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in: Missions, Season Two Missions

The Final Countdown

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"The Final Countdown" is the forty-third mission of Season 2.

Everyone in Abel is in mortal danger - and that isn't your biggest problem. A friend's going grey and a traitor's out for blood.

Cast[]

Crew[]

Scenes[]

Get Out Of Here
Runner 8 attacks Van Ark with a syringe full of sedative before unlocking your handcuffs.

Hurry Back
Janine acknowledges the bravery of the Major and Runner 8, but reminds everyone that Abel still has a traitor in its midst.

If Three Won't Come In...
Runner 3 is out on a mission to Jamie's fire station, but he isn't answering, so she's sent out Ed on his motorbike to intercept him.

Now We Have Our Answer
Runner 3 shoots Ed in the shoulder and takes Carena hostage.

Find Out For Certain
Janine insists that you still need to question Runner 3, despite the overwhelming evidence pointing towards his guilt.

The Plasmapherisis Machine...
Van Ark cuts off his own hand in order to escape the handcuffs and destroys the plasmapherisis machine, meaning Runner 8 can’t be treated.

Pied Piper
Paula remembers that there's another plasmapherisis machine at New Canton, so if they can make it there within the hour, Runner 8 can continue her treatment.

Zombie Cordon
You gather zoms and block Runner 3's escape routes. Paula and Runner 8 can take Ed's motorbike back to New Canton to make their journey quicker.

I'll Be Fine
Paula stays with the children at the fire station so Jamie can run after Runner 3 and Runner 8 can take Ed's motorbike to New Canton alone, but 8 refuses.

Run!
Runner 3 drops Carena in an attempt to distract the zombies - you need to get to her before the zombies can.

Ain't What Life's About
Runner 3 is surrounded and attempts to shoot his way out before bargaining with Jamie. You remove Carena from the scene before it gets nasty.

She's Gone
Runner 8 requests a good, clean death, which Paula emotionally reassures she can deliver. Her final wish is that you take out Van Ark.

Transcript[]

[door opens, lights turn on]

PROFESSOR VAN ARK: Enough rest time. Up on the treadmill again, Five. [treadmill beeps] We’re ready to begin the second cycle of treatment.

SARA SMITH: You left Five here in the dark?

PROFESSOR VAN ARK: Generator fuel’s in short supply. I’m very pleased with how this course is progressing. You never know, Five. You might survive the entire set of treatments. [door closes and locks] What are you doing?

SARA SMITH: Just locking the door. Standard protocol.

PROFESSOR VAN ARK: Perhaps where you come from. We’re not in -

SARA SMITH: That treatment you’ve given yourself makes you functionally immortal, does it? Nothing can harm you?

PROFESSOR VAN ARK: Yes, so whatever you’ve got in that syringe, you can put it down, Sara. I should have known not to trust you.

SARA SMITH: You should have, but you didn’t. It’s taken me a long time to get close to you with no bodyguards around.

PROFESSOR VAN ARK: You can’t do anything to me. Nothing you can do will hurt me.

SARA SMITH: I’d like to test that theory.

[glass shatters, SARA SMITH and PROFESSOR VAN ARK struggle]

PROFESSOR VAN ARK: Stop! Sara, what are you doing to me? What are you -

[handcuffs click]

SARA SMITH: Five, we don’t have much time. It’s all been for this. The Major died so he’d trust me, to get me close enough to inject him with that stuff. It will take away his healing powers, the doc’s sure of it, but it won’t take effect for a few hours. In a minute or two, he’ll wake up mad as hell, and I’ve got to get to Paula for my blood treatment to stop me going gray. Five, here’s your headset. You need to get out of here. Run!

[radio distortion]

SAM YAO: - and I’m not an idiot, and every sane person loves Curly Wurlys!

JANINE DE LUCA: I don’t, Mister Yao

SAM YAO: No, I’m talking about normal people, Janine.

JANINE DE LUCA: I do think you’re rather missing the point, here. All Runner Eight did to you was call you an idiot. She broke my arm!

SAM YAO: And the Major’s dead.

