- "Can't stop the Train, baby."
- —Pvt. Augustus Cole.
Private Augustus "Cole Train" Cole, also known as Gus or his Thrashball nickname "Cole Train",[2][3] is a Gear in the COG Army and a former Thrashball player. Best known for playing with the Hanover Cougars as defensive lineman, Cole later joined the army as a Gear after his parents were killed by the Locust Horde on Emergence Day. His announcement of retiring from Thrashball and joining the war effort caused a massive spike in enlistments. During the majority of the Locust War, Cole fought alongside Cpl. Damon Baird. Cole rejected every military promotion that had been offered under the grounds that having rank was not going to affect how many Locust he could kill.[4] As part of Delta-One, Cole became part of the most reliable squad of Gears available to the COG, fighting on the frontlines of every major operation near the end of the Locust War, and continued fighting for the COG as part of Delta after the relocation to Vectes, fighting Stranded Insurgents, the new threat of the Lambent Pandemic and the rise of the Swarm.
Biography
Early life
Augustus Cole was born and raised in the town of Hanover by his mother and father. Even though Cole's father was present in his childhood and a good father, it was Cole's mother that had the biggest impact on his life. Cole cited his mother on often occasions as the reason for his best attributes such as his manners, respect, humility, patience, selflessness, and courage.
Pendulum Wars
At some point in his early life, Cole became interested in sports and began a hobby in Thrashball. Due to his sheer strength as well as abilities in coordination and planning, Cole went on to become a professional Thrasball star as an adult. A defensive lineman, Cole signed on with the Eagles before later signing on with the Hanover Cougars of his hometown. He became an international star and millionaire - garnering sponsors and endorsements. For most of his Thrashball career, he bore the number '83'.
During his career, Cole won many games for the Hanover Cougars, one of them being the Allfathers Trophy against the Sharks. However, the validity of the game's referee was highly debated. Cole also won the International Finals against the Eagles by implementing a first-time maneuvering play as well as the Grayson Cup Championship - earning a championship ring. After becoming a two-time MVP, Hanover celebrated Augustus Cole by presenting a silver statue of Cole at the entrance of Cougars Stadium. He was often nicknamed by locals as "Hanover's favorite son."
In the 79th year of the Pendulum Wars, the Coalition of Ordered Governments finally won against the Union of Independent Republics by destroying their fleet with the newly launched Hammer of Dawn. The UIR signed the UIR-COG Armistice and sought for peace, except for the Republic of Gorasnaya that remained a UIR state and vowed to still fight the COG. Augustus Cole was relieved the war was over, but he also regretted not doing his part by fighting the war - as Cole believed his abilities could have been an asset in saving lives.
Due to his fortune, Augustus Cole paid back his mother and father by purchasing them a mansion in Hanover, as his mother did not like living in Jannermont and having to clean so much around the house but refused Cole's money to purchase a maid.
Locust War
Emergence Day
Six weeks after the end of the Pendulum Wars, Hanover was still celebrating the end of the war. Augustus Cole was being driven across Centennial Bridge by his drive Josef to discuss a contract renewal from his agent when they both heard about a recent attack. Cole, Josef, and everyone on the Centennial Bridge tuned into their radios and were told by the emergency news that Jannermont was attacked and the city ordered an evacuation. Cole became concerned for his parents and initially believed it to be an attack by the Indies. But the news soon dispelled this theory, describing grey monsters that would emerge from underground and kill everyone in sight. Cole became increasingly concerned and thought it would be better to see the news on television.
Cole left the car and told Josef to find his family and keep safe while Cole figured out what was happening. At the corner electronic store, Cole began to watch the news in the display windows along with dozens of other Hanover locals. The news was so disturbing that none of the locals recognized that Cole was among them. On the television, traffic cameras from Jannermont an hour earlier revealed monsters emerging from sinkholes and attacking everyone in sight, revealing the death toll in Jannermont to be in the thousands. The news also revealed a list of cities that had also been attacked, as well as former UIR states, confirming that these were not the Indies and that an alien force was attacking Sera.
Cole feared that this event could be the end of the world. Sometime later, Cole discovered that his mother and father did indeed die in the attack of Jannermont. This day would later be known as Emergence Day, and the day ended with 100,000 people killed in Jannermont and 25% of the entire world population as well.
Joining the Army
Within the first five days of Emergence Day, Cole suffered immense grief, as did every survivor of Emergence Day on Sera. Chairman Tomas Dalyell ordered the Hanover Cougars to play their regularly scheduled game of Thrashball in order to boost morale, considering since Hanover was one of the few major cities spared by grey monsters, which were then being called Locust. Within that time, Cole reflected on his regrets not participating in the Pendulum Wars and the murder of his parents and everyone else lost in the past week. Wanting to avenge his parents and do his part, Cole joined the Coalition of Ordered Governments Army.
The next day, he went back to Cougars Stadium to announce to his teammates, agents, and fans that he joined the army to do his part in stopping the Locust Horde and avenging those who were killed. He then encouraged the spectators to celebrate this moment and compelled them to do their part as well. Cole then left the stadium shortly after, not participating in what would be his last Thrashball game. Due to his popularity, Cole's enlistment caused a huge rise in volunteers for the COG army. Local recruitment officials reported a 390% jump in voluntary enlistment following the event.[5]
Destruction of Halvo Bay
Hammer of Dawn Strikes
Operation Midnight
- "Thanks for paving the way, Midnight-- you did real good, WOO!!"
- —Cole, congratulating Midnight Squad
Fourteen years after E-Day, Cole was a private in Alpha Squad with Pvt.Damon Baird, Jan Rojas, and Gyules. During Operation: Midnight, Cole manned a side gun on a King Raven, providing cover to Midnight Squad from a squad of Theron Guards. He congratulated the Gears in Midnight for holding the Ferro Bridge long enough for the convoy to arrive.[6]
The Lightmass Offensive
- "Pvt. Augustus Cole, Alpha Squad sir!"
- —Cole, introducing himself to Lt. Minh Young Kim.
Cole and the rest of Alpha took part in the Lightmass Offensive, and were tasked with getting a Sonic Resonator deployed in the Hollow so the COG could hit it with a Lightmass Bomb.[7] The squad took heavy casualties as it fought across the city of Ephyra, and Cole was separated from the squad. He was found by Delta-One, who had been sent to assist Alpha, fighting alone against a group of Locust inside the House of Sovereigns. After saving him, he reported to Lt.Minh Young Kim that the rest of his squad was at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and that the radios were not working because of Seeders. On the way to the Tomb, they found the body of Rojas, which upset Cole.[8] After fighting through a large force of Locust and killing the Seeders jamming their transmissions, they regrouped with Alpha at the tomb and Kim called for a pickup. Cole informed Baird of Rojas death, which upset him as well. A second wave of Locust then arrived, and shot down the King Raven coming to pick them up. Kim was killed, along with another Gear from Alpha, forcing the remaining five Gears to retreat into the tomb.[9] Unfortunately, a Berserker was waiting inside the tomb, and it killed Gyules after he panicked and ran straight into it. Cole and Baird were ordered to hang back to guard the Resonator while Pvt.Marcus Fenix and Cpl.Dominic Santiago tried to find a way to kill the Berserker. They succeeded, and Cole and Baird rejoined them outside of the Tomb. Marcus was promoted to Sergeant and placed in charge of the squad by Col.Victor Hoffman, and they were tasked with deploying the Resonator at the Lethia Imulsion Facility. However, no King Ravens were available due to Nemacyst infesting the sky, but Dom told them he knew where they could get a vehicle, and Cole moved out with the rest of the squad.[10]
After leaving the area around the Tomb, they come to crossroads. Cole and Dom go one way, while Marcus and Baird go down the other. Cole talks about wanting to find some Locust and ruin their day, which causes Dom to ask him if he ever gets tired, to which Cole replies "Hell to the no!". They then encounter two Boomers, but manage to kill them in a crossfire. As they move onwards, they walk into a room and find a Corpser, which retreats. Marcus and Baird argue about what the Corpser is doing, much to the amusement of Cole and Dom. After fighting through a group of Locust and regrouping, Dom reveals his plan is to borrow a Junker from a group of Stranded. They fight their way to the Stranded camp, where the gatekeeper lets them in. Dom convinces the camp's leader, Franklin Tsoko, to let them borrow the Junker, but only under the condition that Cole and Baird stay as collateral.[11] While at the camp, one of the Stranded realized who Cole was, and all the Stranded started talking to him about Thrashball, and getting him to sign autographs. The next time Marcus contacted Cole, he told Marcus that the Stranded were bringing out their big guns and that something was about to go down, and Marcus told him he would return as soon as they could. He and Baird were then contacted by Lt.Anya Stroud and told that Locust were closing in on their position. They then came under attack from Locust and Kryll.[12] They were in danger of being overrun when Marcus and Dom finally made it back, and helped them defeat the attacking Locust. Cole and the others got into the Junker and headed for the Lethia Imulsion Facility[13]
- "C'mon, Baird! A little bit of this is good for you! Builds your immune system."
- —Cole to Baird, while in the sewers
When the vehicle broke down just outside of the facility, Cole and the others walk the rest of the way. After spotting glowing Wretches, Cole became very wary of them. When they discovered the door was locked, Marcus split the squad into two groups: Cole and Baird would go left, while Marcus and Dom went right. Cole thought that splitting up the squad was a bad idea, but Marcus dismissed his concerns, hurting Cole's feelings.[14] They located an entrance through the basement, while Marcus and Dom entered through the roof. Marcus then ordered them to find a way to get the lights on, and locate the Cart Control Room. They restored the power, but in order to continue through the facility, they had to enter the sewer system. Cole took it in stride, and teased Baird about how it was good for his immune system. They passed under a sewer grate and talked with Marcus and Dom for a bit before proceeding on. Soon after, they regrouped with Marcus and Dom, and Cole assured Marcus that the resonator was still in one piece. They fight their way to the cart control room,[15] and each Gear boards a mine cart and heads down deeper into the facility. Cole fights to the drilling platforms with Dom, and they board them and head down into the Hollow.[16]
- "Lookit all that juice!"
- —Cole, after reaching the Imulsion filled area around the pumping station
Once in the Hollow, Marcus orders Cole and Baird to hang back and guard the resonator, while he and Dom scout ahead. However, they found that the route they went down was too dangerous to take the resonator down, so Cole and Baird had to scout out an alternate route.[17] They went through the mine, and regroup with Marcus and Dom just in time to see them kill a Corpser. Cole informed Marcus the resonator was still okay,[18] and they reached the pumping station. Cole and Baird approached the station from the right, while Marcus and Dom go left. They take out the Theron Guards who are at the station and deploy the resonator. They make it back to the surface, happy that their mission is over. When they learn that the resonator barely mapped any of the Hollow, they became angry, but then Baird learned from a geobot that a full map of the Hollows was at the Fenix's Estate, at the East Barricade Academy.[19]
Cole and the others board KR Six-Four, and head to the Academy, along with another squad in KR Two-Five. However, Two-Five was shot down, and Six-Four was forced to drop Delta off far away from the Fenix Estate.[19] They landed in an area filled with Locust, but managed to defeat them. After learning there were survivors at Two-Five's crash site, they headed toward it. When they reached it, they found two survivors. Cole and Baird stayed with them, providing medical treatment while waiting for a King Raven to arrive and extract the wounded.[20] However, they came under attack, and were forced to leave the area. Cole and Baird then headed toward the Fenix Estate.[21] They regrouped with Marcus and Dom in the courtyard outside of the Estate, and Baird found APC-142 in the backyard. Marcus ordered Cole to guard Baird while he fixed the APC.[22] After Baird fixes it, they head back into the house to defend it against the Locust attack. Marcus and Dom return from the basement, and send them to get the APC ready for extraction. The four of them then manage to escape in the APC.[23]
- "Hey stupid, you want some of this? Come and get me!"
