Spec Ops: The Line

If you're just joining us, you should go back and read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 first.

A reminder:

Last time on Spec Ops, minds were scarred, consciences were shattered, and we stared into the face of madness.

We do have an actual goal now. After finding yet another mass execution, We finally made contact with Konrad. We set off to find him and put an end to the insanity we’ve witnessed (and, uh, partially caused).

I’d like to mention an aside before we continue; don’t let the striation of these articles suggest I stopped playing with frequency. In fact, starting from the communication with Konrad, I finished the rest of the game in a single sitting. I finished it all at five in the morning and regretted nothing, except for my dreams that night. And the night after.

And the subsequent week.

Once we’ve had our fill of another execution, we descend out the building and onto a sandy road. We aren’t on it for very long before Konrad presents us with a test.

Konrad explains what we’re seeing. “The Civilian on the right stole water- a capital offense. The Soldier on the left was sent to apprehend him. Which he did... killing the man’s family in the process. Five innocent people are dead because these two animals couldn’t control themselves.”

“I get it. We’re meant to choose,” says Walker, but I suspect I disagree with him on what the choices are.

My first instinct is not to make a choice the way Konrad expects me to. After all I’ve seen, I’d rather not kill either of these two men. Hell, if this is the worst they’ve done, they’re practically saints in Dubai compared to us.

I take aim at the Snipers and fire. Adams and Lugo follow my lead. Adams fires at the snipers while Lugo attempts to shoot their restraints off.

Both bodies hit the ground lifeless.

“I didn’t know you were the insubordinate type, commander.” Says Konrad.

“Walker, what the hell!?” Yells Adams, a phrase I’m hearing from him more and more.

Between Konrads taunting, Adam’s condemnation of my actions, and the men shooting at me, I can’t shake the feeling I really did fail. I do something I’ve not done yet in Spec Ops, and in fact, try to avoid doing at all in any game where the impact of choices lie at the core of the experience.

I reload.

Then shoot the soldier. The food thief runs free. Adams still condemns that we played along at all.

Konrad has a different reaction this time. “Not the choice I would’ve made, but you acted. That is commendable.” Konrad’s approval provides me with the false sense of accomplishment I was seeking, and for a moment, convinces me I’ve earned his good graces.

I start to reconsider when his men start shooting at us just over the horizon.

“Colonel, call off your men!” Walker asks.

“And deny them vengeance for what you did at the Gate? I think not.”

As the firefight ensues a sandstorm blows in, concealing our vision. Konrads men continue to blindly fire at us. We can overhear their confusion as they look for us in the blistering sand. Eventually we come across a 33rd waving a flare, attempting to guide his other men to safety.

We do what we do best. Kill him and take the shelter for ourselves. As we wait for the storm to pass Walker taunts Konrad, promising we’re on our way to remove him from command.

When the pursuit continues we encounter the CIA again. They’re pinned down in a firefight with the 33rd. After Gould’s death and our complete debauchery of a rescue job, I’d forgotten they were still players in this disastrous ouroboros of a city. Delta gets their rescue on and we meet Riggs, the leader of the CIA group in Dubai.

Riggs is quite possibly the most stereotypical military man in existence. If you’ve seen James Cameron’s Avatar (and statistically speaking, you probably have), just imagine the antagonist and you’ll have an excellent working idea of who this man is. He expresses no gratitude for our rescue, but he does let us in on what he’s been trying to accomplish since Gould’s disappearance.

He’s got a sound plan to regain control of Dubai and its citizens. The 33rd control the water supply. If the CIA can take over the water tankers, they can force the populace to comply with their requests. What those requests are is beyond me, but “stop killing each other” might be a good starting point. After what we’ve seen (and, uh, done) anything seems like an improvement.

One lengthy fire fight and a hundred dead bodies later, Delta hands a series of big rigs with water tankers attached over to the CIA. Walker grips on to the side of one in the rear with a Grenade launcher in hand. The boys of Delta defend the rigs as the CIA attempts to drive them out of 33rd territory.

Our body count grows, but the 33rd displays an impressive amount of vehicles at their disposal, and an equally impressive willingness to throw them at my limitless grenade launcher. The path of our tankers is lined with the charred remains of jeeps and helicopters.

Riggs becomes convinced we cannot survive the onslaught. I feel differently with my grenade launcher in hand... but I soon discover it doesn’t matter what I feel, because Riggs plows all the tankers into the side of a building.

Its a remarkably counter-productive move on his part, I think, but I start to understand why as the next scene loads. If failure is imminent, Riggs is resorting to slash and burn tactics.

No water, no people. He’s going to kill everyone in Dubai.

Walker comes to inside a burning building. Someone is standing over us. Even with the blurry vision, I can tell who it is. Konrad.

“In four days, the city will begin dying of thirst. Just like Riggs wanted. This is your fault, Walker. You did this. Not me.”

I don’t think Konrad is entirely right to condemn us this time.

Well, he’s spot on about the people of Dubai being done for. Can’t argue that.

But the boys of Delta have made many mistakes.

Throwing in with Riggs, a man who represented the authority of the US government and at least seemed to have a decent plan of regaining control, hardly makes their top three. Five minutes ago the boys of Delta struggled to come up with anything on their own, and this seemed like a pretty solid plan. Well... before the plan resulted in the complete extermination of Dubai, at least.

It’s then I realize I’m attempting to rationalize our mistakes. An old saying comes to mind. Something to do with good intentions, hell, and a lot of paving.

When I regain control, Walker is gripping his side. The people of Dubai herd around the destroyed tankers, attempting to salvage any water spilling from the destroyed hulls. As I approach they turn to face me. One begins to scream and point in my direction. I’m sure he’s blaming me for this, and rightly so.

There are many citizens surrounding me now.

I have no side arm.

If things get ugly here, its over.

To my surprise they let me pass. Nothing further ensues.

A few more paces later I find Riggs pinned under a, um... Rig. Walker tries to move him, but its futile. Riggs knows he’s done for. He tells Walker to knock it off.

He confirms the motivations I already suspected, but expands on them further. There’s a political move to this. Riggs intends to cover up the fact a U.S. Commander took control of Dubai through complete annihilation of everyone within. He decides this to be the preferable course of action, lest the rest of the world look down on us as tyrannical nation.

At this point, I’d forgotten an outside world even existed.

Riggs knows this is his end. I take his side arm from him.

He asks me to end it.

For a moment, I’m tempted to refuse and let the flames consume him. I feel betrayed. I’ve seen nothing but chaos since I’ve been here, and only the CIA boys ever seemed to have a grasp on how to end it with only a smidgen of violence, as opposed to the grandiose amounts we’ve seen (and caused). Riggs suckered me in with a plan that made sense, and then tarnished it in the most devastating way possible.

I decide we’ve seen enough suffering in Dubai. I shoot Riggs in the head and move on.

Adams makes contact. “And Riggs?” he asks.

“No, not good. He fucked us. Fucked everybody.”

I suddenly recall Konrads’ condemnation of our actions, which isn’t hard since it happened only minutes ago. Walker speaks as though he had no hand at all in what occurred, but the truth is without Delta, the tankers would’ve never ended up in Riggs’ hands. I don’t think we’re entirely at fault, but Walker’s absolvement of his actions is just as unrealistic.

Continued in Spec Ops: The Line, Part 5
(view all parts)