Last Chance

Operation: Last Chance is the fourth mission in the Allied campaign of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2.

Background
After all crucial military and civilian personnel were evacuated from Washington, D.C. to Canada (including General Ben Carville and President Michael Dugan), critical intel came in - General Vladimir just hit the city of Chicago, Illinois hard. In order to retake the city, an amphibious assault over Lake Michigan was suggested, using forces from Canada. It was odd though that the Soviets would strike at Chicago and the American High Command wanted to find out why.

The real reason for the immense Soviet presence was the Psychic Amplifier, a massive structure devised by Yuri to act as a beacon on a country-wide scale. Destroying this structure became a top priority when this was discovered by the American forces. They were not going to lose their homeland to Yuri and Romanov's psionic weapons, no matter what happened.

Entering the harbor
The mission begins with Lt. Eva giving the Allied Commander a short introductory of the Destroyers which are accompanied by Amphibious Transports. Four Rocketeers (In Easy Mode, there are six Rocketeers instead) took out the two Grand cannons guarding the harbour entrance to Chicago, granting the amphibious assault teams safe passage to force a shore landing. In Hard Mode the Rocketeers are unavailable, forcing the fleet to pass through a nearby narrow canal with a Sentry Gun guarding it.

Force landing
The destroyers take out a Soviet naval shipyard and the Typhoon submarines guarding the harbor, then bombards the Soviet shore defenses. More Allied reinforcements have arrived as the first wave secures a beachhead at Grant Park and start constructing their base of operations. Soviet troops have made repeated attacks on the Allied positions but each attack has been repelled. The Amplifier is then activated to begin the countdown, after which the entire North American continent would fall under Soviet mind control.

Destroying the Psychic Amplifier
Destruction of the Psychic Amplifier was top priority, so the Allies decided to ignore the main Soviet base in Chicago and concentrate their efforts on locating the Amplifier. Rocketeers scouted the Soviet-controlled city and found a Tech Airport for the Allies to capture and also took out the Tesla reactors on the other side of the river. They finally located the Amplifier on a small man-made island, and the Allied commander sends in two squadrons of Harriers to destroy it.

When the Amplifier was destroyed, General Vladmir contacted the American Commander and swore revenge on the victorious Americans. The General then activated a Soviet nuclear warhead that had been hidden underneath the Amplifier's launch site, telling the Commander to behold the might of the Soviet Union. The nuclear warhead detonated within Chicago, completely destroying the city.

Walkthrough
At the beginning of the mission, Lt. Eva will give you a short introduction of the Allied Destroyer.

After you deploy your base, Lt. Eva will give you an overview of the Psychic Amplifier, and give you the go-ahead to destroy it. This also starts the Amplifier's countdown to activation.

If you approach the western edge of the battle map, three civilian police cruisers will assault a team of Tesla Troopers. These cruisers are incredibly weak however, and it will be difficult to defend them.

It is possible to win by sending all of your forces directly to the Amplifier by naval assault. Use the destroyers to get past the submarines and deploy your troops on the makeshift island.

Valuable assets

 * Sears Tower in the upper left corner of the map: Garrison for a map reveal.
 * Tech airfield in the right part of the map: Accessible via a ruined bridge.
 * Tech hospital in the right part of the map: Accessible via a ruined bridge.

Aftermath
"The tragic loss of Chicago, however devastating, doesn't compare to the loss of our whole nation. Your quick destruction of the Psychic Amplifier meant that the Soviets never had time to fully test its power."

- The mission debriefing when played faster than at par time

"The Psychic Amplifier was destroyed, but not before the Soviets gained valuable test data about it's effects. In spite of the tragic loss of Chicago, however, you've saved our entire nation from falling under the influence of the Soviets' most powerful psychic weapon."

- The mission debriefing when played slower than at par time

The nuclear destruction of Chicago had wiped out all of the military and civilian personnel stationed in the city, Allied and Soviet alike. Fortunately the Allied Commander escaped the blast, and President Michael Dugan pleaded to the European Allies for help. Horrified at the loss of Chicago, the Europeans began to consider a declaration of war against the Soviets. Ironically, in destroying the city, the Soviets only succeeded in provoking more nations to assist the Americans in their cause, which would prove instrumental in determining the course of the war.

Trivia

 * A hidden bug exists in this mission: when the Soviet Construction Yard placed outside of the visible map, albeit still visible on the mini-map, in the northeast corner is destroyed, the Nuclear Silo that is otherwise normally built when the Psychic Amplifier is destroyed is not built. This does not prevent the mission from progressing, however).
 * While some players may try to fill the available area surrounding the Amplifier to prevent the deployment of the Nuclear Silo, it is actually impossible to stop due to the counter-measures scripted for the mission. The silo that deploys following the Amplifier's destruction is 1/4 smaller than the normal silo; making it impossible to crowd the platform to prevent the missile launch.
 * The nuclear missile silo in this mission plays its "charged" animation after the nuke superweapon, which doesn't have a visible timer in this case, still has 9.7 in-game minutes before it's fully charged. In other words, the animation plays after 18 in-game seconds.