Ground Control

(Five Grumman A-6 Intruder jets fly in formation over Kuwait. The camera pans down to the desolate Kuwaiti landscape with smoke billowing from the oil fires as two of the same jets burst out of the smoke. One of them opens fire with its machine gun on the Iraqi troops while another fires a missile at the tanks, blowing both of them sky high)

(The scene shifts to a US military base as Adler stands around, observing the environment around him while smoking a cigarette. Captain Lawrence Sims, now a US Army soldier, exits a nearby tent as another soldier greets him)

Soldier: Captain Sims--

Sims: Not now

(Sims walks up to join Adler)

Sims: Figured if I stuck around hell long enough, I'd see the devil

Adler: How's he look?

Sims: 'Bout what I expected. I left Langley because of you. You remember that, don't you?

Adler: Central Command, huh?

Sims: It's above the table, Unambiguous. Maybe you should give it a try

Adler: Oh no, it's a little late for me. So, can you get us to Gusev?

Sims: I can get you close. But Doc, this is it for me. I'm on a different path now. Once you get what you need, I'm out

(Adler tosses away his cigarette)

Adler: That's the second time I've heard that this week

(Sims places his hand on Adler's shoulder and sighs)

Sims: Lord, give me strength. Get your crew. We leave in five

(Sims walks away, leaving Adler alone as he sighs)

(A group of M1A2 Abrams tanks rolls across the Kuwaiti desert while a few AH-1 Cobra helicopters and one UH-60 Blackhawk fly above the tanks. The camera shifts to the BlackHawk)

USAF Pilot: Eagle-2, breaking formation

(Inside the Blackhawk, the pilot signals with his hand for landing. Troy Marshall sits next to the pilot)

Marshall: Five klicks out! That tank line should keep the Iraqis busy enough for you to slip in behind. Gusev won't see you coming

(Adler, Sims, and Bell sit in the cabin compartment, where Adler hands Sims a photo of Matvey Gusev to look at)

Sims: That's him? Top lab rat for an army of mercs?

Adler: Gusev's developing the Pantheon's bioweapon. He'll know what they're planning. Wonder how he sleeps at night

(Sims chuckles)

Sims: You got some advice for him?

(Adler takes the photo from Sims as several jets fly past the Blackhawk)

Adler: Gusev better still be in one piece when we find him

Sims: This is a warzone, Adler. That's why I'm coming with. Make sure you don't mess it up

(Adler turns to Bell)

Adler: Guess that makes us a fireteam

Sims: Bell. Good to see you again

Bell: Lets just get this done

Marshall: Cut the chatter and get moving. I'll be your eyes, so stay on comms!

(The Blackhawk begins to descend to the ground and lands right outside the airport. Adler, Sims, and Bell dismount)

Sims: Hold up, Bell. Adler's on the hunt, but we still got rules out here. I trust you'll follow them

Bell: Yeah, yeah, sure

Adler: Let's go!

(Bell equips his LW3A1 Frostline Rifle as he, Adler, and Sims proceed on foot to the airport entrance)

Sims: Coalition airstrikes are wrapping up. That's our cue

Adler: Entrance is on the other side of the parking lot. Let's move

(Bell, Adler, and Sims move through the overpass as they reach the airport parking lot, which has been devastated by the airstrikes)

Adler: There's the entrance to the airport terminal

Sims: Airstrike cleared the way

(Suddenly... Bell, Adler, and Sims come under fire from Iraqi snipers firing from the overpass)

Sims: Contact! Snipers on the overpass!

(The Iraqis fire mortars at the team)

Adler: Got mortar fire!

Sims: Clear 'em out!

Bell: Firing!

(Adler and Sims do their best to provide suppressive fire while Bell deals with the snipers and mortar teams)

Adler: Mortar teams cleared

Sims: You got em. Nice job. Let's push up!

Bell: Lead the way

(Bell, Adler, and Sims move up through the parking lot to the terminal entrance. More Iraqi soldiers exit the terminal and attack the team)

Sims: Reinforcements comin' out of the terminal!

Adler: They're in our way! Push through 'em!

Bell: Light em up

(Bell, Adler, and Sims start battling their way through the airport guns blazing, taking out a lot of Iraqi soldiers)

Sims: We're almost clear!

Adler: Clean up the stragglers!

