Countdown to Murder

Countdown to Murder is a case featured in Criminal Case as the one-hundred and thirty-third case of the game. It is the eighteenth case of the game's World Edition (Season 3) and also the final case to take place in Eurasia.

Plot
Previously in Criminal Case, Elliot had hacked COSMORUS's systems to allow the player access to its launching site in Kazakhstan as a SOMBRA satellite was to be launched there and the team could not contact Natasha Romanova. Jack and the player were sent there to stop the satellite launch.

In the launch site, Natasha was enraged by the cops' unauthorized presence. Jack showed her the counterfeit swipe cards that proved of SOMBRA's presence in the site. Natasha subsequently led the cops to the control room only for the three to find Russian senator Vitaly Borodin with his throat slashed. The team started the investigation while Natasha made sure the satellite did not launch.

During the investigation, Natasha placed the site on lockdown, meaning the cops were not able to roam freely on site grounds. They disguised themselves as cosmonauts to continue the investigation. After Nikolai Sharapov's experiment caused an explosion, lockdown was lifted and the cops were able to gather enough evidence to incriminate Yelena Tereshkova as the killer.

Yelena insisted that she was not the killer as Natasha told her to kill Borodin. Natasha told her that Borodin, as the head of the Security and Defense Committee, blocked her applications to go to space and that killing him would allow her to go to space. Jack asked Yelena about the SOMBRA satellite. When she said that she did not know anything, the floor shook and the satellite launched. Jack and the player rushed to the launch control room and found Natasha holding them at gunpoint, telling them that she had launched the satellite. After Natasha ran off, Jack told the player to tell the chief about what had happened.

While Jack ran off to find Natasha, Chief Ripley and the player interrogated Yelena. Yelena said that while she had never heard of SOMBRA, she always heard Nikolai talk about them in his tablet.

Jonah and the player found Nikolai's tablet in the training pool. Elliot found that Nikolai had a code in his tablet that would override the satellite. However, a part of the code was missing. Nikolai told Jonah and the player that he had heard of SOMBRA through Natasha's files. He also wanted to keep the missing piece to himself as he wanted to be the one to hack into SOMBRA's satellite to gain the organization's attention. Jonah intimidated Nikolai to help Elliot in stopping the satellite.

Meanwhile, Marina and the player found Natasha's cell phone in the launch control room. Marina unlocked it and found a cryptic text message. Dupont decoded the message, saying that Natasha was hiding in the observation deck of the Bayterek tower. There, Marina and the player found Jack, as well as Anya Ivanova who had gone to Kazakhstan against MGB orders. Anya told the three cops that she had seen Natasha look into a trash can and panic like she could not find something before rushing in the tower. Marina and the player then found a metal briecase with wads of cash and found a note that revealed SOMBRA was dumping Natasha rather than helping her escape.

Natasha ran into the cops, still looking for the briefcase. Marina pointed her gun and told her to confess. Natasha admitted that SOMBRA had promised her control over Russia if she launched their satellite. Marina told her mother about SOMBRA's note before arresting her.

Judge Nigel Adaku was ecstatic over the double trial. He issued Natasha a 75-year sentence in a maximum security facility for launching the SOMBRA satellite that would let them control the entire world and for ordering Yelena to kill Vitaly Borodin and to launch the satellite. He then issued Yelena a 50-year sentence for murdering the senator.

After the trial, Elliot had finally managed to override the satellite, giving the Bureau power over the satellite. Ingrid said that the satellite had detected an earthquake in New Delhi, so Chief Ripley sent the Bureau to India to provide aid.

Victim

 * Vitaly Borodin (found with his throat cut)

Murder Weapon

 * Laser Torch

Killer

 * Yelena Tereshkova

Killer's Profile

 * The killer eats beshbarmak.
 * The killer plays Fletris.
 * The killer knows physics.
 * The killer has a bandage.
 * The killer wears a COSMORUS badge.

Chapter 1

 * Investigate Control Room. (Clues: Victim’s Body, Torn Photo, Plastic Device; New Suspect: Natasha Romanova)
 * Talk to Natasha Romanova about the victim’s presence at the launch site. (Prerequisite: Play Control Room as a task)
 * Examine Torn Photo. (Result: Victim’s Selfie; New Crime Scene Unlocked: Tower Square)
 * Investigate Tower Square. (Prerequisite: Victim’s Selfie restored; Clues: Protest Sign, Security Badge)
 * Examine Protest Sign. (Result: Yellow Dust)
 * Examine Yellow Dust. (Result: Pollen; New Suspect: Agrafena Raskolnikova)
 * Question Agrafena Raskolnikova about her grievances toward the victim. (Prerequisite: Pollen identified)
 * Examine Security Badge. (New Suspect: Anya Ivanova)
 * Ask Anya Ivanova about her presence in Kazakhstan. (Prerequisite: Security Badge identified)
 * Examine Plastic Device. (Result: Writing on Device)
 * Analyze Writing on Device. (03:00:00; Attribute: The killer plays Fletris)
 * Autopsy Victim's Body. (18:00:00; Attribute: The killer eats beshbarmak)
 * Go to Chapter 2. (1 star)