JANINE DE LUCA: Yes, that. When the Major said that sacrifices would have to be made…

SAM YAO: She had it all planned. That recording she left here for you – she knew Van Ark would check she was really dead. There was only one thing Runner Eight could do that would guarantee he’d let her in with him alone.

JANINE DE LUCA: He might not look for hidden microphones on her. Brave woman.

SAM YAO: Which one?

JANINE DE LUCA: Both of them. I -

SAM YAO: Wait, wait… [types on keyboard] There, got it. Five? You’re back online! We have full audio, partial headcam – it’s a bit grainy, but it’ll do – partial security camera feed. Yes, resolved! We’re bringing you back to Abel. Your path looks clear.

JANINE DE LUCA: Yes. Do hurry back, Five. We have...one or two tests we need to perform.

SAM YAO: How do you mean, “tests”? Five’s been through enough, with everything Van Ark just did -

JANINE DE LUCA: Mister Yao, with the Major gone, operational responsibility for this base has come back to me. We have a traitor. Someone’s planning to poison our water, or have you forgotten that in all the excitement?

SAM YAO: I – I might have done, yes. And we know that Eight was double agent secret squirrelling, and we narrowed it down to -

JANINE DE LUCA: Runner Eight, Runner Seven, Runner Five, Runner Three, Runner Ten.

SAM YAO: Runner Seven’s done a runner. [laughs] Uh, Runner Eight turned out to be a massive hero. Runner Ten, well, Jamie doesn’t have the access to Abel to poison anything. Leaving us with -

JANINE DE LUCA: Runner Three, or Runner Five.

SAM YAO: He’s just been torturing Runner Five!

JANINE DE LUCA: Either that, or administering a treatment to Runner Five. We already know that Van Ark only accepts the loyalty of people he’s been able to save from the zombie virus. A simple blood test will show whether or not you’re infected. So do hurry back, Five.

SAM YAO: Okay, you’ve lost the pack from the supermarket, but you seem to have gained a pack from the park. Why does this city have so many parks?

JANINE DE LUCA: Found it. Runner Three should be on a mission to Jamie’s fire station. He’s not answering his headset.

SAM YAO: Hmm. Could be a malfunction.

JANINE DE LUCA: Yes. Could be.

SAM YAO: Or could be that he was planning to poison us all!

JANINE DE LUCA: I’ve sent Ed out to intercept Three on his motorbike. It’s probably a headset malfunction.

SAM YAO: Ugh, and if Three won’t come in?

JANINE DE LUCA: If Three or Five don’t come in, then we have our answer.

SAM YAO: Keep running, Five. You’re heading the right way.

JAMIE SKEET: [static] Come in, Abel Township! Or any bloody runners! Come in, anyone! We’ve – we’ve got a situation, here.

JANINE DE LUCA: Receiving you, Mister Skeet.

JAMIE SKEET: Was it you who sent Ed on a motorbike? Was it?

JANINE DE LUCA: Yes, to intercept Runner Three and bring him in for questioning.

JAMIE SKEET: Well, that was a stupid idea, weren’t it? If you think someone’s a traitor, why would you send someone after them on a rattling great machine?

SAM YAO: What’s happened, Jamie?

JAMIE SKEET: Runner Three was here, helping out with the kids, yeah. They’re playing up. And then we hear this bike coming, and Three gets all – he goes all white and panicked and starts going, “Did you ask for anyone to come? Did you know someone was coming?” And I was all, “Nah, mate. Nah, I don’t know nothing.” And he – Runner Three, he -

SAM YAO: What did you see?

JAMIE SKEET: He shot Ed, didn’t he? Straight off his bike, got him in the shoulder. Ed’s alright, though. Kind of. Maybe for now. We’re trying to stop the bleeding. And Runner Three grabbed Carena! Said he’d kill her if I came after him, and just started running! Northeast, looked like.

SAM YAO: Yeah, northeast is that university lab Van Ark was holding Five in. What’s the betting Three’s heading straight for Van Ark?

JAMIE SKEET: We’ve got to get after Carena. Lord knows what he’ll do to her!

JANINE DE LUCA: I just – Runner Three? When could he possibly have – ? It seems so – ! I never would have thought he was that kind of person.