(Eventually, all of the Iraqi soldiers are killed)

Sims: Area's clear

Adler: Let's get through that terminal

Bell: We'll be one step closer to finding Gusev

(Bell, Adler, and Sims enter the terminal building)

Adler: Gusev's plane is on the other side of this terminal

Sims: We still have a lotta ground to cover

Adler: Right. Let's hurry

(The team enters the cafe area and encounter more Iraqi soldiers)

Bell: Hostiles!

Sims: Return fire!

Adler: Going right!

Sims: Taking left!

Bell: Taking center!

(More enemy soldiers enter the cafe)

Sims: We got incoming! Far side near the back!

Adler: I see 'em

Bell: Engaging

(Bell, Adler, and Sims dispatch the Iraqi soldiers until the area is cleared)

Sims: Clear!

Adler: Let's open that gate

Sims: Gotta hell of a body count going

Adler: That a problem?

Sims: Just hope this Gusev guy is worth it

Adler: He is

(Bell, Adler, and Sims reach the entrance to the next area where smoke grenades suddenly go off)

Adler: Smoke!

Sims: Get back!

Bell: Tossing grenade!

(Pantheon soldiers emerge from the smoke and engage the team, including one elite shotgunner. Bell's grenade takes out a few of them)

Pantheon Soldier: Open fire!

Pantheon Soldier: Got eyes on Adler's team

Adler: Pantheon!

Sims: Shotgunner up front!

Bell: I'll get him!

(Bell grips the barrel of the pantheon shotgunner's shotgun with his metal arm, crushing the barrel and kicking him off his feet. The shotgun explodes in a fiery blaze when the pantheon shotgunner tries to fire it)

(Bell dispatched the shotgunner, forcing the other soldiers to fall back)

Adler: Shotgunner's down! Nice one

Pantheon Soldier: Fall back! Regroup!

Sims: Pantheon's falling back!

Bell: Don't let up!

Adler: Keep pushing through!

Sims: Shit. These Pantheon guys are for real

Adler: Now you know what we've been dealing with

Sims: Push through!

(Bell, Adler, and Sims encounter more Pantheon soldiers in the next area)

Adler: More troops ahead! Let's go!

Pantheon Soldier: Pull back!

Pantheon Soldier: They're pushing up! Defensive positions!

Adler: Heavy resistance ahead! Must be stalling for Gusev!

Pantheon Soldier: Stop them!

Pantheon Soldier: Hold them back!

Pantheon Soldier: Don't let 'em advance!

(Bell, Adler, and Sims engage and dispatch the Pantheon soldiers. Another Pantheon soldier fires an RPG at the team)

Sims: RPG's! Right balcony!

(Bell snipes the RPG soldier, killing him)

Sims: We clear?

Bell: I think so

Adler: Clear. Move up!

(The team observes Gusev's plane through a torn-out section of the wall)

Adler: Gusev's plane is on the right! Hasn't hit the runway yet

Sims: Coalition tanks'll be in range any minute now

Adler: Then, let's get to the gate!

(Bell, Adler, and Sims continue on through the terminal to reach Gusev's plane. They reach another area with some wounded enemy soldiers)

Adler: Got some injured here. Check your corners

Sims: They look unarmed. Stay cool

(One of the wounded men shouts out in Arabic and makes a suspicious move, forcing Adler to shoot him)

Sims: Adler!

Adler: What? Saw him reach for a gun

Sims: He was unarmed! We got rules, Adler!

Adler: Pantheon has a bioweapon. The rules went out the window

Bell: Can we just get back to the mission?

Sims: Unbelievable

(Adler spots a Pantheon cache on the counter)

Adler: Ammo cache on the counter. Gear up

(Bell, Adler, and Sims arm up and stack up by the door in the office area where they overhear Pantheon soldiers in the next area)

Pantheon Soldier: Hostiles in the offices! Lock and load!

Sims: They know we're here

Adler: Bell, do the honors

(Bell opens the door to the next area where he, Adler, and Sims engage more Pantheon soldiers)

Pantheon Soldier: Hostiles! Open fire!

Adler: Move in!

Pantheon Soldier: Don't let them reach the gate!

(Pantheon Elite soldiers are seen engaging)

Adler: Machine gunner, right side!

Sims: Snipers! Far end of the corridor!

Adler: Reinforcements moving left side!

Bell: Incoming!

(Eventually, after an intense firefight, Bell, Adler, and Sims eliminate the soldiers in the area)

Sims: They're down!

