Resistance: The Gathering Storm

Resistance: The Gathering Storm is a 2009 science fiction novel based on the Resistance video game series and takes place between Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2. It was written by William C. Dietz. The novel details several months after the events in Fall of Man and takes place during the Chimera's early invasion of the United States of America, and follows Nathan Hale's experience months following the events that unfolded in Iceland, which detailed Hale's original mission with the SRPA shortly after his "departure" from Britain.

Synopsis

Setting

The Gathering Storm takes place four months after the events in Resistance: Fall of Man, beginning from November to December, 1951. The alien parasitic race known as the Chimera, having conquered most of Europe and Asia, had already begun to invade North America and threateningly encroaching into the United States. Much of northern America have already fallen to the Chimera in which the US armed forces had been forced to pull back into defending lands untouched by the Chimera near the still-in construction of the Liberty Defense Perimeter. Under the leadership of Noah Grace, who has been increasingly totalitarian and displaying megalomania, the current administration instituted increasingly tighter control of the United States which had become very unpopular to the American public. As a result, several resistance groups, the most prominent being Freedom First, violently opposed both the Chimera and the Grace administration.

Characters

The protagonist of The Gathering Storm is Nathan Hale, following months after his extraction in Britain and having been recruited into the Sentinel Program with the rank of Second Lieutenant. Dr. Cassandra "Cassie" Aklin, the protagonist in Resistance 2 's alternate reality game Project Abraham and still working as an Army-employed psychologist supporting SRPA, currently assigned to a team of psychologists treating the Sentinels and Hale's love interest (which had been hinted at during the Project Abraham website videos). Major Richard Blake and the Chimeran entity Daedalus from Resistance 2 are introduced alongside Noah Grace, the President of the United States, and his Vice President Harvey McCullen who were mentioned in the backstory of the Resistance universe. Susan Farley, who was mentioned in Project Abraham, is Nathan Hale's foster sister and only surviving relative.

Plot

The novel primarily focus on a presidential conspiracy through the actions of President Noah Grace, who realized the inevitable that his nation will fall to the Chimera, announced to his Cabinet of implementing a compromise known as Project Omega which calls for a negotiation between the United States and the Chimera - through the former human being Jordan Shepherd, known as Daedalus. Grace reasoned his decision as a necessary option in having the United States to be spared in the Chimeran War at the expense of the world (as Grace planned to withdraw America's forces from other theaters of conflict). Furthermore, Grace, privately, intended the negotiations to save himself, and only himself. This decision is met with disgust and outrage from Grace's Secretary of War Henry Walker, who recognized this as treason and secretly records Grace's plans. After Project Omega was overall accepted by Grace's cabinet, Walker fled with his wife to the resistance group Freedom First in Chimera-occupied Chicago in order to expose Project Omega; however, while en route to the city the Walkers are captured by the Chimera and taken to a mining pit in Wisconsin alongside with the other human prisoners that is being used as a conversion center. Henry Walker's absence became aware by Grace who ordered a manhunt on Walker either dead or alive. In which the search for Walker was led by Chief of Staff William Dentweiler, who is also in charged of Daedalus's capture.

Meanwhile, Nathan Hale returned to his adopted home in South Dakota, now under Gray Territory, to learn the fate of his foster family. Unfortunately, he soon discovered that his entire family were killed during the invasion save for his foster sister, Susan Farley, who had escaped the slaughter. Following his fore-naught search, Hale and his unit Echo Team were ordered by Dentweiler to find Walker on the basis that the former Secretary of War is betraying his species to the Chimera. Following a lead in Chicago after contacting Freedom First, they only to learn that Walker hadn't came to Freedom First. Still unaware of Walker's capture by the Chimera, SRPA sent Hale to infiltrate a Freedom First training camp in Montana to learn of Walker's whereabouts but only to be outed when reunited with Susan, who had joined Freedom First. Hale is released on good relations for previously fighting alongside Freedom First in Chicago, and came out empty handed on Walker. Susan also refuses to come with Hale as she had decided to remain with Freedom First due to her disillusionment with the Grace administration and its increasingly totalitarian nature.

By December, William Dentweiler successfully captured Daedalus after luring him to rescue his wife Hannah, who was apprehended against her will, from torture by government agents, and then being brought to a military base near Sheridan, Wyoming while threatened under electrocution to prevent his escape and establish his cooperation. The news of Daedalus's capture enlightened President Grace to carry out a "Victory Tour" in the American heartland from the nation's temporarily capital in Denver (after Washington, D.C. was struck by a Spire attack). At this moment, Susan and another Freedom First rebel plot to take advantage of the Victory Tour to assassinate the president. As Grace prepares a speech in front of Denver's Capitol, Susan prepares to kill Grace by sniper fire but only to be spotted by Hale, who was assigned as leader of a Sentinel security detachment for the president, foil the assassination and leading to Susan's immediate arrest.