SAM YAO: Oh, and Five is, I suppose?

JANINE DE LUCA: No, I just – why would he do it?

SAM YAO: You thought it was going to be Runner Five, didn’t you?

JANINE DE LUCA: I – yes. Yes, I did.

SAM YAO: Yeah. I didn’t.

JANINE DE LUCA: Well, now we have our answer. Mister Skeet, we’ll return your lost child to you, that’s our priority. Five, I believe Runner Seven’s arms cache is now between your current position and Runner Three’s projected path. You might want to stop and pick up a few things. I expect they’ll come in useful.

SAM YAO: Oh man, that’s quite an arsenal you’ve got there, Five.

JANINE DE LUCA: Ah, I see you managed to pick up the modified device Runner Seven had been working on. That should help with… We really do need to question Runner Three, find out what happened.

SAM YAO: ...I think we know what happened, don’t we? Van Ark offered him eternal life, he jumped at it.

JANINE DE LUCA: You – weren’t you – aren’t you friends with Runner Three?

SAM YAO: He’s one of my runners, and I keep him safe, and I hope we’ve made some kind of mistake, but - yeah. Kidnapping a child… [sighs] I don’t think we have, Janine.

JANINE DE LUCA: ...You might be right. We have to find out for certain.

[static]

SAM YAO: Transmission coming in from Runner Eight. It’s a bit fuzzy. I’ll clear the signal and then patch it through. You keep running, Five.

[static]

SARA SMITH: Just checking in. Good to hear Runner Five’s away. Bad news about Three. I hope we’re wrong, but -

SAM YAO: Yeah. Yeah, we all hope that.

SARA SMITH: Paula’s got me hooked up to the plasmapheresis machine, here. It’s been too long since I was last treated. I’ll have to be here a couple of hours.

JANINE DE LUCA: And Van Ark?

SARA SMITH: Handcuffed to his own treadmill, locked in the lab. Everyone was expecting him to be in there for hours experimenting on Five anyway, so with any luck, no one will go looking for quite a while.

SAM YAO: We’re due some good luck, after all this – [crash] What was that?

SARA SMITH: Oh no! God, no!

PROFESSOR VAN ARK: Thought you could lock me up, did you? Handcuff me? Did you forget that if I lose one hand -

SAM YAO: Is he...holding his own severed hand?

SARA SMITH: You cut off your hand to get out of the cuffs?

PROFESSOR VAN ARK: I’ll grow another one soon enough. A week or two without a hand is a small price to pay. But as for you, Sara, I don’t think you’ll be healing at all any time soon.

[crashing noises]

SARA SMITH: The plasmapheresis machine – he’s smashing the machine!

[machinery shatters, door opens]

PAULA COHEN: What the hell is going on in – Professor, you’ve – your hand.

PROFESSOR VAN ARK: I believe if you cut my head off now it’d grow back, dear Paula, but let’s not try. Let’s start with you, and your treacherous little double-crossing friend, here.

SARA SMITH: I don’t think so.

[SARA SMITH and PROFESSOR VAN ARK struggle]

PAULA COHEN: You can’t. Sara, you can’t hurt him -

SARA SMITH: He’s still weak as a kitten from that drug Maxine cooked up for him. Come on, let’s get out of here.

PAULA COHEN: But we – yes. Maxine told me there was a plasmapheresis machine at New Canton. They’re your allies now, right? If we can get you there in the next hour or so, you’ll be fine. Come on!

SAM YAO: Okay, Runner Five, this is where we need you. I’ve got Runner Three on long-range cams heading towards Van Ark’s lab at the university, and Paula and Runner Eight are going to be heading back towards New Canton. We need you to do a Pied Piper, Five, if you’re brave enough.

JANINE DE LUCA: Of course Runner Five’s brave enough. For God’s sake, we’ve seen that often enough.

SAM YAO: Yeah. Yeah, so, you’ve got the device, the one Runner Seven cooked up from what Archie worked out, and - [zombie control tones ring] It’s working! Three fast zoms from half a click away are coming towards you. You know what to do – just keep running, gather as many as you can, and then lead them to cut off Runner Three and keep Runner Eight’s path clear.

