Midnight Black

Baronov has an entire army of Alpha Group troops, a helicopter, and armored Tigr trucks at his dacha, ready to reach Yavas within 20 minutes. Though he is prepared for all eventualities, Baronov is sure that Court will not approach Yavas tonight because the snowstorm predicted for tomorrow is coming in a bit early. Baronov has heard of a drone and missile attack from Kharkiv tonight but thinks it may just be a ruse. Even as he contemplates the night’s events in his office, a major tells him of a bombing at Voronezh. Though some Ukrainian planes have been shot down over Voronezh, most of the communication systems between the Russian border and the base are dead.

Baronov is sure that the Russian troops will foil the Ukrainian plan to storm Voronezh. Since a company of Alpha Group troops has moved into Yavas, Baronov is not worried about the penal colony either. Meanwhile, Court, Denis, and others approach the forest near Yavas by foot. Ten Legion members, including Tatyana, sit in parked minivans nearby. Court takes up the sniper position, while Denis acts as his spotter. Denis will tell Court when to shoot the guard at the top of the confinement wing.

Court brings up an uncomfortable topic: The Osprey helicopter may not have enough space for any Legion members except Denis after the operations. Denis tells Court that they must take Tatyana instead, as her identity is known to the Russians. Court cannot help but admire Denis for his bravery.

Baronov is about to go to bed when he receives news of a bombing east of Voronezh. This makes little sense to the colonel—there are no targets of tactical importance east of the city. He thinks that the attack may be an anomaly, but news of Russian planes being shot down at Lipetsk, 100 miles northeast of Voronezh, sets his alarm bells ringing. He realizes that the target was the penal colony all along. Baronov radios Captain Alexeyev, who is commanding the Alpha Group troops at Yavas, and informs the nearby army to gather their troops.

Zack’s aircraft runs into turbulence as the snow begins to fall heavily. He briefs all the teams on how to fast-rope down the aircraft in zero-visibility conditions. Pavel tells Zack that they’re 20 minutes away from the penal colony.

Denis picks up the sounds of approaching aircraft and tells Court to stay ready. Soon, explosions rock the outside of the prison complex as drones and missiles drop bombs. Sirens begin to wail from the prisons. Denis uses binoculars to spot a prison guard on a tower and asks Court to shoot from his scope. Court shoots down a guard and moves to the next, shooting where Denis directs.

The sound of booms wakes up Zoya in her cell. She retrieves the sewing needles and, reaching out of her cell, begins picking the lock. Meanwhile, the prisoners scream, demanding to be taken to a bomb shelter. Zoya knows that the prisoners are the last priority of the guards.

Meanwhile, Baronov gives a command to Udarnyi, the closest military base to Yavas, to get a company to the penal colony immediately. The soldiers—most of them poorly trained and equipped for battle since Udarnyi is far from the Russian border—scramble to get there. Just then, rocket-propelled drones slam into the base, killing several soldiers and setting the barracks on fire.

After shooting down the guards, Court, Denis, and their team move toward the prison, their backpacks loaded with Semtex. Along the way, Court kills the driver of a prison truck, rigs it with explosives tied to a timer, and gets into the vehicle with his team. Another truck filled with explosives is situated a distance from the prison. The truck races toward the prison wall just as the V22s fly overhead. Zack and his team rappel down to the prisons, which are largely unmanned because Court killed most of the guards.

Baronov is headed to Yavas with a company of armored Tigr trucks when he learns from Alexeyev that the penal colony is under attack. Baronov tells Alexeyev to get his soldiers to the confinement wing. Alexeyev is reluctant because getting to the wing will involve crossing a large, open area. Baronov screams at the captain to do as he is told.

Meanwhile, Zoya’s struggles with the lock have been noticed by a guard, who races toward her. Just as he closes in on her, the lock gives way. Zoya pushes the gate against the guard, gets out, and swings the door against him again, knocking him unconscious. She grabs his baton and keys and races to the control room. On the way, she runs into a guard. Taking advantage of a loud explosion that rattles the woman, Zoya hits her with the baton, grabs her pistol, and kills her. In the control room, Zoya flips the master switch, opening all cell doors.

Court reaches the prison’s wall. As he and his company disembark the truck, he triggers the Semtex with his remote device, blowing a hole in the wall. His team rushes in. Court can see soldiers at the entrance of the confinement wing and radios Hanley to take them down with drones. A drone hits the FSB men, and Court enters the wing, firing his AK-47 to shoot down guards. He transmits to Denis that he’s opened a corridor; Denis and the others are to take the ground floor, while Court heads to the ground floor. Meanwhile, Hanley transmits that Court must hurry since more Russian units in armored trucks are converging on the confinement wing.

Zack is in the men’s prison, and he has already lost a teammate in the bitter fight. He manages to reach the master control room and glues a detonating cord to the glass wall. The remaining guards know that an ensuing explosion will blow them apart and come out of the control room. Zack enters and ties the men up. He asks Pavel to tell the guards to unlock all cell doors.

Zoya unlocks the control room to Block Two with the keys she grabbed from the guard. She aims her Makarov at the prison guards inside, and they drop their weapons. Zoya orders one to open the cell doors, and then she ties up the hands of the guards. As prisoners start shuffling out of their cells, Zoya finds Nadia. Nadia tells Zoya that she cannot leave her husband behind. Zoya assures her that the explosions mean that someone is rescuing Yarovoy. An explosion rocks the confinement wing, and Zoya races down the stairs, her Makarov raised.

