February 21st, 2065 - 06:00:18, W.A.S.F. Support Division G-2064 Mothership, Callsign: Moonlight 1-2, Asian Airspace, Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow start the day off by criticizing Taylor for not checking his corners and nearly getting killed by Goh Xiulan as they review his vest cam footage in Moonlight 1-2's main touchscreen. But immediately after, they get back to business by asking how Kane is doing and whether or not Vanguard 1-2 is okay with the fact that Vanguard Squadron 2 has become American traitors in the eyes of the C.I.A. and W.A.S.F.
HENDRICKS: You forgot to check your corners again, didn't you?
TAYLOR: Kane was in imminent peril. I had to rush.
SHADOW: Wow, excuse of the year. If it weren't for her uncontrollable emotions, Goh Xiulan would've ended the BOTH of you in there!
HENDRICKS: *sighs* I know you are leadership material already, but you still have a long way to go.
TAYLOR: Why? What else do I have to learn?
SHADOW: A lot more things you have to find out for yourself. There is always something new to learn. Learning is forever. Even I'm not done learning, growing or changing yet.
TAYLOR: Probably because you need to research for the book you're gonna publish, SEAL.
SARAH: Stop, now!
SHADOW: *gently holds Sarah back* Yeah, whatever. Now, back to business.
HENDRICKS: Thanks, Tyler. Speaking of Kane, how is she?
TAYLOR: She's strong. The meds should have her on her feet in a matter of hours. The scars... they'll take longer.
HENDRICKS: So, you're okay with this?
TAYLOR: Okay with what, Hendricks?
HENDRICKS: Okay with the fact that people like us, our "former" friends, decided to turn traitor in the eyes of the C.I.A. and the Winslow Accord. And now we've gotta hunt them down.
TAYLOR: They leaked classified intel that has allowed our enemies to know exactly where and when to strike. They implicated the C.I.A. in the Coalescence Corporation Singapore Disaster. Their actions have destabilized the entire W.A. So, yes, you bet your ass, I'm okay with this.
MARETTI: Bullshit. It's just the C.I.A. who's destabilized. It's their Black Project alone, not a collab with the Winslow Accord.
TAYLOR: And are you certain that the C.I.A. won't bring the W.A. with it in its collapse?
[5 second pause]
TAYLOR: Didn't think so. Now, get out of my way.
DIAZ: So heartwarming.
SARAH: What is?
DIAZ: You really would make a great wife, Sarah.
SARAH: *blushes* Oh, ha ha. *flips Diaz off*
[Diaz and Maretti laugh]
[Shadow and Hendricks shake their heads and quietly chuckle]
12:02:27, Egyptian Airspace, on final approach to M.O.B. Ramses Station, Vanguard Squadron 1 ft. Kane assembles in the Briefing Room, gets ready to deploy altogether, and lays out the reality of the situation. Well, O.G.A.'s facts about the ball game anyway since this is still their joint combat tour.
TAYLOR: Thanks to Vanguard Squadron 2, our technological encryption protocols are no longer secure. Any contact with the C.I.A. could inadvertently compromise allied operations even further. As of now, we're unplugged.
HENDRICKS: So you two are telling us that we're on our own? *sighs* Such bullshit.
TAYLOR: Easy, Hendricks. This isn't Kane's fault. We know Vanguard Squadron 2's looking for the surviving members of the Black Project. Sebastian Krueger is off the grid. Whereabouts unknown.
SHADOW: In other words, his location is classified because, of course, the C.I.A. would know where he is. They should. He's one of them.
KANE: Used to be one of us.
SHADOW: Yeah, sure, whatever you say.
TAYLOR: Anyway, Dr. Yousef Salim, however, is alive and well in Cairo. Our allies in the Egyptian Army are holding him at Ramses Station...
COMPUTER: (visually) *shows Taylor's ID picture* Captain TAYLOR, John/W.A.S.F. Executive Officer/Mission: Interrogate Dr. Yousef Salim about Vanguard Squadron 2 and Project MK-ASHLEY *shows Dr. Salim's dossier*
TAYLOR: ...one of the few territories not to fall to the N.R.C.
Upon arrival, Taylor, Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti, Kane and Shadow have to take the base of operations' subway system because alert levels for N.R.C. air raids are high.
--
Rise And Fall
M.O.B. Ramses Station, Cairo, Egypt
CPT. John Taylor
W.A.S.F. Wetworks Division, C.I.A. Special Activities Center, El-Sa'ka Forces
February 21st, 2065 - 12:27:15
--
[subway train stops]
HENDRICKS: *snaps his fingers in front of Taylor's face* Hey. You still with us?
[doors open]
TAYLOR: Yeah, I just... zoned out for a second there.
