRICKS: Vanguard 1-1 to Aphrodite, 1-4, 1-5 and I got separated from 1-2, 1-3 and 1-6. Looks like the server room's just up ahead, over.
SHADOW: I'll take the lower right path. You two take the center.
[Coalescence Combat Robots power up]
[Rampart 17 fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Dingo fire]
KANE: Get outta there! I've got an exit directly ahead!
SHADOW: Clear for now. Let's get to that exit before their buddies come looking. There. It's an elevator. I'll clear left first.
TAYLOR: You know, this is starting to look a lot more like a weapons research facility than a biotech lab.
SHADOW: Left side, clear.
KANE: The cause and effects of the disaster were never positively identified.
HENDRICKS: Anyone else sense a cover-up?
[elevator door opens]
SHADOW: That makes two of us.
SARAH: Make that three of us.
DIAZ: Four.
MARETTI: Five.
TAYLOR: Guys, guys, enough. Form up in here.
The deepest part of the Project MK-ASHLEY lab/weapons research facility, which is the mentioned server room that is being reached via elevator, then contains another gold mine that will turn conspiracies into the truth. And someone familiar and more than capable enough is at the helm, trying to digitally blow it wide open.
[elevator door closes]
RAMIREZ: Listen. Can you hear me? You don't have to do this. There is blood on our hands that we cannot wash away. You know who I am. I'm asking you to turn back. Walk away.
SARAH: Vanguard 2-2. Javier!
TAYLOR: Kane, we've got Ramirez coming through on a closed channel.
RAMIREZ: Stone was right. We've gotta show the world the truth.
KANE: He's wired into the servers. His Icepick, Hacking Module, and tactical pad are acting as conduits for every piece of intel stored down here. He's been directing the robots, controlling their hivemind. He's going to blow the MK-ASHLEY Black Project wide open!
SHADOW: Sounds pretty noble to me.
KANE: NO, Shadow, it's not! Please, listen to me, Taylor. We have to stop him. We have to shut this down! Right now, he's uploading EVERYTHING on those servers directly to our enemies! We have to contain this situation!
[elevator door opens]
SHADOW: What? Are you Kane's lap dog now, John?!
SARAH: Yeah, why do I have the feeling that we should let Ramirez finish his work?!
TAYLOR: (off comms) SHADOW, HALL, this is still a C.I.A. op, and Kane's the CO who supersedes Hendricks! You have your orders! Spread out! (on comms) Ramirez, you have to stop this! Whatever happened with you and the others, you have to end it!
RAMIREZ: We are doing what the greats and the legends of the Spec Ops community would have done. Vanguard Squadron 1, I am here to also prepare you for Project MK-ASHLEY. To the C.I.A. spooks controlling you, I AM WILLING TO DIE FOR THE TRUTH!
[Coalescence Combat Robots power up]
Ramirez's way of preparing Vanguard Squadron 1 for Project MK-ASHLEY involves one half of the Coalescence Corporation's G.I.U.s shooting and the other charging for lethal melee attacks. But while Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow are listening to some degree, Taylor and Kane see Vanguard 2-2's little operation as a massive security breach and intelligence leak waiting to happen.
Thus, with Vanguard 1-1's access to the server room's control booth, the latter gives instructions on how to destroy the data center and her most trusted W.A.S.F. Wetworks Division Operator does the heavy lifting while the rest cover and keep each other alive and well.
[Rampart 17 fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Dingo fire]
[Anti-Machinery Combat Knife hit]
KANE: The only way to disconnect Ramirez from the server is by destroying the core above him.
HENDRICKS: Aphrodite, this is Vanguard 1-1! We're in the control room above! Interrogative: What can we do, over?!
KANE: Access the primary systems for me. If we maintain a live link via your Hacking Module, I should be able to identify the core's vulnerabilities.
HENDRICKS: You're the boss, lady.
KANE: Got it. Focus fire on the cooling rods in the three main cooling towers surrounding Ramirez. You'll know which one when I open 'em. That'll expose the core's corresponding access point. Once it's open, you're gonna have to get up there and drop a Frag Grenade inside.
TAYLOR: It's a good thing we carry spare Frags just in case.
[Main Cooling Tower 1 opens]
KANE: Main Cooling Tower 1 exposed.
