Brian Frost

"Operation Crimson Lance was rough. I lost a lot of good lads and for no good reason."

- Brian Frost

Brian Frost is the main character and protagonist in ArmA II: Private Military Company. He is a former British paratrooper seeking to get away from the messy confusion and lack of control he experienced during Operation Crimson Lance, an operation launched by the United Kingdom in the war-torn conflict zone of Takistan. After leaving the military, he was approached by his old friend Tanny Radcliffe, who had fought with him during OCL. Radcliffe prevailed upon Frost to take up a military career again, this time as a private contractor.

Frost is portrayed by voice actor Jim High.

Background
Brian Frost was born in 1982 to a middle-class family from Duxford. He enlisted to British Army in 2000 and worked his way up to Pegasus Company, the Parachute Regiment's training ground in Catterick. After passing the selection and the training, he was assigned to 2nd Batallion of the Parachute Regiment.

Flawless performance and good record from the batallion's operations in Iraq earned him promotion and opportunity for additional training. Soon before leaving to Takistan in 2012, Sgt. Frost resumed command of a Paratrooper team. Takistan--a tiny, war-torn country in the Green Sea region close to southern Russia-- was experiencing severe civil unrest, with guerilla groups ravaging the countryside and a corrupt, struggling, government trying desperately to hold itself together. The United Kingdom deployed a number of paratroopers there--including Frost, on a general peacekeeping mission to prevent civilian losses from mounting.

Shortly after serving his time in Takistan, Brian's close associate and old combat buddy, Tanny Radcliffe, persuaded him to consider a career switch to Ion. Overcoming his initial animosity towards private contractors, Frost took up the opportunity to join ION in the capacity of 'Security Team Member'.



Brian is not related with Major General John Dutton Frost, the legendary World War II commander of 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment. However, he lives to the best of his namesake's heritage.

Reception
"Er, sorry mate--but you a poet? What in the bloody Hell is this pom talking about...?"

- Patrick Dixon

In June 2013, Frost received his first important assignment...he was deployed by ION, Incorporated to Takistan, shortly after the corporation was contracted by the UN to provide security for an investigations team looking in the supposedly abandoned Takastani nuclear arms program. Frost emphasized he didn't like surprises--if he was deployed to guard a UN team, that's what he would do, nothing more or less.

On Saturday, June 29th, the UN team arrived. A total of seven military contractors, all dispatched by ION, made their way to the American air force base in Zargabad, a major city in central Takistan, where they were to expect the investigators to arrive by helicopter. Among the teammates serving with Frost were Tanny Radcliffe, an American contractor named Henry Asano, and an Australian ION veteran known as Patrick Dixon. They were led by Mark Reynolds, the project coordinator and a former CIA agent from the United States.

Dixon had already made an enemy of Tanny along the way to Zargabad by making fun of Frost as he thought back to his time in Takistan. When Frost made a comment about how the British troops were forced to conduct an operation with no backup and limited resources, only their joint sense of purpose pushing them on--Dixon mocked him as a 'poet'. An infuriated Tanny, who also recalled the desperation of the situation, threatened to kick Patrick's "fucking head in", had Reynolds not ordered him to back down. However, seeing the humor of the situation, Mark commented that the nickname given to Brian--Poet--would probably stick. He was proved right.

The time was not a stable one for Takistan. Even though guerilla activity had died down in the nation, the New Takistani Army (NTA) believed they were merely regrouping to re-ignite tensions and force the break out of a civil war. The NTA also resented ION presence in the country, and the situation between the corporation and the military was a fragile one, to say the least.

Indeed, no sooner had the ION personnel arrived at the air force base when they were attacked by local insurgents. Frost saw his first action in Takistan since his time in the British military--he himself was tasked by Reynolds to seek out and kill an enemy sniper with a high-powered rifle which was seeking out the contractors. After the landing zone was secured, the UN weapons investigators finally arrived. The team, led by Dr. Ivan Ruce, a Frenchman, wasted no time in informing ION that they intended to get to work right away.

Vocation
"Civies? Thank fuck.....oh, what's the plan, boss?"