- —Cole, taunting a Brumak
As they headed toward Timgad Station to deliver the targeting data to the train with the bomb, they found the Timgad Bridge was raised and uncrossable. Cole and Dom stayed with the APC, while Marcus and Baird tried to find a way to raise the bridge. They discovered the bridge was out of power, and Delta then comes under attack from Locust scaling the side of the bridge. After they defeat the attack, Cole and Baird stay with the APC while Marcus and Dom try to restore the power. When their progress became too slow, Marcus had Cole and Baird have Anya guide them along an alternate path to the power lines. They reached a building overlooking Nassar Memorial Park, and directed Marcus and Dom on where to go. When a group of Locust approached on the ground, Baird and Cole covered Marcus and Dom. After the Locust were dead, they continued on toward the powerlines.[24] When they got to the powerlines, a Brumak arrived, and Marcus ordered them to keep it away from the lines. As Baird ran, Cole approached the Brumak, yelling at it and causing it to follow him as he ran after Baird. After they thought they lost it, they headed back to the powerlines, only to have the Brumak show up again and be forced to keep running. They managed to escape it, and JACK repaired the powerlines, but the Brumak had them cut off from the APC.[25] They regrouped with Marcus and Dom behind a theater, and Cole complained that the Brumak had been following them all over the city. The four of them hunted down and killed the Seeder that was jamming the comms. They then headed to Timgad Central Energy to raise the bridge.[26] After fighting there, Cole split off with Baird and JACK to find a way to restore the power. Cole guarded Baird while he and JACK tried to repair the damage the Locust had done. After Baird got the power going again,[27] and Marcus and Dom tricked the Brumak into connecting two transformers, the bridge was lowered and Cole got back into the APC with the rest of Delta, and continued on their way to Timgad Station.[28]
- "It's your house baby! It's your house! Give the pain!"
- —Cole cheering on Marcus and Dom
Upon arriving at the station, Cole and Delta fought against a large Locust force as they waited for the train. As it approached the station, Cole and Baird covered Marcus and Dom as they jumped on the train, but were unable to make it themselves.[29] They were picked up by a King Raven with Col.Hoffman aboard. Cole and Baird cheered Marcus and Dom on as they made their way through the train.[30] After Marcus deployed the Lightmass Bomb,[31] Cole and the rest of Delta were honored for their part in the Lightmass Offensive.[32]
Ambush at Sovereigns Boulevard
- "Well, shit, I had my fortune stashed here."
- —Cole, after entering an old, demolished bank
One week after the Lightmass Offensive, Cole and the rest of Delta-One were on patrol in Ephyra when they came under attack by Locust. During the firefight, an unknown sniper saved Dom from being killed by a Drone. He and Cole then briefly scouted the area to see if they could find the sniper, and climbed atop a mound of debris at the back of an old bank, where Cole had kept his fortune before Emergence Day. They found a spot where the sniper might have been hiding, but decided whoever it was gone. When they got back to Marcus and Baird, they learned that Echo Squad had come under attack on Sovereigns Boulevard and raced to assist.[33] When they arrived, they found Echo pinned down inside a mall, with a Boomer and a group of Drones attempting to get in and reinforce the other Locust. Cole and Baird provided covering fire while Marcus and Dom went to the mezzanine above the Locust and dropped onto the Boomer. After they dropped the Boomer, the Gears killed the remaining Locust. Cole shot the last one, and then began checking the bodies with the others, remarking that he hated the smell of the dead Locust. While Dom went to get a Lancer that had been dropped by a Gear in Echo who had been killed, Cole stayed with the rest of the Gears to wait on a King Raven coming to pick them up. When they heard gunfire, they went to check it out, and discovered Dom had found the sniper, former Sergeant Bernadette Mataki. Cole happily introduced himself to her, and was impressed by her handshake, which he compared to a Boomers. The Gears, along with Bernie, then returned to Wrightman Base on the King Raven.[34]
Evacuation of North Gate
- "Shit, poor little Fluffy!"
- —Cole, after Bernie showed him her tabby fur boots
When it was discovered that the Locust were attempting to cut off access to the North Gate Agricultural Depot, it was decided to evacuate the facility. Cole and Delta-One, joined by Col.Victor Hoffman, Bernie, Pvt.Federic Rojas, and Pvt.Tai Kaliso, were to use three Armadillos to guard the convoy. Before the convoy got under way, Bernie showed Cole her cat-fur lined boots, which he found hilarious and fascinating. Cole rode in APC-Three, which was at the rear of the convoy, along with Baird and Bernie, with whom Cole had become quick friends with.[35] During the ride, Bernie and Baird taunted each other, while Cole tossed some ration bars out of the APCs hatch to some starving Stranded children. Baird told him not to waste his rations on them, but Cole shot back that Baird grew up rich and never knew what it was like to be poor and hungry. Baird let him keep throwing the rations out, and Cole said that they only hated them because the Gears got more to eat than them. Baird told him it was because they had to fight, but Cole told him to tell that to the next eight year old they saw, which shut Baird up. When Bernie heard Anya Stroud over the radio, but was unable to figure out who it was, she asked Cole who she was. He told her, and Bernie quickly remembered her.[36] When they arrived at the depot, they were directed on where to park their APCs by Staff Sergeant Lennard Parry. He then helped some of the sappers move crates onto the trucks.[37]
- "We lost a couple of them. I hate leavin' a job half done."
- —Cole, chasing after several Drones that fled the battle
When a group of Locust were spotted heading in their direction, Cole and the rest of the Gears, except Rojas, who stayed behind to guard the APCs, went on KR A-108 to intercept them. The Raven dropped them off in front of the Drones path, and the Gears took up ambush positions. As the Drones were cut down, Cole, Marcus, and Bernie pursued several who attempted to run away. When a Drone ran at Bernie as she was chainsawing another Locust, Cole shot the grub and saved her. As Bernie attempted to clean her face of blood and bone splinters from the Drone she had chainsawed, Cole handed her a cloth to wipe herself off. They returned to the others as the King Raven returned, and flew back to North Gate.[38] As they got off of the Raven, Cole helped Hoffman, who had been shot in the leg during the battle, over to an APC and sat him down on its running board. He offered to give Hoffman a pain-killer hypo, but Hoffman refused.[39]
- "Shit Boomer Lady. You after some black leather to trim those kitty fur boots?"
- —Cole, after one of Bernie's shot grazed his arm
After the convoy got under way, two trucks were taken out by Locust ambushes. When truck Two-forty-five broke down, Baird left APC-Three on foot to assist it, leaving Cole as the driver.[40] However, when Baird reached the truck, he and its crew came under attack.[41] Cole immediately headed to Bairds position, and he and Bernie exited the APC, and helped Baird kill the Drones attacking him. During the fight, a group of Drones closed in around Cole, and Bernie was forced to fire close to him. A single round traced a shallow furrow across Cole's left arm, but Bernie and Baird managed to kill all the Locust. Cole retrieved the trucks dead escort, while Bernie and Baird grabbed the trucks wounded driver, Jeff Tatton. As they headed back to the APC, a Drone blew up the APC with a Boomshot, but was quickly killed by Baird. Bernie was knocked over by the blast, and Cole helped her up, and then heaved the dead escort over his shoulder again, over Baird's protests. They then proceeded on foot back toward the convoy line.[42] APC-Two picked them up, and headed back to Jacinto, but when Hoffman and Tai became trapped by the Locust, Marcus and Dom left the APC to help them. Cole drove the APC back to Jacinto.[43]
- "You okay? You findin' it hard being back among us good guys after years of mixing with scum? If you ever want to get it off your chest, Bernie, just let it out. I'm here and I ain't got too many pressing engagements."
- —Cole, to Bernie about her trek across Sera
Back at the Wrightman Base, Cole, Baird, Bernie, and Rojas recovered from the mission. Cole began to write a letter to his dead mother, sitting at a desk two sizes too small for him and crying. When Bernie asked him about it, he told her he did it to say all the things he couldn't when she was alive. He then asked Bernie about her trek across Sera, telling her that if she ever needed to get something off her chest, he was there for her. She told Cole she did some bad things on her journey, but he told her that whatever she did, he was sure she had a good reason. She left quickly to compose herself, and Dom entered the barracks, wanting to talk to Bernie about his brother. Cole had Baird follow him to the vehicle compound, preparing to go out and retrieve the trucks and remains that had been left behind.[44] After collecting some remains and parts from the first trucks, they arrived at the next one to find a group of Stranded taking it apart. Bernie fired over their heads as soon as she got off the APC, and Cole told her to stay calm. They forced the Stranded to return all the parts to the truck, and returned to the barracks. They began to play a game of cards, but when Baird insulted Marcus, he and Bernie got into an argument. Cole warned him to be careful, but he didn't listen and was knocked down by one punch from Bernie. Cole grabbed Baird and told him to knock it off, and the squad returned to playing cards.[45]
Deployed to the Dorado Hills
- "Boom, baby - you feelin' that shit?!"
- —Cole, after blowing off a Brumak's arm with a Boomshot
About seven weeks after the Evacuation of North Gate, Cole and Baird were reassigned to Sigma-One, and deployed to the Dorado Hills.[46] When Delta-One was trapped by a Brumak, Cole and Baird picked up their distress signal, and arrived in Centaur II-W0801 to help out. Cole blew off one of the Brumaks arms with a Boomshot, and picked up Delta-One, who tied their APC to the tank. They drove through a valley, and escaped the Brumak when it opened fire, but missed and hit the valley wall causing it to be buried under a ton of rocks. The two squads stopped briefly, and Cole was upset when he found out that a little girl had been in the APC. He spoke with Jace Stratton who was awed to meet the legendary Thrashball player. He and Baird then returned to Jacinto City in the Centaur, taking Lily with them while Delta-One continued their Mission to Montevado.[47]
Liberation of Jilane
- "When there's a lady who needs loving, who else you gonna call but the Cole Train, baby?"
- —Cole, bragging about his luck with women while unaware that Alex was sneaking up behind him
Two months later, Cole and Baird rejoined Delta for a mission to the city of Jilane. After being briefed on the mission by Anya and Hoffman, and being told that Sgt.Alex Brand would be assisting them on the mission, Cole and the others begin packing for the mission and catching up with each other. Cole was interested in Alex, and began saying that that was the real reason Sigma had been called in, and that whenever there was a woman in need, who else would you call but the Cole Train. The others watched, amused, as Alex walked up behind him and heard all this, and she then yelled incoming, making Cole drop his beer. She caught it, and thanked an embarrassed Cole for it.[48]
- "Marcus! I think crazy bitch must have hit the S.O.S. mode or something, cause now we got ourselves one fucked up rescue party."