RAMIREZ: MK-ASHLEY'S sleeper Operatives will spout this nonsense as a way to calm down since the Black Project's software is excruciating in the head and the D.N.I., and I quote, "Listen only to the sound of my voice. Let your mind relax. Let your thoughts drift. Let the bad memories fade. Let peace be upon you."
[XM-53 fire]
[explosion]
[Main Cooling Tower 1 alarm blares]
KANE: Main Cooling Tower 1 offline! Main Cooling Tower 1's access point exposed!
SHADOW: Demolitions is your wheelhouse, Taylor! Climb! We'll draw fire and cover!
[Taylor climbs up, rigs the Main Cooling Tower 1 Access Point, and jumps down]
[Frag Grenade detonation]
TAYLOR: Grenade detonated! Kane, did that do the trick?!
KANE: It worked! Central Core's integrity is at 66 percent! Working on opening Main Cooling Tower 2.
RAMIREZ: "Surrender yourself to your dreams. Let them wash over you like the gentle waves of the bluest ocean. Let them envelop you. Comfort you. Imagine somewhere calm. Imagine somewhere safe. Imagine yourself in a Frozen Forest. You are standing in a clearing. The trees around you are so tall they touch the sky. Pure white snowflakes fall all around."
[Rampart 17 fire]
[Dingo fire]
[X-45 Tactical fire]
[Anti-Machinery Combat Knife hit]
TAYLOR: Hurry up, Kane! We're getting overrun here!
[Main Cooling Tower 2 opens]
KANE: Main Cooling Tower 2 exposed.
[XM-53 fire]
[explosion]
[Main Cooling Tower 2 alarm blares]
KANE: Main Cooling Tower 2 offline! Main Cooling Tower 2's access point exposed!
SARAH: Same plan, Taylor! Go on!
[XR-2 fire]
[Dingo fire]
[Taylor climbs up, rigs the Main Cooling Tower 2 Access Point, and jumps down]
[Frag Grenade detonation]
TAYLOR: Successful detonation! Kane, confirm!
KANE: Central Core down to 33 percent! One more! Working on Main Cooling Tower 3.
RAMIREZ: "You can feel them melt on your skin. You are not cold. It cannot overcome the warmth of your beating heart. Can you hear it? You only have to listen. Do you hear it slowing? You are slowing it. You are in control. Calm. At peace."
MARETTI: 1-2, 1-3, 1-6, we got G.I.U.s jumping to get in here through the windows! We need some support!
DIAZ: Breachers in the doorway behind us! Moving to engage!
SHADOW: We gotta cover the others and keep the control booth safe! Come on!
[Rampart 17 fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Dingo clicks]
SHADOW: Dingo's empty! Tempest is live!
[Tempest fire]
KANE: Main Cooling Tower 3 exposed.
[XM-53 fire]
[explosion]
[Main Cooling Tower 3 alarm blares]
RAMIREZ: And that should prepare you, me and everyone for Project MK-ASHLEY. My work here is done. C.I.A., YOU WERE TOO SLOW! YOU ARE TOO LATE!
KANE: Main Cooling Tower 3 offline! Still, we have to bury this situation for good! Get up there and blow the core!
HENDRICKS: This better not kill Ramirez, Kane! We want him alive!
KANE: No guarantees, Hendricks.
SHADOW: You piece of shit, Aphrodite!
SARAH: Is there a C.I.A. Kill Order you forgot to share with the group, Taylor?!
KANE: TAYLOR, HALL, POWERS, BLOW THE CORE! THAT'S AN ORDER!
TAYLOR: YOU HEARD HER AND HAVE YOUR ORDERS! I'M GOING FOR IT!
[Drakon fire]
SHADOW: FUUUCK!
[XR-2 fire]
SARAH: THIS IS BULLSHIIIT!
[X-45 Tactical fire]
[Taylor climbs up, rigs the Main Cooling Tower 3 Access Point, and jumps down]
[Frag Grenade detonation]
[Central Core collapses]
[Ramirez painfully screams]
Once all three Main Cooling Towers are gone and the Central Core's structural integrity is compromised, the data center's main computer server collapses and crushes Ramirez. But Vanguard 2-2 is still alive, and Aphrodite wants to change that once Hendricks has whatever he knows about the rest of Vanguard Squadron 2.
