Fairfax Residence is the second mission in SWAT 4 and the first mission in SWAT: Elite Force. The SWAT team is tasked with investigating the house of Lawrence Fairfax, who is the prime suspect in a series of grisly homicides. This mission is memorable for its dark, unsettling and disturbing content.
Mission Briefing[]
Get ready, men, this is a tough one. Our target Lawrence Fairfax is the number one suspect in a string of grisly homicides. A bit of review: over the last year and a half, seven women, all of them studying at the state university, disappeared. Their remains, showing signs of torture and dismemberment, reappeared anywhere from a week to three weeks later. The killer was careful; the task force forensic team was unable to get a useful DNA match from any of the bodies.
That changed with the most recent find. Another victim was located earlier this morning by a local laborer. Some of the DNA scrapings from her nails match one of the men being investigated by the task force: Lawrence Fairfax.
There's a complication: another student, Melinda Kline, went missing sometime around 2000 on October 18th. That was six days ago. If Fairfax has her, and if he's following the profile, chances are good she's still alive. Rescuing her is your first priority, which is why we're going in with no warning.
About our suspect. Fairfax is employed as a temporary carpenter and works off and on at the University. No police record, but court records show a pair of expired restraining orders against him. He's been suspended from a recent jobsite for stealing supplies. Fairfax's coworkers don't say much about him; he keeps to himself. He's been at the law library multiple times, most notably on the days before the disappearance of three of our victims, including Melinda Kline. A police interview with him was inconclusive; but the detective responsible did acquire a DNA sample from a used tissue.
Fairfax was seeing a psychiatrist when he was laid off; we've been unable to access his records. The psych warned us that Fairfax may have fortified his living areas. Be alert for traps, especially in spaces only Fairfax uses. He lives with his mother, Gladys Fairfax. She's a recluse, and due to health problems rarely leaves the house. We don't have reason to believe she's involved, but stay on your toes.
Fellas, seconds may be the difference between life and death for Melinda Kline. Study the layout, choose your gear, get moving.
Timeline[]
- 18 Oct: APB: Melinda Kline - Melinda Kline reported missing by her housemate, Angela Karey. Last known sighting was after her last class let out at 19:45 on 17 Oct. Friends report no known travel plans.
- 20:20: Body found - Rachel Polson's remains found by Emmet Duran, a construction worker.
- 04:00: DNA identification - Forensic team identifies DNA under Polson's fingertips as belonging to Lawrence Fairfax.
- 04:30: SWAT Arrives - SWAT Arrives. Containment perimeter set up. No high ground established.
- 04:43: Tactical entry begun - Decision made to go tactical. Entry team assembled.
Entries and Snipers[]
There are two entries, but both start at the same area, just slightly moved: the rear of the house.
One sniper is available on this mission. Sierra 1 is covering the master, Gladys Fairfax's, bedroom on the corner of side 2 and side 3.
Map Layout[]
The intel provided on this mission is mostly accurate in describing the layout of the first floor. However, the clutters that divides the side 1 bedroom is omitted. It also does not describe the layout of the basement area.
This building is a classic, two story house. The house consists of three entrances: the main entrance located on side 1, rear entrance located on side 2, and the garage door also located on side 2. Outside the house are a lot of trees, bushes and high fence. The ground floor is primarily a living space with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room, a dining room and a kitchen. Every room contains some typical household appliances such as a gas stove and a fridge in the kitchen and a TV in the living room. The whole ground floor is littered with trash bags, newspapers, and other garbage. The basement of this house contains several rooms such as the garage, the laundry room and Lawrence's room. His room is covered in newspapers with topics about a serial killer in Fairview and grisly findings from around the city. Next to his room is a workshop where several newspaper casts of various body parts lay scattered on the floor. The workshop also contains the entrance to his man-made tunnel and the chamber where his victims are kept.
Tactical Approach[]
The mission may spawn with up to two suspects - Lawrence Fairfax with a shotgun and another armed with a pistol. They are not wearing any protections.
The approach of this mission varies wildly depending on whether SWAT: Elite Force is installed. Assuming Elite Force is not installed, this mission is fairly straightforward. Lawrence may be found in the basement or in his lair, and his mother Gladys may be found anywhere on the main floor. Melinda Kline is only ever present inside the prisoner's chamber. An extra suspect ("accomplice") may be present, and can be located practically anywhere except the very personal areas belonging to Lawrence. The only source of suprise could be a suspect running out of the house via one of the entry point the team did not pick, so the player should always remember to wedge the door that is not used for entry.
Changes in Elite Force[]
- Either the rear door or the garage door may be trapped with alarms. Barring that, either of those entrances to the basement may be trapped. There is always a trap on Elite difficulty. Tripping the trap will trigger special dialogue.
- There is always an accomplice on Elite difficulty (can appear in lower difficulties). Arresting the suspect will trigger special dialogue.
- Lawrence, his mother and the additional suspect can wander around the house. Lawrence usually hangs out in the basement, but may occasionally grab a bite from the kitchen or go to the bathroom upstairs. His mother wanders around in every room upstairs.
- All suspects' morale have been raised, while the Colt Python has been removed from suspects' possible equipment pool.
- Gladys Fairfax's minmum morale has been lowered while the max morale has been raised to allow for a more varied response. She also has a 70% chance to experience cardiac arrest. Finally she has the fearless flag enabled.
- Lawrence Fairfax now has a 5% chance to experience cardiac arrest, while Melinda Kline now has a 10% chance to suffer cardiac arrest.
- Assuming subsquent missions are not unlocked, player and AI SWAT officers will have no defense against CS Gas grenades.
Trivia[]
- This mission is unique in that it does not take place in New York City, but rather a fictional suburb known as Fairview (although dispatch mentions it being in the Bronx). This led many to (mistakenly) believe that the game actually took place in Fairview.
- The unnamed hostage is referred to internally as Tammy Wilson.
- This mission has a large amount of cut content, some of which was then ported into SWAT: Elite Force. Traps were originally going to be featured in this mission, but cut at the last moment. There was dialogue missing regarding arresting the accomplice, and there are references to missing dialogue about more women being kept in cages: "In the cell… there's another girl down there..."
- This mission is known internally as the "Silence of the Lawyers", a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 1991 film, Silence of the Lambs.
- Fairfax Residence was indirectly mentioned during Ken Levine's farewell address to Irrational Games.
- Melinda Kline is possibly named after Christopher Kline, a programmer whose name appears in many code comments.
Gallery[]