HENDRICKS: Not a bad idea. I think we just traded one bad situation for another.
TAYLOR: Glad I'm not the only one feeling déjà vu.
KANE: We are fighting a losing battle. The information Vanguard Squadron 2 released helped the N.R.C. target strategic weak points in the Egyptian military defenses. They are gaining territory fast. Civilian casualties are high. Cairo's on the brink of total collapse.
SHADOW: And yet, I still can't think of a reason why we should care. Major Shadi's foot is already out the door. Egypt is publicly proven guilty of raping four female American soldiers while not a single N.R.C. Average Joe has even seen one. You and SecDef donating Forrester High-End weaponry and ammo like candy looks like another devious Black Project.
DIAZ: It seems our Australian and South Korean partners were right to not give a shit.
KANE: But we the C.I.A. give a shit. And you are under us now. Which means you all should give a shit. Egypt is our ally and friend. A far better one than New Zealand or North Korea.
SARAH: *shakes head* Semantics.
TAYLOR: Shadow, Hall, Diaz, Maretti, please shut the fuck up. We are so tired of your shit. Hendricks, this is their last warning.
HENDRICKS: That's W.A.S.F. business, and that is not your call to make.
TAYLOR: *sighs* Let's hope this doctor character talks fast and gives us something useful.
HENDRICKS: He will. You don't hide out in Cairo unless you're really trying to run away from something.
Meeting them at the underground train station entrance are Khalil and Major Shadi, the last two best of the best in El-Sa'ka Forces. While Vanguard 1-2 and Aphrodite are glad to see the former, the rest are happier to meet the latter again.
[Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow hug Major Shadi]
KANE: Colonel Khalil?
KHALIL: We were told you were coming. We have your prisoner.
KANE: *extends right hand* We appreciate your help...
[Khalil shakes Kane's hand]
KANE: ...especially as we're not exactly on the books.
TAYLOR: Good to see you, Khalil.
[Khalil nods at Taylor]
SHADOW: Hey, Aharon, I got something for you. *gives Ballistic Shield to Major Shadi* The Captain America variant of the Ballistic Shield. Now you can protect lives and dance even faster.
MAJOR SHADI: *equips and deploys Ballistic Shield* *smiles* *nods* It is perfect. Thank you, Shadow. For everything.
SHADOW: You have been a true friend to us for all these years. It is the least we can do.
KHALIL: (Arabic) Major, get back to your post outside.
MAJOR SHADI: (Arabic) Sir. (English) Excuse me.
[Hendricks, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow nod]
KHALIL: We hoped you would bring reinforcements. Drones, robots, munitions... *looks at Sarah* anything.
SARAH: As if, asshole.
KANE: SHH!
TAYLOR: Winslow Accord resources have been stretched thin in the wake of the recent intelligence leaks. But we have bigger problems. Your prisoner may have vital information on the men responsible for the N.R.C.'s latest attacks. If we apprehend them, we'll be able to ensure more support for your army.
HENDRICKS: That's the polite way of saying your shit's fucked up right now because your precious warmongering C.I.A. charity case's illegal activity was exposed. You want help? Beg SecDef and your country's elite some more.
KHALIL: We were LUCKY to secure Dr. Salim before the N.R.C. advance. I warn you, we may not be able to ensure his safety much longer.
HENDRICKS: Don't worry. We won't need him long.
[Khalil signals Vanguard Squadron 1 ft. Kane to hold position]
EGYPTIAN ARMY SOLDIER: Move! Move!
KHALIL: *signals to move up* Our men are ill-equipped to deal with the N.R.C.'s robots.
KANE: What's your operational strength?
KHALIL: We have less than a thousand men, a dozen armored vehicles, and a squadron of VTOLs. Essential supplies are low.
TAYLOR: How are you still holding on?
KHALIL: You can thank Raul Menendez.
HENDRICKS: What?! Raul Menendez was a hypocritical egomaniac who thought he could make a better world by FUCKING everyone up!
[Kane gestures at Hendricks to calm down]
KHALIL: After the strikes of '25, all Winslow Accord nations had to abide by The Allied Drone Defense Act.
DIAZ: Did SecDef really let Egypt into that policy?
MARETTI: How the fuck did she get that past the American, Australian and South Korean votes? Egypt isn't a W.A. nation.
KANE: SecDef really appreciates Egypt's strategic value. And so should you.
SARAH: What, is she an ambassador now? Because I'm sure she's doing a spectacularly shitty job at that right now.
KANE: SHH!
KHALIL: Directed Energy Air Defense Systems must protect all major military, civilian and industrial targets in allied nations. The D.E.A.D.S. are the ONLY reasons we are still here!