KANE: We can't afford to lose the rest of Vanguard Squadron 2, Hendricks! You have to interrogate! Pull whatever whereabouts you can from Ramirez!
HENDRICKS: You know we're already aware of the God damn C.I.A. Kill Order you and Taylor are trying to conspire.
KANE: I know.
HENDRICKS: WE DON'T THINK YOU DO! This is someone we know! Someone we fought alongside! He shouldn't go out like this.
KANE: I'm sorry.
SHADOW: Fuck you. You don't know what sorry means.
RAMIREZ: *controls breathing* It's okay, Jacob. We knew what we signed up for. We gotta defend the United States of America and the Winslow Accord from all enemies, both foreign and domestic, right? Look for Sebastian Krueger, the CEO of Coalescence, and Dr. Yousef Salim, Project MK-ASHLEY's former head behavioral psychotherapist. That's how you'll find the rest of us. Fulfill the Kill Order. Get the C.I.A. off W.A.S.F.'s back. *smiles* I'm ready.
HENDRICKS: I'm proud to have you under my command, Javier. I... We won't forget you.
[RK5 fire]
Vanguard 1-1 completes the interrogation and reluctantly liquidates First Sergeant Javier Ramirez with a headshot.
HENDRICKS: FUUUCK! *growls* Kane, you get that?
KANE: Get what?! What did you hear, Hendricks?! Did you get anything?! HENDRICKS!
HENDRICKS: Vanguard Squadron 2 is looking for the CEO of Coalescence Corporation and the head behavioral psychotherapist of Project MK-ASHLEY. They've already left Singapore.
TAYLOR: How the hell did he get transport?!
HENDRICKS: You don't betray your country without making new friends.
KANE: Shit! We have incoming topside! It's the Immortals!
SHADOW: ELEVATOR, EVAC, NOW!
After getting the whereabouts of the rest of Vanguard Squadron 2, the need to exfiltrate becomes more imperative when the 54 Immortals, with Goh Xiulan in the flesh, arrive at the top of the target building and mobilize to kill Vanguard Squadron 1 for the death of Goh Min.
GOH XIULAN: They down there? The ones who killed my brother?
54 IMMORTAL: Yes, yes, our men are moving in.
GOH XIULAN: Did we receive the locations of the C.I.A. Safe Houses from Vanguard 2-2?
54 IMMORTAL: Yes, madame.
GOH XIULAN: Flood it.
54 IMMORTAL: But our men are still down there—
GOH XIULAN: BLOW IT NOW!
[C4 Explosive Charge detonation]
[AGM-114 Hellfires launch]
[explosions]
[54i VTOL Warship flies by]
Golf-X-Ray's emotions turn the situation critical for both the W.A.S.F. Wetworks Division and her own men and women at arms as she floods the C.I.A. Black Project Ops Site. The good news is Taylor, Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow came prepared with Scuba Rebreathers while the bad news is that the 54i are fanatical and not done trying to kill them yet.
[explosions]
MARETTI: What the hell was that?!
DIAZ: A shit ton of C4! Sounds like Vanguard Squadron 2's new friends!
KANE: Vanguard Squadron 1, we have multiple explosions across the Facility! You have to move now!
TAYLOR: You heard her! Let's get the hell outta here!
SHADOW: 54i aren't letting up! Run and gun!
[Rampart 17 fire]
[VAPR-XKG fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[VMP fire]
[ICR-7 fire]
KANE: Overwatch Drone shows 54 Immortals and a VTOL Warship all over the surface! They're blowing the whole building to drown you!
HENDRICKS: KEEP MOVING! THE WHOLE PLACE IS COLLAPSING!
[54 Immortals chat and yell at each other]
TAYLOR: Start scanning for those HVIs. We need to know exactly where they are.
KANE: I'm going through our satellites for Sebastian Krueger and Dr. Yousef Salim. Should have their whereabouts in a few minutes.
TAYLOR: Kane, I hope you got a plan 'cause we're about to drown!
With no other option for survival and escape, Vanguard Squadron 1 unanimously agree to trust Kane's exit strategy.
KANE: Alright, I'll talk you through it. Open that door and flood the lab.