- Brian Frost

The UN investigation soon took them to the Nango Industrial Facility, an old factory complex northwest of Zargabad. Frost, Tanny, Dixon, and Asano stood guard outside while Ruce searched the factory for some important information he expected to recover. After two hours, however, the ION presence began to attract unwelcome attention as several Takastani villagers, agitated by the increased activity of ION in the area, came to protest at the factory.

The contractors were forced to chase away the civilians, and in the meantime, the UN inspection personnel were able to discover new records concerning a Takastani contact waiting for them in Zargabad. Zargabad itself was in trouble--the NTA had constantly assaulted the city and bombed it with air strikes due to the presence of a number of rebel groups in the area trying to rally the citizens there to rise up against the current regime. However, documents recovered from the Nango facility pointed Ruce to Zargabad, where a contact known only as 'Abdul' was in hiding, and it was vital that the investigators find him and get the vital facts he could provide, since he had been an official involved in the nuclear program.

Confirmation
Upon reaching Zargabad with Dr. Ruce and his associates, the ION contractors encountered punishing resistance from both insurgents and Takastani military staff, none of whom were very pleased with their arrival.

Mark Reynolds was in favor of retreating under the circumstances, as the security detail were hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned, pinned down by the fire of their enemies. However, Ruce was firm. Abdul might not survive another day in Zargabad, or wait around to meet the UN personnel. Reynolds then directed an assault through Zargabad--despite Tanny's protests and his observing that the squad had no defensive capability in such a risky movement.



The plan was simple: Reynolds, Tanny, Asano, Dixon, and Brian Frost would make their way through the city clearing the way for the remaining ION guards to escort the UN team behind them. Frost himself believed the move was too shaky for his own taste, but at the same time also had confidence in the company and was certain they would not put their own personnel at risk. It was then his need for control shone through--Frost liked ION better than the military because he felt he was in control of his own situation, and that the company was in control of the entire situation as a whole. However, he also had his share of uncomfortable feelings about everything....the NATO forces were busy on the Ardistan border and would not be able to lend backup. The other ION contractors had been deployed further towards the Takstani coast and were unable to send any support. Possibly the worst knowledge in his mind was that he and his friends would have to rely on the NTA.

Despite getting ambushed and sniped through Zargabad, Frost survived and the team made it in one piece to Abdul's hideout. Dr. Ruce and the UN investigators then arrived to interview him. However, before long, the NTA, worried by increased guerilla activity in the area, brought forward their air strike. As the bombs began to fall from the sky, the UN personnel panicked and were quickly evacuated by Reynolds and two other contractors, who were able to get them to the nearest ION SUV and escape Zargabad in the chaos. Frost, meanwhile, together with Tanny and Dixon, tried to save Abdul and evacuate him as well. However, Abdul stumbled at the last minute, and a shell struck the building behind him, forcing Frost to flee for his life. Another exploding shell then knocked him unconscious before his teammates abandoned him for dead.

Inception
"Our contact's missing; this city's getting ripped apart."

- Brian Frost

It was close to an hour later before Frost regained consciousness, awakened by the buzz of his radio as Mark Reynolds tried to contact him. He then regrouped with Asano and the two found Zargabad was in ruins. Although constantly on the run and under attack by both the NTA and the insurgent factions, Frost and Asano were able to locate Abdul, who was now dead, killed in the air strike.

Frost searched the corpse and came up with vital documents for the UN investigation team, then fought his way through Zargabad, locating Patrick Dixon, who was holding a position northwest of the city. There, Brian was crushed to find out that a building had collapsed on Tanny during the NTA air raid, killing his best friend.

The trio were barely saved from dying themselves when an ION helicopter arrived in Zargabad to evacuate them. Frost was in shock, wanting to go and recover Tanny's body, but prevented from doing so by the violence in the city.

Transportation
"What are you supposed to do when your best friend dies? It should have been me underneath that rubble in this piece of shit country. I've got to get out of this bloody mess - get back home."

- Brian Frost

Hardened by Tanny's unexpected demise, Frost remained grim for the next few hours. Their helicopter was forced to touch down in a minor ION outpost because the US Military refused to grant them air clearance. While Mark Reynolds hung back to wrangle the Americans for air clearance, the UN investigation team and their ION guards set off in a convoy of three SUVs further south in Takistan, to the Proving Grounds, an abandoned nuclear testing site which was mentioned in Abdul's documents.