HENDRICKS: Maybe so, but I wouldn't thank Menendez. He was a prick who got what he deserved!
KHALIL: We are preparing a temporary CC (Command and Control [Center]) for your use. Links to Langley and Washington are down, but you can still connect to our local systems. The doctor is being held in our interrogation space.
KANE: *leads Khalil out of the interrogation space* Thank you for your cooperation, Colonel. Appreciate it. *gives thumbs up*
Once in the Egyptian Armed Forces' makeshift interrogation space, Kane gets the pictures of Stone, Ramirez, Fierro, Conrad, Chase and Jackson uploaded and displayed on the monitor, Hendricks starts talking to Dr. Salim, and Taylor subtly places C.I.A. Tracking Gel in the cup of water he is going to give to the Doctor.
[doors open]
DR. SALIM: I do not know or care who you are.
[Taylor fills a cup with a water dispenser and quietly adds the C.I.A. Tracking Gel]
DR. SALIM: But you are holding me without cause, and I demand to speak to a legal representative!
HENDRICKS: That would be me! HAVE A SEAT! *sits Dr. Salim down* I got this! *points at Taylor* Take a walk!
Kane: It's okay. Let him run with it.
[doors close]
HENDRICKS: These men right here. Do you know them?
[Dr. Salim nervously shakes his head]
HENDRICKS: *slams table* DO YOU KNOW THEM?!
DR. SALIM: No.
HENDRICKS: Well, they know you. Or at least they'd like to. You were involved in a biotech company called the Coalescence.
[Dr. Salim drinks his water]
HENDRICKS: Or more specifically, the C.I.A. *slams table* BLACK PROJECT *points* RUNNING OUT OF ITS BASEMENT!
DR. SALIM: That was a long time ago. A li— A lifetime ago.
HENDRICKS: Yeah? Well, your past, it's catching up to you. And RIGHT NOW, you're in very REAL DANGER! Not only are the N.R.C. carving Cairo to pieces, but these men may very well want you dead! So, as your legal representative, I ADVISE YOU TO COOPERATE FULLY WITH THIS INVESTIGATION!
DR. SALIM: I worked as a behavioral psychotherapist for the Project's test subjects.
HENDRICKS: Yeah, these test subjects in Singapore.
[Dr. Salim nods]
HENDRICKS: Were they volunteers?
DR. SALIM: By the very tone of your voice, I am in no doubt as to what you are inferring. Likewise, I am in no doubt... that you already know the answer to your question.
HENDRICKS: Let me ask you another. *flips table*
[cup shatters]
[Hendricks grabs Dr. Salim and holds him against the window]
KANE: WHOA! HENDRICKS, STAND DOWN!
HENDRICKS: WHAT IS PROJECT MK-ASHLEY?!
[explosions]
[M.O.B. Ramses Station alarm blares]
[Hendricks drops Dr. Salim]
[doors open]
HENDRICKS: FUCK!
TAYLOR: Maybe Kane should run a psychological diagnostic.
[doors close]
HENDRICKS: Listen, if I need a check-up, maybe I'll ask the damn Doctor. Kane, what are we dealing with here?
KANE: N.R.C. forces are converging across the city. They're converging on key checkpoints around the Station. It's an all-out assault.
HENDRICKS: Let's take it to 'em.
[Vanguard Squadron 1 ft. Kane nods]
Unfortunately, the questioning is cut short when the Nile River Coalition assaults M.O.B. Ramses Station with an initial wave of G.I.U.s and R.A.P.S.es (Rolling Anti-Personnel Sentry). But the Egyptian Army and El-Sa'ka Forces are able to repel the attack thanks to Vanguard Squadron 1 and the active D.E.A.D.S. Anti-Aircraft Lasers.
[VKM-750 fire]
[KN-57 fire]
[ICR-7 fire]
[VAPR-XKG fire]
[ICR-1 fire]
[KN-44 fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[Hades fire]
[Paladin HB50 fire]
[Koshka fire]
[Razorback fire]
[MX9 fire]
[205 Brecci fire]
[SG12 fire]
[Rampart 17 fire]
[VAPR-XKG fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[VMP fire]
[Drakon fire]
HENDRICKS: All clear! That's the last of them.
TAYLOR: Kane, patch us into Egyptian Army Command.
EGYPTIAN ARMY COMMAND: (Arabic) Ramses 1-1 (M.O.B. Ramses Station), priority target is N.R.C. convoy moving on Eastern Checkpoint. ETA: 1 minute. Request all emergency defense units move to reinforce position, over.
MAJOR SHADI: (Arabic) Ramses 0-1 (Egyptian Army Command), this Platinum Hawk 2. Roger that, we are on the way to the Eastern Checkpoint with help. But we will need VTOL transport if we are going to get the Mobile Wall to it in time, over.
