Bishop Takes Rook

(Scene of the U.S. Capitol Building being projected on the wall with the year 1989 before switching to some guns falling on top of its stockpile)

Reagan: Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate

(Scene of The Washington Telegraph publishing the collapse of the Berlin Wall)

Reagan: ...an entire class of US-Soviet nuclear missiles is eliminated

(Scene of VHS tapes shown and a television showing a man talking on the phone and a container truck driving in a populated area filled with citizens and cars before switching and first introducing Troy Marshall)

Gorbachev: ...means that... the era of nuclear disarmament has begun

(Scene of a newspaper publishing the end of the Cold War and showing Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev shaking hands before switching and introducing Jane Harrow)

Bush: ...forced the world into war. We will stay the course, and we will succeed

(Scene of a newspaper publishing about President George H. W. Bush and the Nuclear Arms Reduction before switching and introducing Sevati Dumas, Felix Neumann, and Frank Woods)

Bush: There can be no pause now...

(A television showing breaking news about U.S. troops being deployed to Iraq)

Bush: And there can be no doubt Operation Desert Storm is working

(Scene of a television with fire and smoke in the background before several newspapers cover it and show the year 1991)

(In a CIA interrogation room...)

Livingstone: Are you denying that?

Harrow: We have discussed it already-

Marshall: What more do you want, Livingstone?

Livingstone: Enough!

(Daniel Livingstone slams a file onto the table as he conducts the investigation)

Livingstone: You disobeyed a direct order, Mr. Marshall, when it was clear your op was compromised

Marshall: With all due respect, sir - you weren't there

Livingstone: And the group that compromised you, the... Pantheon. You sure that's who they were?

Woods: That's what Alawi called 'em. When are you gonna tell us what's really goin' on here?

(Woods, who is in a wheelchair going for a cigarette, lights it and smokes it)

Livingstone: I'm asking the questions here, Mr. Woods

Harrow: Sir, if you read the report-

Livingstone: I read your report, Ms. Harrow. Some of it I still find hard to believe. That's why we're going to go over events again. Only this time... I want to hear it from Marshall. From the beginning

(Marshall and Woods glance over each other before the former took off his glasses)

Marshall: We were in position near the Iraq-Kuwait border. Small team. Me and Harrow

(Kuwait, 1991)

(An overview of the land with fires coming from a dozen towns before switching to a view of a convoy)

Harrow: Heh. Alawi is ahead of schedule

(Scene shows Harrow and Marshall observing the convoy)

Marshall: Whoever he's meeting won't wait around for long

Harrow: No. Not if it's a smuggler. I'm sure Alawi's paid top dollar to get himself out of the Middle East

Marshall: Guess it doesn't really matter. He's coming with us

(Marshall flips his cap backwards and gets on his scope)

Marshall: Outlaw 42, we've got our eyes on the convoy. Painting the target. Over

USAF Pilot: Roger, Ground. Target confirmed. Waiting on your go. Over

Harrow: Do it

Marshall: Outlaw 42, you're cleared to engage. Out

(Harrow readies her MP5)

Harrow: Let's go get him

USAF Pilot: Copy, Ground. Engaging and out. Here comes the traffic jam

(Outlaw 42 drops two bombs at the convoy, causing some vehicles to get destroyed and flipped while the rest of the convoy comes to a halt)

(The team in the truck drives towards the convoy)

Harrow: He'll be in the middle of the convoy. And remember, Livingstone wants Alawi alive

Marshall: Noted. Faraj, straight to the exfil point

Faraj: Yes, yes. Do not concern

Marshall: Five minutes

(Harrow and Marshall exit the truck)

Harrow: Alawi is a Minister of Defense and close to Saddam. His guys will be well-trained and heavily armed

Marshall: Movement. Truck doors

Harrow: Got it

(Marshall opens fire at the hostiles)

Harrow: There's that shooting I remember

Marshall: Two targets down

Harrow: More to come. Keep pushing into the smoke

(An enemy screams while on fire before Marshall puts him down)

Marshall: And another one

Harrow: They'll know we're here soon. Be ready

Marshall: Threats ahead

(The team spots the enemies at the convoy and begin firing)

Marshall: Let's do this!

Harrow: Engaging!

(Marshall and Harrow all open fire, moving cover to cover)

Harrow: Alawi's in a black truck. Clear the road, let's find him fast!

Marshall: Copy, black truck! Keep pushing up. Find Alawi!

(Marshall covers Harrow as she runs ahead, taking out a few hostiles before finding the black truck)

Harrow: Black truck, we got eyes on it!

Marshall: Behind the truck!

