Fabula
S3E1 · Manchester Part I

Situation Room: Swift Fury Evac Triumph Spirals into Cobra Firefight

In the tense Situation Room, Leo anxiously monitors Operation Swift Fury as Cobras secure positions and Dragon lifts off with 53 Americans and Dessaline, sparking collective relief and applause. Abrupt silence shatters when Cobra 1 reports incoming fire and injuries, while Cobra 2 unleashes rockets to neutralize HNP threats, barely escaping. Leo's impatience and deflection of personal queries from Nancy reveal his burdened leadership, turning momentary victory into visceral peril that mirrors the campaign's precarious volatility and escalates Bartlet's international stakes.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

5

Military command confirms Cobra helicopters are in position and ready for Operation Swift Fury.

anticipation to readiness

Leo seeks updates on the mission's progress, revealing his underlying tension about the operation.

anxiety to brief relief

Dragon helicopter confirms mission underway, lifting personnel to safety as the team exhales momentarily.

tension to relief

Cobra 1 reports taking fire and injuries, injecting sudden danger into the mission.

relief to alarm

Cobra 2 neutralizes threats but the precarious situation solidifies Leo's realization that the operation has escalated.

alarm to grim acceptance

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

5
Pilot 2nd
primary

Focused intensity driving lethal precision

Pilot 2nd reports over radio engaging HNP squads armed with light machine guns, deploys 20mm cannon and 2.75 rockets to neutralize targets amid explosions echoing via PA, then confirms return to Paris, twice underscoring the counterattack's ferocity.

Goals in this moment
  • Protect evac chopper from ground threats
  • Secure path back to base post-engagement
Active beliefs
  • Overwhelming firepower neutralizes ambushes
  • Mission success hinges on rapid response
Character traits
decisive resolute combat-focused
Follow Pilot 2nd's journey

Relieved optimism curdling into vigilant concern

Nancy joins Leo and officers in sighs of relief and smiles at Dragon's successful liftoff and applause, then shares the room's tension as Cobra reports erupt, her composed presence anchoring the group's emotional swings without verbal contribution in the firefight beats.

Goals in this moment
  • Support Leo's focus on operational success
  • Gauge team morale amid volatile updates
Active beliefs
  • Shared relief strengthens resolve
  • Operational phases demand unflinching attention
Character traits
composed empathetic professional
Follow Nancy McNally's journey

Anxious impatience veiling steely resolve amid spiking dread

Leo paces tensely during pauses, voicing frustration at the silence, glances impatiently at his watch, shifts from shared smiles of relief at Dragon's liftoff to concerned stares as fire reports crackle in, culminating in resolute acknowledgment that seals the peril.

Goals in this moment
  • Monitor operation in real-time for swift decisions
  • Maintain team composure through crisis pivot
Active beliefs
  • Silence breeds vulnerability in high-stakes ops
  • Personal concerns must yield to mission imperatives
Character traits
impatient stoic commanding
Follow Leo McGarry's journey
Command
primary

Professionally detached amid escalating urgency

Command relays crisp confirmations over radio—Dragon away post-liftoff—then probes Cobra 1's status amid fire and injuries, coordinating return to Paris with professional precision that funnels battlefield chaos into the room's nerve center.

Goals in this moment
  • Confirm safe extraction and asset statuses
  • Facilitate real-time threat neutralization
Active beliefs
  • Clear radio protocol averts disaster
  • Injured assets must prioritize return
Character traits
precise authoritative unflappable
Follow Command's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

4
Cobra 2's 20mm Cannon

Cobra 2's 20mm cannon roars via radio reports and PA explosions, shredding HNP positions in tandem with rockets to shield Dragon's escape, its staccato fury broadcast into the Situation Room turning relief to held-breath peril and restoring fragile momentum.

Before: Mounted on Cobra 2, primed for engagement
After: Post-firing, cooling on Cobra 2 en route to …
Before: Mounted on Cobra 2, primed for engagement
After: Post-firing, cooling on Cobra 2 en route to Paris
Cobra 2's 2.75 Rockets

Cobra 2's 2.75 rockets streak in fiery barrage per pilot's report, detonating HNP threats over crackling PA speakers, their explosive neutralization pivotal to evac survival and injecting visceral combat reality into the room's emotional rollercoaster.