EGYPTIAN ARMY COMMAND: (Arabic) Confirmed, Platinum Hawk 2. VTOL support inbound, over.
KHALIL: Get us out there, Taylor. My ass-kissing second in command will meet us with Spike Launcher Trucks.
SARAH: People in glass houses.
DIAZ: Ooh, shit.
TAYLOR: Quiet, both of you! *clears M.O.B. Ramses Station's main entrance*
[VTOL Warship flies by]
KHALIL: We have to hurry!
MAJOR SHADI: Hendricks, Taylor, you are riding this Spike Launcher Truck with Khalil and I. Shadow, Sarah, Seb, Peter, yours is the one behind us.
[Shadow nods]
DIAZ: Copy. Thanks, brother.
KHALIL: Get in!
En route to M.O.B. Ramses Station's Eastern Checkpoint on Spike Launcher Trucks with an Egyptian Air Force VTOL Warship carrying a Coalescence Mobile Wall overhead, Khalil and Major Shadi fill their men and the W.A.S.F. Wetworks Division in on the situation with the HUDs.
MAJOR SHADI: Eyes up on your Heads-up Displays! Be briefed in English for our guests, or be sorry!
EL-SA'KA FORCES OPERATORS: MAJOR!
EGYPTIAN ARMY SOLDIERS: MAJOR!
MAJOR SHADI: The following key strategic positions, including the old metro tunnels beneath the Eastern Checkpoint, are rigged to blow. Detonation is our last resort. But it will be fine if we are forced to it as long as we complete our primary objective. Our primary objective is to eliminate the N.R.C. armored convoy en route to breach the Eastern Checkpoint. IS THAT CLEAR?!
EL-SA'KA FORCES OPERATORS: YES, MAJOR!
EGYPTIAN ARMY SOLDIERS: YES, MAJOR!
MAJOR SHADI: GUNS UP!
HENDRICKS: Thanks for the briefing, Major. We're not here to fight your war, Colonel. We just want our prisoner.
KHALIL: If we lose the Eastern Checkpoint, you will not have a prisoner.
[BlackCell fire]
[explosions]
[Egyptian Air Force VTOL Warship drops the Mobile Wall]
[Mobile Wall forms up]
[Egyptian Air Force VTOL Warship crashes]
TAYLOR: Dammit!
HENDRICKS: So what was your plan, Boy Scout (Khalil)?!
KHALIL: Our Spike Launchers were used to demolish buildings. We planned to use them to weaken the tunnel supports, but that damn wall dropped before we could get the TRUCKS INTO POSITION!
TAYLOR: LADIES! For once, I say *takes a Spike Launcher from the truck* stick to Plan A.
MAJOR SHADI: *opens the Mobile Wall's doors* *deploys Ballistic Shield* (Arabic) GET BEHIND ME AND THE WALL! GO!
[bullets ricochet]
[bullets hit]
[VKM-750 fire]
KHALIL: (Arabic) I want men in position now! Get men on that Wall to lay down suppressing fire! Keep on them! Do not give them a chance to breathe! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!
The small hiccups in the planning and the N.R.C. presence in the AO have forced the Egyptian Armed Forces to be ready to use their last resort. But before it can be executed, Taylor, who is now carrying a Forrester High-End Spike Launcher around with big help from his Exo Suit, has to destroy the Eastern Checkpoint's old metro tunnel supports so that the place will be too cratered for any more enemy assaults.
5 minutes of careful advances and retreats later, Vanguard 1-2 succeeds in weakening the Eastern Checkpoint enough for the last-ditch effort to work. And just in time as the worst of the Nile River Coalition armored convoy responsible for taking the AO comes with an ASP-M (Autonomous Sentry Platform - Missile Launcher Variant), the missile-launching brother variant of the ASP-C.
[Rampart 17 fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[Paladin HB50 fire]
[Dingo fire]
[Drakon fire]
[VKM-750 fire]
[ICR-7 fire]
[Koshka fire]
[KN-57 fire]
[ICR-7 fire]
[VAPR-XKG fire]
[ICR-1 fire]
[KN-44 fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[Hades fire]
[Paladin HB50 fire]
[Koshka fire]
[Razorback fire]
[MX9 fire]
[205 Brecci fire]
[SG12 fire]
[bullets penetrate]
[bullets hit]
[Maddox RFB fire]
[ICR-7 fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Saug 9mm fire]
[VKM-750 fire]
[Swordfish fire]
[SG12 fire]
[Outlaw fire]
[bullets ricochet]
[bullets hit]
[Hendricks grabs onto an N.R.C. Combat Robot's Dingo and swings the support gunner itself against a road barricade]
[VAPR-XKG fire]
[Spike Launcher fire]
HENDRICKS: Blow it!