While Asano drove, Frost manned the machine-gun atop the lead SUV. By this point, he was seriously disillusioned. He saw no more differences between ION and the military paratroopers--comparing this contract to Operation: Crimson Lance. He blamed himself for Tanny's fate, vowing to leave ION when the contract was done and go home to see the family of his deceased friend to grieve with them. Brian also blamed the NTA for launching the air strike, sure that they did not mistake ION for a militia faction but attacked intentionally to send a warning across to the company.



Meanwhile, the ION convoy reached US Checkpoint Charlie, an American outpost in the Zavarak region. The sergeant there refused to allow the "mercenaries" to pass, prompting Dixon to order Brian Frost to open fire on the guards, firing warning shots over their heads to keep them from interfering. However, Henry Asano pleaded with Frost to step out of the SUV and speak with the American soldiers to persuade them to let them by. What happens next is up to the player. If Frost fires at the guards he will be able to proceed south immediately and make good time. However, it will take a few hours if he tries to speak with the US military personnel. In fact, they absolutely refuse to allow the ION vehicles to pass until Mark Reynolds is able to radio them and get a renewed clearance permission to head to Nasdara, the PMCs' destination.

Elimination
"Christ, what the Fuck? Must be the remains of the test programme. Looks like something went wrong. Very wrong."

- Brian Frost at the Proving Grounds

Despite a series of determined ambushes by both Takistani military personnel in APC's and other vehicles, as well as numerous insurgents, the ION convoy made it safely to the Proving Grounds, which they found was guarded by a number of tanks and APC's. Although opposed by various militiamen and large groups of Takistani soldiers, Brian Frost and Henry Asano set off, dispatched by Patrick Dixon to scout ahead and clear the way for the UN team to inspect the area.

Frost armed himself with an anti-material rifle, which could destroy all the NTA's APC's and all but the heaviest tanks with well-placed shots, using a heat scanner to locate the engine blocks on the enemy vehicles and firing on them with his weapon, eventually destroying the target. Shortly afterwards, Asano and Frost came across a massive crater in the middle of the Proving Grounds, where an experimental nuclear device had probably been detonated--apparently with disappointing results.

Brian also discovered, after eliminating the NTA personnel in the area--a small, bunker-like structure. This was apparently a facility used to store something in relation to the nuclear test program, the target of the UN team's investigation.

Malfunction
"It's bitter COLD and I'm sick of this place."

- Brian Frost

By sundown, the UN team, protected by their ION escort, had set up camp around the bunker. Frost and the other contractors formed a watch and a defensive perimeter around the smallish area by night, in order to enable Dr. Ruce and his associates to complete a full investigation of the bunker's contents.

During the night, however, a number of unknown helicopters and UAV's attacked the bunker, unleashing heavy fire on the ION operatives on the ground. Several sputniks were shot down before one succeeded in striking and destroying one of the SUVs by the ION campsite. Frost then ordered the four other contractors in the perimeter to fall back towards a set of urban ruins nearby, since they were drawing too much fire to the bunker and their vehicles.

Patrick Dixon promptly retaliated while the others were holding off the helicopters. Using an ION UAV of his own, he attempted to utilize it against the hi-tech air assault. After the last UAV was shot down, the contractors worked out a defensive plan for the morning and Mark Reynolds promised to look into who exactly was behind the counter-operations against the UN investigations team.

Retaliation
In the morning, a large number of guerilla factions attacked the ION camp, alerted by the UAV battle the previous night. While Frost manned their own UAV via Dixon's laptop to attack and shatter the insurgent assault, the other contractors held their positions bravely. Outnumbered, the ION personnel were gradually pinned down.

Unexpected help soon arrived in the form of Mark Reynolds, at the controls of a company helicopter, which gave air support to Brian and his team on the ground. Gradually, the Takistani militiamen were all either slain or retreating; the defenders had prevailed. Exhausted by the drawn-out firefight which took place as they had tried to repel the militia raid, Frost told his colleagues that he was now quite certain that this was no simple security contract. He promised that once he got out of hostile territory and back to the safety of friendly NATO and ION-controlled zones, he would back out of the mission and, much as he hated to do so, quit.

Preparation
"We're here to protect this team, not fight a bloody war."