HENDRICKS: What?! Are you insane?!
KANE: Not if this works. Your Rebreathers should have more than enough air to get to the surface.
HENDRICKS: Shadow?
SHADOW: Yeah, it's the only chance we have. Let's go.
[Taylor, Sarah, Diaz and Maretti nod]
HENDRICKS: Okay, but if this goes wrong, I'm gonna come back to haunt you, Kane.
SHADOW: Rebreathers on!
[Taylor, Hendricks, Diaz and Maretti wear their Scuba Rebreathers]
[Shadow removes his headgear pieces]
SARAH: I got you, baby. *opens Shadow's Switchback* *grabs Shadow's Scuba Rebreather*
SHADOW: *wears Scuba Rebreather* Thanks, honey.
SARAH: *stores Shadow's headgear pieces in his Switchback* Of course. *wears Scuba Rebreather*
HENDRICKS: Shit! The Immortals jammed this door shut! I gotta override its system! Cover me!
TAYLOR: Defensive positions! Form up!
HENDRICKS: Just a few more seconds!
KANE: I've ID'd Krueger and Dr. Salim's whereabouts.
TAYLOR: All in good time, Kane. We've got bigger problems right now.
HENDRICKS: It's unlocked! Taylor, gimme a hand!
[Taylor and Hendricks pry the doors open]
[splash]
HENDRICKS: What now, Kane?
KANE: Above you. Marking your HUDs. Blow those doors. Water pressure will shoot you straight up to the silo.
SHADOW: Good thing our uniforms can now protect us from underwater shock waves.
SARAH: Good thing all Forrester High-End guns can shoot underwater.
HENDRICKS: Stack up, team. Once we blow the doors, the pressure's gonna yank us outta here! Taylor, Diaz, C6.
[Taylor and Diaz plant a C6 Breaching Charge each]
[C6 Breaching Charge detonation]
[Vanguard Squadron 1 rides the water pressure all the way to the silo]
[Drakon fire]
SHADOW: Status: All accounted for. We're at the silo again, but don't let your guard down. Vision Pulse sees 54i combat divers and Combat Robots moving in.
[KN-57 fire]
[Hades fire]
[Spitfire fire]
[Auger DMR fire]
[Koshka fire]
[MOG 12 fire]
HENDRICKS: Alright, stay on my tail. We're not out of this yet.
KANE: Heads up. The 54i VTOL Warship's dropping a swarm of Depth Charges in your way. Stay clear of them.
[VAPR-XKG fire]
HENDRICKS: No way around them. We need to take out those charges.
[Rampart 17 fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[SDM fire]
HENDRICKS: Bridge coming down! Get outta way!
[bridge collapses]
[Spitfire fire]
[bullets hit]
TAYLOR: Argh! Taking heavy fire! My Rebreather's damaged! Losing air!
HENDRICKS: You gotta swim faster!
[Hades fire]
[bullets hit]
TAYLOR: Ah! My O2 (Oxygen) level's critical! I need to break to the surface!
SHADOW: Cover Taylor and kill 'em all faster!
[Rampart 17 fire]
[VAPR-XKG fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[SDM fire]
[Drakon fire]
[KN-57 fire]
[bullets hit]
TAYLOR: My Rebreather's gone! My Rebreath— *chokes*
[Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow reach the surface]
HENDRICKS: Where's Taylor?!
MARETTI: I see him! He's going under!
SHADOW: *removes Scuba Rebreather* I'll get him! *keeps and replaces Taylor's broken Scuba Rebreather with his own*
[Taylor and Shadow reach the surface]
SHADOW: Grab Taylor first!
[Hendricks helps Taylor up on terra firma]
SARAH: Grab my hand, Tyler! *helps Shadow up on terra firma*
SHADOW: Thanks, Sa— VTOL! *boost jumps at the 54i VTOL Warship's cockpit* HOOYAH!
[Grav Slam Spike detonation]
[Shadow boost jumps back to terra firma]
[splash]
[Depth Charge detonation]
[54i VTOL Warship explodes]
SARAH: Shit, Tyler, are you okay?!
SHADOW: Yeah, I'm good.
DIAZ: Real above and beyond the call, Shadow.
SHADOW: Taylor?