(Harrow takes out a hostile Marshall spotted)

Marshall: I got eyes on Alawi's truck. Middle of the road

Harrow: I'm with you. Troy, take the door

(Marshall opens the door)

Alawi: La!

(And it ends with Alawi jumping and grabbing Marshall)

Harrow: Alawi

(Harrow hits Alawi on his head with the butt of her rifle)

Marshall: I got him

(Marshall grabs Alawi)

Marshall: Stay calm. We're not here to hurt you

Alawi: CIA? We had a deal!

Marshall: A deal? Not with us. Where you headed?

Alawi: Kol Khara, you lie! Your man was getting me out!

Marshall: Our man? Who exactly-

(A few helicopters flew by the team)

Marshall: That us?

Harrow: No. It's not Iraqi either

Alawi: Pantheon

Marshall: Pantheon?

Alawi: We need to leave. You won't stand a chance against them

Harrow: They haven't spotted us. Let's keep it that way. Come on

(Marshall helps Alawi up as the two, and Harrow start walking before the screen fades to black)

(Back to the present)

Livingstone: Let me get this straight, Mr. Marshall. The group you claim to be the Pantheon... was a "multinational, heavily armed paramilitary force" that showed up out of the blue

(Livingstone closes the file and drops it on the table)

Livingstone: At this point, you're told to wait for backup, but you decide to play cowboy instead

Marshall: We had to act fast. Our window was-

Livingstone: Ms. Harrow, did he or did he not disobey your order?

Harrow: Yes, sir. But the accelerated timetable-

Livingstone: That's what I thought. I've come to expect this from you

(Livingstone pointing to Marshall)

Livingstone: But not from you

(Livingstone now pointing to Harrow)

Harrow: Sir, our objective was to recover Alawi by any means necessary-

Livingstone: Oh, I'm aware. So, care to explain why he's on a slab in the morgue right now?

Marshall: Things got... complicated

(Back to Kuwait...)

(Marshall, Harrow, and Alawi oversaw some choppers unloading their soldiers)

Marshall: Who are these people?

Alawi: The Pantheon is composed of former European and US operatives. I don't know who leads them

Harrow: They're blocking our exfil. We call in reinforcements and wait

Marshall: Wait? The hell with that. Faraj, come in. We're headed your way

Harrow: No, we're compromised. Alawi will slow us down

Marshall: Alawi, you going with us or the Pantheon?

Alawi: I'm going with you

(Marshall takes out his pistol and hands it to Alawi)

Marshall: Know how to use one of these?

Harrow: Dammit, Troy

Alawi: Yes

Marshall: Smart man. Lets start by softening 'em up

(Marshall deploys an RC-XD car and uses it to detonate near the Pantheon soldiers, killing a group of them)

Marshall: That's our opening.

Harrow: Let's punch through it!

(Marshall and Harrow engage the pantheon soldiers. Alawi helps out where he can)

Harrow: These Pantheon boys can fight!

Marshall: Keep pushing to the rally point! South of the convoy!

Harrow: Keep pushing to the RP!

(The team moves up as a few more hostiles arrive)

Alawi: In the bushes!

(The team kills all Pantheon soldiers)

Marshall: Rally point's through that canyon!

Alawi: You could be leading us into an ambush!

Harrow: It's the only way out

Marshall: Faraj, we're getting close

(Faraj doesn't respond)

Marshall: Faraj, come in!

Alawi: Are you sure he'll be there?

Harrow: You just worry about not slowing us down

(The team starts to move through the canyon)

Harrow: We're open targets down here. Pantheon could pick us apart...

(While proceeding forward, Pantheon came by and start firing at the team)

Marshall: Contact! Pantheon has the high ground

Alawi: You cannot let them take me!

(The team moves up with more Pantheon soldiers waiting for them)

Marshall: We're almost to the RP. Keep pushing!

Alawi: Up ahead! That one is taking cover behind the trucks!

(Marshall and Harrow all work together to eliminate the pantheon soldiers)

Harrow: Clear!

Marshall: Rally point's to the west! Go! Why the hell do these guys want you so bad, Alawi!?

Alawi: Get me out of here and I will tell you everything I know

Marshall: Damn right you will!

Harrow: Or I'll kill you myself!

Marshall: Faraj will meet us at the bottom

(The team jumps down towards the rally point and slides down a slope just as their truck arrives)

Marshall: Faraj! Think we're good

Harrow: Everyone all right?

(Marshall helps Alawi up and starts escorting him to the truck)

Alawi: Is this your-

(The scene starts to move in slow-motion before the driver is revealed to be Russell Adler - armed with a pistol - as he walks towards Alawi)

Alawi: No, no, no, no-

(Adler shoots Alawi in the head, killing him)

Harrow: Adler!

Marshall: Stand down!