[Spike detonation]
HENDRICKS: That's it, we got 'em all! Fall back to the Wall! Go! Go!
KHALIL: We have to blow the street, Taylor! Get back here now!
[ASP-M fire]
KANE: Brace for impact! Javelin Missiles inbound!
HENDRICKS: INCOMING!
[explosions]
KHALIL: BLOW IT!
[Outlaw fire]
HENDRICKS: They're demo specialist's down! Get up there, Taylor! We'll cover you!
TAYLOR: *grabs the fallen Egyptian Army Soldier's tactical pad* *tries to detonate* There's a problem!
HENDRICKS: What now?!
[Maddox RFB fire]
[VKM-750 fire]
[bullets ricochet]
[bullets hit]
TAYLOR: *takes cover* I got it! *plants Hacking Module*
[N.R.C. Combat Robot stabs an El-Sa'ka Forces Operator with its sharp right knife hand]
[Taylor equips his Rampart 17]
[VAPR-XKG fire]
HENDRICKS: Detonate now!
[Eastern Checkpoint explodes]
[N.R.C. Gun Trucks explode]
[ASP-M explodes]
The Eastern Checkpoint fends off an N.R.C. breach, and Platinum Hawk 1 thanks Taylor for the victory. But as everyone picks themselves up and rearms, the supposed calm after the storm is cut very short when hostiles are trying to breach the northern checkpoint known by the callsign: Safiya Square, and the nickname: Abdeen Palace.
KHALIL: Thank you. *holds onto Taylor's left shoulder* I will not forget this.
[Taylor holds onto Khalil's right arm]
HENDRICKS: You're welcome. Can we get back to our prisoner now?
[Khalil nods]
[explosions]
EGYPTIAN ARMY COMMAND: (Arabic) We need reinforcements to Safiya Square! Heavy N.R.C. artillery has broken through!
HENDRICKS: *sighs* I guess not.
KHALIL: Abdeen Palace. They are looking for another way into Ramses.
MAJOR SHADI: Safiya Square and Abdeen Palace are our callsigns for the northern checkpoint of M.O.B. Ramses Station.
TAYLOR: Secure the area, Colonel. We'll rendezvous at the Square.
KHALIL: *pats Taylor's back* Understood.
TAYLOR: Kane, it feels a lot like they're trying to keep us away from the Station. Why would that be?
KANE: Wait, I think— *enemy explosion*
EGYPTIAN ARMY COMMAND: (Arabic) BREACH! WE HAVE A BREACH AT RAMSES 1-1— *static*
However, the raids on the Eastern and Northern Checkpoints turn out to be a diversion as Vanguard Squadron 2 and their Nile River Coalition partners breach the Egyptian Armed Forces' base of operations and capture Dr. Salim. Aphrodite is just lucky to have slipped away with Moonlight 1-2 before the enemy death squads could find her.
TAYLOR: Kane?! KANE, ARE YOU OKAY?!
KANE: It was Vanguard Squadron 2. They took Dr. Salim.
HENDRICKS: Vanguard Squadron 1 rogers, Aphrodite. Interrogative: How did Vanguard Squadron 2 find Yankee-Sierra (Dr. Yousef Salim)? How did they know we had him?! IS THERE SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT TELLING US?!
STONE: Vanguard 2-1 to all Vanguard Squadron 1 callsigns, Aphrodite's telling the truth in this regard, Hendricks, over.
HENDRICKS: Stone?! Is that you?! I don't know what the hell is going on!
STONE: Oh, don't worry, Vanguard 1-1. You'll know everything. We just have to get that everything ready first. Vanguard 2-1, out.
TAYLOR: Kane, can you run a trace?
KANE: Not right now. Moonlight 1-2 is shaking off bogeys and bandits as we speak.
With the Doctor already long gone, all Vanguard Squadron 1 can do is clear the path leading to Safiya Square/Abdeen Palace and reinforce the northern checkpoint itself.
MARETTI: Street's clear!
SARAH: Aphrodite, this is Vanguard 1-3. Come in. Aphrodite, this is Vanguard 1-3. Come in, over.
[static]
SARAH: Eh, some help.
HENDRICKS: Hold it, team. We got a friendly down ahead.
MARETTI: Scanning for life signs.
[MR6 fire]
[Egyptian Air Force Airman painfully screams]
TAYLOR: That's life sign enough for me. Moving in.
HENDRICKS: Taylor, give me hand with this.
DIAZ: I'll be ready to scoop up any survivors or fallen allies.
HENDRICKS: Ready?
[Taylor nods]
HENDRICKS: One, two, three.