Chapter 2

 * Investigate Training Pool. (Available after unlocking Chapter 2; Clues: Gray Pouch, Torn Picture, Metal Case)
 * Examine Gray Pouch. (Result: Yelena’s Name; New Suspect: Yelena Tereshkova)
 * Question Yelena Tereshkova about her trip to space. (Prerequisite: Yelena’s Name unraveled)
 * Examine Torn Picture. (Result: Autographed Picture; New Suspect: Nikolai Sharapov)
 * Ask Nikolai Sharapov about his presence at the launch site. (Prerequisite: Autographed Picture restored)
 * Examine Metal Case. (Result: Laser Torch)
 * Analyze Laser Torch. (12:00:00; Murder Weapon registered: Laser Torch; Attribute: The killer knows physics)
 * Investigate Fountain. (All tasks before must be done first; Clues: Electronic Card, Plastic Box)
 * Examine Electronic Card. (Result: Strange Device)
 * Analyze Strange Device. (12:00:00)
 * Talk to Anya about her tracking the victim. (Prerequisite: Strange Device analyzed)
 * Examine Plastic Box. (Result: Receipt)
 * Question Agrafena Raskolnikova about the victim’s message. (Prerequisite: Receipt found)
 * Go to Chapter 3. (2 stars)

Chapter 3

 * Investigate Space Capsule. (Available after unlocking Chapter 3; Clues: Security Camera, Torn Magazine)
 * Interrogate Nikolai about the explosion. (Prerequisite: Play Space Capsule as a task)
 * Examine Security Camera. (Result: Security Camera)
 * Analyze Security Camera. (09:00:00)
 * Question Yelena about her confrontation with the victim. (Prerequisite: Security Camera analyzed)
 * Examine Torn Magazine. (Result: Magazine Cover)
 * Question Natasha about her message regarding the victim. (Prerequisite: Magazine Cover restored)
 * Investigate Launch Console. (All tasks before must be done first; Clues: Newspaper, Victim’s Briefcase)
 * Examine Newspaper. (Result: Red Crystals)
 * Analyze Red Crystals. (09:00:00; Attribute: The killer has a bandage)
 * Examine Victim’s Briefcase. (Result: Camera)
 * Analyze Camera. (15:00:00; Attribute: The killer wears a COSMORUS badge)
 * Take care of the killer now!
 * Go to Darkness Descends 6 (No stars)

Darkness Descends 6

 * Ask Yelena about Natasha helping with SOMBRA’s plan. (Available after unlocking Darkness Descends; Reward: Cosmonaut Suit)
 * Investigate Training Pool. (Prerequisite: Talk to Yelena Tereshkova; Clue: Locked Tablet)
 * Examine Locked Tablet. (Result: Locked Tablet)
 * Analyze Locked Tablet. (06:00:00)
 * Persuade Nikolai to provide his missing satellite override code. (Prerequisite: Locked Tablet analyzed)
 * Investigate Launch Console. (Prerequisite: Talk to Yelena Tereshkova; Clue: Broken Phone)
 * Examine Broken Phone. (Result: Smartphone)
 * Analyze Smartphone. (09:00:00)
 * Ask Anya to help keep an eye out for Natasha Romanova. (Prerequisite: Smartphone analyzed; Reward: Burger)
 * Investigate Tower Square. (Prerequisite: Talk to Anya Ivanova; Clue: Metal Briefcase)
 * Examine Metal Briefcase. (Result: SOMBRA Note)
 * Confront Natasha about launching the satellite. (Prerequisite: SOMBRA Note found; Reward:  20,000 Coins)
 * Move on to the next case (in South Asia)! (1 star)

Trivia

 * This case is one of the cases in which the killer has to be interrogated once again during the Additional Investigation.
 * This is one of the cases in which all suspects made an appearance prior to the events of this case.
 * This is one of the several cases in which more than one suspect gets arrested.
 * This is the only case which the trial appears in Additional Investigation instead of the final chapter of the main leg.
 * This is the only final case of a district/region to feature a victim that did not make an appearance prior to the case.
 * Fletris is an obvious parody of the Russian tile-matching puzzle video game Tetris.
 * Several references to the movie series Star Wars can be found, such as:
 * The murder weapon strongly resembles a lightsaber, a fictional weapon in the movie series.
 * During Darkness Descends 6, Nikolai Sharapov said "We're doomed!", one of C-3PO's catchprases.