Pentagon Thief

The Pentagon Thief is an enemy who appears in the Zombie map "Five". His objective is to steal players' weapons.

Biography
The Pentagon Thief was a scientist working in the Pentagon. He used his clearance to gain access to the Wunderwaffe materials the army had confiscated from Der Riese. Like Richtofen, he was an Illuminati agent. Using a teleporter, he traveled back in time and gathered zombies. He then tried to brainwash the zombies with Soviet mind control technology that the Pentagon had somehow gotten a hold of in an attempt to make them controllable. How he became zombified himself is unknown.

How the Thief Works
The thief will teleport onto the map at certain rounds and will attempt to steal players' weapons after the power has been turned on. He cannot hurt the players. When he steals a player's weapon, he teleports that player to the labs. If he is killed after stealing a player's weapon, he drops a Max Ammo and a Fire Sale, and gives players their stolen weapons back. If he didn't take any guns, the achievement/trophy Hands Off the Merchandise is unlocked, and he drops a Max Ammo and a Bonfire Sale. If he is not killed, the Max Ammo is placed in the electricity room.

Fighting the Pentagon Thief
thumb|300px|right|Tips for dealing with the thief

The best way to kill him and get the achievement/trophy in solo is to obtain the Python revolver. Making contact with all 6 rounds will kill him. The player should be careful not to shoot the thief before the player downs him/herself with the grenade however, as he will take a weapon, regardless of player status (he won't take the player's pistols, but rather one of two weapons the player had in possession before being downed). If the player manages to kill the Thief, the achievement/trophy, Hands Off the Merchandise, will be awarded if it hasn't already. However, if the player is lucky enough he can also get a Death Machine, Nuke, or Insta-Kill just in the end of the previous round. Note that if he is killed with a Nuke, he won't drop anything but a Max Ammo, even if he didn't take a weapon.

When the Thief arrives, it's usually best to equip a bad, cheap, easily obtainable, or empty gun so that if he does steal from the player, the impact is minimal. If players do not have a cheap gun, equip a gun that can be bought in the labs because that's where the Thief will take the player. When he first arrives, only the player he is chasing can see him but once the thief steals a players gun that player(s) can see him until he dies or leaves, and the others will just see the red numbers following him until it's their turn. When he is badly hurt and going to die, his speed is considerably slower and he hunches while jogging.

Dealing with the Thief early on is very difficult, as most players will not have any Wonder Weapons. If this is the case the best strategy is to backpedal with the player's stronger weapon and switch to one's weaker weapon when the player runs out of room or when the Thief gets within 10 feet.

An easy way to kill the Pentagon Thief is to have one player with a Ray Gun (the player should be very cautios, as he can easily steal it), two players have light machine guns, and the last player to have a shotgun and. The M72 LAW is useful to have against the thief, especially when upgraded (due to capacity of 10 per magazine). If he can be hit two to four times, he can be killed. However, if the player has the Death Machine equipped, the Thief is easily downed in a couple of shots. A single player with Mustang & Sally can kill him with a volley of grenade-bullets in a matter of seconds. The weapon's high damage and rate of fire make this extremely easy to do so.

A harder, but very effective, way to kill the Pentagon Thief without four players (the player could theoretically do this solo) is to keep the starting M1911, then, the player should save up enough to upgrade it. The upgraded M1911s (Mustang and Sally) take down the Thief in two magazines from each pistol, and even less if done with two people.

To stop the Thief from stealing the player's weapon in the first place, the player may have a weapon with a high mobility (such as a shotgun), and run around in a large circle to avoid him. This method is effective, but unreliable. The player should note that the Thief moves faster than the player can move backwards.

Using claymores will make defeating him much easier, as the player the Thief is chasing can use them while focusing on fleeing, as well as using a route which already has claymores deployed.

A strategy for killing him for two players only would be to stand on the upper platform in the control room (room after the first elevator). Players will stand on the platform opposite the elevator doors, one slightly left and one slightly right (not too close to the stairs). He will enter and run at his target. If he turns left, he is targeting the left player; if he runs right, he is targeting the right player. After he closes the gap a small amount, the player who is being targeted will run as fast as he can around the platform away from him, while the other player shoots him.

Another way to kill him is to have a Ballistic Knife (preferably upgraded) and a Bowie Knife. The Bowie Knife will cause huge damage and the Ballistic Knife speeds up the melee speed, making it very easy to kill the thief if you chase and stab him repeatedly. However, the player should only do this after the Thief has stolen one's other weapon, as knifing him while he chases the player is extremely risky, as he can steal the Ballistic Knife.

If the player is holding up in the Panic Room, the most practical way to get rid of him is to have everyone put Claymores in front of the teleporter. Every round put the two Claymores down in front of it and when he comes, they will all blow up, killing the Thief very effectively.

Try not to go through teleporters when the DEFCON level is 5 on at Thief round as the player will go to the Panic Room instead of where the Thief goes.

Another way to kill the Thief is to have all of players camp at the second elevator on the basement level, and put all of the claymores right in front of it. All the players should have a M16 and a MPL fully loaded. The player should shoot the thief as soon as possible. When the player runs out of ammo for one's first weapon, the player should use his secondary weapon. The more damage the thief takes, the slower he will move. Also, the player should try for headshots, as it does more damage.

Arguably the most effective way, is to either clear out the lower level of the nerve center of barricades, and have the player he's chasing run in circles whilst having team-mates fire at the red mist (or scientist if previously been captured). This will not earn the player(s) the achievement/trophy however, as you actually have to be the one who kills him. If team-mates are unable to see him, you can still spray at the red mist, as when he is killed, he still drops max ammo.

A very good way to kill the Thief is to have the player he is targeting run around the balconies in the War Room while the other players chase and shoot at the Thief.

Trivia

 * At the only barricade in the Weapons Testing Lab there is a pair of goggles and a small pool of blood. This might be where the technician "turned".
 * The Thief's body is covered in mathematical equations and images, including the Eye of Providence. This indicates that the thief may somehow be connected to the Illuminati.
 * The Pentagon Thief is the only enemy in the zombie mode that can't hurt the player directly.
 * The red glow emitted by the thief is made up of the same numbers as in the single player campaign.
 * The Thief can be killed with a full Python cylinder on single digit levels.
 * He is only visible for the player which he's targeting, but the others are free to shoot him (even though he's just a fog).
 * The Ballistic Knife is an instant kill on him during low rounds.
 * There is a glitch on the PC and Xbox 360 and PS3 versions that if the Thief steals the player's "weapon" while cracking their knuckles (after inserting a weapon to the Pack-a-Punch Machine) the game will freeze with a black screen and the only way out is to open the Task Manager and close the game.
 * On the strap of the Thief's bag, there is an Illuminati code that reads "living dead".
 * It is possible that if the player is standing in the portal of a recharging teleporter, and the Pentagon Thief teleports to it and steals his weapon, after the thief takes the player and himself to the teleporter next to the power switch, he will turn around, go back in the teleporter, and, if done correctly, there will be a big flash in the teleporter, showing that he's stuck. Note that this only works if you're not the last person he's going after.
 * If the player is downed, the Pentagon Thief will still steal his weapon, however instead of stealing the player's pistol, he will steal the weapon the player was using last before downed. The player will still have to be revived, however the player will act as if he weren't downed at all.