HENDRICKS: You alright, Taylor?
TAYLOR: I'll be fine, guys. Thanks, Shadow.
SHADOW: I got ya.
Aphrodite's escape plan works with Taylor, Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow back on dry and solid ground despite some problems caused by 54 Immortals underwater combat teams and a VTOL Warship, which was immediately shot down unconventionally by Vanguard 1-6 with his Grav Slam Spike on the cockpit. But for Kane, there is no time to ease up because Ramirez did not just expose Project MK-ASHLEY to the word.
TAYLOR: Kane? Kane!
KANE: It's not good. Ramirez didn't just upload everything about Project MK-ASHLEY directly to our enemies. He also released the locations of every C.I.A. Safe House in the world, including this one. Overwatch Drone confirms. The Immortals are already on their way here. We can't stop 'em. You need to get out of Singapore. DO NOT come for me. Do you copy, over?
SHADOW: Vanguard Squadron 1 copies, Aphrodite. Fine by us. No deep cover C.I.A. S.O.G. Operatives all around like back in Ninh Binh, huh?
TAYLOR: (off comms) There will be. (on comms) Hang in there, Kane. We're coming for you.
Despite her direct order to not come back to Singapore City to extract her, Vanguard 1-2 has everyone rearm on board Moonlight 1-2, who are now operating a G-2064 Mothership, for an unauthorized rescue mission. All while writing the latest AAR on his journal.
TAYLOR: (journal entry) Field Assessment. Target K.I.A.: U.N. Defector Juliet-Romeo. Mission Status: Open. February 20th, 2065 - 11:01:26. This document has been designated "Eyes-Only", with approval for the following members of W.A.S.F. Wetworks Division and C.I.A. Special Activities Center listed on the attachment. It will remain classified ongoing at this time, and certain sections may be further redacted prior to submission. The following report outlines to the existence of a covert operation run by the C.I.A. Records of which have been expunged from Langley archives. This information has only received LNO Kane's sign-off because it may provide insight into the mentality and motivations behind the defectors' actions. (The incident at C.I.A. Safe House - Singapore will be addressed in the following report.) Vanguard Squadron 2's last op was to investigate a silent alarm triggered from an off-grid position somewhere deep beneath the Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility. Following in their footsteps, our own investigation has indeed provided some insight into their actions in the aftermath of their final mission. Beneath the Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility, my team and I discovered an abandoned C.I.A. Black Project, designation: Project MK-ASHLEY, involving experimental D.N.I. trials on human test subjects. After positively identifying one of the deceased, it was Vanguard Squadron 1's conclusion that the subjects were most likely appropriated into the program from the local criminal underclass. More damaging than the ethical issues of unsanctioned human trials, our investigation uncovered details linking this project to the Coalescence Corporation Singapore Disaster of 2059. Details of the devastating tragedy that occurred in late January of 2059 are well-known, but responsibility for the 300,000 civilian deaths has always been attributed to negligence on the part of Coalescence Corporation. The information we uncovered suggests that this C.I.A. Black Project was the direct hypocenter of the disaster. As previously reported, an unanticipated target termination occurred on site within the Project MK-ASHLEY server room. It was at this location that we encountered First Sergeant Javier Ramirez in the process of uploading additional intel to our enemies, most notably the locations of all C.I.A. Safe Houses worldwide, including C.I.A. Safe House - Singapore, where our LNO was currently located. Once the target was incapacitated, Hendricks conducted a reluctant interrogation which yielded several key pieces of information: Vanguard Squadron 2 had bartered the data drives for safe passage out of Singapore, and was now en route to Cairo in pursuit of two HVIs. Survivors of the Coalescence Corporation Singapore Disaster: Dr. Yousef Salim, a behavioral psychotherapist who is believed to have relocated to Cairo, and Sebastian Krueger, location unknown. After extracting this information, Hendricks eliminated the target, an act which was clearly of some emotional consequence to him, given their long-standing friendship. Soon after this action, the 54 Immortals launched a large-scale attack on the site, which resulted in the destruction of the Coalescence Corporation Singapore Facility. In close tactical coordination with our LNO, my team and I extracted relatively unscathed, only to discover that the Immortals were now launching an assault on her position. Taylor, out.