Denis transmits to Court that his breach of Block One is successful. He’s heard that a prisoner broke out, and Court is sure it is Zoya. Denis tells Court that if he didn’t meet Zoya on the ground floor, she must have gone upstairs or out through the rear door.

Zack arrives at Yarovoy’s cell. He introduces himself to Yarovoy and asks him to accompany him, assuring him that Nadia is being rescued as they speak. He transmits to Pavel to get all aircraft ready for evacuation at the parade ground in the center of the prison complex. A panicked Pavel tells him that Russian troops just arrived in armor trucks.

Hanley watches the proceedings from the control room in Kharkiv, courtesy of surveillance drones. He spots the trucks and requests that Ukrainian aircraft be sent to attack them. Oleksander says that the US president has drawn the line at sending long-range planes across the Russian border. In order to proceed, Oleksander will need the US government’s approval. Hanley tells him that he can’t get approval from the US president but may be able to get it from the CIA head.

Zoya races down the stairwell, with Nadia behind her. She and Nadia take shelter in a small office off a hallway. An explosion rips away one wall of the hallway. As people enter the space, someone shouts at Zoya not to shoot.

Suddenly, men appear in the doorway. One man is wearing body armor and goggles; he grabs Zoya and asks her in English if she is fine. Zoya is relieved to recognize the voice as Court’s. He wants to hold Zoya but knows this is not the time for a reunion. Court tells Zoya that they must leave immediately, as Russian reinforcements have arrived. Zoya tells him that these are Alpha Group troops, and by giving him this information, Zoya knows she has informed Court that she talked to the FSB.

Zoya tells the men to strip the fallen guards and dress in their clothes for cover. In Kharkiv, Hanley calls Watkins, asking him to put in a call to Oleksander and approve plane deployment. When Watkins refuses to override the US president, Hanley tells him to make a bold decision to save the lives of his assets, arguing that the eventual success of the Yavas operation will earn him the president’s forgiveness. Watkins finally agrees.

When Baronov’s truck stops outside the prison, he spots Warden Maximov with two male armed guards. Baronov climbs out of the truck to talk to Maximov. Just then, more guards arrive, some of them women. Before Baronov can react, a female guard kills Maximov. This is when he notices the purple trousers under the guard’s coat and realizes it is Zoya. Zoya screams that Baronov must be captured alive. Court takes Baronov down, zip-tying his hands.

As Court and Zoya get Nadia and Baronov in the Tigr, gunfire breaks out behind them. Denis is hit. Sasha and Dima hoist Denis into the truck, and Court drives off, with FSB teams in seven Tigrs in close pursuit. The objective is to get to the marsh near Orzenyi (as Hanley has directed), where Zack will be waiting for them.

When the pursuing trucks are near the explosive-laden delivery truck that Denis and Court left in the woods earlier, Court blows up the vehicle, derailing the convoy. However, they still need to buy more time. Court transmits to Tatyana, who is waiting in one of the two parked minivans, to drive off in one vehicle, leaving the other abandoned. The FSB men approach the abandoned van, assume that armed rebels are inside, and stop the convoy to inspect. They soon realize that the van is a ruse and that their quarry has gained precious minutes.

Under heavy fire at the prison, Zack soon realizes that he has been hit badly in the leg. As he nearly faints, two of his men pull him toward his aircraft. These are not the men he’s trained for battle but slower operatives; one of them is his translator, Pavel. Zack is moved by their bravery. His craft takes off for the parade ground.

Tatyana’s minivan arrives at the parade ground, and she and other Legion members are loaded onto the Osprey. The plane now heads to the marsh as Court, Zoya, Denis, and the others get out of their truck, shooting at the FSB men who have surrounded the field. From his Osprey, Zack can see that Court’s team is heavily outnumbered and fears the worst. Just then, Ukrainian MiGs approved by Watkins arrive overhead, dropping explosives on the FSB trucks. The V22 lowers its ramp, and Court and the rest climb up; the craft is soon airborne.

In the craft, an injured Denis spots Tatyana, Sasha, and other Legion members. He tells Court that he was supposed to rescue only Tatyana. Court tells him that it was his call to get Denis and the other Legion members on the aircraft. Zoya inspects Zack’s leg, whispering to Court that the older man will need surgery. Court and Zoya finally hug and kiss, and Zoya apologizes to Court for “betraying” him. Court tells Zoya that she did nothing wrong.

A few days later, Hanley is in Watkins’s office. Watkins is seemingly reprimanding him for all the orders that Hanley broke, such as letting Zack across the Russian border. Worse, the Russians now know the identities of Zack and Court, which is a terrible outcome.

Despite all this, Watkins is also happy that the Yavas operation was a success. He tells Hanley that Violator and Romantic (Court and Zack) are off his “shit list.” Watkins has a new assignment for Hanley: He is to immediately resign from the CIA for the sake of appearances and set up a sub-rosa (secret or covert) security firm in northern Virginia. His job will be to deploy unofficial assets like Court and Zack. Zack and Court are to be put to work immediately, but Zoya gets a year of rest. Hanley accepts.

Meanwhile, Angela Lacy visits Court and Zoya at the CIA safe house in Charlottesville, where Zoya is recovering. Lacy tells Zoya that though she has a heavy security team guarding her, she is free to move around in the house as she pleases. However, Court cannot stay for long, as he has a fresh assignment. Lacy gives Court and Zoya an hour to say their goodbyes. Court closes the door behind Lacy.