David Archer

Captain David Archer is a character in Call of Duty: Ghosts. He is the leader of the Nightfall Program, and the main antagonist of Nightfall.

Biography
David Archer was a top shooter in the Special Air Service until he washed out on a Section 8. He was known as someone who wouldn't crack under pressure, but his psychiatric record says otherwise; stating that he is "extremely paranoid" and exhibits "violent/erratic behavior". During a psychiatric evaluation, he talks about an incident where he and a six-man kill team were assigned to a black ops in Swat Valley, Pakistan. After the op, they were denied extraction, having to hide out in caves for six weeks. He claims that he made contact with "Aliens" in the cave, but when the doctor apparently smiled, Archer, believing that the doctor thought he was crazy, assaulted him. After learning that there were Cryptids in Colorado, he went to the quarantine zone and smuggled Cryptid specimens out while the U.S. Military fought against the outbreak. Then, he created the Nightfall Program, which involves the research of the Cryptids, and recruited Samantha Cross to help with the research.

Striking a Deal
While being the shot caller for the Nightfall Program, Archer calls an unknown man, intending to sell his research to him. The contact questions Archer's trust when he is a traitor, but Archer shows him data of Scorpions, Rhinos, and the Venom-X, to make him "act on your own self-interest" and gives him 24 hours to comply or he would turn to another competitor. After a few hours, the contact called back, offering $400 million for the live specimens, and another $200 million for the Nightfall research data. Archer says, however that he does not need money, but a ship and a crew that can follow his orders, and needs the contact's answer immediately. Dr. Cross made an unauthorized call to the outside of the facility, and it is likely compromised. He requests extraction within 18 hours until the facility becomes overrun with Cryptids.

Some time later, Archer despreately calls his contact to hurry, since the Hatchery in the building was sabotaged and Cryptids were running amok, killing everyone in sight. When Archer demanded an extraction team, the contact believed that Archer had too many problems and wouldn't be able to hold his end of the deal, and cut the deal, telling him to either allow himself to fall victim to the Cryptids, or hold out until the U.S. Military got there. Archer cursed him, and the contact cut off the transmission.

Renegotiation
After losing his deal, Archer reviewed a security camera's footage from the Hatchery to find out who was responsible—he sees someone call a Hunter on a doctor, then proceeds to release the other Cryptids from the Hatchery; that someone is revealed to be Dr. Samantha Cross. Archer tries to call his contact, sending him pictures of "The Ark", to make him reconsider breaking the deal, and tells him that he believes Cross is the key to finding another Ark. Archer, now having assuaded his contact into helping him again, decides to go after Cross.

Extraction
The U.S. Military's Rapid Reaction Force, codenamed CIF Team One, were tasked to investigate the Nightfall Facility, rescue Dr. Cross, destroy the Cryptids that they come across, and secure Archer, either "in cuffs, or a body bag". CIF Team One first hears from him in what looks like a security outpost near the entrance of the facility. Archer communicates to the team's commander, thanking him for having "cleaned up" his mess in Colorado, and hope that he isn't planning to set off another nuclear bomb. The commander tells him to stop, continuing by saying that "too many people have died already", but Archer refuses, saying that if he were to stop, their deaths would have been in vain.

CIF Team One finds Dr. Cross in a weapons testing room behind bulletproof glass, attempting to commit suicide to stop Archer from learning what she knows about "The Obelisk"—an obsidian stone carved with Cryptid glyphs that Archer tasked Cross to decode before the outbreak. Before she could succeed, Archer broke into the room she was hiding in, shot her in the shoulder to make her drop the weapon she was holding, then hit her in the face to knock her out. He then shifts his focus to the team, telling them that he can't let them leave since they've seen too much. Archer pushes a button that sounds an alarm and attempts to leave while carrying an unconscious Cross, but two Hunters ambush him. It is unclear at this point if he survived because metal shades closed over the window, obstructing the team's view.

After CIF Team One destroys the last hive at the top of the facility, they go after Archer. When the team leave the facility through a hole in a wall, they see Archer boarding the back of a vehicle and escape into the Alaskan frontier. Before they can even try to go after Archer, the Breeder appears and blocks their path, allowing Archer to escape with Dr. Cross. After CIF Team One kills the Breeder, Archer has made it to a Chinese ship filled with his Cryptid specimens and research.

After testing on Cross, things started to go arwy as Samantha had manage to use an unknown power to contact the cryptids to destroy the ship. At this time Godfather, the man who sent CIF Team One to the sub had asked the President of the United States to recruit Archer so that they can locate the Ark and to stop the Cryptid War.

Trivia
Archer has similarities to Brian Bright, the Project Director of Neversoft.