SAM YAO: That’s great. Really, really good. You’ve picked up ten zoms, and still outpacing them. Now remember, we don’t know everything about how that box works yet, so don’t be tempted to get fancy. You’ve cut off one of Runner Three’s routes, and you’re forcing him further west. Now, I’m patching in Jamie into your comms, because – well, yeah, I’m losing track a bit, here.

[static]

JAMIE SKEET: What’s happened to Carena? As soon as someone’s here to look after the kids, I’m going for her!

SAM YAO: She’s safe, for the moment. Three knows we won’t attack him if he’s got a hostage.

JAMIE SKEET: I don’t like them calculations!

SAM YAO: Yeah, me either, but Runner Eight and Paula, uh, are on their way to New Canton, and uh -

JANINE DE LUCA: And Ed’s bike is at the fire station!

SAM YAO: Yes, yes, brilliant! Runner Eight, divert towards the fire station. You can take the bike back to New Canton from there. As long as Runner Five keeps that zombie cordon intact, you’ll be safe.

SARA SMITH: Roger that. [coughs] And thanks. Thanks, Five. [coughs]

SAM YAO: That’s – oh, dammit!

JANINE DE LUCA: What?

SAM YAO: Three’s a slippery one. I really thought we had him, there, with the zoms, but look – looks like he’s slipped through the net by climbing that tree, jumping down on the other side.

JANINE DE LUCA: And still carrying that child.

SAM YAO: Otherwise I’d just let the zoms loose on him.

JANINE DE LUCA: Sam, no.

SAM YAO: I would, though! I know he’s your friend, I know he is, but he’s going back to Van Ark with all the information about Abel. He would have tried to poison us all, and -

JANINE DE LUCA: Alright! Stop. But he has got that child.

SARA SMITH: We’re almost at the fire station. Is Jamie still on the line?

JAMIE SKEET: Yeah, I’m here.

SAM YAO: You’re all transmitting to each other, now, and to Runner Five, who’s in the field, herding the zombies like sheep. Shambling, gray-fleshed sheep with their jaws hanging off.

JAMIE SKEET: Where’s Carena now?

SAM YAO: I – Runner Three still has her. Runner Five is using the zombies to herd him westward and stop him getting to Van Ark, but -

JAMIE SKEET: Using that thing Arch figured out, yeah? Clever. But what’s to stop your runner just dropping Carena? Letting the zoms get her?!

SAM YAO: New Canton are sending people out after him.

JAMIE SKEET: Nah, mate. That’s going to take too long!

PAULA COHEN: I’ll stay with the other children. Runner Eight can take the bike to New Canton. Jamie, you can go after Three on foot. Get your daughter back.

SARA SMITH: No.

JAMIE SKEET: She ain’t my daughter. I ain’t got a daughter. All I’ve got is them kids.

SARA SMITH: [coughs] You all know this is stupid! Jamie, take the bike. [coughs] Go after Runner Three, get Carena back! I’ll continue to New Canton on foot. [coughs] I’ll be fine!

[zombie control tone rings]

SAM YAO: Wow, that’s amazing, Five! A whole pack of those zombies turning on your command. You’re really keeping Runner Three boxed in.

JANINE DE LUCA: Certainly the most impressive use of the device we’ve seen so far.

SAM YAO: Aw! Aw, no, look!

JANINE DE LUCA: He’s – has he dropped the child?

SAM YAO: I think he’s hoping to distract the zombies.

JANINE DE LUCA: Are we sure that won’t work? Do we know that all those zombies are under our control?

SAM YAO: No. No, we really don’t. Jamie, Runner Three’s taken a hard turn north, towards the church spire. And Runner Five, you need to get to Carena before the zombies can. Run!

[motor running]

JAMIE SKEET: Funny, this is how me and Arch met. You remember, Five? Rescuing Carena. Stupid girl. Always getting into trouble.

SAM YAO: Carena? Yeah.

JAMIE SKEET: No, Arch! I miss her, though. I guess if it was Runner Three told Van Ark our plans, it was Runner Three got Archie killed, wasn’t it?

[gunshots]

SAM YAO: Probably was, yeah.