- —Cole, seeing a the Locust approaching their location after Molly activated the beacon
After they arrived at the city and located the Birthing Creche, Cole went with Dom and Jace to explore one half of the building while Marcus, Baird, and Alex scouted the other half. As they moved through the facility, Cole talked about how he missed the way kids were before the war, running around playing and enjoying life. He was saddened that now there was no time for any of that, and that children had to grow up so fast.[48] As they continued to explore the building, Cole found a room with several babies in test tubes. They were all disturbed by the sight, but they then heard gunfire coming from another part of the building. They rushed to find the rest of Delta surrendering to a group of women, but they snuck up behind them and made them surrender instead. After learning that the group was made up of part of the staff and the women being held, who had stayed behind to protect the children, they questioned them about the distress beacon. After learning they had not set if off, Cole went with Marcus and Baird to continue looking for its source while the rest of the squad stayed with the women. After Baird made another joke about women, Cole warned him to stop it. When he heard a noise come from one of the rooms, he alerted Marcus to it. They entered the room, finding a mentally ill women holding something in her hand. Cole was worried it was a bomb, but she told them it was a beacon. They tried to get her to drop it, but she pressed a button on it. Cole looked out of a window and saw that she had alerted a large group of Locust by setting off the beacon.[49]
- "You got a plan, right baby?"
- —Cole, to Baird after he took over command when Marcus was wounded
Cole quickly told Marcus about the Locust,[49] and they began fighting them off. Cole charged into a group of them, knocking several down, and shot them. He continued firing on the others, and told Marcus that there were too many to hold off, and that they needed to fall back. As they fought their way back to Dom and the others, they were unable to get a lock on the position due to jamming. They found themselves in a greenhouse with no way out, and became trapped. They quickly became pinned down, and Cole recommended they charge the Locust, but was surprised when all of the Locust were shot from another direction. Alex and Annalisa had arrived, and led them back to the bunker where the others were taking cover.[50] They got into the bunker, except for Marcus, who was hit by a Mauler while trying to rescue a child and knocked unconscious. Cole and Dom laid covering fire for Marcus, but Matron closed the bunker. Cole and Dom wanted to head out to rescue Marcus, but Baird told them to stand down, and that the women and children were the priority. They backed down, and Cole asked if Baird had a plan to rescue Marcus. Baird told him to keep him covered while he came up with one. Alex asked Cole if Baird was next in line for command, since Dom was also a corporal, and Cole told her that Dom wasn't the commanding type, and asked her if she wanted to take charge since she was a sergeant. She said no, since Baird knew the squad best. Cole then looked out at Marcus and saw him moving, and informed the others. Baird then came up with a plan to defeat the Locust, and ordered Cole, Dom, and Matron to stay behind in the bunker while the others escaped, in order to lure the Locust in to be blown up by pre-placed grenades. They took cover behind large scrapes of metal to survive the blast, and exited the bunker and retrieved Marcus. They then rejoined the others, and when Baird continued to be insulting to the women, Cole warned him once again to stop, and that they were all on the same side, but he continued to insult them, increasing the tension. The standoff between the Gears and GBL came to an end when Alex noticed a large group of Locust reinforcements arriving.[51]
- "I mean he's supposed to be right behind us, and he sure as hell ain't!"
- —Cole, reporting to Marcus that Baird wasn't with the convoy
As the Locust closed in on them, Matron told Marcus about several vehicles they could use to escape. After they got to them, Cole and Dom helped the children get on board the trucks while Matron and Annalisa stayed behind to detonate a bomb to kill the Locust in Jilane. Cole drove one of the trucks, and as they fled the city Marcus contacted everyone to make sure everyone had left. Cole reported to him that Baird's truck was not in the convoy, and Jace added that Alex was missing also. As the bomb Matron had left to set off detonated, they saw another truck leave the city. Cole was extremely happy that Baird had escaped, and Baird told him that Alex and Annalisa were with him as well.[52]
Operation: Hollow Storm
- "It's go time, baby!"
- —Cole, at the beginning of Operation: Hollow Storm
Four months later, Cole took part in the Assault on Landown, the opening stage of Operation: Hollow Storm. Riding on Rig D28 ("Marilyn"), Sigma Squad encountered heavy Locust resistance on the road to Landown. When Delta Squad's rig broke down, Cole and the rest of Sigma arrived on their rig and took out the attacking Locust.[53] After they reached Landown, they were accompanied by Centaur Four-Nine, and took out a Troika gun position that was pinning down Delta.[54] They reached their drill point, but came under heavy attack and their rig driver was killed. However, they were able to enter their Grindlifts and entered the Hollow.[55]
- "Regroup? Is that what you call it when I saved your ass?"
- —Cole after saving Delta Squad
Exactly what happened to Cole when he first entered the Hollow is unknown, except that all his squadmates were killed, except for Baird and Tanner. He ended up in the Ilima sinkhole, where he tried to warn Delta-One about Locust ambushes, but radio interference made this impossible. When Delta Squad was ambushed, Cole arrived in his trademarked spectacular (and not to mention bloody and loud) fashion, killing multiple Drones, and saving Delta from being overrun. Joining up with them, they began to search for Baird and Tanner, who had been separated from Sigma.[56] After finding Tanner dead and freeing Baird, Cole and Delta assaulted two Beast Barges, discovering a tortured Cpl.Tai Kaliso, who committed suicide after Marcus armed him. They got off of the barge, and continued through Ilima until they found an extraction point. However, after a heated battle on the rooftops, the King Raven they were escaping on was swallowed by the Riftworm.[57] Cole was freaked out about being inside the Riftworm, which only got worse after they discovered Pvt.Benjamin Carmine getting eaten by Nemacytes. After Ben died and the Riftworm shook, Cole began shooting the walls and yelling at it. Baird stopped him and told him to knock it off, in case he pissed it off. Cole told him not to tell him what he could and could not shoot in there, but the Riftworm shook again, and began swallowing a large amount of debris, which headed right towards them. They ran from the debris, and began working their way through the Riftworm, trying to find a way to kill it. After cutting the arteries around the worm's three hearts and killing it, Delta cut their way out of the creature.[58]
- "Where the lights go? Can't have no game without no lights!"
- —Cole, when it gets pitch black inside Mt. Kadar
Despite requesting pickup, Delta was ordered to travel to the New Hope Research Facility, to Cole's and the rest of the squads annoyance. Once there, Marcus and Dom explored the facility while Cole and Baird guarded the Centaur.[59] They took cover inside the building after razorhail started, and when they were able to get back outside, they discovered the razorhail had damaged the tank. As Baird repaired the tank, Marcus and Dom rejoined them, and Cole joined the two of them in fighting off the Locust as Baird completed repairs.[60] They then headed to Mount Kadar after finding clues in the New Hope facility that indicated the Locust stronghold was under Mt. Kadar. They fought their way up the mountain in the tank, and reentered the Hollow. There they found a small group of Stranded that Cole and Baird took back to the surface, while Marcus and Dom scouted for the Locust stronghold.[61]
- "Delta Squad is in your house, bitch! You hear that shit? All you grubby-ass bitches are going down! Like, way down! Dead down! So down you ain't gonna know which way is up! Your asses are gonna be crying to your skank-ass Queen, 'Oh Mommy, don't let the bad man hurt us!' Fuck you! We gonna whoop yo momma's ass! WHOO!"
- —Cole's "enlightened" speech
After this, they regrouped with the rest of the army, and drilled back in to the Hollow upon detection of Marcus and Dom's beacon, landing in the city of Nexus. They joined up with Delta again, and fought their way towards the Royal Palace.[62] They infiltrated it via the Bloodmount Stables, where a disgusted Cole noticed the Bloodmounts were fed human heads. After fighting through several lairs of the palace, they briefly stopped in a control room. Baird and Cole cut off the Locust queens speaker system, and Cole delivered a profanity filled speech on how Delta Squad was going to kick the Locusts ass that was broadcast all over Nexus. They then discovered the Locusts plans to sink Jacinto in order to defeat both the COG and the Lambent, mutated Locust creatures and Drones that exploded when shot. Cole was extremely freaked out by them, and confused when they saw some kind of glowing energy leave a dead Lambent Drone. They also discovered recordings of Adam Fenix in the computers, saying the only way to end the war was to flood the Hollow. Marcus decided too that flooding the Hollow would defeat the Locust, but that they had to do it before the Locust were ready to do it themselves.[63] After fighting through the rest of the palace, they reached the throne room, where the queen and Skorge were waiting for them. Cole and Baird unsuccessfully pursued the Queen while Marcus and Dom fought Skorge. After Skorge escaped on his Hydra, Delta got aboard Reavers, or horsey as Cole affectionately called his.[64] Cole and Marcus were on one Reaver, while Dom and Baird rode on the other. Skorge pursued them on his Hydra as they made their way out of the Hollow and back to Jacinto, but Marcus and Dom managed to shoot down the Hydra, killing Skorge.[65]
- "Ma'am, they ain't the dying kind. They're on another bird. Count on it."
- —Cole, reassuring Anya that Marcus, Dom, and Baird had made it
In Jacinto, Cole and Baird assisted in the preparation of the Lightmass Bomb that would be used to sink Jacinto and flood the Hollow with seawater.[66] Although the bomb was lost, the destruction of the Lambent Brumak began the process of sinking Jacinto.[67] Cole escaped on a KR-471, which landed in a plaza to wait for ColVictor Hoffman, Anya Stroud, and Chairman Richard Prescott to reach them. Cole guarded the Raven, and when he heard fighting nearby, he worked his way through a building to find Hoffman, Prescott, and Anya under attack. He crashed through a window and opened fire on the drones, and cut through one with his chainsaw. Hoffman and Prescott shot the other two, and Cole was surprised that Prescott still knew how to use a gun. Prescott said he was glad to see Cole, but another Locust emerged right in front of Anya. Before Cole and the others could do anything, Anya had drawn her Snub Pistol and shot the drone twice in the face. Cole remarked that that was a perfect double tap, and asked if she had been practicing. Anya told him that she had just been surviving, and warned him not to go out of radio contact again, because she had been worried something had happened to him. Cole laughed and said the Cole Train wouldn't be derailed that easily, and helped her onto the Raven. Anya remarked that she had never killed someone before, but Cole told her she hadn't, and it was just a grub.[68] KR-471 then joined the rest of the evacuation the city, and Cole watched as boats and other King Ravens fled the sinking city. He comforted Anya as she worried about Marcus and the others, wondering if they had made it. Cole suddenly saw another King Raven carrying Marcus, Dom, and Baird, and directed Anya's attention to them. After comms were restored, he contacted the other members of Delta, and asked Dom if anything ever came out of the lead on his wife. Cole was shocked when Dom told him he had found her, but had been forced to end her suffering after she was tortured by the Locust.[69]
Stranded Insurgency
Arrival in Port Farrall
- "Yeah, that right baby! I'm on an economy drive."
