The Hornet's Nest

"My friend, from up here, it looks like the whole village is trying to kill you!" "Tell me something I don't know! Just be ready to pick us up!"

- Nikolai and Captain MacTavish

The Hornet's Nest is a singleplayer campaign mission in Modern Warfare 2. Following the capture and interrogation of Alejandro Rojas, US forces have been barred from entering Brazilian airspace, forcing Captain MacTavish to call for outside help. The player controls Sgt. Gary "Roach" Sanderson as he and Task Force 141 escape the favela through a market to reach Nikolai's Pave Low.

Walkthrough
You start with your squad members near the last location of Takedown, with Rojas' body after being electrified. Move up until you end up in a square. Militia will begin attacking your group from buildings and cover in the center of the square. Eventually two M2 Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun-mounted pickup trucks (technicals) will enter the square. You and your teammates make quick work of them. Move through the square and into the market. The market's exterior will be much like that in Takedown, except with caged chickens that you can kill to earn the "Colonel Sanderson" (a parody on KFC's Colonel Sanders) achievement. After fighting through the militia, Nikolai's Pave Low will attempt to land at the first LZ (landing zone). The LZ is too "hot" and Captain MacTavish will tell Nikolai to land at the second LZ on the roofs of the slums. You and your team will jump from roof to roof across buildings until there is a gap that you/Roach attempts to jump but misses. He loses his grip and Soap will try to grab him before he falls. Sadly, Soap misses Roach's hand, and Roach falls into the alley below. The screen will black out for a few seconds, and Captain MacTavish tells you to get back onto the roofs so that you can be rescued. Nikolai announces that the helicopter is at nearly bingo (zero) fuel and that he will have to dust off in 30 seconds. You will have to run unarmed to the roof with Soap guiding you back to the LZ. You will slide down from a roof into a house, run, and jump onto the Pave Low's ladder. The mission ends with Roach hanging onto the ladder, looking out over the bay of Rio de Janeiro as Soap tells Nikolai "just take us to the sub".

Enemy Intelligence
Intel No. 15: After 1st fire-fight. Inside a yellow house on the South side of the antenna tower.

Intel No. 16: After 2nd fire-fight, in front of the "BARATEIRO" store area. Take the left path. Just before the stairs, inside an open corrugated metal shack.

Intel No. 17: After 3rd fire-fight, on the hill street. Second floor kitchen behind "Pelayo's" ice cream store (West side).

Intel No. 18: After 5th fire-fight, on the soccer field. Inside a window, behind the soccer goal net (West side).

Weapon Loadout
In this level, the player starts with a UMP .45 with an ACOG Scope and a Glock 18.

Opening

 * At the beginning, Alejandro Rojas is nearby, bound to a chair. He is still alive at this point, but can be killed by the player. Beside him on a table there is the car battery which is seen in Takedown.


 * In the square with the big antenna at the beginning of the level in the middle of the Dragunov and the AK-47 there is an Akimbo Mini-Uzi set that you can use.


 * The mounted guns on the "technicals" can be used, they have the use icon of the M249 SAW from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.


 * One of the starting allies is called Rocket. This is probably a reference to the main character of the 2002 Brazilian movie City of God, which is also set in Rio de Janeiro.


 * At the beginning of the level Rocket and Chemo are always the first two randomly created soldiers of the squad escaping.

Market

 * A M79 "Thumper" and Winchester Model 1887 can be located in the building named "Pelayo's," which apparently is an ice-cream eatery and a reference to the Cobra pilot from the last game. These particular weapons are an homage to the film Terminator 2: Judgment Day.


 * It is possible for either Rocket or Chemo to survive on Recruit. It is easier to save Rocket because Chemo is usually killed near the beginning. It may involve going to the last checkpoint if they die.
 * If the player watches one of the planes taking off they will notice it disappears after a few seconds and leaves two small blips in the sky. This happens every time.

Chase

 * Unlike other jump scenes, Roach is always scripted to fall.


 * It is possible to get ahead of MacTavish when running across the roofs, in which case he will not be seen attempting to catch Roach when he falls.