(Adler starts fighting Harrow and Marshall before the two manage to apprehend him, with Marshall holding Adler around his neck)

Marshall: Wait 'til Woods gets a load of this. Goddamn. Russell Adler. CIA traitor. You been on the run, what, ten months?

Adler: Marshall, huh. Woods's new pet project. You can ease up, son. I'm all done here

(Marshall lets go of Adler before the former puts the latter's hands behind his back and ties them up)

Adler: Jane

Harrow: You just killed a high value target in cold blood

(Harrow aims her pistol at Adler)

Harrow: AND put our national security at risk

Adler: Alawi can't fall into the Pantheon's hands. Or Langley's. The CIA is compromised. But it's not me. I'm just the fall guy

Marshall: You expect us to believe that? Hey, Jane, you wanna tape his mouth shut for me?

Harrow: Yes.

Adler: Wait. I got a message for Woods

Marshall: Oh yeah?

Adler: Tell him - "Bishop takes Rook"

Marshall: The hell's that supposed to mean?

Adler: He'll know

(A helicopter is heard nearby)

Harrow: Time to go

Marshall: In the truck

(The chopper starts firing at the team as they hop in the truck with a restrained Adler and start driving away)

Harrow: I've got the launcher. I'll shoot him down

(Case grabs the CIGMA 2B launcher)

Marshall: There! On our six!

Adler: You can't outrun this!

Marshall: Swat that bird out of the sky, Jane!

(Harrow fires a missile at the chopper, but it deployed flares and evaded the missile)

Adler: What the hell are you waiting for!?

Harrow: He's popping flares!

(Harrow fires again, but the chopper deployed flares and evaded the missile again before it fires its own missile towards the truck)

Harrow: INCOMING!

(A missile nearly hits the truck)

Marshall: Hold on!

(Marshall manages to rebalance the truck)

Marshall: Everybody good?

Harrow: We're solid

Adler: For now...

Harrow: Come on!

(Harrow fires again and successfully hits the chopper)

Harrow: Bullseye!

(However, the chopper crash landed in front of the truck's path)

Harrow: Wait, Troy, look out!

Marshall: Fasten your seatbelts!

(The debris of the destroyed chopper rains down near the truck)

Adler: Oh, shit-!

(Marshall manages to avoid the debris and escapes with his team and Adler)

Marshall: Woo! Now THAT'S how you drive!

Harrow: No visible threats in the airspace. We're clear. Now to face the music on Alawi...

Adler: Good luck with that

(Back to the present)

Livingstone: Anything else to add?

Harrow: Sir, despite breach of conduct and losing Alawi, apprehending Russell Adler is a categorical windfall

Livingstone: Yes, Ms. Harrow. Bringing in a rogue operative is certainly a win. Russell Adler. The mole who betrayed us in Panama. The man responsible for your current... condition, Mr. Woods. So why was he trying to tell you something in Kuwait? "Bishop takes Rook". Any idea what that means?

(Woods takes one final smoke from his cigarette before putting it out on the ashtray)

Woods: No clue

Livingstone: Okay then. Based on Harrow's reluctant report, and the withholding of critical information regarding Russell Adler, your team is suspended

Marshall: Are you for real?

Woods: This is bullshit

Livingstone: As for you, Ms. Harrow, consider yourself on very, VERY thin ice

Woods: People like me and Adler are the reason we ain't speakin' Russian right now!

Livingstone: The Cold War is over, Mr. Woods. That makes you and Russell Adler the last global gunslingers of a bygone era. Take this time to reflect on that. Dismissed. All of you

(Woods grabs his cigarette case and leaves)

Harrow: Troy. My office in five

(Harrow proceeds to leave)

Livingstone: I'd advise you not to pursue this further, Marshall

(Marshall stares at Livingstone before he gets up and leaves the interrogation room before the screen cuts to black)

(In Harrow's office, Marshall is observing a picture on the wall before Harrow came by and opens a canned beverage)

Harrow: Heh. Are you admiring your own work?

Marshall: Can't believe you kept it

(The cutscene reveal a sketched drawing of Jane Harrow created by Troy Marshall)

Harrow: Not all reminders need to be scars

(While the two have a moment, Woods interrupts them)

Woods: Why are we here, Harrow?

Harrow: Because you know something. Care to tell me what it is you're up to?

(Harrow sits down on her chair at her desk)

Woods: Me and the kids just need some time away. You know, take a little trip. Reflect a little

Harrow: Look, I can cover your asses on my end best I can, but if things go sideways again, you're on your own

Woods: Copy that

(Woods proceeds to leave)

Marshall: Owe you one

Harrow: One? Yeah, try a dozen. Do me a favor, Troy -- don't get yourself killed

Marshall: I'll see what I can do

(Soon enough...)

