Sledge

Real Name: Seamus Cowden

Birth Place: John o' Groats, Scotland

Age: 35

Height: 6'4" (1.92m)

Weight: 209 lbs (95kg)

Born in the far north of Scotland, Cowden’s military father and nurse mother moved to Inverness with him and his three siblings when he was five. His athleticism elevated him to the position of Captain of the 1998 Scotland Under-20s Rugby Union Team. Following a long family tradition of military service, Cowden joined the 3rd UK Mechanised Division of the British Army. His drive and physique suit the division’s historical nickname of “Iron Sides.” Cowden’s first assignment was in the Armoured Division where he studied engineering and specialized in upgrading the infantry combat vehicles. From there, he developed various breaching tactics. He was then recruited into the SAS, where he holds multiple records in speed and strength. An expert in mechanical, ballistic, explosive and thermal breaching strategies, Cowden is the operator to choose for quick and relatively silent destruction.

Cowden displays natural leadership qualities, likely developed during his amateur sports career. His comfort on the front line can be attributed to his confidence and tactical experience.

Psychological Report: "It’s part of my job to understand where the country shapes the person and Specialist Seamus “Sledge” Cowden seems indelibly shaped by the rugged terrain where he was born. It isn’t just his imposing presence and athleticism. I can’t help but feel that his personality evokes the wilderness as well. He’s stoic and proud, though admits that he can be hot-headed at times. Field reports describe his courage, leadership, and extensive operational experience as much as they mention his unpredictability. He’s much more than a “gentle giant” as some suggest. […]

Cowden is something of a raconteur, and for much of our discussion he told me one rowdy tale after another. When he was twelve he cobbled a hang glider together out of boat sails and launched himself off his house. He broke both ankles. During military training, he accidentally collapsed his entire sleeping barrack while testing a new breaching technique, and another time he sank a captain’s motorcycle by riding it off the pier because he wanted to see how far it would travel on the surface – not far, I gather. His stories aren’t just to entertain. They help to establish a comfortable connection. It’s such a casual, offhand leadership style. […]

Cowden views his fellow operators as family, Specialist Mike “Thatcher” Baker in particular, who he credits for convincing him to switch to the Caber. Numerous Rainbow operators refer to Sledge as one of the easiest operators to work with. […]

Overall, Cowden is easy-going and unpretentious, though he gets ruffled at the mention of politics. A self-proclaimed news junkie, he doesn’t shy away from debates. In fact, it’s the reason he joined the military, and why one of his brothers is currently an elected MP. Cowden understands that while on assignment Rainbow operators don’t voice their political opinions and so far there hasn’t been any issue. We should trust that he can control his hot-headedness. At least before he’s down at the pub."

-- Dr. Harishva “Harry” Pandey, Director of Rainbow

Appearance: Sledge wears a black gas mask with large circular lenses and a central respirator, concealing his entire face and head except for the exposed bald crown. His uniform is a dark navy-blue tactical suit with reinforced stitching, heavy padding, and multiple straps securing equipment across his arms and legs. Over his torso, he wears a black modular tactical vest with thick armor plating and several utility pouches, fastened by zippers and straps. On his left arm, the Union Jack patch is displayed on his sleeve.

His gloves are reinforced black tactical gloves, designed for firm grip and protection, and his boots are thick, military-grade, laced tightly for durability. A green webbing belt secures additional gear at his waist, including spare magazines and equipment holsters. Strapped across his body and limbs are protective bands and harnesses to stabilize his armor.

Primary Weapon Options: "M590A1 Shotgun", "L85A2 Assault Rifle".

Secondary Weapon Options: "P226 Mk 25 Handgun".

Gadget Options: "Frag Grenades", "Stun Grenades", "Impact EMP Grenades".

Unique Ability: Breaching Hammer While breaching hammers are nothing new to CTU or law enforcement operations, “The Caber” is unique due to its exceptional size and weight. Such dimensions would be impractical in the hands of most agents but Sledge’s exceptional physical prowess make it a formidable presence on the battlefield, allowing for quick and effective breaches. Sledge’s breaching hammer was directly inspired by CTU battering rams. There are four kinds of breaching tools: mechanical, ballistic, explosive and thermal. Using sledgehammers or other blunt objects to breach is known as mechanical breaching, and often serves as a relatively quiet supplement compared to the other, more attention-grabbing methods. Mechanical breaching was used during the Iranian Embassy Siege to gain access to rooms and is still used in modern-day conflicts in tight urban zones where ballistic or explosive breaching methods carry more risk.

The Special Air Service, commonly abbreviated to SAS, is a special forces regiment of the British Army, first active from 1941 to 1945, then from 1947 onward. They conduct diverse unconventional warfare. Before entering, soldiers go through a difficult training course called "Selection". If a soldier passes, they are transferred into either the air, boat, or mobility unit. As well as this, all three regiments that form the Special Air Service have a main and reserve counter-terrorism unit.

Team Rainbow (also known as RAINBOW) is an elite international counterterrorism unit that falls under the direct supervision of NATO. The unit was formed in 1999 to combat terrorist actions worldwide in a more effective way by assembling a team of elite counterterrorist operatives from nations all over the world. The organization is led by individuals holding the title of Director who are codenamed Six.

Every Operator is equipped with a drone. Drones are small twin wheeled robots that are remotely controlled by Operators. Its use as an Intel gathering device is unparalleled, allowing the user to identify the location they need to strike, identify enemy combatants, and give up-to-date information on the whereabouts of the enemy. They can be destroyed with one well-placed shot.

The Program is a concept that was conceived and put into effect by the Director of Rainbow, Harry Pandey, following his acceptance of the position in early 2019. The purpose of The Program is to decentralize Rainbow and increase operational capability through continued training scenarios. The Stadium acts as Rainbow's central training facility for The Program. It featured a gym, medical bay, firing range, dormitories, cafeteria, lounges, R&D lab, and a movie theatre.

The White Masks are a terrorist organization. They are easily identifiable by the white masks concealing their faces. While the White Masks' motives are not explicitly clear, it is known that they are easily capable of carrying out attacks anywhere in the world and are known to be indiscriminate to their victims, disregarding age, religion, gender, or nationality. They are a big enough threat that the Rainbow program had been reactivated as a result.