Catalina Thorne is the main Antagonist in Crackdown 2. She commands a terrorist organization known as "Cell," which operates within all three boroughs of Pacific City. Her goal is to destabilize the Agency and create mass chaos. She is portrayed as cruel and cunning.
Background[]
Before the events of Crackdown 2, Catalina was a medical student. She chose to participate in an Agency-sponsored medical research program. During her time with the Agency, chemicals and other materials began to disappear from the labs, and suspicion began to brew amongst the other scientists. Catalina had been stealing the chemicals for use in her own experiments and procedures. She was caught, and as a result, was kicked out of the Program. The Agency Director is quoted as saying: "She had no place with the agency, where we do things by the books."
Catalina was enraged with her removal from the program, and vowed revenge against the Agency; insisting that the organization ruined her life. Using her former medical student status and training by Dr. Baltazar Czernenko, she exploited the people of Unity Heights, (Previously known as The Corridor), by offering free vaccinations. Unknown to the people, the vaccines were actually an artificially engineered virus created by Catalina herself. The Bio weapon, (Referred to as the: "M2448 Virus"), mutates human tissue, and alters brain patterns; putting the victim in a violent, zombie-like state. The virus spread amongst the population quickly, and made its way to the other two islands/districts of Pacific City.
The Birth of Cell[]
The Agency was well aware of Catalina's mischievous actions and initiated a military campaign to contain the virus before it could spread any further. During this time, the Peacekeepers, who were once monitoring the city's crime levels, began to contribute their efforts to assist in the war against the Freaks (those infected by the virus). This absence of law enforcement allowed Pacific City's crime levels to rise once again. Bank robberies, murders, and violence were taking grip on society, and the people began to display uncertainty and doubt in the Agency.
Catalina saw this, and decided to use the situation to her advantage. She created the "Cell"; a revolutionary terrorist organization made of rogue citizens, petty criminals, and other social outcasts. She used their collective hate of the Agency to serve her revenge plot. Protests would be organized in the streets, where Cell would initiate violence to provoke Agency retaliation; demonizing the Agency in the eyes of the citizens, and portraying it as corrupt and threatening freedom of speech. This tactic worked, and more civilians turned their backs on the Agency; joining Cell instead. Due to the Agency's ground forces being occupied with fighting the Freaks, Cell was able to gain enough momentum to begin causing serious damage.
Project Sunburst[]
The Agency was making progress with it's aims to contain the Freaks. A new project was unveiled to the public called "The Sunburst Defense System." Large batteries called "Absorbtion Units" would be deployed all over Pacific City. Once activated, these units would absorb energy from the sun, and channel it into a Beacon. Once the Beacon is fully charged, it detonates, releasing all of the stored solar energy. Due to the Freaks' vulnerability to sunlight, the detonation would kill all Freaks in the area, while remaining completely harmless to non-infected humans. The Beacons would be detonated inside the Freaks' Lairs for maximum effectiveness.
While loyal citizens rejoiced at the news, Catalina saw it as an extremely threatening obstacle to her revenge. She ordered her henchmen to capture all of the Absorption units and Beacons, so that they were useless. In the beginning, one Beacon prototype was captured, (which was later recaptured by the Agency.)
Ending[]
Warning, the following paragraph may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk. ↵
The Agency deployed its new line of Agents to put Project Sunburst into effect. Once the final beacon was activated at the Agency tower, Catalina flew up to the tower in a chopper and attempted to destroy the Beacon. Frantic, the Agency Director ordered the Agent to stop her. The Agent, heavily damaged from his previous battle with Agent freaks, leaped from the tower and fired upon the cockpit of Catalina's chopper. This caused Catalina to momentarily lose control of it, causing the Agent to fall and accidentally dismember himself in the chopper blades. The Agent's right hand smashes through the windscreen, forcing Catalina to pilot her damaged helicopter to safety. She is then later seen in a makeshift lab, studying a test tube with the Agent's severed hand inside it.