- Brian Frost

With the guerillas defeated, Reynolds landed and discussed a plan of action with his men. Frost insisted that he was taking the situation too mildly and that ION had already lost good men. Mark claimed he understood and reported that the number one priority was to remove a large quantity of fission materials discovered in the abandoned bunker, which the UN team was planning to take back to the Zargabad area for closer inspection.

The plan was to go back to Zargabad by road, with the first SUV in the convoy containing the UN team, and the second, driven by Reynolds himself, would contain the nuclear materials. Frost hoped that, with Reynolds himself personally guaranteeing the safety of the materials, ION would be able to retake control of some sort over the situation. However, he was not too pleased when Mark assigned him, Dixon, and Henry Asano to a helicopter in order to provide air support for the convoy on the ground. He was even less pleased when ordered to pilot the helicopter, as he was the only experienced pilot of the trio.

Aviation
"What the Hell is it about me and choppers?!"

- Brian Frost

Brian Frost reluctantly took charge of the ION helicopter in leaving the Proving Grounds and scouting ahead of the SUVs to look for potential ambushes. He apparently preferred that Patrick Dixon be given the role of a pilot instead, as Frost had no combat experience at the controls of a chopper. He was sorely tempted to just take the helicopter and leave, but realized he couldn't just abandon his career, the company, and his fellow contractors depending on him from the ground convoy. In order to be sufficiently coaxed into piloting the air support, Frost accepted a promise from Reynolds offering him a hefty bonus in money from ION for the particular mission.

Slightly encouraged by this promise, Brian determined he would complete the contract as originally planned. Whenever he spotted potential attackers on the ground ahead of the convoy, he would radio Reynolds and inform him to hold the vehicles back until he had cleared out the intended ambush with unguided missiles and the assistance of Asano, who manned the helicopter's guns.

Despite his efforts, his helicopter was damaged by enemy fire, but Reynolds ordered him to stay in the air for as long as possible, until the SUVs had made it safely to the Zargabad area. Having friends in the US Military who owed him favors, Reynolds was also able to convince the American forces to help Frost by clearing out a town for them with their own aircraft.

After the convoy had proceeded safely through central Takistan, Brian was instructed to land the helicopter at an ION outpost in Zargabad for repairs, dropping Asano off at the Zargabad checkpoint to wait for the arrival of the convoy. Despite damage to the chopper's airframe, he was able to continue to the outpost and land it for repairs.

Escalation
"We're talking major economic meltdown. 2008 is dwarfed by this. We're looking at Wall Street crash, here. Deep depression, millions thrown out of work, protests, starvation, riots in the street, extremist politics from the Left and the Right."

- Mark Reynolds

After Frost had landed the helicopter safely and was awaiting repair work to be done, Asano radioed him with a mysterious message: The convoy had showed up at the Zargabad checkpoint safely, but only one SUV was present. The other had gone missing. Frost then contacted Reynolds to ask what was going on. To his shock, Mark explained that the nuclear materials were safe somewhere. With him. He then went on to say that he could not let them fall into the UN's hands.

Reynolds went on to say that their very existence would prove to the UN that outside forces (China chief among them) had been supplying Takistan with nuclear-grade weaponry. He explained that he had gone rogue and stolen the materials from the UN investigation team because if they were to be examined, it would cause a major international crisis with the Chinese, destabilize Takistan further, force NATO and the US to halt their withdrawal and only move more troops into the country, and in the worse case scenario, cause a serious problem with the stock market, throwing world economies off balance as an indirect result of the diplomatic and political problems which would follow.

Asano pointed out that the UN team already knew about the materials, so it was too late and nothing more could be done, but Reynolds then revealed that the only way to keep Dr. Ruce and his fellow investigators quiet was to assassinate them. He exaggerated the results of the possible crisis in order to tip Frost to his side. Dixon, however, was enraged, deducing that China had probably paid Reynolds a large bribe on the side to keep the existence of the materials they had given to Takistan for the now-abandoned weapons programme secret.

Reynolds then told Asano, Dixon, and Frost over their radios that there was no time to be neutral. They were either with him, or against him. He implied that ION itself was involved in the cover-up, and that he would be willing to share his part of the bribe money with the trio if they would side with him. Meanwhile, Frost also received word that ION had suspended the operation and his current contract, suggesting that indeed the company knew all about what was going on and was in with Reynolds.

