Nova 6


 * For the multiplayer tactical grenade and the gas left after a Gas Zombie dies, see Nova Gas.

Codename "Nova 6" is an experimental, weaponized chemical gas developed by Russian scientists in Call of Duty: Black Ops. Nova 6 was originally developed by Nazi Germany during the course of World War II by Steiner and intended for use in V-2 rockets targeted at major capital cities such as Washington, D.C. and Moscow.

History


Development of Nova 6 began in 1943 under the leadership of Friedrich Steiner, and by 1945 weaponized samples have been produced in sufficient numbers to arm at least a battery of V2 rockets. According to reports made by MI-6 at that time, the original Nova 6 test site located outside the municipality of Poland was destroyed by heavy bombing. Subsequently the compounds were transported along the Elbe River to a freighter in the North Sea. Officially, MI-6 claimed the freighter was sunk under the direct order of attack and the shipwreck was locked in the Arctic ice. Despite these claims, the survivors tried to salvage what they could from the ship to carry on the mission and rigged the ship with scuttling charges to prevent capture by the Allies. However, by the time the survivors had regained their strength, the war had ended.

In October 1945, after Kravchenko and Dragovich learn of the project's existence from Dragovich's interrogation of German POWs, they begin to search for the freighter. The mission was successful in capturing Steiner (who had contacted Dragovich to cut a deal for his own life) and the stockpile of the gas onboard. Due to a longstanding grudge, Dragovich had the members of Reznov's squad used as test subjects for the gas to witness its power. While Dimitri Petrenko, Viharev and Belov were gassed to death, Reznov, Nevski, and Tvelin managed to escape the gas chamber with the arrival of the British Commandos dispatched to secure the Nova 6 for the British. Dragovich, Kravchenko and Steiner fled, while Reznov and what was left of his men managed to escape the attack amid the chaos and activate scuttling charges to destroy the ship and the Nova 6 along with it.

Although the original sample of the gas was destroyed, with Steiner alive it could still be re-synthesized, which the Russians did. According to CIA intelligence, in 1959 Dragovich finally made obtained the Party's approval on the use of Nova-6 as a first strike weapon in the event of World War III.

Compared to the original version, the Russian version of Nova 6 was more stable in transport yet far more lethal when in use. It is a component gas, mixing 2 different chemicals to form the final product. First lab-tested in sites like Rebirth Island and then field tested in Laos, it saw use in the fighting at Rebirth Island. Both sides, anticipating its use, continued the fight in HazMat suits.

In Dragovich's plan to "strike at the heart of the west," sleeper agents all across the United States, logistically supported by front company GKM, would release Nova 6 after receiving the broadcast from the Rusalka, a broadcast station disguised as a Russian freighter. This was to be done as a crippling first-strike in the event of Soviet invasion against the US. However, after Mason remembered the location of the broadcast station, the U.S. Navy bombarded the ship and destroyed the relay, stopping Nova 6 from being unleashed.

Appearance and effects
In the form the Nazis developed, Nova appears as a dark green gas. Upon inhalation, it causes vomiting, violent coughing, muscle convulsions, bleeding from the eyes, and blackening of the skin (necrosis), followed by an agonizing death in 10–20 seconds.

In the more refined Soviet form, Nova has a much more instantaneous effect. Once inhaled, the victim suffers violent coughing, suffocation, bleeding from the eyes, and severely burnt skin, with death occurring before the body can even hit the ground. This version also has a 100% fatality rate, as noted by Dr. Clarke in Numbers. It is easily noticeable and can be avoided by using gas masks, but its extreme potency, lethality, and lack of an available antidote still makes it an extremely horrific weapon when used against a civilian target.

Only direct contact with the gas is fatal. If one manages manage to get away from the area where the gas is deployed without inhaling any of it, they will be able to survive. This is demonstrated in Numbers, where the canisters that Clarke has in his makeshift lab were ruptured by gunfire, releasing the gas. However, Hudson, Weaver, and Clarke are able to escape unharmed via a hatch in the ceiling.

According to Kravchenko in Victor Charlie, the gas was tested on infants, causing death within 30–40 seconds. Adult males featured a more consistent rate of death when exposed.

Trivia

 * The achievement "No Leaks" is featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops for surviving the entirety of "Rebirth" without succumbing to Nova 6.
 * Nova 6, like most other modern chemical weapons, comprised of 2 component chemicals for safe transportation and handling, once mixed together formed the deadly Nova 6.
 * On the Wii version of Black Ops, the necrotic effects of Nova 6 are not displayed.
 * Both versions of Nova 6 - the Nazi and Soviet versions - are green. In Rebirth, though, the tint of the gas mask makes Nova 6 appear orange.
 * There is a gas station in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's level, Wolverines! called "Nova Gas". This could possibly where the designers came up with the name for Nova 6.
 * The developers could also came up with the name Nova 6 refering to the Novichok Agents, Novichok-5, a series of nerve agents developed by Soviets claimed to be 5 to 8 times more potent than VX agents.