- —Cole, as he kills a Boomer during a skirmish south of Port Farrall
KR-471 landed at Port Farrall, the evacuation point for the remaining Gears and civilians. Cole rejoined Baird and Bernie in Marshaling zone G, where they discussed what they had heard about Maria.[70] Cole then drove PA-776 to fight against a group of Locust stragglers that Marcus and Dom had found. Anya demanded to come along, but Cole was reluctant to let her aboard, since she was not trained for the frontline. Bernie told him that she could come, and opened the hatch to let her in. After reaching the battlefield, Cole killed a Boomer and several other Locust. After the battle, he found Bernie and Baird had captured a wounded Drone, and were torturing and questioning it. Cole didn't think that that was right, and told them to just shoot it, and was about to kill it himself when Marcus arrived and convinced Bernie to kill it. The Gears then headed back to Port Farrall.[71]
- "Come on, fella, let me escort you out the restaurant. You ain't wearin' a tie. We're kinda formal."
- —Cole, to a Stranded who had snuck into Port Farrall and got attacked by citizens
One week after the Sinking,[72] Cole and the other Gears had set up a barracks in an abandoned boarding school. He helped Bernie bring in several deer carcasses she had brought in from hunting, and watched as she gave demonstrations on how to prepare them to other Gears. However, the demonstration was cut short when a group of civilians attacked a Stranded who snuck into the food distribution center, and Delta was sent to calm them down. After retrieving the Stranded, Cole escorted him out of Port Farrall, but gave him some ration bars. When Cole rejoined the others, he told Dom that he had been talking to Staff Sergeant Lennard Parry, and that he could get Dom one of the private rooms that Parry's men had set up, so that he could get some privacy to deal with his issues. Dom asked him what he meant, and Cole told him that he kept waking up at night screaming about Maria, and that the others just wanted to make sure he had what he needed to sort out his feelings. When they got back to the base, Bernie found that stray cats had taken some of her deer that she had been working on, and asked Dom if he wanted to help put them down. This set off Dom, reminding him of being forced to kill his wife, and he broke down, yelling at them and crying. Cole stopped other Gears from coming near them, while Marcus and Bernie attempted to comfort Dom.[73]
- "Treasure hunt, baby!"
- —Cole, attempting to cheer the rest of Delta up about having to go underground
Three days later,[74] Cole and Baird waited at Dry Dock C at Merrenat Naval Base for Marcus, Dom, and Bernie to show up so they could explore the underground section of the base for supplies. He teased Baird about wanting to play with a submarine that Baird had spotted during the evacuation until the others showed up. As they walked toward Cole and Baird, they talked about Dom's mental state. Marcus handed out flashlights to them, and the five Gears searched through the debris and plants to find the entrance underground. Dom found it and called the others over. They opened the cover plate, and Cole shined his flashlight down into the tunnel. Cole dropped down with the others, except for Baird who stayed above ground to keep watch. Bernie headed off to find the main access, and Cole checked each of the rooms with Marcus and Dom. They found dozens of boxes of ammo, as well as food and medical supplies. Their excitement about the find was cut short when Baird heard barking, and shots were heard coming from the direction Bernie had gone. Cole and the others rushed to assist, and found Bernie under attack and wounded by a group of feral dogs. Cole and Dom opened fire on them, but two got past and ran straight at Bernie knocking her over. Marcus and Dom each managed to kill one of them, saving her. As she stood up, Cole steadied her. They came out of the main exit, where Baird joined them, expressing disbelief at what happened. They then walked back to Port Farrall. Cole later attempted to set up Thrashball games for the kids in the camp, but had gave up after deciding that they might hurt themselves on the frozen ground.[75]
Battle of Port Farrall
- "Clear! Suck on that, assholes!"
- —Cole, during the Battle of Port Farrall while standing next to a Centaur that just killed a Berserker
Two days later,[76] a large group of Locust attacked the food distribution center. Cole fought back against them, arriving with a Centaur and asking for a flamethrower so he could go down and clear the drains.[77] Five weeks later, Cole and Baird used a Grindlift to dig holes to cremate the dead in. Cole didn't like having to do this, and felt it was not a proper funeral. As they drove back to Port Farrall, he had Baird pull over to block the path of a civilian car that was leaving with a family inside. Cole got out and tried to convince the driver that it was safer to stay with the COG and not join the Stranded, as some citizens had been doing after the Locust attack. He was unsuccessful, and got back into the APC and had Baird let the driver go by. As they continued their drive back, they discussed the benefits of moving out onto one of the islands instead of staying in Port Farrall. Once they arrived back at the base, Cole left Baird to tinker with the APC while he went into the bathroom and got in a stall to write a letter to his dead mother. He was interrupted when Dom came into the bathroom. Cole talked to him, and noticed that he had a necklace tied around his COG tag. Dom explained it was Maria's, and that Gears always recovered the fallen's tags, no matter what. Cole understood, and told him that nobody was ever dead unless they were forgotten. He then went back into the stall and continued to write his letter to his mom.[78]
Ambush Outside of Port Farrall
- "Come on, Boomer Lady. Trust the Cole Train- I'll catch you. I never fumbled a catch in a game, ever."
- —Cole, trying to convince Bernie to drop into his arms after she gets stuck in a tree
A few days later, Cole went on patrol outside of Port Farrall with Delta and Sigma-Four to hunt down a Drone that Sgt.Rory Andresen had wounded. However, they were ambushed by Kantus, Drones, and Boomers. The Gears fought back, but took several casualties. Marcus sent Bernie to find and kill the Kantus, and Bravo-Three showed up and helped kill the attacking Locust. However, a second wave emerged and pinned the Gears down, but Cole was able to escape and began hunting down the Kantus as well. He found Bernie hanging in a tree, from which she had killed one of the Kantus and directed Cole to the other. He chased it through the woods, and it turned around and fired on him, but the bullets hit his collar armor and he was fine. Before it could fire again, Cole emptied his Lancer into it, face to groin, killing it. He headed back to the battle, and helped finish off the remaining Locust. He reported to Marcus that he and Bernie had killed the Kantus, and headed with Baird to find out why she had not rejoined them. They found her stuck in the tree, and unable to get back down because she had twisted her ankle. Cole had her drop out of the tree so he could safely catch her. He carried her over his shoulder because her ankle was too hurt for her to walk, while Baird went back and joined the other Gears in retrieving the bodies and COG tags. As they walked back, Cole decided that he really hoped the COG could move out to one of the islands.[79]
Mission to Vectes
- "Shit, rivers? Man, this is going to be nice. I might just take up fishing."
- —Cole, as he flies over Vectes in KR Eight-Zero
A few days later, Cole and the rest of Delta left Port Farrall aboard KR Eight-Zero, with Anya joining them, for a recon mission to Vectes. KR-239 followed them, carrying an APC that would help them scout the island. As they flew over Vectes, Cole became excited upon finding Vectes Naval Base still intact, and the fact that the island was beautiful and had rivers, commenting that he might take up fishing. When they discovered the island was still inhabited, they landed on some cliff's outside the town. Cole, Baird, and Dom hung back while Marcus, Anya, and Bernie went forward to meet with the inhabitants. After introductions were made, Marcus waved the others on down, and several people recognized Cole. They began asking him questions about why he was a Gear, and asking for autographs. Cole was happy to talk with them and sign the autographs, and fell behind the rest of Delta as he became more and more surrounded. A little while later, he joined Delta, minus Baird who was guarding the Ravens with major Gill Gettner and Lt.Nat Barber, in driving to VNB with William Berenz to determine if it was habitable. While exploring the base, Cole tested its alarm system, startling Anya, Major Mel Sorotki, and Lt.Kevan Mitchell, who were waiting outside the base with the APC, much to Cole's amusement. An hour after that, Cole and the others returned to the APC, and informed everyone that the base was perfect to move the remnant of the COG to.[80]
- "Any of the gentlemen we just made acquaintance with? 'Cause me and Baird, we run a really good etiquette program on how to treat ladies with respect."
- —Cole, offering to kill any Stranded that had a part in raping Bernie
The Gears and Bernez then headed in the Raven to the Stranded settlement on the island. After they landed, Cole and Bernie forced one of the Stranded out of a sniping position over their landing zone. A group of thirty heavily armed Stranded then came out of the buildings, and Cole covered Bernie as she walked toward them. After Marcus told the Stranded to either fall in line or leave Vectes, the Gears began heading back to the Raven. However, Bernie noticed a blue dinghy that upset her, and as she walked away, one of the Stranded jostled her, and Bernie hit him in his face with her Lancer. All of the Gears and Stranded were suddenly pointing guns at each other, and Cole moved in front of Bernie to block any Stranded from getting a shot on her. The Gears moved back towards the Raven, and took off. As they flew back to Pelruan, Cole and the others told Bernie that it was okay that she had lost it, and that she wasn't a liability to the squad. After reaching the town, the Gears were given quarters in the town hall to stay in. As the Gears played cards in silence, Cole eventually worked up the courage to ask Bernie what was wrong. She told them that during her trek back to the Jacinto Plateau, she had been gang raped by a group of Stranded. After a shocked silence, the Gears offered their sympathies, and Cole told her that if any of the Stranded at the settlement were involved, that he and Baird would take care of them. Shortly afterwords, Cole went with Marcus on a patrol of the city, just in case the Stranded decided to make trouble. Marcus noticed a light out in the water, and sent Cole to get the rest of the squad.[81]
Raid on Pelruan
- "Damn, you seen the collection of toys these jokers got? There's grubs with less firepower than this."
- —Cole, collecting the weapons from the dead Stranded who had attacked Pelruan
A group of Stranded arrived on the shore around the town, intending to attack the town and do as much damage as they could. Cole and Bernie guarded one part of the shore, and attacked the Stranded as they landed. After they took out those Stranded, Cole and Bernie joined Marcus, and Cole was tasked with keeping the civilians inside their homes. After the battle, the squad regrouped on the road to Pelruan, where Anya had used the Armadillo to destroy three Stranded APC's. Cole and Dom moved the bodies out of the APC's, and piled them alongside the road. Cole was disturbed by having to kill humans, and he talked with Baird about why he hated them so much. After they finished, they returned to Pelruan in the APC.[82]
RSearch for the Harvest
- "Shit. They don't get it. They never saw it. Any of it. I just can't explain it to them. How they ever gonna understand us?"
- —Cole's inner thoughts while trying to explain the Locust creatures he had fought to several Pelruan fishermen
The next day, the first of the Ravens began arriving with the advance team to get VNB ready for inhabitation. Cole and Baird worked in the quay, cutting wooden planks with their Lancer's chainsaws as several local kids watched.[83] Two weeks later, he and Baird visited the small vessels basin to watch the navy ships as they continued to bring in equipment and personnel from the mainland. Cole was impressed with the navy's efficiency, and was glad they had hidden some ships away for future use. He followed Baird over to where the CNV Clement was docked, and learned from a crew member that one of the fishing ships had gone missing. Cole and Baird volunteered to provide security on the ships during the search, and Baird contacted command to inform them of the situation. Cole talked with one of the fishing boat captains, and became worried when he saw a fish that looked a lot like a Locust creature. He told the fishermen not to touch it, but they laughed, and an elderly fisherman explained that it was a shale eel, and that they were rare to catch. They offered him some of it, but Cole politely turned down the offer. One of the fishermen then came out of the wheelhouse with a radio, and informed them that debris from the Harvest had been found.[84] Cole boarded the CNV Chancellor with Marcus and Dom while Baird went out on the Clement. Cole discovered that he hated being on a boat even more than flying in a Raven and quickly became seasick. They discovered that the Harvest had been sunk by pirates, and headed back to VNB. Along the way, Cole wonders why the pirates sank the boat instead of capturing it and Marcus theorizes that the fishermen probably fought back. Cole finds it sad that the first thing humans do after finishing one war is to start another.[85]
Pelruan Familiarization Tour
- "If I ever talk 'bout runnin' for office, Bernie, shoot me. Because I can't be doin' with all that semantics shit."