Frost was torn--he had no idea what to do. On one hand, he did not wish to eliminate the very UN team he had sworn to protect...it was a cold-blooded move. Yet, he also realized if he remained undecided or refused to join Reynolds, the man would probably get one of the other ION contractors to do it for him, and tie up any loose ends by killing Frost, now that he knew too much about the assassination. Patrick Dixon, meanwhile, was resolved to murder Reynolds instead, accusing him of being a 'smug fuck' who was 'only in it for himself'. He angrily told Brian to wake up and see that Tanny had died because of this whole mess. Unwilling to waste any more time debating with Frost, Dixon then turned heels and began to leave the outpost, intending to finish off Mark Reynolds once and for all.

It is now that the player makes the most crucial decision in the game--he remains loyal to Reynolds and ION by shooting Patrick Dixon, followed by the two other contractors at the outpost, both of whom will side with him. Or, the player can choose not to stop Dixon, or in fact, join Dixon, and from that moment on Reynolds will be his enemy. This leads to one of two final missions: Deception (In which Frost remains loyal to Reynolds) or Termination (When a slightly more honest Frost sets out to destroy Reynolds and ensure the UN team remains safe).

Deception
Making a decision at the last minute to side with Reynolds, Frost opened fire on Patrick Dixon as he left the ION compound to kill Reynolds. Dixon turned and told Brian he was free to engage; each man still wanted to regard the other as a friend, but the circumstances permitted one to kill the other. In the ensuing exchange of fire, Patrick was killed and Frost then turned his gun on the other two ION operatives at the outpost, who could not understand the situation and were preparing to kill Brian, whom they assumed had simply gone off the deep end.

Henry Asano sided with Frost, and the two agreed to stick by Reynolds to the end, which meant, in order to cover up the Chinese origin of the nuclear materials, they would have to kill the UN investigations team. Reynolds instructed both of them to disguise themselves as Takistani insurgents for their planned ambush of the ION convoy bringing Dr. Ruce and his associates to Zargabad. Mark also warned them that if they deviated from the plan, or were spotted by their fellow contractors protecting the UN team, then they would be terminated.

Frost remained optimistic...at least now he had the control he desired over the situation, instead of unchecked anarchy. He also realized that the secret of the Chinese fission materials had become a higher priority than life itself. If the materials were discovered, its traumatic effects would be felt worldwide, and likely cause a new rift between China and the nations of NATO. Brian accepted he had to come to terms with what he felt was needed to be done, now that there was no turning back. Though sickened with the thought of murdering the UN personnel, Frost decided he had to in order to complete his contract, no matter how uncomfortable it was.

The plan was to ambush the UN team on the way to the ION compound, then retreat to a designated hideout known as 'Point Eden'. Once disguised as Takistani guerillas, Frost and Asano got in an ION SUV and drove to intercept the UN convoy. They brought with them an improvised explosive device, with which they planned to eliminate both vehicles in the convoy. Brian confided to Asano that he didn't know what exactly was right anymore, and Henry comforted him by reminding Frost that even if they did have to suffer the wrath of Reynolds, they didn't have to go through with the assassination. Frost asked what they would do then, since it was either tear the world's Chinese-dependent businesses and economy apart, or kill UN investigators. Asano explained he wasn't an economist, but he trusted Reynolds. Frost was just eager to get the contract finished and done with.

Frost set the IED on the road, then took cover on a nearby rooftop. As the UN convoy came into view and the first SUV rolled over the explosive, Brian detonated it, causing the vehicle to burst into flames. He then fired on the second SUV, killing the driver and its other occupants. The first SUV was already in flames and Dr. Ruce was dead--but two of the UN team had been thrown from the vehicle and now lay dazed next to its flaming wreckage. Frost was forced to execute them at close range with his gun.

Escaping in an SUV with Asano, he made it to Point Eden, where he managed to evade capture. The cover-up was successful, and Reynolds made sure that a Takastani guerilla group claimed responsibility for the murder of the UN team and the ION guards escorting them. The diplomatic relations between China and NATO were never in jeopardy, and private sector contracts in Takistan, particularly for security firms like ION, continued to grow. The disaster averted, Frost collected a healthy bonus from the company for assisting Mark Reynolds, and continued to be retained by ION. Despite this, however, Brian's killing of Patrick Dixon and his guilt over Tanny's death continued to haunt him for some time to come.

