Free Gateway

Operation: Free Gateway is the eighth mission of the Allied campaign of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2.

Background
With the defense of Pearl Harbor successful, the American military finally held a firm grip on the Pacific. The Allied commander responsible for the successful defence was even looking forward to some R&R at Hawaii, but the Soviet Union soon came up with another plan altogether.

St. Louis, the heart of ground control for the Missouri state, came under psychic control of the Soviets, from a psychic beacon deployed by Yuri's adepts in the bombed out Busch Stadium. Reluctantly, President Michael Dugan ordered an attack on the city, permitting the commander to open fire on American citizens if it's necessary for the destruction of the threat. Agent Tanya was to lead the attack, racing against time as the psychic influence bore through her training and mental resistance.

The city itself was under full control - all American soldiers and citizens were obedient Soviet slaves. This made the mission hard for the American strike team as they were facing the same situation as before in Washington when forced to kill their fellow Americans who were used as cannon fodder by the Soviets. This made them also all the more eager to finally fight the Soviets and make them pay for their invasion.

Destruction of the Psychic Beacon
Tanya and her strike team were inserted into the city via paradrop north of the Busch Stadium. Racing against time they headed to the stadium by following the overhead bridge. Taking out enemy patrols along the way (including mind-controlled GIs) they exited the overpass at a civilian hospital.

With one engineer capturing the hospital, Tanya announced their presence by blowing a hole in the wall, taking out the Tesla Reactors and Tesla Coils in the process.

Once all the Reactors were destroyed around the Stadium, Tanya quickly demolished the beacon (or had an Engineer take it over for dismantling and selling for cash). At once all the Allied forces and civilians in the city were freed of Soviet mind-control and hastily made their way to the Mississippi River. Many of them however were brutally gunned down by the Soviets.

Liberating St. Louis
"I will obey the Soviet, ugh... Where am I?"

- Confused civilian after being freed from the influence of the Psychic Beacon

With the Psychic Beacon destroyed the US military launched an amphibious assault, landing at the Gateway Arch site. Tanya's strike team decided to hold their positions near the hospital to prevent the Soviets flanking the Allies. The Allies dug in at the Arch and prepared for Soviet counterattacks.

At that moment a team of Desolators executed several defenseless and imprisoned civilians at the city center to intimidate the American forces. Lt. Eva briefed the Allied commander of their devastating effects on infantry and could radiate points to block infantry and light vehicles from passing through safely.

Upon securing the riverfront, American forces located a US military installation that had been all but completely destroyed by the Soviets in the initial invasion. However, Engineers are sent in to repair and commandeer the surviving structures, further bolstering the Allies' foothold on the city as they built up their attack forces.

The Prism Tank
Fortunately, the Allies got to field test their latest weapon in their arsenal - four Prism Tanks, courtesy of Professor Einstein. These latest additions served as the Allies' artillery and could deal with any threat, including Desolators from a long distance. The drawback was they were lightly armored. As the Soviets began assaulting the Allies at the Arch, the surviving civilians scouted St. Louis and located the Soviet base.

As the Harriers conducted their air strikes, the Allied Commander decided to use the Prism Tanks to level the Soviet base. Constructing enough for a whole division, the tanks did their job well, literally vaporizing the Soviets with their prism beams. The remnants of the Soviet army in the city made a hasty retreat as the Allies overran their positions; St. Louis was liberated.

Aftermath
"You saved Saint Louis before her citizens could come to any harm."

- The mission debriefing when played faster than at par time

"Saint Louis was saved, but thousands of American citizens were permanently turned to the Soviet cause."

- The mission debriefing when played slower than at par time

Using St. Louis and Washington DC (from Operation: Liberty) as the beachheads, the Allies finally set about liberating the US mainland from the occupying Soviet forces and cut them in two, now with the Prism Tank in their arsenal. Following the liberation of St. Louis, the Soviet front in the United States rapidly crumbled, with American forces quickly regaining their lost territories and capturing many Soviet troops who surrendered to the emboldened Allied Forces. They would eventually be driven back to their last surviving strongholds on the West Coast as the American Army closed in.

However Allied intelligence learned of the Soviets capturing a prism tower and were trying to replicate its technology in Mexico.

Walkthrough

 * The mission begins with Tanya and her team of elite GIs and Engineers being dropped by plane into the city.
 * When the Psychic Beacon is destroyed, the Americans launch an amphibious assault on St. Louis, deploying tanks and soldiers near the Gateway Arch. The forces include the new Prism tank, a mobile version of the highly lethal Prism tower.
 * At the same time, the civilians will begin to flee towards the riverbed in the hopes of escaping the Soviets. However, many of them will be brutally gunned down before they reach that location.
 * Shortly afterwards, a team of Desolators will execute several defenseless civilians who had been imprisoned in the city center as a means of intimidating the American forces. (NOTE: While difficult, it is possible to kill the Desolators before they complete this action)
 * If the Beacon is captured, all US forces that were under Soviet control as well as a few Soviets will be transferred to the commander's control. The beacon is scrapped shortly after, providing more GIs and cash. This is the only time the player can see a blue Psychic Beacon.
 * If the timer runs out before Tanya can secure the Psychic Beacon, she is converted to the Soviet side and the mission fails.
 * If the neutral war factory and ore refinery to the southwest are captured before the Psychic Beacon is destroyed, the amount of time left before the beacon takes control of Tanya is increased.

Valuable assets

 * Tech hospital just south-east of the Psychic Beacon.
 * Capture the Beacon to obtain resource crates.
 * The remnant of the base, south of the Arch.
 * Crates are located near the Soviet Battle Lab.
 * Repair the Arch to gain resource crates.

Trivia

 * The Soviets have an Allied Repair Depot instead of their own. And if the player destroys it, they will build another Allied Repair Depot.
 * While the third objective of other Tanya missions would say, "Keep Tanya alive", the third objective of this mission would say, "Don't get Tanya killed", instead.
 * The starting engineers are elite, which is the only instance of unarmed engineer variants showing any sort of veterancy in the Command & Conquer series.