Part 17: Newsflash

– Newsflash

It’s time for the final showdown in the Crimea between Thorn and the mole! And what form will this epic showdown take? A shootout? Another puzzle? That’s right, an extended cutscene with dialog choices!







Welcome, my friend. I have been briefed, and am ready to do my part. I have torched out the hinges and prepared the door.

**Kicks in door***

Forget the speech, Churbanov. The game is over.



Then I’m glad you listened to the swans. The swans, the swans I left on Thorn’s desk! I did not know I sold my soul to the devil! I could not live with myself if her plan came to fruition!



Arkady, what are you saying?

How dare you play the victim? You set this in motion!=

No! She set this in motion! She is the one who hired Procat. They were the only ones tough enough to be her personal KGB.

You fool!

Don’t move!

I made you. Remember who you are betraying.

Oh, how could I forget? A mafia madam. And me, her whore president.

Shut up!



Thorn, Yuri, I’ll take control now. Drop it, Yuri. Drop it!

***Yuri drops gun.***

Now you, Thorn. Don’t give me reason to drop you.



***Thorn drops gun***



Our mole unmasked!



Dialog choice is important here. If Thorn chooses unwisely, Warhurst loses patience and kills him. The player has to remember the email from Jaimie way back in Chapter 7:









So Thorn has to choose the second option – that includes the words “news flash” – in order to have a chance at not being killed by Warhurst.

Here’s a news flash – Blake fingered you. You’re done.

Oh yeah, well I’ve got a news flash for you. Screw Blake. Procat needs new leadership and it might as well be me.

(Through Earpiece) Thorn, it’s me.

With the dirt I planted on Holt and Seaton, Sterling will have to indict them. No question.

(Through Earpiece) What?! That bastard!

He can’t afford to come after me. A Deputy Director mole? Impossible.

(Through Earpiece) What should I do?

Now it’s time…

(Through Earpiece) Think, Thorn, think!



Don’t I get one question before I die?

It’s not as if the truth will set you free. Ask away.

(Through Earpiece) Keep him talking.

So why did you do it? Turn Traitor.

I think you know the answer. President’s boy Petey Sterling rises to the top, while a career man like me gets passed over. It’s funny how people screw you again and again and again and expect you to remain loyal.

(Through Earpiece) I can’t believe I’m hearing this.



So that’s why you put this team together?

Of course. I couldn’t afford to use professionals, but you, you amateur, you almost pulled it off. Almost.

(Through Earpiece) We have to do something.

That’s why you hacked my PDA.

What the hell are you talking about, I didn’t hack anything?!

(Through Earpiece) Got it, sending Soundhack in 3…2…1

***Horrible noise***



***Thorn gets gun***



***Thorn shoots Warhurst***





***Yuri restrains Nina***

(Through Earpiece) Thorn, I’ve patched in Sterling.



I should not have been worried with marksmanship such as yours.

The only thing you should be concerned about, Churbanov, is if your cellmate gets lonely.

You can’t arrest me! The people support me! Arrest me and I promise you a bloody civil war!

(Through Earpiece) Thorn, we need Churbanov! You’ve got to protect him!

Please, I have given you the mafia. Only America can protect me now.

(Through Earpiece) Maybe I wasn’t clear, Thorn, Churbanov is our man. Do not let Yuri take him down!



And here’s the final decision. On the one hand, Yuri is what passes for a friend in this line of work. Churbanov is complicit in the assassination of Dubansky, and in deep with the mob. Justice demands he pay for his crimes.

On the other hand, Churbanov is the U.S.’ best hope for the denuke treaty. Sterling has made it quite clear that Thorn’s orders are to protect him at all costs. And the file Nina gave Thorn on Yuri shows his history of befriending and betraying foreign agents.

Ending One

Thorn simply can’t bring himself to kill Yuri in cold blood, especially to protect a snake like Churbanov. Yuri hauls him off to prison. And Thorn has to face the music.



Come in, Thorn. Take a seat. Well, you’ve really put my ass on this line with this whole Churbanov problem, eh? But I can understand how things can get a bit confused in the field. Sometimes you’re asked to do things you think are morally ambiguous. And the only thing you’ve got to go on is your own code of honor.



Well, damn you and your code, Thorn. You’re fired. You are so fired that there’s a smoking crater where you used to stand. Now get the hell out of here, and don’t you ever come back.



The Russian capital of Moscow has been placed under martial law as intense civil unrest grips the city. The rioting started after the arrest of presidential candidate Arkady Churbanov. Churbanov was linked to figures in the Russian criminal underworld, and the assassination of leading presidential candidate Fyodor Dubansky several weeks ago. Some political analysts fear that a military coup may be in the offing, while others point to the possibility of civil war.

And with that grim spectre hanging over our heads, the game ends.

Ending Two

Despite being conflicted, Thorn makes the decision to follow his orders and safeguard Churbanov. Unfortunately, there’s only one way to dissuade Yuri.







Yuri dies, and Churbanov is safe.



The American intelligence was rocked today by the news that CIA Deputy Direction Eugene Warhurst was leaking classified information to an unnamed foreign power. Warhurst, who was killed yesterday in a shootout with CIA agents near the Crimean city of Yalta, had apparently been operating as a double agent for almost a year. According to our sources, Warhurst had recently fallen under suspicion due to the efforts of CIA agents assigned to investigate possible leaks.



Former CIA Director William Colby was in charge of the investigation which eventually uncovered Warhurst.



Thorn, come on in. Have a seat. Congratulations. Even Bruce Jeffries couldn’t have done a better job. I feel you deserve the Agency’s highest award.



Oh, and there’s one more thing. I figured you deserved a little R and R; I trust two weeks in Fiji won’t disagree with you.



Today, the Russian people voted for change. In a landslide victory, Russians elected entrepreneur Arkady Churbanov to be their next President. Although Churbanov disagreed bitterly with former President Polyakov on issues of nuclear disarmament, he sounded a softer, more reasonable tone in his victory speech, promising to forge strong relationships with the U.S. that will benefit the security of both nations. Churbanov also vowed to attack the swelling ranks of Russian organized crime, which he called the most dangerous obstacle to Russian prosperity.

And roll credits.



So that does it for the main plot of Spycraft: The Great Game. There will be one more update, where I’ll show off a few alternate paths and offer some reflections on the game. I hope everyone’s enjoyed the ride.