[Taylor and Hendricks force the downed Egyptian Air Force VTOL Warship's cargo door open]
TAYLOR: Hey, buddy, anybody else alive in there?
[wounded El-Sa'ka Forces Operator directs to the cockpit]
[Diaz and Shadow get the wounded and fallen El-Sa'ka Forces Operators out]
TAYLOR: Friendlies comin' in!
HENDRICKS: Watch your step in there. This bucket's hanging by a thread.
[Egyptian Air Force Airman points his MR6 at Taylor]
TAYLOR: *puts his hands up* WHOA, WHOA, WHOA, hold fire! Friendly! Winslow Accord!
[Egyptian Air Force Airman lowers his MR6]
EGYPTIAN AIR FORCE AIRMAN: *opens flight helmet* Help me. Please.
Before Safiya Square/Abdeen Palace itself is a downed Egyptian Air Force VTOL Warship. The only survivors of the aircraft are one El-Sa'ka Forces Operator and an Egyptian Airman, who cannot move because of a steel wire stuck in his aorta.
TAYLOR: Damn. SHADOW, I NEED YOUR DISASTER CUTTING LASER NOW!
SHADOW: Here, catch! *tosses Disaster Cutting Laser to Taylor* And cut quick!
TAYLOR: *catches Shadow's Disaster Cutting Laser* *cuts steel beam short* Okay, I'm gonna move you now. Take a deep breath.
[Egyptian Air Force Airman nods and inhales]
[Taylor removes the Egyptian Air Force Airman from the steel beam and his seat]
EGYPTIAN AIR FORCE AIRMAN: *painfully screams* My wingman.
TAYLOR: I'll get him out, too.
[Shadow and Diaz get the wounded Egyptian Air Force Airman out of the cockpit]
TAYLOR: *removes the fallen Egyptian Air Force Airman from his seat* Here, take—
[cockpit slips]
[Taylor throws the fallen Egyptian Air Force Airman to safety and boost jumps there himself]
[cockpit falls]
TAYLOR: That was too God damn close. *returns Disaster Cutting Laser to Shadow* Thanks, Shadow.
SHADOW: Yeah, of course. Great save. *holsters Disaster Cutting Laser* Shall we?
HENDRICKS: Yeah, they need help! Jump down!
[Vanguard Squadron 1 boost jumps down to Safiya Square/Abdeen Palace]
It was because of Shadow that all casualties of the downed friendly troop transport were safely extracted, and Taylor did not have to abruptly fall to the northern checkpoint. Now, at the new AO itself, Vanguard Squadron 1 uses everything they have in their arsenal to liberate the place from the N.R.C. and their Gun Trucks, Talon-Gs (Talon - Gun Variant), Talon-Rs (Talon - Rocket Pod Variant), A.G.R. Mantises (armed with two guided missile launchers), A.G.R. Hounds (Automated Ground Robot: Hound Class) (armed with a Death Machine Minigun and a rocket pod), A.G.R. Cerberuses (Automated Ground Robot: Cerberus Class) (armed with an armor-piercing automatic cannon and an anti-armor rocket launcher), R.A.P.S.es, ASP-Cs, and ASP-Ms.
I cut out the vague dialogue of Taylor/Stone and Hendricks because this is the real world, not the Player's carefully constructed D.N.I. journey to closure.
[VAPR-XKG fire]
[Tempest fire]
[XR-2 fire]
[Titan fire]
[Tempest fire]
[Paladin HB50 fire]
[Dingo fire]
[Micro-Missile Launcher fire]
[Rampart 17 fire]
[Repulsor Shield Generators power down]
[Spike Launcher fire]
[Spike detonation]
[N.R.C. Gun Trucks explode]
[R.A.P.S.es explode]
[ASP-Ms explode]
[ASP-Cs explode]
[A.G.R. Cerberuses explode]
[A.G.R. Hounds explode]
[A.G.R. Mantises explode]
[Talon-Gs crash]
[Talon-Rs crash]
MARETTI: No more signatures in Vision Pulse. We got 'em all, team.
HENDRICKS: That's the last of 'em.
But despite Safiya Square/Abdeen Palace being secured, the Nile River Coalition still wins the battle and takes M.O.B. Ramses Station. With N.R.C. VTOL Warships flying more ASPs in and Kane's report about the Egyptian Air Force's D.E.A.D.S.es being destroyed by N.R.C. raiding parties signaling the good guys' defeat.
TAYLOR: Hold up.
HENDRICKS: We don't have time to hold up. Let's go.
TAYLOR: No. We're missing something.
HENDRICKS: Missing what?
KHALIL: Where is the D.E.A.D. System?
