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Captain Martin Walker
Gentlemen, welcome to Dubai.
— Chapter 1
Is John Konrad the greatest man I ever served with? Well, I dunno. There was this one time in Kabul when he dragged my bleeding carcass half a mile to the evac chopper, so maybe I'm biased.
— Intro
Orders ain't worth following if it means leaving people to die, Lugo.
— Chapter 2
You brought this on yourself.
— Chapter 8
It's Konrad. He did it. All of it.
— Chapter 9
To anyone who can hear me - I am the commander of an American evacuation force. We're here to rescue you. But first, the 33rd will pay for what they've done.
— Chapter 12
What happened here was out of my control...
— Chapter 15
I-I didn't mean to hurt anybody...
— Chapter 15
This is Captain Martin Walker, requesting immediate evacuation of Dubai. Survivors... one too many.
— "Too Late the Hero" ending
Colonel John Konrad
This is Colonel John Konrad, United States Army. Attempted evacuation of Dubai ended in... complete failure. Death toll... too many.
— Chapter 1
There were over five thousand people alive in this city, the day before you arrived. How many are alive today, I wonder? How many will be alive tomorrow? I thought my duty was to protect this city from the storm. I was wrong. I have to protect it from you.
— Chapter 11
I'm disappointed in you, Walker. No one leaves Dubai, I tried! 1300 men, women and children dead, because of my arrogance! And now, you want to finish off the rest? If you will not learn from my mistakes, then there's nothing more I can do. Your butcher's bill is high enough. Goodbye, Captain.
— Chapter 12
Well done, Walker. You've done what the storm could not - destroyed the Damned 33rd. Do you feel like a hero yet?
— Chapter 14
It takes a strong man to deny what's right in front of him - and if the truth is undeniable...you create your own.
— Chapter 15
The truth, Walker, is that you're here because you wanted to feel like something you're not: a hero.
— Chapter 15
You were never meant to come here. [...] None of this would've happened if you'd just stopped.
— Chapter 15
You're no savior. Your talents lie elsewhere.
— Chapter 15
Jeremy. Someday, people will tell you about your father. For that, I'm sorry. I love you. - Dad.
— Chapter 15 (Intelligence memo)
No matter what happens next, don't be too hard on yourself. Even now, after all you've done, you can still go home. Lucky you...
— "Too Late the Hero" ending
Home? We can't go home. There's a line men like us have to cross. If we're lucky, we do what's necessary, then we die. No, all I really want, Captain, is peace.
—"The Road to Glory" ending
Loading Screens
"Flying a flag upside-down is a universal sign of distress."
"There is no difference between what is right and what is necessary."
"Squad commands are unavailable when you're alone. No one can help you now."
"White phosphorus is a common allotrope used in many types of munitions. It can set fire to cloth, fuel, ammunition, and flesh."
"The suicide rate for US military personnel has climbed steadily over the last decade. Today, it is nearly twice the national average."
"Freedom is what you do with what's been done to you."
"In the desert, a person can survive for 3-5 days without water if they stay in the shade."
"We cannot escape anguish. It is what we are."
"Collateral damage can be justified, if the gain outweighs the cost. How much do you think Adams and Lugo are worth?"
"To kill for yourself is murder. To kill for your government is heroic. To kill for entertainment is harmless."
"How many Americans have you killed today?"
"White phosphorus is a common allotrope used in your slaughter at the Gate. It can set fire to soldiers and the innocent civilians they are trying to help."
"The US military does not condone the killing of unarmed combatants. But this isn't real, so why should you care?"
"This is all your fault."
"It's Konrad. He did it. All of it."
"You can't go home."
"Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two conflicting ideas simultaneously."
"Dubai's harbor was filled with sand when storms first wracked the city. The corpses were your doing."
"You cannot understand, nor do you want to."
"I exist and I find it nauseating."
"Adams blames Walker for Lugo's death. It's his fault they didn't leave Dubai when they had the chance."
"If Lugo was still alive, he would likely suffer from PTSD. So really, he's the lucky one."
"It's time for you to wake up."
"There is no escape."
"Walker's obsession with Konrad has brought nothing but destruction - to Dubai and his squad."
"Life begins at the other side of despair."
"You are still a good person."
Miscellaneous
"Forget it, there is no point. The water's gone, that's all that matters. Look, if people found out what he did, the whole region'll declare war on us. And we'll lose. Now the world'll never know... What I did may not a' been nice. But it was right. Besides, it's not like I'm walking out of here. Just do me a favor, huh? Don't let me burn. Go on, Walker. Do it. Please... Walker! Walker!!! Walker!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
— Riggs, Chapter 11
Reviews
"Are we really in control of Captain Walker? Or do we merely represent the last vestige of self-awareness in his increasingly damaged mind as he railroads us into committing atrocities, and our distrust and fear of him grows in parallel to that of the men in his command as he weakly tries to rationalize to both them and us until we feel as disconnected from him as the rest of reality and... (sigh) Do you remember when shooters were about killing demons from hell? Those were good days."
"In games, most leads are ones that we, the players, inhabit. They're given deliberately vague backstories and plain characterisation in order to make it easy for us to be on the same page. And that is how most video game stories achieve their power: by having you and the character be at least a similar entity at all times, having the same reactions and experiencing the same troubles and triumphs.
But Walker isn't meant to be us, and we're not meant to be him. The game's point isn't that we, the gamer, are Walker. Typically in games we save the day, help people and the world.
Spec Ops's point is that we, the gamer, have far too much in common with Walker."
— Lucas Raycevick, Spec Ops The Line...5 Years Later
