Die Rise is a Broken Arrow facility

[anonymous]

Yesterday I played the videogame ‘the Last of Us’, taking place in another post-apocalyptic universe. At a certain point, the players arrive at two skyscrapers of which one is leaning diagonal against the other. It is revealed that during the early days of the uprising of the undead, the military tried to annihilate the zombies by bombing the urban area. As a result, one of the skyscrapers was ungrounded and leaning against another skyscraper. Now this reminded me of the broken Die Rise skyscraper and the bombing of a Broken Arrow facility. 

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Saber 10: "Recon 5, this is Saber 10. Our sweep failed to find evidence of any survivors on site. Broken Arrow is not viable for new FOB (Foward Operating Base)." ... "That's a negative sir, records appear to have been destroyed in a fire prior to the facility being overrun." ... "Sir, we believe staff may have been trying to destroy evidence implicating them in the outbreak." ... "Understood sir, confirmed drop in T-5. Retreating to safe distance."

This radio can be heard in Die Rise, taking place in China, which might be odd as the timeline states it is about bombing a Broken Arrow facility, an American organisation.

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November 5th, 2025

Broken Arrow is disbanded after the primary facility is lost in a fire.  It is later believed to be an act of arson committed by employees destroying evidence implicating them in the outbreak.  Russman, his mind broken after over forty years of exposure to Element 115, beings to wander the Earth.

 

Note that they say that Russman starts wandering the Earth, not the United States. This event might have happened outside the US's borders. An additional evidence for this could be that in the Buried intro, we see Russman standing in front of a skyscraper at the moment it is told that he once worked for Broken Arrow. And where do we also see skyscrapers….?

 

In Alpha Omega, one can read about a Broken Arrow facility somewhere in East Asia. It is said to house both weapon testing and Bios experiments. Now the original Bios experiments were done in a facility already lost in the 1980s.

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June 24th, 1986

A containment breach involving the Bios occurs at one of the Broken Arrow facilities.  Russman is one of the few to escape alive. The facility is shut down and abandoned. Its projects are transferred to other locations.

 

Its projects are transferred to other locations. The Alpha Omega map is from the 2020s, not the 1980s, so it appears that Die Rise might have been one of the other locations the Bios experiments were transferred to. It also makes sense for Russman to be there, as he was originally also involved in the Bios testing.

 

Now the main question: How could the American Broken Arrow have a facility in China? I have several explanations for that:

• In the Cold War, China's main rival was actually the Soviet Union, not the US (see: the Sino-Soviet split). I could see the US and China partly cooperating, exchanging intelligence, to get the Soviet Union on its knees.
• In 1986, Hong Kong was still British property. I've said that the Jin Mao Tower is evidence for the map to be in Shanghai, but what if it actually is Hong Kong? Surely the UK would be willing to house an American facility, espessially since Broken Arrow also has an office in London. The sleeping cages are typical Hong Kong things, and Die Rise is actually based on a BO1 Campaign level taking place in Kowloon, China. What is also interesting is that the British Doctor Clarke had his lab in Hong Kong. It was here where he experimented with Nova-6…
• In the 1980s, China was already appealing a lot of foreign companies to have their factories there (this actually started ever since Mao’s Great Leap Forward). Broken Arrow could have secretly moved into China via pretending to be some kind of American company. The Chinese workers, people not even the Chinese government cared about, would be perfect lab rats. Maybe not directly, but Broken Arrow could secretly infected the sleeping cage area to make the people there unconsciously infected and see the results (see: The SDS and Sleeping Cages). After all, they couldn’t stand another big scandal after the Green Run event at the Hanford Facility...

 

So could Die Rise, the map with so little backstory, actually be Broken Arrow's main facility? Could the broken skyscraper be the result of the bombing?

 

Another thing: Green Run was an event for which Broken Arrow was partly responsible. The Great Leap Forward might have been how Broken Arrow accessed China. Are we playing through Broken Arrow facilities in Black Ops 2, similar like how we played through Group 935 stations in World at War and Black Ops 1? Are the names of the maps how Broken Arrow was connected to those locations. If that would be the case, did Broken Arrow know of Purgatory Point in the Angolan mine? Would explain the presence of the CDC and CIA there, as well as Russman’s knowledge about the Rift. Was the UN’s Resolution 1975 how Broken Arrow gained approval on Angolan soil?

[RadZakpak]

An interesting topic! Now i always assumed that the primary facility was the DC Headquarters shown on the Classified map, but I realize it doesn't have to be. But a primary facility in China is really interesting, and paints a dark picture as human rights would be much less an issue there than in the US. 

 

My only issue is I wonder how Russman was able to return to the US, and why he wouldn't bring the fact that this was the where the "Incident" took place up to Victis. Though, maybe he did after the events of Die Rise and that's why they they tell him what happened in the Buried intro when he forgets. Returning to the US may have been as simple as a teleporter, but I wonder why Broken Arrow would let him use it. But I'm sure Russ could find a way to Hanford after 10 years.

