Payback (Black Ops)

"Motherfuckers... we're gonna make them pay!"

- Frank Woods

"Payback" is a single player level in Call of Duty: Black Ops set in Laos. In this mission, the player operates a Mi-24 Hind. Although the player has full control of horizontal movement, they cannot control vertical movement.

Overview
The level begins with Mason and Woods in wooden cages, half underwater. The Vietcong then takes them to a room in a cave with VC and a Soviet Interrogator, with a table in the center, to play Russian Roulette. Mason sits down with Bowman sitting opposite. The Soviet tells Bowman that he must play or die, to which he refuses and insults the Soviet, who kills Bowman by hitting him on the head with a pipe, followed by him saying "next". Bowman's body is dragged away, and the player sees Woods struggling as VC force him into Bowman's seat. Woods asks Mason what the plan is, while the VC Bookie is getting impatient. The bookie spins the gun which lands on Woods, who reluctantly pulls the trigger. The gun dry-fires, and the bookie passes it to Mason. Mason and Woods agree on a plan. He informs Woods of the position of the enemies behind him ("6 and 8'o'clock") and then kills the VC Bookie with the Python, taking the chance that the bullet was in the chamber to be fired. Mason grabs the bookie's loaded pistol and, while using the bookie as a human shield, takes out the rest of the VC, but not before the Russian escapes. Mason and Woods pursue him through the cave, fighting of Viet Cong, until they find him trying to escape through a hatch. They shoot him down, and climb up the hatch outside. As the Russian falls Woods says "For Bowman!" to which Mason replies "For Bowman."

The 2nd part of the mission begins just outside the cave. Mason and Woods find a Spetsnaz platoon guarding a Russian Mi-24A Hind in a jungle clearing. They ambush them, and board the Hind. Mason acts as pilot and gunner of the Hind as they proceed up the river valley, wreaking havoc on the Ho Chi Minh Trail below, destroying SAMs, an Mi-8 HIP, sampans, NVA PT boats, armored AAAs, ZPUs on wheels and emplacements, guard towers that fire RPGs, radar tower, bridges, oil pipelines, and finally 2 Soviet Hinds before landing somewhere not far from Kravchenko's compound. Mason and Woods then reach the compound, located inside a large cave and fight their way in.

Mason finds captured American soldiers and Reznov in holding cells. After releasing them they fight their way into the cave to reach Kravchenko. When Mason kicks open the door of Kravchenko's office he is ambushed by Kravchenko, who then beats Mason. Just when he is about to knock Mason out, Woods sneaks up behind and stabs Kravchenko in the back. Kravchenko retaliates by pulling the pins on his grenade belt to kill everyone in the room. Seconds before it detonates Woods shoves Kravchenko and throws himself and the Russian through the window, followed by a big explosion below. Reznov returns to Mason and they find the documents leading to Rebirth Island.

Transcript
﻿Payback/Transcript

Trivia
See Payback/Trivia

E3 Demo
thumb|300px|left|E3 2010: Call of Duty Black Ops Press Conference Gameplay