Before: Loaded on Cobra 2, ready for launch
After: Expended, remnants on Cobra 2 returning to Paris
Before: Loaded on Cobra 2, ready for launch
After: Expended, remnants on Cobra 2 returning to Paris
Leo McGarry's Wristwatch

Leo's wristwatch captures his mounting impatience during operational pauses, its ticking silence amplifying tension as he glances at it urgently, symbolizing the inexorable pressure of real-time crisis management that wrenches personal calm into command vigilance.

Before: Worn on Leo's wrist, functioning normally
After: Still on Leo's wrist, ticking amid renewed relief
Before: Worn on Leo's wrist, functioning normally
After: Still on Leo's wrist, ticking amid renewed relief
HNP Troops' Light Machine Guns

HNP troops' light machine guns unleash hails of fire on Cobra 1 from across the embassy, wounding pilots and shattering room's applause into silence via radio, their ambush escalating the op's stakes and provoking Cobra 2's retaliatory dominance.

Before: Deployed by HNP squads near embassy
After: Neutralized positions, silenced by Cobra counterfire
Before: Deployed by HNP squads near embassy
After: Neutralized positions, silenced by Cobra counterfire

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

3
Paris

Paris beckons as sanctuary endpoint, Dragon and battered Cobras vectoring toward its runways per urgent radio confirms, its promise of safety tempering the firefight's blood-cost and underscoring op's fragile path to reprieve.

Atmosphere Distant haven of secure reprieve
Function Safe extraction destination for assets
Symbolism Alliance-backed relief from Haitian inferno
Access Secured allied airbase
Secure runways awaiting rotors French airspace clearance
Deposition Room (West Wing — legal deposition chamber)

The Situation Room pulses as command nexus, its screens and radios channeling Dragon's liftoff triumph into applause, then Cobra firefight chaos, forging collective emotional surges that test leadership under the fluorescent glare of tactical dread.

Atmosphere Euphoric relief fracturing into stunned tension amid radio crackle and explosions
Function Central monitoring hub for real-time op coordination
Symbolism Embodiment of White House's precarious global command
Access Restricted to senior staff and military officers
Fluorescent lighting over scarred conference table Crackling PA speakers broadcasting explosions Humming monitors displaying positions
Port-au-Prince

Port-au-Prince seethes as the op's volatile epicenter, embassy-adjacent buildings spewing HNP fire that imperils Cobras and evac, relayed via radio to heighten Situation Room stakes in this distant yet intimately felt cauldron of coup chaos.

Atmosphere Chaotic nighttime ambush rife with gunfire and tracers
Function Primary battleground for evac extraction
Symbolism Haitian volatility mirroring Bartlet's international tightrope
Access Hostile zone under HNP threat
Shadowed buildings across embassy Dust-whipped landing zones Tracer streaks in night sky

Organizations Involved

Institutional presence and influence

2
HNP

HNP squads ambush from embassy shadows with light machine guns, raking Cobra 1 and wounding crew to derail evac, their ferocity neutralized by Cobra 2's firepower—exposing mission fragility and fueling White House peril.

Representation Via ground troops' direct combat action over radio
Power Dynamics Insurgent aggressors challenging U.S. air superiority
Impact Underscores Haitian instability threatening U.S. intervention
Internal Dynamics Coordinated squad fire under Bazan coup pressure
Disrupt U.S.-backed evac of Dessaline Exploit coup chaos to target helicopters Light machine gun barrages Ambush tactics from concealed positions
Colonel Bazan's Haitian Troops

Bazan's troops underpin the secured landing zone for Cobras as referenced in prior briefing, their ground hold enabling Dragon pickup amid HNP fire—bolstering the op's perimeter in fractured alliances relayed to the room.

Representation Via referenced troop positions securing LZ
Power Dynamics Cooperative ground force aiding U.S. air ops against mutual foe
Impact Highlights tactical pacts in volatile regime change
Internal Dynamics Shift from coup aggression to evac support
Maintain coup control while facilitating evac Secure perimeter against HNP counterattacks Ground troop readiness over LZ Alliance with U.S. for shared extraction

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

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Themes This Exemplifies

Thematic resonance and meaning

Part of Larger Arcs

Key Dialogue

"PILOT 3RD (over radio): Raven, Dragon has all personnel secured. Dragon is lifting to Paris."
"PILOT 1ST (over radio): Raven, Cobra 1 is taking fire from across the... from inside the building across from the embassy. Engaging. Raven, I'm hit."
"LEO: All right. Well, we're in it now."