[ProjectKMR]

There's only one thing preventing me from believing that a Broken Arrow facility truly exists at Die Rise. The fact that Die Rise is in China and Broken Arrow was founded during the Cold War. How in the hell would the United States be able to secure a base of operations with such a dangerous element in a communist country, during the Cold War nonetheless? It just doesn't make sense to me. Nobody in China would allow that to happen at all, I can't begin to imagine the conversation between the US and China to establish the Broken Arrow base. You could say that because Castro was at FIVE during the outbreak that he could be a trusted word to let it take place, but at the same time I feel like the outbreak would be something for Castro to say not to let them do it. But regardless, I like the theory that it is a Broken Arrow facility. It'd make Victis the Broken Arrow Chapter of CODZ and I find it interesting.

[Boom115]

From Twitter:

[anonymous]

4 hours ago, RadZakpak said:

My only issue is I wonder how Russman was able to return to the US

Well the Broken Arrow facility burning down does not necassery correlate with Russman becoming a fugetive for the United States. Even if Russman is involved in this event, the US would probably have no evidence that it is him who did it. What's more, they might not even know since Broken Arrow is disbanded. Russman is just an American citizen who happens to be in China.

 

@ProjectKMR It could be to cooperate against the Soviet Union, or it could be because it might be in Hong Kong (Which was British at that time). It remains a weird and unlogical point, I agree

 

As for the sweatshops, we can be creative in making theories for those. I assume it are just labourers living there in terrible conditions, doing terrible jobs and are unconsiously being used as lab rats. The Weapon Testing department might be in a lower floor (remember how there is a 'International Zombie Centre' sign at the sweatshop skyscraper). The word 'International' might even hint at a global cooperation concerning controlling the undead and arm against Samantha, which, ironically, eventually merely led to a global outbreak. 

 

My only arguments for Broken Arrow's pressence in Angola would be the Borough game mode and Russman's knowledge about the Rift, though I agree that is little proof. It leaves space for theories, though.

[KronoriumExcerptB]

The Alpha Omega World Map actually says "Province 22" which is a Chinese term for sorting areas.

 

 

The world map also says Weapon Testing and Bios testing. Which means BA was working with the government of China (SDC stuff) and they needed human test subjects for their experiments which led to jumping jacks. Hence... the sweat shops and poorly hygienic beds. That's where the test subjects slept, likely people lower on the economic ladder of China. Also Marlton has a Tag quote about BA using human test subjects but I can't recall them ever doing so anywhere else. 

 

 

I don't think the BA facility has to be 60s- there is SDC stuff there and while it could be reused assets I'm inclined to accept it. BA was still around in the 2020s and that's when in the Campaign universe China has an alliance with the United States. 

 

 

[anonymous]

Its not a Broken Arrow exclusive thing. I once read an article about companies and research organisations from western nations using people in developing countries, like a village in India or bad hood in Indonesia, as their lab. Quite fucked up actually.

 

Good point about that campaign. Indeed, Die Rise doesnt need to be a Broken Arrow Facility already in 1986

[PINNAZ]

The Map that appears in Alpha Omega stating the Broken Arrow sites seems to be a retcon to make the Die Rise location fit the story. 

 

From Om what I recall, there are only 2 interesting signs in Die Rise that have any relevance to the story. 

 

1. “International Zombie Centre”

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a555/PINNAZ/CEBA31EE-B286-45AE-9DB7-176C06F7C118-3589-000004B7ED0C5530_zps737cf61a.jpg

 

 

2. “WANTED MAN”

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a555/PINNAZ/Die%20Rise/6A116231-850D-4B52-8D3C-34CEDA7B9C94-15484-00001BD150E9511C_zps882ed61c.jpg

 

 

I don’t think that this poster has been fully translated. But there are a few interesting words that come up. Translated by @DragonGJY

 

“This is a wanted man. XXXXXXX (7 words i cant figure out, i infer that its about where the man usually appears)

He did everything evil. He carries weapon(s) of mass destruction.

He is a dangerous man carrying weapon(s) of mass destruction, and he is suspected to be a ZOMBIE.

For anyone who give us clues or help us capture this man will be rewarded 50000 Yuan.”

 

 

Would be great to have this poster fully understood. 

 

 

All found in this thread 

 

 

[KronoriumExcerptB]

The 'international zombie center' surely would hint at it being some kind of BA or joint governmental facility? I do think it was intended to be something like that with the jumping jacks and all the beds and cages looking like a sweat shop.

 

 

The 'wanted man' translation is very interesting though. I'm not quite sure what to make of that.

[RadZakpak]

About the wanted man, it looks to me like Tian Zhao. He's a minor antagonist in the Black Ops 2 Campaign. To break it down simply, Zhao is the leader of the SDC, a conglomerate of countries opposing the United States during the Second Cold War. Essentially, Tian Zhao attempts to force countries like India and Iran to join the SDC with nuclear warheads, and as the player you have the choice to take on Strike Force missions to stop these attacks. If you succeed and they do not join the SDC, you gain enough support to assassinate Zhao, and the SDC under new leadership helps you fight Menendez. 

 

Zhao is characterized as a megalomaniac, so if that is him on the poster it would be no surprise if after losing support from the rest of the SDC he stole some warheads and 115 or something like that. That would also account for why Broken Arrow is still heavily involved in China, if the SDC is no longer led by Zhao.

[DragonGJY]

Just reviewed my post in 2013, that was insane, I think I was still in secondary school by then XD

I barely know about the Alpha Omega context, I know it's got a map or something that I cannot recall, anyone got a screenshot of it?

[Guest]

Remember this old thing DIE RISE NOTES (FINAL)