(Of course Woods knew what "Bishop Takes Rook" meant. Adler was pointing him towards the black sea. 15 years prior, Woods and Adler discovered an abandoned KGB safehouse in Bulgaria called "The Rook")

(Last year before Adler's disappearance, he'd been chasing rumors of a dangerous paramilitary group. One recieving orders from inside the CIA. He believed Pantheon was developing some kind of weapon. His objective was to stop Pantheon before they strike)

(Marshall and Woods are at The Rook)

Woods: The best way to do it is to get Adler back

Marshall: That won't be easy. Especially since we've gone dark

Woods: Adler left a name to follow. It's a good start

Marshall: Well, to get a mission like that done, we're gonna need more than just two people. We need a team. What about some of your buddies from the cold war?

Woods: You gotta be shitting me

Marshall: Come on. Is there no one you can call? Like Mason?

Woods: Mason's retired, Hudson and Lazar are dead, Weaver's god knows where, and Park's in London. Doesn't leave a whole lotta options

Marshall: What about Bell?

Woods: What about him?

Marshall: Could he help us?

Woods: What, are you fucking kidding me? There's no way he'd help me, especially if it's to help Adler

Marshall: I read the case files. Bell had the chance to misdirect you, but he didn't. He chose to save the free world from Perseus. I'm guessing he wouldn't want Pantheon taking over

Woods: Adler brainwashed Bell and used him as his personal attack dog. And after he was done with him, he tried to kill him. They never found his body. Been off the grid ever since

Marshall: Look... Yeah, Adler did some fucked up shit. But we need friends, now more than ever. You got a better idea?

Woods: I wouldn't even know where to find him

Marshall: Luckily, we know someone who can

Woods: Well, if you think you can convince him, then fuck it. Why not?

(After a phone call to Harrow, she provides Marshall the information on William Bell's suspected whereabouts. Apparently the CIA's been trying to track him down)

(Marshall comes across a dead end, until he stumbles across a remote cabin, hidden away in the wilderness. He knocks on the door, but no one's home)

(Marshall sits outside, cracking open a beer, waiting for someone to show up. Eventually, a car pulls up and a man with one arm steps out)

Bell: Who are you?

Marshall: You're a hard man to find. This view is beautiful, but everything else?... Your generator stalled out, by the way

Bell: Are you lost?

Marshall: Depends. Are you William Bell?

Bell: I asked you first

Marshall: Yeah, but my answer depends on yours. Cause if you're Bell, then you're the legend of Solovetsky. The man who helped save the world from Perseus and the soviets. And the honor would be all mine. But I have to say, you don't look as... tough as I thought you'd be. What happened? You fall off a cliff?

Bell: How about you toss the bottle, hop in your car, and fuck off?

Marshall: Well that's not very nice, is it?

(Marshall puts his beer bottle down)

Marshall: Especially not since we've got a mutual friend who needs your help

Bell: I don't have friends

Marshall: Yeah, well, one particular individual spoke pretty highly about your combat skills. But me? I'm not so convinced. Can you even pull a trigger like that?

(Marshall reaches back for his beer bottle, but Bell draws his M1911 pistol and shoots the bottle in the time it takes to blink)

Marshall: Damn... Maybe that's why you don't have any friends

Bell: Go back where you came from and tell whoever sent you that I'm not interested in whatever problems they have

Marshall: Yeah? And what if these friends' problems escalate and eventually become your problems too?

Bell: Enough dancing around. Who's this mutual friend you're talking about?

Marshall: Frank Woods. And Russel Adler

(Bell's face shifts to visible surprise)

Bell: Woods is no friend of mine. And how is Adler even alive?

Marshall: I'm guessing he didn't die. The point is, a terrorist organization called Pantheon has compromised the CIA, and they're plotting to take over. We can't let that happen. And we need your help. Besides, this is your chance to stick it to the CIA

Bell: ... Ok, I'll admit, It sounds tempting...

(Marshall looks inside Bell's cabin and sees a long and rectangular locked box. He seems to know it contains the metal arm with the American flag on the shoulder)

Marshall: What do you say? Put on that metal arm. Pull some triggers. Save the world

Bell: Oh... I... Don't use that anymore

Marshall: Well, you're gonna need it. Woods is in a wheelchair, Mason's retired, Adler's missing, Park's off on some other mission, and Sims isn't exactly taking calls. Ok? I need every able body I can get. And you're all I've got

Bell: ... Fine. But I won't work for free

Marshall: You'll be well paid. After the job is done. If you take down Pantheon, we can get you a damn golden arm if you want one

Bell: Alright... Deal