In Wisconsin, Henry Walker - who had lost his wife - and the other prisoners made an escape attempt through building escape tunnels. Only a few prisoners made out of the pit, among them Harley Burl, who was befriended by Walker, was able to escape to American territory and informed SRPA of Walker's location. A Sentinel strike force is deployed to the mining pit. Hale joins the strike force alongside with Burl and William Dentweiler, who the latter had insisted to come along to ensure Walker's death. After rescuing the prisoners, Burl learned from them that Walker had been taken and converted. He then informs to Hale about what he learned from Walker about Project Omega and the recordings he possessed. Hale detained Dentweiler and ordered his Sentinels to search for Walker; however, they are set upon by more Chimeran forces in which during the battle Dentweiler escaped and had fled inside the conversion center. Hale and several Sentinels enters the center and find the Chief of Staff having been cocooned and nearly converted into a Chimera. Dentweiler is then euthanized and Walker's recordings are salvaged.

After learning the full disclosure of Project Omega through Walker's recording, Hale traveled to Sheridan where Grace had arrived to negotiate the terms with Daedalus. Hale, as head of the SRPA Sentinel detachment of the president's security team, easily accesses the chamber Grace is interrogating Shepherd in and, instead of killing Daedalus when he has the chance, he shoots Grace in the head with his rifle, killing him. Daedalus then immediately take advantage of Grace's death and breaks free of his confinement by sending out a mental blast and paralyzed every human being within the vicinity, as he escaped to an awaiting Chimeran battlecruiser. Shortly thereafter, Daedalus is blamed on Grace's death and the entire events of Omega is covered up to the general population. Hale's superior Major Richard Blake plans on notifying Vice President Harvey McCullen of his sudden succession.

Plot development

The book expands details on key characters; most notably Nathan Hale (and others being Noah Grace and Jordan Shepherd, and the people they are). Other storylines are expanded upon as well, and some unanswered questions are revealed. Revelations include;

• Hale is one of the original Sentinels.
• Hale is famous throughout SRPA, despite his attempts to keep a low profile, not only due to him being the only survivor of the American force sent to Britain, but because of what happened to him and what he did to liberate the country in Fall of Man.
• Aklin and Hale's relationship during Project Abraham (hinted at during the website videos) was strictly and clinically professional, but there was underlying tension between them. When they meet up in the general public, eventually Hale and Aklin become (secret) lovers
• Aklin holds tremendous guilt over what Hale endured, and is still enduring, as a result of Project Abraham, where she was responsible for him involved in the first place.
• Richard Blake is revealed to be a Sentinel.
• Blake is a member of the SRPA leadership; and so, while other officers are technically senior, he is generally the head of military operations.
• Fyodor Malikov is one of the three co-founders of SRPA, and was the head of Project Abraham.
• Operation Overstrike was mentioned: it confirms its official purpose was to destroy the hub tower in Paris, which doing so disrupted Chimera throughout Western Europe, but unofficially was to implement the virus to kill the Carriers and shut down the Conversion Centers, which succeeded as seen in Resistance: Retribution.
• Cartwright's name is mentioned as being "Stephen Cartwright" rather than "Steven Cartwright".
• SRPA's designation is officially given as "Special Research Projects Administration".
• Jordan Shepherd is welcomed into the Chimera due to the shared belief that Shepherd is in control of, and can even manipulate, the Chimeran virus. He has the ability to send his consciousness to any Chimera type or unit on Earth; while remaining linked to his body. Furthermore, he still possesses his human memories, primarily those of people who have significance to him (specifically his wife and Hale).
• Jordan did not murder his wife; Hannah, as was implied in the comic book series. Instead, Jordan (because he did have blood on his hands later on) only murdered his neighbor Mr. Hetterwood, after mistaken him for being too close to his wife.
• Hannah, like every other family member of soldiers drafted into the SRPA, was informed her husband was dead. She was informed of the truth, initially in a limited capacity - she discovered the true scope of it when she met Jordan as "Daedalus". She accepted it, however, having never lost her feelings for him.
• The Chimera are still using Angels - but in an increasingly diminished capacity.
• The Chimera species is explored - they describe their species as being part of a "great whole"; in which lesser units serve the larger ones. They also refer to themselves as "Chimera" (as well as the names given to them by humans e.g. Hybrids, Titans, Steelheads etc.) The Chimera, also, have a strong thirst for human blood.
• The Chimera hub tower in Holar, Iceland; next to SRPA Station Igloo, is described as being the Chimera's headquarters on Earth.

Sequel

Resistance: A Hole in the Sky is an indirect sequel to Resistance: The Gathering Storm and is written by William C. Dietz. It was released on July 26, 2011.