Cheyenne Mountain Complex
From Command and Conquer Wiki
"Couldn't they store the Tacitus at somewhere more tropical?!"
- Nod Soldier referring to this place
The Cheyenne Mountain Complex was a military bunker complex originally under the control of the USA and then GDI. Built in 1956, the original intent of the facility was to monitor and respond to all threats (nuclear ICBMS were the main concern) directed at the North American continent. The most famous part of the complex is NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), the highly secret and extremely advanced radar installation. When the Global Defense Initiative eventually unilaterally took control over most of the world's leading military infrastructure, the bunker was placed along with the majority of US installations under GDI Command.
Because of the highly secure nature of the facility, GDI stored the Tacitus inside the complex, hoping the mountain of solid granite would keep the alien device safe from potential raid or invasion attempts.
The primary defense of the Cheyenne Mountain Complex was two sets of impregnable energy barriers, an inner one, protecting the lab storing the Tacitus itself, and and outer one covering a much wider area, protecting a large area of the complex from hostile forces. Maintaining the Firestorm barrier at all times was considered necessary; despite the abandonment of Firestorm technology in the wake of the Second Tiberium War, keeping the Tacitus safe was judged to be important enough to justify the cost.
Aside from the energy barriers and Sonic Emitters, the Cheyenne Mountain Complex also housed a number of other powerful defense installations. These included several bases and outposts, regular patrol measures, a MARV Reclamator hub, and a high number of AA batteries, Guardian cannons and Watchtowers placed in strategic locations around in the nearby mountains.
In addition to this, a number of ZOCOM's best divisions were garrisoned in the complex itself. The complex also had a large underground facility with an enormous tunnel system, allowing quick massing of a combat-ready army capable of rapid deployment through a number of strategic tunnel exits placed in different locations around the complex.
Unfortunately for GDI, in 2052, the Nod AI LEGION broke the facility's record of perfect security by utilizing the Marked of Kane with Black Hand and basic Nod reinforcements to destroy the GDI defenses around the mountain and raid the base to obtain the Tacitus for Kane. They retreated after taking the Tacitus before GDI reinforcements arrive.
The bunker complex is located inside R-7, the North American Red Zone. It is situated in the ruins of Colorado Springs, in the former American state of Colorado. Notably, the surrounding area is a verdant paradise, perhaps due to the presence of ZOCOM.