Adler: Let's get to the gate!

(Bell, Adler, and Sims reach the gate to Gusev's plane)

Sims: There's the passenger jet bridge!

Adler: Hurry!

(Just as they reach the jet bridge, the doors burst open and Pantheon Elite soldiers, including a juggernaut, enter the area)

Sims: Hostiles in the jet bridge!

Adler: Looks like a handful!

Bell: Find cover!

Pantheon Soldier: Kill 'em! Don't let them board the plane!

Adler: More Pantheon!

(Bell, Adler, and Sims shoot that place up, killing the pantheon soldiers and wearing down the juggernaut until they kill him as well)

Adler: We're clear!

Sims: Let's get on that plane!

(Bell, Adler, and Sims enter the passenger bridge)

Sims: No way this plane's taking off now. It's pinned between us and the tank line

Adler: Marshall, we're about to board

Marshall: Copy. Grab him and go. Coalition's almost on your ass

(The team reaches the end of the bridge and enters the jet plane cabin where more Pantheon soldiers await)

Adler: Sweep the cabin

Bell: Sweeping

Pantheon Soldier: Engage!

Sims: Ambush!

Adler: Hostiles up ahead! Cut 'em down!

Pantheon Soldier: This is it! Stop them!

(A Pantheon soldier deploys RC-XD, but Adler shoots it)

Adler: Watch the aisles for RCs!

Sims: We gotta clear this plane!

Adler: Let's secure the cabin and find Gusev!

Sims: Let's move up and take out Gusev's bodyguards!

(Bell, Adler, and Sims move through the plane, fighting their way past pantheon and heading towards the cockpit)

Adler: All clear!

Sims: No sign of Gusev yet

Bell: He must be in the cockpit

Adler: Bell, you're up!

(Bell, Adler, and Sims reach the cockpit doors. Case rips it open to find the cockpit empty)

Bell: What?

Sims: What is it?

Bell: It's empty!

Adler: It's not Gusev's plane. We took the bait. Marshall, we need eyes on Gusev, ASAP

Marshall: Searching the area now

(Adler spots the approaching tanks)

Adler: Tanks are almost here...

Marshall: Found him! Outside Terminal 3. They're taking him to a military cargo plane

Sims: Terminal 3? That's clear across the airport, Doc

Adler: So, we shortcut it across the tarmac

Sims: The hell are you talking about, man? Those tanks...

(Bell, Adler, and Sims look outside the cockpit window to see explosions go off. An explosion hits the cockpit and knocks Bell to the ground)

Sims: How about now?

Adler: Tarmac or we lose Gusev

(Adler helps Bell up to his feet)

Adler: We're sitting ducks if we stay

Sims: I hate it when he's right!

Bell: I'm with you. Lets move!

(Bell, Adler, and Sims exit the plane and move across the tarmac where they encounter Iraqi soldiers in a firefight with the coalition tanks)

Adler: Gusev's cargo plane is on the other side of the tarmac!

Marshall: You're gonna get pounded out there!

Sims: No way we'll make it in time!

Adler: I'll think of something

(Bell and Sims follow Adler into a blown out crater and watch as an Iraqi T-72 tank explodes in front of them. They proceed further, eliminating any Iraqi soldiers in their way)

Adler: Come on! This way!

Marshall: Be advised, you got Coalition helos inbound from the east!

(A trio of Coalition helicopters flies over the Iraqi tanks and launches a devastating airstrike that destroys them)

Sims: Whoa!

(A lone Iraqi T-72 tank approaches Bell's position)

Adler: Hold up, Iraqi T-72's incoming!

(The tank slows to a halt as its crew bails out and tries to run away, only to be killed by a shot from a coalition tank)

Adler: The tank crew's bailing! That's our ride. Get in!

Sims: Of course it is. Bell, let's go!

Adler: It's the only way!

Bell: I'll drive!

(Bell enters the enemy tank, followed by Adler and Sims)

Sims: Coalition tanks are gonna be gunning for us in this T-72! Fuck me, I'm gonna get pulverized by my own tank line!

Adler: Head for the underpass, Bell!

Sims: Take out those RPGs!

(Adler and Sims handle the shooting while Bell handles the driving. They roll hard through enemy lines)

Marshall: Adler, I got eyes on a T-72 tank hauling ass across the tarmac like a madman

Adler: Yeah, that'd be us!