 * If the player jumps at exactly the right time, a little faster than Soap, the player may see Soap in mid-air performing the jump, and another Soap reaching for you as scripted. While tumbling, you may see the Soap that was jumping reach for you again as you fall.


 * If you don't attempt to make the first jump you can see Soap, the TF-141 soldier, and Ghost jump and land. Soap and the TF-141 member whip out their sidearms while Ghost is still holding his beginning weapon. This is because Soap and the other Soldier dropped their weapons when running across the rooftops


 * After Roach falls down to the streets, and while he is running to find a way to the rooftops, the player will see gunshots fly through Roach's side, but if the player looks behind him, nobody is there.


 * After you fall, you cannot use any weapons or items, but you also run faster than usual. The weapons that Roach originally wielded have disappeared.


 * If you look to the right, you will see a group of enemies. If you run past them, you can fall outside the level through this unfinished area.


 * The team does provide covering fire for Roach. After you jump down onto the roof in the last run if you look behind at the militia on the balcony they will eventually die. This is much easier to view on Recruit.


 * When you slide down the roof at the end and smash the window, even if you only had say 1 second on the clock when you smashed the window you will be granted with another 10 seconds.


 * If you are hurt while in the last unarmed run, the "hurt" message will say "You are hurt, run for your life!" rather than, "Get to cover!"


 * MacTavish says "Jump for it!" before you jump off the roof and grabbed the ladder. This could possibly be a homage to the level "Crew Expendable" from, where as you're about to jump onto the chopper an ally says the same thing.


 * During the final jump, you don't even have to make an attempt to jump. You can just walk and fall and you won't have to try to claw your way to try to get back on the roof.


 * At the very end of this level if you look very closely at the mountain top where the Christ the Redeemer statue is supposed to be it disappeared.


 * The pilot in the Pave Low is not Nikolai.

Easter eggs

 * Near the beginning of the level, there is a small row of poppy plants, if you walk into them, and behind a building, you will find a former "hideout" of a child. There is a tall crate with a teddy bear sitting atop a drawing of different sized hands. Next to the crate is a soccer ball and on the wall is a movie poster for a movie called "Porter Justice". Porter Justice is also featured in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and other Modern Warfare 2 levels.


 * Right after Nikolai's Pave Low leaves for the first time you can find a laundromat (Lavanderia) with what look to be faces on the walls of the developers.


 * There are posters that have an Infinity Ward logo, a number 23, a photo (in low resolution) of a black man with a mic, and the name Griggs.


 * In the marketplace with all the chickens, you will find a television on the wall to the left from where you enter the market. Shoot the glass and you will find a teddy bear inside.

Miscellaneous

 * The music heard at the end of the mission, in the helicopter, is the victory music for the Militia in multiplayer.


 * The Model 1887 appears multiple times in this level. This, Takedown, and Loose Ends.


 * The news feed featured in the opening intermission are made of parts of the world reveal trailer.


 * Ghost says his signature quote "Let's do this!" in reference to his featured Special Ops missions where he says the same thing at the beginning of each mission. (Although the similar character Gaz also said the same sentence in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare at the beginning of each S.A.S multiplayer match.)


 * It is unclear as to how Nikolai obtains a Pave Low to help evacuate TF141, as with the C-130 in "The Enemy Of My Enemy" and Little Bird in "Endgame". It appears that Nikolai has contacts and/or he might be a member of some sort of rebellion against the Ultranationalists in Russia.


 * There is a glitch when you are doing the 1st jump. Hold any type of grenade, then jump to the next roof. Just before you fall to the ground, a third hand will appear to throw the grenade.


 * If the player does the elevator glitch trying to go to the LZ, Nikolai's Pave Low will be floating in the middle of the sky.
 * There are airplanes landing every now and then, if you look where they go, they disappear into the ground.


 * The last part, where you have to escape to Nikolai's Pave Low, could be a reference to the game "Mirror's Edge", as you are unarmed and have to run through buildings and jump over rooftops in order to evade armed hostiles. You can even see both your hands in this part, like in "Mirror's Edge".
 * This mission, along with Takedown and Loose ends, are considered the hardest missions to complete on veteran.