- —Cole, while discussing Prescotts decrees not to use the words "refugees" or "stranded" with Bernie
Three days later, Cole stood next to Bernie in an honor guard during a speech Prescott is giving to a delegation from Pelruan, which bored Cole immensely. They discussed how much they hated the political game Prescott was playing, and Cole waved to Lewis Gavriel and William Bernez, and hoped they got some sort of reward for keeping Vectes running for fifteen years. After the speech ended, Cole and Bernie talked to a kid from Pelruan named Samuel. They were disturbed by the kid thinking that they were going to shoot him, and attempted to set him straight when his mother arrived and pulled him away. They tried to tell her that Gears don't attack civilians, but she says she saw Bernie attack an unarmed man, and told them to stay away from her kids. Bernie was upset by this, since the man had been the one who had raped her, and Cole attempted to comfort her. He succeeded and they headed to the shipyard to help unload supplies from the navy ships.[86]
Meeting on the High Seas
- "Baby, I'm gonna take my seasick pill and lie down somewhere dark till this morning goes away"
- —Cole, after a mission at sea takes many unexpected twists
A few days later, Cole and the rest of Delta, along with Anya and Sgt. Rory Andresen, went on a mission aboard the CNV Falconer to hand over Massy to the Lesser Islands Free Trade Area in exchange for them to stop raiding COG shipping. However, it was a trap designed to have the Clement follow the pirates to their home base so the COG could destroy it.[87] He and Dom stuck to the middle of the boat as much as they could, trying to stay away from the edge of the boat and the water. After they handed over Massy to another gang of pirates who had taken out the LIFTA, the Falconer began heading back to VNB while the Clement followed the new pirates. Cole continued having trouble being on a boat, and threw up several times over the railing. He told Bernie that he didn't think he was going to be of much use in a seagoing world. He tried to get Bernie to come inside the boat and stop listening to Massy being tortured, but she refused and advised him to drink something to rehydrate. However, he came back out a short time later, when the pirates ship was blown up. They discovered that a Union of Independent Republics submarine, the Zephyr, had blown it up, much to Cole and the others disbelief. The commander of the Zephyr, Miran Trescu, asked to follow them back to Vectes in order to work out a deal to join the COG. The ships then returned to Vectes.[88]
A New War
- "Excuse me gentlemen. I'm goin' asshole hunting."
- —Cole, after finding the body of Dilland Jonty
Two days later, Cole and Delta were sent to Pelruan to reassure the citizens there that everything was alright. As they drove there in PA-207, they discussed the Indie remnants joining the COG, and what the reaction in Pelruan was going to be. They met with Sgt.Drew Rossi outside of the townhall, and he informed them on the situation in town. Cole began walking around the town, and ran into the elderly fisherman who had explained to him about the shale eel. He confirmed to the fisherman that a group of Indies were indeed coming to Vectes, but that they sunk pirates and wouldn't cause any trouble. The man was worried about going out to fish, but Cole reassured him that he would be safe, and that he would talk to Captain Quentin Michaelson to make sure they were protected. When he returned to the APC, he found out that the Stranded settlement had been set on fire, and that Delta was to check it out. They discovered the fires had been set as asset denial to the COG, with all useful materials that could be stripped away gone, and the rest strategically burned.[89] Four weeks later,[90] Cole attended the opening of the VNB sergeants mess, and laughed as he watched Bernie get Baird in a headlock and pinched his checks jokingly, praising him for getting the bases guns working. However, the celebration was cut short when Marcus informed them that farmer Dilland Jontys farm had been raided and set on fire. Delta was one of six squads to respond to the incident, and after arriving, spread out to find Jonty while the other Gears either fought the fires or searched for the attackers. Cole found his body, shot and with his throat cut, along with all three of his dogs. Cole was highly upset at the sight, and set out to hunt down the Stranded Insurgents who had carried out the attack.[91] A few weeks after the attack, Cole was drinking with Baird in the main bar at VNB. After seeing Baird treating Pvt.Samantha Byrne rudely, he told him that he was never going to get any action treating women that way. However, they were interrupted when Bernie arrived with Mac, a dog she had gotten to help hunt down Stranded Insurgents. Cole was impressed by the dog, and headed out with her, Baird, and Mac to hunt down Insurgents.[92]
Dealing with the Gorasni
- "Aww, Baird's in love with another hunk of metal. Baby, you gonna end up marryin' a bot. Maybe we better ask Jack if he has a sister."
- —Cole, teasing Baird about his reaction to the Emerald Spar
A week later, Cole watched with the rest of Delta as Gorasni arrived on Vectes from aboard the Paryk.[93] Later that day, Delta was selected to go inspect the Emerald Spar Imulsion Platform, which was being turned over to the COG by the Gorasni. As they flew over the platform in KR-80 and prepared to land, Cole remarked that the platform was pretty isolated, but Baird was too fascinated by the platform's engineering to worry about that. Cole said that if he kept falling in love with hunks of metal, he would end up marrying a bot. Baird defended himself, saying that it was a very impressive structure, causing Cole to laugh. After landing on the platform, they were greeted by Stefan Gradin, the platform's leader. They were taken on a tour of the platform, and Marcus and Baird eventually went to take a look at the security systems. Cole was curious to explore more of the platform, but was stopped from going up a ladder to the drilling platform by a worker named Eugen, who told him that the ladder was too rusty and he was too big to be climbing it. Cole thanked him for looking out for his safety, and Eugen led them on a tour of the living quarters. After finishing their inspection, Cole and the others returned to the Raven. Gettner told them they were going to take a look at the Gorasni's search efforts for one of their frigates, the Nezark, which had gone missing. They discovered that the seabed had shifted from its normal formation, and that there was seismic activity going on. Cole and the others were disturbed by this, but were unable to get any more information from the Gorasni control, and returned to Vectes.[94] After arriving back on Vectes, Cole and many other Gears were briefed by Hoffman on the Stranded insurgents and sent out into the forest to find some.[93]
Battle of Vectes
- "That's a bomb, baby. That don't look like under control to me."
- —Cole, trying to convince a Gorasini Gear to let him and Dom help the Gorasini
Two days later, Cole was off duty when Stranded Insurgents launched multiple attacks all across Vectes. He met with Dom near the Raven landing field, and saw KR Three-Three land, with a body bag being taken out. Dom told him that it was Sgt.Rory Andresen, which upset Cole, and he asked if his wife had been notified. Dom told him Major Aleksander Reid had gone to find her, and the two began wishing they had gone with Marcus to assist Bernie in hunting Stranded. An explosion on the other side of the base in the Gorasni compound interrupted them, and they ran to see if they could help. A Gorasni Gear stopped them, and told them they had everything under control. Cole told him that a bomb had just detonated, which didn't seem to be very under control to him. The guard told them that they had people trained to deal with things like this, and that they would just get in the way if they entered the compound. Dom began to get angry, but Cole steered him away from the guard and told him there were other things they could do. After contacting control, Lt.Donneld Mathieson asked them for help manning comms stations in the CIC. After arriving there, Cole kept a line open to Pelruan to make sure everything was fine there, but Hoffman arrived at the CIC and ordered them to get on KR-239 and assist Marcus, Baird, and Bernie in hunting down a group of Stranded and take them alive.[95] After getting on the Raven, Cole and Dom were dropped off in the forest near the others, who had just about cornered the three Stranded they were chasing. Cole was glad to see Mac helping them, and bet the dog would be able to hunt down the Stranded. While the others, joined by Sam, captured two adult Stranded, Cole and Dom pinned down and exchanged fire with a third, who was a young teenager. They managed to capture and disarm him, and dragged him back to where the others were. Cole and the others loaded their prisoners onto KR-239, and flew back to VNB.[96]
Lambent Pandemic
Sea Patrols
- "So do we raise the alert state from damp pants to urgent change of underwear?"
- —Cole, after discovering the Lambent had returned and learning of disagreements between Hoffman and Trescu
Three days later, Cole was off duty while Baird, Dom, and Sam went out with the Pelruan trawler fleet as guards. When one of the trawlers, the Levanto, exploded under unknown circumstances, Cole gathered with a large crowd of civilians on the dock as the remains of the ship were brought back, and did his best to comfort the citizens.[97] The next day, Cole and the rest of Delta were selected to guard the trawler fleet, this time going on board the trawlers to try and determine what was sinking them. As they waited at the dock, Cole asked her where Mac was, and Bernie told her that she had left him in a fuel compound with a sheep carcass until she got back. Cole and Baird were assigned to the Montagnon, and became seasick as the boats settled in and began trawling up Oilfish. He contacted Bernie and asked if it was okay to throw up yet, and she told him to try and miss the fish. When the trawler Marcus and Bernie were on, the Coral Star, trawled up a Lambent creature, the crew evacuated and Marcus and Bernie set the ship to full speed and jumped off. The Lambent creature exploded, and destroyed the vessel. Cole contacted Bernie and told her they were heading to pick them up. When the Montagnon pulled up next to the Gears and the crew, Cole helped pull them inside.[98] As the trawler fleet returned to Vectes, Cole told Aylmer Gullie, the captain of the Coral Star, that he had warned him about the Lambent, and Gullie told him he was sorry he hadn't listened to him, and asked how they had lived with fighting these creatures for fifteen years. Cole told him that those had mostly been Locust, and they didn't explode very often. He and Baird then turned their attention to Bernie, who was freezing after having been in the water, and they told her that she needed to get some rest and have Dr.Isabel Hayman check her out. Bernie got annoyed with them and said she would do her best to stay alive until Andresen's funeral, which shut them up. As they got closer to shore, they saw the CNV Falconer preventing the Gorasni Imulsion tanker from leaving, and learned that Hoffman and Trescu were having a disagreement over what Trescu had the authority to do, after he had led several unauthorized attacks on the Stranded. Cole was annoyed by this, and asked Bernie who exactly they were supposed to be fighting.[99]
Patroling the Stranded Shanty Town
- "We oughta at least help the ladies. They didn't blow anything up, did they? Shit, there's kids lookin' at all this."
- —Cole, trying to convince Baird to help the Stranded with the bodies of their dead
After they reached the dock, they were met by Reid, who ordered Marcus and Bernie to report to the medical building, and then get debriefed about the Lambent. He also ordered Baird to take the others and patrol the area of the city where the Stranded who had accepted amnesty had set up. As they walked along the road leading through the neighborhood, the Gears talked about several different things. Cole said that he still wanted to take up fishing, since there were so many streams around the city. He also waved to several children who looked frightened for the Gears as they continued their patrol. Cole stopped and watched Baird help an old Stranded man work on an engine for a while, until he noticed that a Gorasni vehicle was heading for the camp. He alerted Baird, and they saw that the Stranded behind the truck was screaming and crying. They discovered why when the truck pulled up to a stop next to them, and three Gorasni Gears led by Yanik Laas began dumping the bodies of Stranded Insurgents they had killed onto the Stranded's lawns. Baird ordered the Gorasni to get out of there before a riot started, and Cole and Sam moved to block the Stranded from attacking the Gorasni. After they left, Cole asked Baird if they should help the families with the bodies, since there were kids looking at them as well, and that they hadn't done anything, but Baird told him that would go over well with the Jacinto citizens watching the spectacle. However, he moved to help Cole do it anyway, but they were stopped by the Stranded, who demanded that they leave, that they did not want their help. They moved back to the border of the Stranded camp and the Jacinto citizens living area, and guarded it until they were sure nothing would happen.[100]
Scouting in the Clement
- "Baby, you're lookin' radiant. That imulsion rig's going to know you've been cheatin' on her with a sub."