Marshall: O-kay? Maintain heading to intercept Gusev's cargo plane

Sims: Get to the terminal, Bell!

Bell: I'm trying!

Sims: Shit! Enemy tank!

Adler: It spotted us! Take it out!

(Bell maneuvers the tank while Adler and Sims use the turret to open fire and destroy the enemy tank with the main cannon)

Sims: Hostiles are dug in outside the terminal wall!

Adler: Punch through 'em!

(Sims fires the main cannon, killing a bunch of Iraqi soldiers)

Adler: Head towards the terminal! Go!

Sims: We're running out of time!

Adler: Just like old times!

Sims: Yeah, everything's exploding!

Adler: Just like Da Nang, eh, Sims?

Sims: Yeah, that was a shit-show too!

(Bell drives towards the ramp leading up into the terminal and spots two Pantheon Juggernauts)

Pantheon Soldier: Stop running and take out that tank!

Pantheon Soldier: I'm on it!

(Sims fires the tank's turret and kills one juggernaut. Bell just runs the other one over with the tank)

Marshall: Gusev's plane just hit the runway!

Adler: Go, go, go!

(Bell continues driving through the terminal until the team spots Gusev's plane outside on the runway)

Marshall: Plane's taking off!

Adler: Bell, keep it steady! Sims, fire!

(While Bell drives, Sims fires the tank's main canon to stop the plane from leaving. The shell hits the plane, causing it to grind to a halt)

Sims: Fuck that guy!

Marshall: Target hit! Plane is grounded!

(The screen cuts to black. A short time later, the scene shifts to the runway where Gusev lies injured next to a spinning jet engine as a Pantheon soldier tries to help him up)

Pantheon Soldier: We gotta go! Come on!

(A shot rings out, hitting the soldier in the head as he crumples. Adler appears with a smoking pistol in his hand and points it at Gusev before holstering it)

(Bell, Adler, and Sims surround Gusev)

Adler: You're a hard man to find, Gusev. It's high time we had a chat!

(Adler hauls Gusev up to his feet and slams him against the jet engine's fuselage)

Gusev: Please! The Pantheon forced me to help them! They threatened my family!

(Sims searches through Gusev's pocket and inspects his wallet)

Adler: You buying that, Sims?

Sims: Nah, kids probably came with the wallet

(Adler shoves Gusev over to Bell, who grips onto him with his metal hand)

Adler: Good thing we brought our lie detector! Bell! Make him talk!

(Bell holds Gusev close to the jet engine's spinning turbine. Bell punches Gusev's nose)

Bell: What's the pantheon's target?!

Gusev: I don't know! Why would they tell me?!

Adler: You're lying

Gusev: No, I swear it! They don't share anything unless they need to!

(Adler tosses a piece of scrap into the engine, causing the turbines to speed up. Gusev cries out in terror)

Adler: You can do better than that. Bell!

(Bell punches Gusev's ribs)

Bell: What are you doing for the pantheon?!

Gusev: Jane Harrow brought me a biological agent. The Cradle. From an American lab. The Pantheon wanted me to make it infectious, more violent. The victims tear each other apart. Like animals

Adler: Who else is working with Harrow? Daniel Livingstone?

Gusev: Never heard of him

(Bell pushes Gusev closer to the spinning turbines)

Gusev: I told you I don't know! I don't! Please, you must believe me!

Adler: Pull the plug, Bell

(Bell pushes Gusev closer to the turbines)

Gusev: No, no! Stop! I don't know the target, but I can tell you where the weapon is!

Adler: Keep talking

Gusev: Vorkuta, a former Russian prison camp. It became a bioweapon lab years ago. Before it was shut down. But, it still has what they need to scale up production of the Cradle

Adler: That'll work. You can dispose of him now

Gusev: What?! No!

(Bell kicks Gusev into the jet turbine)

Sims: ADLER! He told us what he knew!

Adler: Getting soft in your old age, huh, Sims?

Sims: You've got your ways and I've got mine. Gusev should've been in my custody

(Sims walks away. Adler gets on the radio)

Adler: Marshall, you catch all that?

Marshall: Affirmative. Motherlode's in Vorkuta. I'll let the others know we're headed there ASAP

Adler: If the Cradle leaves that camp... The Pantheon could release it any time, anywhere. Millions would be at risk. It's up to us