[N.R.C. VTOL Warships fly by]
KANE: Ramses D.E.A.D. System is down! Repeat, Ramses D.E.A.D. System is down!
MAJOR SHADI: Main Operating Base Ramses Station has fallen.
[ASP-M fire]
[explosions]
HENDRICKS: SHIT, TAKE COVER!
After finding shelter from the ASP-M artillery fire, Platinum Hawk 2 stays frosty and keeps thinking clearly, but Khalil takes the loss hard until Vanguard 1-2 shares the piece of victory that can be snatched from the jaws of defeat with him directly: the C.I.A. Tracking Gel inside Dr. Salim's system. And because this small chance was hidden from the team, Vanguard 1-1, Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow get suspicious and mad at Taylor and his suspected partner in crime.
MAJOR SHADI: Okay, I need to slip into Lotus Towers undetected and get General Hakim's exact location for a solo assassination operation in front of The Egyptian People.
KHALIL: You said you would help us. Instead, we have lost Ramses. And soon, THE REST OF CAIRO!
TAYLOR: Khalil! It's NOT too late. The people who did this are traitors. They're gonna continue to help the enemy. We need to fight back.
KHALIL: You do not even know where they are.
TAYLOR: Kane, you got a fix on your Tracking Gel I slipped Salim?
KANE: Signal's holding steady. Target's on the move and holding in the Cairo U.S. Embassy (because Kebechet/Kebochet is a fictional place in the city Treyarch made up).
[Hendricks glares at Taylor]
[Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow confusedly look at each other confused]
TAYLOR: Roger that. See you at the mobile safe house.
KHALIL: I hope I am right to trust you.
[Sarah, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow glare at Taylor]
HENDRICKS: *pushes Taylor* THERE A REASON we're only finding out about this tracking shit right now?! YOU AND KANE INTO KEEPING SECRETS FROM THE REST OF VANGUARD SQUADRON 1?!
TAYLOR: You need to back off, Hendricks, team. Your heads haven't been straight since we iced Ramirez back in Singapore.
[Hendricks punches Taylor in the face]
TAYLOR: *falls to his right knee* Kane... didn't make the call. I did. We have a chance. We find Salim, we find Vanguard Squadron 2.
HENDRICKS: *helps Taylor back up* I shouldn't have done that. I'm just... having second thoughts about this whole damn mission.
SHADOW: We all are, Taylor.
TAYLOR: Yeah, I understand. But we've got a job to do.
HENDRICKS: I know. It just feels wrong.
KANE: Wait. Before we get up until the air, where are we gonna go? With Ramses gone and without a temporary operating base, we'll be trapped and killed.
HENDRICKS: *sighs* She's right. Where are we gonna go?
SHADOW: Vanguard 1-6 to Aphrodite, I think I know a place. Gotta switch comms channels to confirm with a DEVGRU friend of mine. Standby. Manhattan, this is Gold 1. Go secure, over.
MANHATTAN: Secured. Shoot.
SHADOW: Listen, the entire Egyptian Armed Forces, or what's left of 'em anyway, my team, C.I.A. Special Activities Center, and I are in quite the trouble here in Cairo. We need to get out of Egypt for a few days. Request to use the old Elysium Checkpoint in the Syrian Desert as a temporary base of ops, over.
MANHATTAN: Okay, I see. I see. You need some SEALs and other Sailors to help set up shop?
SHADOW: Negative, we and our "allies" can handle that ourselves.
MANHATTAN: Roger that, I'm clearing The Elysium Checkpoint and handing it over to you now. It'll be empty and all yours when you get there. God bless Northrop Grumman and their G-2064 Mothership.
SHADOW: God bless Northrop Grumman and their G-2064 Mothership. Tango Mike. I owe ya.
MANHATTAN: Negative, I owe you one less. Stay frosty, Shadow.
SHADOW: Stay frosty, Manhattan. Gold 1, out.
16:13:09, The Elysium Checkpoint, Syrian Desert, Iraq, Vanguard Squadron 1 ft. Kane is able to rally the Egyptian Armed Forces to the decommissioned Winslow Accord forward operating base that is safe, easy to secure, and off the grid.
DIAZ: *whistles* Damn, Shadow, brother. When you have friends who own army bases.
SHADOW: *chuckles* Ah, the SEAL Teams come over here to train in all sorts of combat scenarios. From big team firefights in the open battlefield to CQB in these buildings.
KANE: It may be a good thing the Egyptian military can install power generators and put their air wing on the tarmac and in the hangars, but I expected this place to be active and up to U.S. Military standards. This ain't it, chief.