JANINE DE LUCA: We don’t know that, no.

JAMIE SKEET: Kind of do know that. Dumps a kid in a field full of zoms to save his own skin, now he’s shooting at me. We kind of do know what he’s done.

SIMON LAUCHLAN: [gunshots] Get away! Get away from me, or I swear, I will kill you! You can’t make me go back to Abel. They’ll tell all sorts of lies about me, you know, Jamie! [gunshots]

JAMIE SKEET: You’ve always been a terrible shot, mate.

[CARENA cries]

SAM YAO: There’s Carena, Five. Pick her up quickly and get her back to the fire station.

JAMIE SKEET: Mister Skeet, we want to bring Runner Three in for questioning. Even if all you say is true, he’s still -

SIMON LAUCHLAN: I’ll take you back to Van Ark with me, Jamie, come on!  You and me! I never meant to get anyone hurt. He can make us immortal, you know. Never die, not ever! Wouldn’t that be amazing, I mean, totally -

JAMIE SKEET: Nah, mate. That’s not what it’s about. Didn’t no one ever tell you? That ain’t what life’s about at all.

SIMON LAUCHLAN: You know Archie and I were friends, Jamie. I never meant all that to happen to her. Van Ark told me he just wanted to talk to her, and – [empty gun clicks]

JAMIE SKEET: Archie was a good girl. She would have been forgiving. But I think about what happened to Jasper, and to Archie, and I’m not forgiving like her.

SAM YAO: Just keep running, Five! You don’t – [SIMON LAUCHLAN screams] Just get that child home! Away from this.

[SIMON LAUCHLAN screams, CARENA cries]

[SARA SMITH coughs]

PAULA COHEN: Runner Five? Over here, quickly.

SARA SMITH: Five, I – [coughs]

PAULA COHEN: She didn’t get more than a hundred yards. Even if we’d had the bike, I don’t think she’d -

SARA SMITH: I always thought you’d be here to see me out, Five.

PAULA COHEN: We’re here. I have you.

SARA SMITH: You’re going to have to shoot me, Paula. Before too long.

PAULA COHEN: No! I -

SARA SMITH: [coughs] Don’t be an idiot. One shot, clean through the temples. Last thing I want to do is to come back.

PAULA COHEN: It’s alright. I’ve worked with zoms long enough. Four small cuts to the nerves leading to the brain, and you’re done. Don’t – don’t worry. You’re in safe hands.

SARA SMITH: A good clean death, eh? That’s more than I thought I’d get when I let that zom bite me. [coughs]

SAM YAO: Is there really no chance? If Runner Five gave her a piggy-back -

PAULA COHEN: It’s too late, Sam. It was too late the minute Van Ark smashed that machine.

SARA SMITH: What do you think, Paula? Afterlife - yes, or no?

PAULA COHEN: I think you’ve done enough in this life, Sara. I think you’ve lived a good life. I think you’ve done better than most. Better than me. Your legacy will live after you.

SARA SMITH: [coughs] That’s no kind of answer at all. [laughs, coughs] I was raised a good Catholic girl. I don’t know what to expect. But I might see my boys again, I think I might. I’ve done what was right. That’s what life’s about, when it comes down to it. Not sitting around, knowing that you’ve used yourself to the full. So I’m square. And you’d better send Van Ark right along after me, Five. I’ll be waiting for him. [coughs, dies]

PAULA COHEN: She’s gone.

Codex[]

Supplies[]

The following supplies can be found in this mission.

(List may be incomplete.)

9mm Ammo
Axe
Bandages
Baseball Bat
Batteries
Book
Bottled Water
Box of Lightbulbs
Mobile Phone
Pain Meds
Power Cable
Radio
Shirt
Shorts
Sports Bra
Tinned Food
Tool Box
Trousers
Underwear
USB Key

Base Unlocks[]

The following objects unlock for your Base upon completing this mission.

Inventor's Shack (addon for the Armoury)

  • Description: Weapons strapped to other weapons are more powerful, surely?
  • Cost: 5 supplies, 1 material
  • Effect: Increases defence.

Trivia[]

  • "The Final Countdown" is the longest mission in Season 2.
Missions
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