Extinction/Story

This is the story of Call of Duty Extinction. The Extinction Timeline can be used to view exactly when these events occurred. Please note that the story is ever-changing based on information introduced in each new map.

Story of Extinction
Nearly three hundred million years before the emergence of human life, the volcanic Earth was inhabited by a large network of humanoid species, later known as "Cryptids", connected through a web of symbiotic relationships. The primordial life force on the planet, the Cryptids' intelligence was unmatched, their brains similar to that of a human, allowing them to coordinate and communicate between themselves. The source of their power was the large fungal colonies they cultivated and protected, which emitted pheromones stimulating the creatures' cold-blooded metabolism. Due to rapid cellular regeneration and the reliance on geothermal heat rather than sunlight, the colonies were nearly invincible to any forms of attack, further contributing to the Cryptids' survivability.

After a comet impacted the Earth and incinerated the atmosphere, the creatures were forced to migrate beneath the surface in the wake of the firestorm that left the planet devoid of life. Using the volcanic heat found underground to fuel their colonies once more, the Cryptids displayed frightening Natural Selection and continued their survival beneath the dying Earth. However, adapting to their new subterranean environment initially proved difficult, their masters unable to successfully deliver their commands to the Cryptid population. In secrecy, the masters forged obelisks out of hardened obsidian rock later known as "Arks", using a language of algorithmic codes inscribed to broadcast their commands. Each colony of Cryptids received an Ark, allowing the masters to control their legions internationally. To ensure that their communication would never be severed, the masters bred an aquatic guardian to protect the Arks; out of fear forces that sought to exterminate their species would attack them. For one hundred and fifty million more years, humanity became oblivious of the Cryptid ecosystem living below their feet.

In the midst of the Tel Aviv War in the 21st century, David Archer, a top shooter with the Special Air Service, led a six-man kill team in Swat Valley, Pakistan, intending to be extracted after their mission went awry. Instead, their operator denied in order to avoid diplomatic incidents with the country, leaving Archer and his men stranded in a series of caves for six weeks. Before being rescued through unknown means, Archer came into contact with a colony of Cryptids, and since became obsessed with discovering their secrets. Following his return to the United States and psychological evaluation, it was believed Archer's head wound in combat lead him to imagine meeting with what he described as "aliens", but he nonetheless continued his hunt to find the truth behind the creatures.

Having gathered a large group of elite scientists, Archer founded the Nightfall based out of Point Barrow, Alaska, planning on locating and capturing samples of Cryptid life forms. The project's generous benefactors believed Nightfall invested in biochemical weaponry, and the Cryptid samples they acquired were the resulting products. In reality, Archer sought a means to sever the control of the creatures' unseen masters and take command of the Cryptids themselves, hoping they would lead his team to the discovery of other global colonies. After an archeological dig of a Cryptid meteor revealed the creatures' hieroglyphic language, Archer realized the complicated translations that would have to be made in order to uncover the secrets of the Cryptids. Meanwhile, Dr. Samantha Cross became a rising star at Harvard College due to her neurological condition that allowed her to easily translate languages in minutes, allowing her to speak 28 different languages. Following an interview airing on her unique abilities in paleolinguistics, Arch quickly found Cross to be a necessary addition to his team, allowing the ancient language of the Cryptids to be quickly translated. Just a week later, Cross was brought to the head Nightfall facility, where she was employed by Archer to assist in his research.

Months later, Federation forces hijacked the ODIN Space Station, launching an ODIN Strike that decimated the American North and Southwest. While the surviving astronauts aboard the station managed to keep the rest of the missiles at bay and leave the remaining United States mostly unscathed, a stray missile hit the volcanic site of Caldera Peak in Colorado, revealing the colony of Cryptids living within it. Now once again emerged on the Earth, the creatures began a massacre of the town's residents, slaughtering hundreds in what appeared to be a mystery virus. Dispatching the CIF Team 4, a squad of the Rapid Reaction Force, to investigate the quarantined zone, the government learned of the strange new breed, and dubbed them aliens after the disappearance of the squad.

To ensure the outbreak was contained, a Task Force codenamed Spectre was sent to exterminate the Cryptids via a nuclear explosion under the command of Defense Intelligence Agency's General Castle. As the operation was organized, the rumors of an alien threat floated to the Nightfall Program, prompting Archer to investigate Caldera Peak for himself. At the site of the missile impact, he and his men located a large colony of Cryptids as well as one of their telepathic Arks, all of which were smuggled out to Point Barrow to be used in research. While Nightfall pondered over their newfound data, Task Force Spectre began the eradication of the invading Cryptids, using an automated drill to target their fungal colonies and eventually obliterate the remaining creatures with a nuclear strike ordered by the President. With the mission complete, the government assumed the Cryptid threat had been dealt with, and focused their attentions on the Federation War.

Covertly, Nightfall began using its recovered specimens from the Colorado site and breeding Cryptid species to allow for experimentation, while Archer worked with Cross in the deciphering of the glyphs inscribed within the Ark, referred to as "the obelisk". From the Cryptid samples, scientists of the Program discovered the creatures' origins from Earth, as well as their xenobiology and biological interactions. Using the information, Archer oversaw the project to genetically hatch a Cryptid capable of producing more specimens for research, as well as procuring the toxic biolum used by Cryptid Scorpions to produce the projectile-based weapon the Venom-X. Meanwhile, despite her inquiries, Archer refused to reveal the originations of the obelisk to Cross or the other items he discovered, making her suspicious of what her employer was hiding. After witnessing Archer's project reach fruition by creating the Breeder, a monstrous Cryptid of enormous size, Cross began to question the benefit of Nightfall's work, fearful of Archer's sanity and his intentions.