Frost's subsequent appearances in the spin-off game Take On Helicopter have him continuing to work for ION, suggesting that this is the canonical ending to Private Military Company.

Termination
"We're low on gear, but we have some tactical options. Our objective remains simple: Take down Reynolds."

- Brian Frost

As Dixon stalked away, Brian Frost weighed his options and decided he could not side with Mark Reynolds in willingly killing his clients or colleagues. He chose to work with Patrick in bringing down the rogue Reynolds and continuing to protect the UN investigations team. Frost believed that Reynolds was now a man blinded by his own arrogance, who'd lost all grip on morality. He thought of the UN personnel, especially Dr. Ruce, and remembered they all had families to go home to. With that, his decision was firm: He would not help clean up China's mess and Reynolds was a madman who needed to be stopped--whatever the repercussions for himself.

Incensed at his betrayal, ION, Incorporated terminated Frost's contract and employment, but Reynolds carried it further: He wanted Frost, and anyone else in his way, dead. Henry Asano sided with Frost, and together, they parted ways with Dixon, who left to go and mobilize a strike team of other loyal ION contractors to protect the UN investigations team. Mark, meanwhile, was still holed up in an ION company compound nearby, preparing to escape by helicopter with the nuclear materials. Mark radioed Frost in advance and warned him he had made a big mistake. He then coldly added that the company would partially compensate Brian's immediate family for funeral costs once he was dead.

While Brian Frost and Henry Asano headed for Mark's location, they received a frantic radio message from Patrick Dixon: Reynolds had gathered his own loyal supporters from among private military contractors, and they had been prepared for Dixon's strike team as he had moved to stop them from destroying the investigators' SUV with mortars. Mark's supporters prevailed in the crossfire which ensued, and Dixon was forced to fall back. However, the radio then went dead, leaving an uncertain Brian without a plan.

Frost immediately decided that for now, verifying Dixon was the most important goal, and that killing Reynolds would have to wait. He and Asano drove to the site of the battle, where they found a pile of nine bullet-riddled corpses strewn across the street around a parked ION vehicle. The two only survivors of the massacre opened fire on Brian as he tried to approach them, as they were two of Reynolds' men. After killing the two rogue contractors, Frost recovered Dixon's mutilated body nearby. The two were devastated by Patrick's death, and Asano remarked that he had deserved better.

Now spurred by a burning anger, the two men assaulted the ION compound, neutralizing the contractors guarding it. They then found Reynolds in one of the buildings and shot him dead. Mark accused them of being incapable of greater thought, and insisted he was just one cog of a machine which was going to crush them before dying of his mortal injuries.

Frost had no remorse for murdering Reynolds, saying he was nothing but an egotist with delusions of grandeur. Even if Mark was right, Brian would deal with it, with his hands free of innocent blood.

ION's attempted cover-up of the nuclear materials was unsuccessful, as Frost reclaimed them from Reynolds, before turning them back over to Dr. Ruce and his UN team members. The discovery that the materials were of Chinese origin sent shock waves around the world and destabilized international money markets as a rift grew between China and the countries of the West, many of whom had important Chinese investments. The 'Proving Grounds' were closed off by UN forces, which secured the area and discovered the evidence on the scarred landscape of Takistan's old nuclear test programme.

NATO, meanwhile, engaged in a diplomatic crisis with China, suspended their planned withdrawal of American and other NATO armies in Takistan and the Green Sea region, instead moving more soldiers in to help better secure the country. Meanwhile, Frost and Asano cooperated with the press to expose ION for their attempted cover-up of the materials. Brian revealed to the media that there were several meetings between Chinese officials and ION executives, producing photographs taken of mentioned meetings to be published.

The body of Mark Reynolds was discovered in the ashy ruins of a destroyed ION company compound, leaving the situation unclear and throwing the ION personnel in Takistan into confusion, with no coordination or clear leadership. ION, meanwhile, reluctantly promised to launch an internal investigation of the affair. In Takistan itself, combined suspicion and horror at the increased NATO presence resulted in chaos as the New Takistani Army fragmented into separate factions.

Frost remained steadfast in his belief that he had done the right thing, and subsequently faded out of the picture to lead a new life elsewhere.