- —Cole, teasing Baird about his fascination with the Clement
The next day, Cole went out with Baird in the CNV Clement to guard it as it looked for the Nezark, the missing Gorasni frigate. He kept hitting his head in the cramped submarine, and found Baird in the torpedo compartment. Cole told him that if he kept looking at the submarine like he was, the Imulsion rig was going to think he was cheating on it. Baird told him that he was shallow and went for looks every time, and Cole told him that since the submarine had dived, he hadn't been puking as much as he normally did on a ship. Baird began telling him that the Clement was the most advanced piece of weaponry that had ever been built, even the Hammer of Dawn. Cole laughed at his enthusiasm, and asked him when they were going to make a full-sized version. They headed to the bridge, and listened as Commander Garcia talked with Gorasni navy men Teodor Marisc and Janu, who were telling him that the seafloor had changed since they had last looked for the Nezark. Everyone was confused by this, and Garcia ordered the Clement to resurface. Cole wondered what the explanation was, and told Baird that he was going to find a sick bag and lay down in the torpedo compartment until they were done surfacing. Not long after, the Clement came under attack by Lambent Stalks and Polyps, and Baird fought them off on the deck of the submarine while Cole was trapped below. The submarine dived again to avoid them, and Baird was picked up by KR-80, which discovered that the stalks were heading toward the Emerald Spar Imulsion platform.[101]
Battle of the Emerald Spar Imulsion Platform
- "I never played against psycho glowie crabs before. Let's do it."
- —Cole, as the Lambent Stalks close in on the Emerald Spar Platform
Cole was taken off of the Clement by a Raven, and flown to the Emerald Spar Platform with twenty other Gears, joining Marcus, Dom, and Baird in an effort to defend the platform. He was contacted by Bernie, who wished him luck, and told him to tell Baird that she had known he was human deep down. After landing, Cole gave Baird his armor and passed along Bernie's message, but Baird claimed he had just been trying to save the submarine, but Cole knew that he had done it selflessly and without thinking. Baird asked him where Bernie was, and Cole told him that Hoffman had grounded her after her two close calls with explosions, and that Bernie was not happy about that. As the Lambent closed in, Hoffman attempted to come and assist aboard another King Raven, but Marcus told him it was too risky with how close the Stalks were. After Hoffman told him that he would come aboard if he saw them getting their asses kicked, Cole remarked that he was savage. Cole was somewhat nervous, and kept messing with the controls on his Lancer, saying that he had never fought against weird glowing crabs before. After the Stalk attached itself to the rig and began letting Polyps aboard underneath it, Cole went with Baird and Sam in the middle of the platform and began clearing out Polyps from the corridors. They were joined by Aurelie Dersau, a crew member of the platform, who used a Scorcher to burn away the Polyps. However, she and Baird got trapped on a ladder, but Cole managed to fight off the Polyps long enough to pull them up. As KR-239 attempted to cut down the Stalk, the platform began taking lots of damage, and fires broke out. Cole continued to work with Baird and Sam, taking turns shooting and reloading to cut down the Polyps. The Raven managed to cut down the Stalk, and the Gears finished clearing out the Polyps, but a second Stalk arrived and unleashed a new wave on the other side of the platform.[102] The damage eventually became too much, and they were forced to evacuate the platform. Cole and Baird rushed through the smoky corridors to reach the lifeboat, and joined the rest of the Gears and rig crew on board. Baird piloted the ship away from the Emerald Spar, and they watched as it began to burn and sink while the Ravens evacuated the remaining crew. They began pulling other survivors out of the water, and Cole wrapped Aurelie in an emergency blanket after pulling her out. As they headed back to Vectes, they watched as the Emerald Spar exploded, and sank fully into the ocean.[103]
Scouting the Ocean
- "Can we name it?"
- —Cole, after the squad discovered an uncharted island
A day later, Delta was sent out in KR-80 to scout for signs of Lambent activity in the ocean and on the mainland. Cole used this time to write a letter to his mom, but still listened in on the others' conversation. When Dom was asking why command was bothering to try and make an alliance against the Lambent with the Stranded, Cole told him that it beat having to fight them both at the same time. As they flew over the area where the Emerald Spar had been, they found no trace of the platform. Baird and Dom talked about where they would find another source of Imulsion, and Baird shot down Dom's idea they could get it from the mainland, saying there would be too many problems with that. Cole put his letter up and asked Baird if he wanted a coloring book because of how antsy he got on long rides, tactfully warning him to not shoot down all of Dom's ideas. As they continued their flight, they found an uncharted island that had recently been created by a volcanic eruption. As they flew closer to check it out, Baird wondered what made the Lambent glow, and how many different kinds there were. Cole mentioned that at least they knew why the Locust Queen had been so worried about them, and Baird said he regretted not having asked her anything. As he returned to writing his letter, Cole reminded him that they had been busy trying to stay alive at the time and that she hadn't exactly been holding a press conference. When they reached the island, Cole asked if they could name it, which caused everyone to stop talking as they considered who they would name it after. Baird tactfully suggested they wait and see if it was worth naming, and after they got close enough to look at it, they saw a dead Lambent Stalk jutting out of the middle of the island. After Barber reported the island to control, he picked up chatter on a Stranded channel and located where it was coming form, and they headed to check it out. As they flew over the ocean, Dom said that it would be great to live on the sea most of the time, but Cole told him that that was his worst nightmare, alongside living on a Raven. When they reached the source of the communications, they discovered it was a massive Stranded fleet with over a hundred ships, and on a direct course for Vectes.[104] Marcus and Dom were dropped off on one of the ships and talked with Lyle Ollivar, the leader of the Stranded, about the Lambent. After they were picked up, Cole and the others returned to Vectes.[105]
Preparing For Battle
- "We love this, don't we, baby? At our best when we're waitin' for the shit to start. All match-fit and ready to go."
- —Cole, talking with Dom as they waited for the inevitable attack on Vectes
Over the next several days, preparations were made for an attack by the Lambent on Vectes, and the Stranded agreed to join forces with the COG to try and defeat them. Cole was out walking the docks one night when he found Dom sitting on a jetty watching the fleet and some Ravens. He joined him, and told him how everybody seemed to love this part, and that they seemed to be at their best when they were waiting for everything to kick off. Dom wondered when they would shake that off, but Cole said he wondered if they would ever get the chance to. Dom asked him where Baird was, and Cole told him that he was welding pipes so that they could flood pits and trenches they had dug with fuel and set them aflame when they were full of Polyps. Cole said that Baird was creative in all the wrong ways, but that he was glad about it. They talked about what the citizens would do if an attack came, and Dom said they didn't have enough weapons to arm all of them. Cole told him they would just have to be sure they stopped the Lambent, and that was the only hope they had.[106] Three days later, the attack finally came, but not on New Vectes: a Lambent Leviathan attacked Pelruan, and the garrison there, under the command of Anya, had just barely fought off a wave of Polyps, and KR-33 was destroyed. The rest of the Raven crews were hit hard by the news, and Cole talked with Lt.Kevan Mitchell in the crew bay of KR-239, patting him on the back and assuring him everything would be fine. As they waited for orders, Baird began formulating theories about the Lambent, and speculated they were mutagenic. Cole told him that didn't sound healthy, and Baird said that the luminous glowing snot like thing they had seen in the Locust tunnels had been an infection. Cole told him that it had gone flying around on its own, which sounded like something alive to him, not an infection.[107]
Battle of New Jacinto
- "Tell me there ain't people here. 'Cause tents ain't brick walls"
- —Cole, as the fight moves into the Gorasini district
When a Lambent Leviathan was spotted approaching New Jacinto, Cole and the rest of Delta were ordered to join the line of Gears waiting in front of the trenches to fight the Polyps. As they ran to join the other Gears, Baird said that there was no way the Lambent Leviathan from Pelruan could have reached them in such a short amount of time, and claimed that there must be two of them. Cole saw Marcus react to this, and knew that he was worried about Anya's safety. He jogged next to Baird and told him not to remind Marcus that Anya was in danger, but Baird told him that they were all in danger, and asked him if he thought Hoffman's plan would work. Cole told him it would work better than taking potshots at the Polyps until they ran out of ammo, but Baird didn't like the fact they were being used as bait to lure the Polyps in. They reached the line of Gears, and were joined by Hoffman, and watched as the Lambent Leviathan fought the CNV Fenmont and the CNV Vale of Dane. The Leviathan got past them and began letting Polyps out onto the shore, and the Gears fired into them until they were forced to fall back into the trenches. Near the end of them, Cole stopped to wait for Baird, and when he reached him, he lifted him up and over the side, and then scrambled up himself. The trenches were set aflame, and Cole and the other Gears found themselves outside of the Gorasni district. They joined the Stranded in defending the area, picking off the Polyps that were avoiding the trenches. Cole was worried that there were still people in the homes and tents in the district, but one of the Stranded told him all the non-combatants had been evacuated. They continued to fight the Polyps, but several were getting through and exploded, killing fire teams of Stranded and setting fire to tent and buildings.[108]
- "That oversized eel's doin' the winchin', not us."
- —Cole, as he tries to control the Lambent Leviathan with a harpoon line
During a break in the fighting, Cole met with Hoffman, Trescu, Ollivar, and the rest of Delta in the CIC. They formed a plan to kill the two Lambent Leviathans attacking the city by using the CNV Clement and the Zephyr, along with the Hammer of Dawn. To use the Hammer, they would have to take a patrol boat out and use it to somehow keep one of the Leviathans in one place long enough to hit it with the Hammer. Baird had to stay behind to input the targeting data, which neither he or Cole liked. They then headed for the CNV Falconer with Trescu, and Captain Quentin Michaelson showed them the harpoon launcher he planned to use to hold the Leviathan in place. They headed out to sea, and got into place to support the submarines and fire the harpoon.[109] As they prepared to put their plan into motion, Cole told Dom he was worried about the shallowness of the water, and that the explosion of the Lambent Leviathan might throw them into the air. He was right, but they quickly recovered, and Marcus shot the harpoon into the second Leviathan as it tried to escape. Cole took over holding the winch controlling the line connected to the Leviathan while Marcus targeted it with the Hammer of Dawn targeting laser. When Marcus told him to wind back on the winch so the line went taut and slowed the Leviathan, he targeted it with the laser. Baird fired the Hammer, and scored a hit on the Leviathan, taking it out. The ship was rocked, but Cole and the others managed to survive. Baird contacted them to see if they were alright, and they assured him they were fine. Baird told them they still had Polyps ashore, and Cole joked that he needed to get some ointment for that. Shortly after, they returned to shore, and the last of the Polyps were killed.[110]
- "You ever tell him that? He'd appreciate it, sir, even if he gives you a load of bullshit about how he doesn't care what anyone thinks."