Unbeknownst to his inferiors, Archer began bartering via digital videochats with an unknown Chinese business partner codenamed "Contact 28". Due to his aspirations to locate the remaining worldwide colonies and their Arks, Archer planned to negotiate Nightfall's weaponry and live specimens to Contact 28's forces in exchange for a ship and crew, despite betraying his own country. Before the deal could be finalized, Cross finally gave in to her distrust and breached Point Barrow's classified location to the government, jeopardizing Archer's future plans. Archer and Cross' sudden resurfacing became a red flag to the DIA, with the NSA deeming Archer a terrorist and provoking General Castle to look into Nightfall and the co-conspirators.

Meanwhile, as she grew closer to the final decryptions of the Ark, Cross began to suffer from a mimetic virus and receive the commands sent to the Cryptids by their masters, as she could fluently read the algorithmic hieroglyphics inscribed in the obelisk. Acting as an unwilling agent of the Cryptid commanders, Cross was taught to harness her telepathic abilities and later breached Nightfall's hatchery, causing an outbreak that slaughtered 127 of the Program's employees. Now fearful of her own sanity and unaware of her actions, Cross sheltered herself in the facility's research lab, as the Cryptids refused to harm her due to her ability to relay the commands of their masters. Archer, desperate to keep his research alive, begged for his client to supply an evacuation of the now-overrun facility, however he learned that the items once promised would not be delivered. Archer and Cross were now both among the few survivors of the Nightfall outbreak, and as the government prepared to contain the second Cryptid attack, Archer vowed to kill Cross and continue his plight.

On October 30th, over three months after the Colorado incident, General Castle, under the codename "Godfather", commanded CIF Team 1 through the Nightfall facility to contain the second outbreak, locate Samantha Cross and either kill or capture Archer, whose work deemed him a threat to national security. Upon breaching the research lab, Cross had finally finished the Ark's translation and prepared her suicide to ensure Archer never knew of the item's ability to control the Cryptids. However, she was subdued and captured by Archer himself, who escaped with the surviving Nightfall scientists into the Alaskan frontier. As the military cleaned up the outbreak and even killed the Breeder, Contact 28 reconciled with Archer following his organization confirming the authenticity of photos sent to him of the Caldera site. Now enticed by the work he presented, Archer was given his demands and sailed for the island of Ball's Pyramid, the site of a Cryptid colony and the second Ark, with Cross captive on board.

For over three weeks, Archer oversaw the ongoing experiments on Cross, now deduced to possess the ability to tame the Cryptids. As a result, Cross' brain acted as a beacon, guiding Archer and his crew to the remaining Arks and their subsequent colony. With the help of Nightfall scientist Dr. Kasser, Archer strengthened this effect via a device linked to Samantha's brain called the "beacon amplifier", allowing the Arks to be located with ease. Kasser began to interrogate Cross under the orders of Archer, who was convinced Cross was the key to diverting control from the unseen Cryptid masters. During these sessions, Cross claimed the masters manipulated her into unleashing the Cryptids, as well as her mind defecting to the Cryptids themselves. As the voyage continued, the crew began to suffer from recurring nightmares they believed was inflicted by Cross, even leading to one man attempting to shoot her. Enraged, Archer had him fed to Cryptid larvae, and despite the verge of mutiny, demanded the sessions between Kasser and Cross continued.

As Samantha delved deeper into the control of the Cryptids, Archer believed he had learned the secret to seizing the control over the Cryptids; like the ancient myths of Perseus decapitating the monstrous Medusa to create a powerful weapon, Cross' in-tact brain severed from her body would be the ultimate tool in sabotaging the commands given to the Cryptids by their unseen masters. Additionally, Archer attempted to reach out to General Castle, reasoning they join forces due to the endangerment of the human species itself. Reluctantly, Castle agreed that he would be recruited as a double agent in the war against the Cryptids, under the terms that Archer is evacuated with the head of Samantha Cross.

However, on November 25th, with Archer and his men just hours away from reach Ball's Pyramid, Cross summoned the Arks' guardian beneath the sea and rallied the Cryptid specimens aboard the ship, now fully possessed by the Cryptid commanders. After seeing a vision of the Earth's grim future, Archer witnessed the largest Cryptid known to man, the Kraken, emerge from the Tasman Sea, bent on keeping him and his forces from reaching the Ark. Following the broadcast of an emergency mayday from the vessel, General Castle again dispatched CIF Team 1 to pacify the third Cryptid outbreak and rescue Archer, now the only source capable of locating the remaining Arks. As per their negotiations, Castle ordered his forces to kill Cross by flooding the chamber with chlorine gas, as well as later beheading and retrieving her brain for Archer. However, after the gas reached lethality, Cross disappeared, along with the beacon amplifier. After the squad finally defeated the Kraken and safely evacuated the sinking vessel with Archer, Castle convinced the President Archer was a necessary addition to the war while his men recovered the Ark located in Ball's Pyramid, awakening a Cryptid master in the process.