SHADOW: Hey, I said a viable temporary operating base, not a state-of-the-art forward operating base. You should know that before I even mentioned this place. After all, it was you who got SecDef to shift 80 percent of USSOCOM's budget to O.G.A.'s overpriced modernization developments! Oh, you're complaining about the quality of this decommissioned installation because SOCOM can't afford to maintain?! Well, that's the reality of this once mighty Elysium Checkpoint! This base is held together with baling wire and duct tape! The engineering Sailors of the USS Donald Trump and Naval Air Station Oceana had to rebuild that *points* air traffic control tower themselves! Try counting your blessings instead of complaining, especially when that bad boy is better than new and fit enough to direct an air wing like it used to! *sighs* Come on, I'll take you to our living quarters.
HENDRICKS: (seriously) 80 percent? (sarcastically) Nice move, C.I.A.
TAYLOR: Hendricks, knock it off.
After setting up in the best barracks of The Elysium Checkpoint, Taylor heads for the taxiway to write his journal there.
TAYLOR: (journal entry) Interrogation. Mission Status: Open. February 21st, 2066 - 16:39:28. Priority One: Interrogation of HVI Dr. Yousef Salim. Imperative to secure him before Vanguard Squadron 2. Following the intel leaks from Singapore, C.I.A. emergency security comms protocols were enacted. At this time, we remain cut off from Langley. En route to Cairo, we got word that local Egyptian Army forces had successfully secured the HVI for interrogation. Local EA (Egyptian Army) and El-Sa'ka Forces CO on site, Colonel Zeyad Khalil, and his second in command, Major Aharon Shadi, coordinated the effort. Recent events have highlighted the undeniable fact that Hendricks, Hall, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow are deeply unsettled by this mission, and their emotions are starting to affect their performances in the field. Nowhere was this more apparent than during the first meeting with the Egyptian Spec Ops CO after some time. Though Col. Khalil was cooperative in our operation, Hendricks, Hall, Diaz and Maretti shared their hatred and mistrust for him due to his late team's actions towards the late Fireteam First Light 6 years ago, his support for late narco terrorist Raul Menendez, and Secretary of Defense Savannah Mason's addition of Egypt into The Allied Drone Defense Act without the American, Australian and South Korean votes, misguided or not. And while Shadow may not have said a word whenever he was in his vicinity, he never let him out of his sight. He must have expressed his hatred and mistrust more passively aggressively compared to the others. Reasons for this method are still unknown at this time. Nowhere was this also more apparent than during the interrogation of the HVI. Though Dr. Salim did reveal additional information relating to the MK-ASHLEY Black Project, Hendricks grew visibly aggravated throughout his questioning and came close to breaching our operational mandate. Hendricks, Hall, Diaz and Maretti's erratic behaviors did not go unnoticed by our LNO. Privately, she confided that certain information had been withheld from our initial briefing. Specifically that Vanguard Squadron 2 had been marked for termination immediately following their discovery of the MK-ASHLEY Black Project and their threats to go public. It was Kane that personally called in the C.I.A. Black Bag Team to terminate the squad upon their return to C.I.A. Black Station - Singapore. When their efforts failed, we were called in with the same purpose. Given recent events, I have decided that this information should continue to be withheld from Hendricks, Hall, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow. During our interrogation, the N.R.C. launched an assault on Main Operating Base Ramses Station. The attack involved a larger scale ground force, a multilateral coordinated strike, targeting strategic weak points in the defenses of the M.O.B. The N.R.C.'s effort was primarily directed at disabling the Egyptian Armed Forces' Direct Energy Air Defense Systems in order to enter the airspace unopposed. The precision of the attack suggests that they were acting on intel procured through the C.I.A. leaks released by Vanguard Squadron 2. Further collusion with the N.R.C. is implied by the fact that Stone and his team used the distraction of the assault in order to breach Ramses Station and capture our HVI Salim. In the wake of the battle, we began preparations to abandon the M.O.B. in order to pursue Vanguard Squadron 2 and the HVI via the C.I.A. Tracking Gel I had placed on him prior to the interrogation. Knowledge of the tracker was initially withheld from Hendricks, Hall, Diaz, Maretti and Shadow. A fact in retrospect appears has only to have furthered their suspicions regarding my relationship with the C.I.A. But before we could follow the C.I.A. Tracking Gel, we had to regroup, rearm and redeploy from a safe environment. Luckily, Shadow provided us with the old and decommissioned Elysium Checkpoint sitting on the Iraqi side of the Syrian Desert. He explained that the U.S. Navy SEALs use it as a training area for all sorts of combat scenarios and the C.I.A. convincing SecDef to shift 80 percent of USSOCOM's budget to their "overpriced" modernization developments caused the decommission. But, I digress. Tracking signal pinpoints Dr. Salim in the abandoned Cairo U.S. Embassy. Taylor, out.