- —Cole, after Hoffman remarked that Baird was gifted and indispensable
They next day, Cole worked with Baird in the machine shops, helping fix damaged vehicles and boats. As they worked on a Packhorse, Hoffman arrived, with a task for Baird. He told him he didn't have to accept the task, and that neither of them had to get involved in what he was doing. Cole and Baird were instantly interested, and Hoffman showed them a data disk that he had stolen from Prescott, which was encrypted with a non-COG encryption. He also told them that Prescott knew he had the disk, but Cole asked him what Prescott could do to him. Baird eagerly accepted the task, and left with the disk to begin working on it as Cole returned to fixing the Packhorse. Hoffman told Cole that that he would tell Marcus and Dom about the disk, but to keep it quiet to the rest of the army that the Chief of Staff was stealing from the Chairman. Cole told him he understood, and switched the topic, saying he had no idea how Baird made it look so easy repairing a vehicle, and that he couldn't figure out was wrong with the Packhorse. Hoffman said that Baird was gifted, and he had no idea what they would do without him. Cole said that he should tell Baird that sometime, and that he would appreciate even if he gave him crap about not caring what anyone thought. Hoffman told him he would do that, and left Cole to continue working on the Packhorse.[111]
- "Hey, I see it! Well, damn- you got that mutt trained, Boomer Lady! Look at him!"
- —Cole, after he spotted Mac following KR-80
Ten days after the Lambent attack, Cole and the rest of Delta, including Bernie, who had been cleared for combat duty again, went out on KR-80 to scout Vectes for resources and Lambent. Everyone, including Cole, was feeling depressed by the recent events, and didn't have much hope of finding anything useful. They talked about if Prescott was still up for the job, and Barber said that he had done a good job keeping them alive for fifteen years. Cole mumbled that he guessed Prescott could count on one vote at least. Gettner then became determined to help Bernie find Mac, who had gone missing during the battle at Pelruan, and began flying around the areas near the town. Bernie had no hope that they would find him, but Cole spotted him running in the field below them, and alerted the others. After landing and picking him up, Cole noticed that he had burn marks on his skin. They realized they were fresh, and that that meant Polyps were still on the island. They alerted control that there might be Lambent on the loose, and began scouting the area for signs of them. Three Stalks burst through the ground near them, and Gettner called in reinforcements as Cole and the others prepared to engage the Lambent.[112]
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Victory Day
- "This shit never get's old!"
- —Cole engaging Locust on the Centennial Bridge
Several months later, Cole led a mission to his hometown of Hanover alongside Baird, Sam, and Clayton Carmine, searching for supplies. The first Stranded settlement they find has already been destroyed but the second one has survivors. Unfortunately they are unfriendly towards the COG, though they expressed a desire to trade Sam for a side of bacon. Cole turned them down and asked for the location of other Stranded camps. The leader told them of other ones across the town but said it was overrun with Lambent.
During their trek to the supermarket, Cole encounters a new Lambent lifeform, stating that it "broke a new world record in ugly". More Lambent attacked the group, but were all slain by Cole and his squad. Upon entering the supermarket, Cole is reminded of his old life from the several cutouts of him in his Thrashball career.
Eventually, Cole finds several food supplies and clears the landing zone of Lambent. After delivering the supplies, Sam asks Cole if they should leave Hanover as the Lambent are overrunning it. Cole refuses, as he wants to check out the warehouse and stadium, to which Baird replies if he's actually making a pilgrimage. On the way, they encounter another a Lambent strike force attacking a Stranded settlement, including a new lifeform. After killing all the Lambent, the settlement's leader greets them and recognizes Cole.
The leader offers them ammo, which Cole greatly appreciates. As they leave for the stadium, more Lambent attack them on the way, but are all killed. Outside the stadium, Baird remarks how Cole played "ladies field hockey", to which Cole tells Carmine that Baird didn't know better because he was a Sharks fan.
Upon entering the stadium, they find more Stranded. The Stranded recognize Cole and greet him, with one doing an incorrect version of his signature "Whoo!!". Cole corrects the Stranded, just as another Stranded informs them that the Lambent are attacking. Cole tells the Stranded to get to safety while they deal with the Lambent. Upon entering the locker room, Cole reminisces about his Thrashball career. He tackles several Drudges before placing the bomb on the abnormally large Stalk in the stadium, destroying it but getting knocked unconscious. He is soon woken up by his allies, and meets the stadium's leader, who is annoyed at the COG for bringing the Lambent inside.
Cole and the group head to the top of the building and rappel to the bridge, narrowly avoiding Drudges and Gunkers who try to shoot them down. They eventually land on the bridge, where another group of Lambent greet them. Cole and the squad soon head to the bridge to negotiate with the "Stranded", but are fired at. Sam realizes that the "Stranded" are Locust and they continue to fight their way through the bridge.
Eventually contacted by Marcus, he asks Cole to have Baird come up with a plan to kill the Lambent Leviathan. After encountering Tickers, Baird deduces that there must be more of them so they should find a crate full of Tickers to kill the Leviathan. On the way, they encounter a Gas Barge, which Cole shoots down with a mortar. They eventually find the crate of Tickers and drop it on the Leviathan, killing it but destroying the bridge in the process, and the four fall into the water.
They survive the fall but are left exhausted and soaked. Cole attempts to contact Marcus and Dom to find out if they are ok and what there location is. However they are given no time to rest as Carmine spots a Locust patrol moving into the wreckage. They fight their way through the ruins and eventually find and rescue Marcus and Dom. The squad then moves and rescues Anya, Jace, and Prescott. However Prescott is wounded in the process and after giving them the key to his disk he dies. A Brumak then shows up and attacks them but they manage to kill it. Cole then goes with Marcus, Dom, and Baird to Anvil Gate to use the key Prescott gave them to unlock A2897.
- "I though it was kinda strange to up here walkin' around, they ain't the kind for a day at the beach."
- —Cole on the Savage Locust
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Cole later assisted Marcus to get to Anvil Gate to unlock A2897. After Baird rips out the navigation program from the Barge he and the team destroyed while at the Bridge, they find more Barges and decide to hijack them for a faster way to Anvil Gate. Cole along with the rest of the squad then encounter a Savage Corpser but they manage to kill it. After fighting through hordes of Savage Locust, they are ambushed by a Theron squad, and he comments on the hang time and that he'll give twenty dollars to anyone who can pop them in the air. After dealing with the ambush, the squad encounters a Siege Beast which they manage to avoid and destroy the crew.
After restocking their weapons with the ammo found after the Locust attempted a counterattack, Cole and the squad attempted to sneak into the fortress, but failed to and the Locust inside were alerted to their presence. After an intense fight, the squad reached a trench area, and suddenly a Gas Barge up ahead started bombing the area in an attempt to kill them, but failed to. After dealing with another group of Locust, the squad encounted a Ticker assembly line, and fought until they reached a gated arena which was a trap. After dealing with the Corpser that appeared and the reinforcements that came in, Cole and the others ran into a Corpser breeding area, and were forced to kill the Corpser and narrowly avoided a raging mother after its eyes were shot out.
As they leave the breeding area, he is shocked to see Myrrah again. Shortly afterwards, they hijack a Gas Barge operated by the Queen's Guard. As the barge heads for Anvil Gate, he hears Dizzy calling for help and Baird has the barge go to the outpost to get Dizzy out. After grabbing what supplies they needed, they attempt to head to Anvil Gate but are shot down by Myrrah on her Tempest.
- "Aw, yeah! Feel the heat, bitches! Feel the heat!"
- —Cole after "Last Resort" was used at Anvil Gate
Cole later fought at a battle at Anvil Gate, battling the Locust and the Lambent. He and the others ran inside the fort to avoid a Lambent Berserker, which Baird attempted to kill with the Hammer of Dawn, but failed.[113] The Lambent Beserker leapt into the fort but Delta Squad managed to defeat it by shooting its Imulsion core.
- "...Yeah, we havin' a reunion with our ol' Indie buddies, baby!"
- —Cole speaking to Anya
After killing the Lambent Berserker, Baird cracked A2897, revealing Azura. Marcus took Dom, Dizzy, Jace, Anya and Sam to find fuel for the submarine, tasking Baird and Cole with finding reinforcements for invading Azura.
During this time, Baird led his group (consisting of himself, Cole and Carmine) in search for reinforcements to help assault Azura. They stopped at Halvo Bay, where Baird and Cole met Paduk again. Paduk offered to give them a boat, but took him to his people's place first. Along the way, they killed countless Savage Locust troops and when they arrived at the area around the rig, discovered Lambent Humans. They managed to escape via helicopter at the top of the Imulsion rig after fighting the Locust and Lambent who arrived.
Cole, along with Baird, are surprised when Paduk tells them that their comrade Sofia had been kidnapped by COG Gears, solidifying Paduk's hate for the COG. Sometime afterwards, they encountered the Gorasni and persuaded them to help assist the COG in winning the war.
- "C'mon assholes, don't keep me waitin!"
- —Cole fighting Grubs at Azura
While on the way to Azura, Cole and the others saw a big explosion on the island, which removed the Maelstrom that surrounded Azura. A King Raven later appeared and dropped him and Baird off. The two were happy to see the group again, but Cole noted that Dom was missing and asked Marcus what happened. Marcus replied that Dom didn't make it; Baird and Cole are shocked, and Cole swears to avenge Dom's death.
Cole, along with Delta-One, kills the many Locust soldiers in their way. When they look inside Azura, Cole is surprised that it was a "five star hotel". Baird later speaks with Adam about how the weapon works, and has doubts when Adam tells him that it kills all the Lambent cells in their bodies. Cole tells Baird to show some "goddamn faith" in Adam while they make their way up Pinnacle Tower.
After freeing Adam, Cole helps take down the Tempest. After witnessing Adam's death and Marcus killing Myrrah, Cole and the others descend down the tower where the COG/UIR soldiers are waiting. The Cole Train later join the rest of his teammates observing Marcus and Anya.
End of the War
Interwar Period
Following the end of the war, the Locust Horde began to develop an impenetrable crystalline shell that made disposing of their bodies impossible. Cole assisted with the remainder of the Gears in the mass burial of the Locust bodies to discard the surface of their corpses. After the war, Cole remained in contact with his former squad mates. Shortly after the war, Damon Baird built the manufacturing empire known as DB Industries and built the first line of DeeBees, automated machines that could construct buildings, provide labor, and act as security. The DeeBees were crucial in the reconstruction of the Coalition of Ordered Governments and New Ephyra.
After the society was rebuilt, Augustus Cole became the President of the Coalition Thrashball League as a part of the Ministry of Entertainment. Anya Stroud became the first leader of the new Coalition, known as First Minister Anya Stroud, and through the work of Minister of Procreation Mina Jinn, Anya was able to conceive a son with now husband Marcus Fenix, named James Dominic Fenix. Augustus followed the same path and, with an unknown woman, conceived a daughter named Hana Cole. While raising Hana, Cole was also an important figure for James "JD" Fenix and was very much present during his upbringing, being termed by JD as "Uncle Cole." On JD's sixth birthday, Cole gifted JD with an autographed Thrashball.
Shortly after, Anya Stroud died of birthing complications from her second child. She was replaced by Interim First Minister Dyer and later Mina Jinn. Cole then re-imagined the game of Thrashball with DeeBee players, his ideas where presented during an interview with The New Ephyran. In 41 A.E., Augustus Cole learned about the Settlement 2 Protest Massacre, but the media controlled many of the details and was not aware of what truly occurred. In Bloom, 42 A.E., Augustus Cole was one of the honorary members during First Minister Mina Jinn's 25th Anniversary Commencement of Victory Day, along with Pvt. Samantha Byrne and Col. Victor Hoffman - as all three were instrumental in fighting the Pendulum Wars, Locust War, and bringing both to an end.
Swarm Invasion
Assault on the Tollen Dam
Cole came to the ruined town of Speyer alongside Baird and Sam, who had been contacted by Marcus after he informed them that the Locust were back. JD greeted Cole, calling him uncle, which annoyed Baird. As they made their way to the hive in Tollen Dam, Cole looked at a Swarm pod, surprised by the fact that the Locust were really back and that he missed them in a weird kind of way.
Cole later assisted JD, Del and Kait with clearing out the Swarm around the Tollen Dam.
Evacuation of Settlement 2
After the reformation of the COG, Cole assists during the Evacuation of Settlement 2. Flying over town in the KR One-Three, JD orders Cole to see what they're dealing with. Cole opens the door to find Settlement 2 overrun by Swarm. A Swarmak fires a missile at the Raven, causing it to crash land. Fahz and Del manage to escape, but JD and Cole fell into the building as the roof collapsed. They are then rescued by Fahz and Del from a pack of Juvies.
While on their way to reinforce Carmine at the Town Hall, Cole asks about the protesters, Del tries to explain to him; sparking an brief argument between Del and Fahz.
Cole and the rest of Delta squad meet up with Carmine, who Cole is glad to see. They soon come under attack by a Flock. Overwhelmed, they flee into different directions.
Later, Cole and Fahz regroup with Delta, but not before attracting the attention of a Swarmak. Cole leaves for a moment, causing Delta to ponder his whereabouts. Cole returns, driving a Track Mule off a ramp and straight into the mouth of the Swarmak. Delta then uses the bike to kill it.
Battle of Old Ephyra
During the Battle of Old Ephyra, Cole operates a Mega Mech and manages to sneak up behind a Swarmak and bashes its brains in. Suddenly, an earthquake occurs; causing Cole's mech to fall into the ground. A few moments later, he reappears in the mouth of the Kraken. Marcus orders him to get out of its mouth, Cole says it's a good idea before jumping down from the Kraken's mouth. While in mid-air, Cole's mech is grabbed by one of the Kraken's tentacles. The Kraken then rips the mech apart; seemingly killing Cole in the process.
After the battle is won, Cole is revealed to be alive - being carried by Fahz and Paduk before reuniting with his squadmates.
Personality and Traits
- "Nobody's ever really dead unless we forget 'em."
- —Cole, talking with Dom about retrieving COG tags and Maria's necklace
Highly energetic, enthusiastic, and cunning; Cole's gung-ho attitude has gotten him far in everything that he does. In and out of battle, he has an inexhaustible amount of energy that seems to amp up people around him. And with his childlike humor he was able to lift the spirits of the fellow Gears. Though Cole has a darker side, every night Cole writes a letter to his dead mother saying all the things he could not tell her in life, a custom practiced by many Gears. [114][115]
Generally friendly to anyone he meets, Cole made several friends with during his time as a Gear during the Locust War. Since he enlisted in the COG Army, Cole has been best friends with his fellow Gear and foil Damon Baird. Having scared away two Gears who were ruthlessly antagonizing Baird when they were both recruits, the two would go on to serve together over the next fifteen years. Despite their differing personalities, the two generally work well together in any squad.
In the days before E-Day, Cole was a terrific Thrashball player and was a huge celebrity, owning a mansion with a wine cellar while also having brand deals. While visiting Hanover, Cole reminisced about his days before the Locust War and imagined himself scoring for the Cougars while on the old field. Due to Cole's celebrity status in Thrashball, many Stranded respected him and have often done favors for him during missions. This shown in Hanover, where many Stranded were excited by Cole's appearance and in Cougars Stadium, where Baird noted that they had respect for him by not melting down statues of him. Despite his celebrity status, Cole did not hesitate to enlist in the COG Army after E-Day and held himself to the same standard as the soldiers he fought alongside with.
When it comes to fighting Locust or Swarm, Cole takes genuine pleasure in killing them and will often times charge straight into battle. Despite the Locust being savage fighters themselves, Cole was capable of taking several of them on at once even without backup. When faced with a problem or obstacle in the middle of battle, Cole generally relied on his instincts and acted on the fly rather than to wait to plan out his next move. This often results in Cole taking a direct (but highly dangerous) approach to dealing with obstacles. Several Gears who have fought alongside Cole often refer to him being crazy when witnessing him charging right into battle or coming up with an over the top solution towards killing his enemies. Following the end of the Locust War, Cole's daughter Hannah described him as being a quiet man a home. Following the Swarm's emergence and Delta Squad's reunion, Cole's love for battle had been restored and even admitted that he missed fighting Grubs.
Surprisingly, Cole has turned down several promotions to Corporal during his service, since he believes there is no point in promotions, only in killing Grubs until there are no more to kill.[116] And while Cole often shows an upbeat and energetic attitude, upon learning of Dom's death, that same energy seemed to be dropped for a short while as Cole swears revenge on Dom's death.
While his natural energy and exuberance were for real, he exaggerated it around his squadmates in order to cheer them up, and instill confidence in them.[117]
Cole often got motion sickness aboard King Ravens[9] and boats, causing him to throw up.[118] Cole also had a slight fear of insects.[119]
Appearance Gallery
Notable Quotes
- "Daaaaammn! That's a lot of juice!"
- —Upon seeing the large amount of Imulsion when descending the stairs to where many Theron guards are waiting to fight Delta.
- "Yeah! WHOO! Bring it on, sucka! This my kinda shit!"
- —A common quote and the main portion of his groovin' rap song
- "Rookie, this ain't the big game yet! Save yo' ass for the playoffs!"
- —To Benjamin Carmine while he was firing at Locust when they were trying to get away from the Rift Worm
- "Ha ha! Locust roadkill baby! Ha ha! Squish, squish! Squash, squash! Ha ha!"
- —When you run over Locust with the Centaur.
- "Nobody plays this game like me! Nobody!"
- —Cole
- "The train's at home on the rails!"
- —In the Imulsion mines
- "WHOO! Yeah, baby! This Train runs on time!"
- —After escaping Nexus on the Reavers
- "Come on, Horsey! Giddyap. Go! Get your ass movin'."
- —While being chased by Skorge and the Hydra
- "I always wanted a horsey, but it's a flyin' one. It ain't cool, but let's just get the fuck outta here."
- —After mounting a Reaver to escape from the Hollow.
- "Wo-ho! That crazy thing's playing chicken with us!"
- — While being chased by Skorge and the Hydra
- "Rest in peace, Tanner. Damn."
- —After finding Tanner's body, while searching for Baird
- "Haha. In the flesh, baby!"
- —After rescuing Marcus at the ambush and Dom yells out Cole's name as a greeting.
- "Hey, don't talk about Baird like that. He's sensitive, bein' blond and all." "
- —Teasing Baird after Dom finds Mataki
- "We gonna kiss your skanky-ass queen goodbye! Pest control Bitch, we exterminatin'!"
- —Cole fighting Myrrah along side Delta in Azura's main tower.
- "I promise I'll kill you fast, the Cole Train's humane, bitch!"
- —Cole defending Anvil gate with Delta.
Behind the scenes
- Cole is voiced by Lester "The Mighty Rasta" Speight, who starred as Terry Tate in Reebok's "Terry Tate: Office Linebacker" commercials. Also in an exclusive interview before the release of Gears of War 2 Lester stated that Cole was based on his personality and believes Cole is quite the "Ladies Man" and believes that in the Gears of War film he will have to have some "Hunnies".[citation needed]
- Cole was originally going to be a Red Shirt with a custom head but was later changed into a main character after Rasta was cast as his voice.[120]
- Epic Games casted Lester Speight as Cole because of his charisma in the Terry Tate ads. They were like "I'd go to war with that guy."[121]
- In Gears of War 3, player one briefly takes control of Cole in Act I, Chapter 3 till the beginning of Act II briefly. Originally, player one would swap between Marcus Fenix and Augustus Cole through the progression of the campaign.[122]
- Cole's quote, "Damn, look at the hang time of those bitches in the air! Twenty dollars if you pop one in the air!" is a reference to the "Pull!" ribbon, which is killing an enemy in the air.
- Cole was named after Phil Cole, a level designer at Epic Games.[123]
- Cole was originally going to be named Gus the Bus but due to copyright issues his name was changed to The Cole Train.[124]
- Cole will be included in the Gears of War 3 HeroClix Toyline.
Multiplayer
- Thrashball Cole will be an unlockable character skin for Gears of War 3. Players must play 50 matches to unlock the skin in the Gears of War 3 beta, then play 10 more matches as Thrashball Cole to keep in the final game.
- In Gears of War 3 multiplayer, Super Star Cole can be unlocked by requiring the player to have unlock the gold MVP medal.
- In Gears of War 3 multiplayer, Classic Cole can be unlocked by requiring the player to have reached level 23.
- With the release of the downloadable content package Fenix Rising on January 17, 2012, a special blue and black-colored "Limited Edition" Cole Train will be available for people who buy Fenix Rising for 800 Microsoft Points on the Xbox Marketplace or for owners of the Season Pass who get it free.
- In Gears of War: Judgment multiplayer, Augustus Cole (Aftermath) can be unlocked by requiring the player to have survived the 10th wave of Survival mode.
- Aftermath Cole can be heard over Tac-Com in Free-for-All games if there is at least one person using Aftermath Cole as their avatar for that match. The line "We got 'em! I think," will be broadcast to anyone on Aftermath Cole's side of the map. It is unknown how far or close one has to be to the player using Aftermath Cole, nor has it been investigated on why Aftermath Cole is unique to the Tac-Com broadcasted line, as Judgement Cole says the same line.
- In Gears of War 4 multiplayer, five Cole character skins are available; Armored Cole, Classic Cole, Dress Uniform Cole, Superstar Cole, and Thrashball Cole. His Classic skin is only available in the Classic Delta Squad and Classic Cole Gear Packs, his Superstar skin is only available in the Superstar Cole Gear Pack, and his Thrashball skin is only available in the Thrashball Gear Pack.
- Cole is a playable character in Gears 5, available as part of Operation 3.
Appearances
- Gears of War: Judgment
- Gears Tactics (Non-Canon)
- Midnight
- Gears of War (First appearance)
- Aspho Fields
- Hollow
- Barren
- Gears of War 2
- Dirty Little Secrets
- Jacinto's Remnant
- Anvil Gate
- Coalition's End
- Gears of War 3
- Aftermath
- Gears of War 4
- Ascendance
- Gears 5
- Bloodlines
References
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