Ellen McNichol

* O.C.C.
* E.D.A.F.

     **Spoiler Warning:** *There are spoilers for the details of the plot and/or ending in the text that follows.*

"*We fight every battle for the glory of the O.C.C.!*"
―One of Ellen's random quotes during radio chatter when she is brainwashed.

"*Why should I be happy when there's all this misery? My time for happiness will come when everybody can be happy, too.*"
―Ellen in the debriefing for Departure if she is unlocked, explaining why she joined 1st Element instead of 3rd Element with Ken.
**Ellen McNichol** is a character in the *Airforce Delta* series who appears as a main character and an optional antagonist in *Airforce Delta Strike*. Depending on the player's actions, she can also be a playable character, albeit only during space missions.

Ellen was a space pilot stationed at a space station with her boyfriend Ken Thomas. When she is on the O.C.C. side, she is the 1st Section of the 8th Experiment Division's Aviation Unit, and when she is on the E.D.A.F. side, she is the new 1st Element 1st position of Delta Squadron.

## Biography

### Background

What is known about Ellen's life before the game's events is that she was a space pilot stationed at a space station with her boyfriend Ken Thomas. When the O.C.C. declared war on the E.D.A.F., they attacked and destroyed the space station. Ken was rescued but Ellen got sucked out into space and was seemingly killed. Unknown to Ken, Ellen actually survived, but was captured and brainwashed by the O.C.C.. She now serves as an O.C.C. pilot.

### Personality

When Ellen is brainwashed, she is shown to be cold, merciless, sadistic, and aggressive. She views Ken as her enemy and is loyal to the O.C.C. as they brainwashed her. When Ellen is not brainwashed however, she is shown to be caring, friendly, and remorseful of her actions when she was brainwashed.

### Appearance

Ellen is a slim woman with large breasts and hips. Unlike most other O.C.C. pilots, who wear a black flightsuit, Ellen wears a white one. She continues to wear this flightsuit even after she possibly joins the E.D.A.F.. She has blue hair and eyes and she often wears a pink hair tie. When she is brainwashed, her eyes glow red and she has a small crystal attached to her forehead. This crystal is seemingly used to keep her memories subdued, and to keep her under the O.C.C. control.

### Events of AFD Strike

Ellen first appears in the mission Doll Master as an enemy. She accompanies Sergei Kinski and Albert Ungar when they try to attack Ballga airbase. She and Albert are seen in a cutscene where they pursue Ken and when Ellen says, "Storm, this is Doll!" Ken is shocked and wonders if it's Ellen. Albert then tells Ellen not to let Ken get away and she agrees. Ellen says she doesn't know anyone in the E.D.A.F.. If Sergei is not shot down yet, he will ask if it's Ellen from the experiment and she asks about Sergei and Albert says she's just a messed up human. Albert then asks her what's going on as she looks like she's in trouble and she says that she's seen Ken's plane flying somewhere before. Albert asks her what she's looking at and she says she doesn't know. Sergei then says that Ellen is useful but nothing more than a doll. After a fight, Ellen, Sergei, and Albert are either shot down or they pull back due to the E.D.A.F. gaining the upper hand. In the debriefing, Albert converses with Navigator about Ellen. Navigator asks how she is now and Albert says she's fine and for a young pilot, she seems to show potential. Navigator asks if they can consider the experiment a success and Albert says yes and tells him to check the report for the details. Navigator then tells Albert that he is to use Ellen in his squadron saying that he is now positioned on the front line, making the perfect battlegrounds for Ellen. Navigator then says that if it goes well, he will consider promoting the status of the Merv people. Albert says he understands and leaves with Ellen. In the meeting room, Albert asks Ellen what is it, saying she hasn't said a word. Ellen says it's nothing and says that she gets a little nervous meeting with the higher-ups. Albert smiles and says that she sounds almost human when she talks like that. Ellen is confused. After Albert thinks to himself about his disgust over the whole Doll project, Ellen says she would like to ask him for some help to go through some aerial maneuvers. Albert thinks another thing to himself and tells Ellen to prepare to take off. Ellen agrees and leaves.

Afterwards, Ellen reappears in the optional mission Priority along with Giuseppe Ferretti and Leon Kleiser. They attack a stranded medical ship in the Utorina Sea with the Ganos Flight Army Division. Ruth Valentine tries to save the ship but it is destroyed. Ruth vows revenge.

Ellen later appears again in the mission Wind Valley, along with Albert and two reinforcements. If the player is playing as either Ruth or John Rundal, Albert and Ellen will converse with Ken. Ellen notices Ken's blue jet and says he's the one who's always chasing Albert. Ken tries to convince Ellen that she is not his enemy but Ellen believes that he's trying to confuse her and threatens to kill him if he doesn't explain. Ken continues to attempt to dissuade Ellen but to no avail. If the player plays as a 1st or 2nd Element character, Ellen mentions the blue jet but then realizes that Ken is not there and wonders why she's so obsessed with the blue jet and says she hates this. Albert says he'll finish this quick and then hunt down Ken and challenges the Delta pilots. Albert and Ellen can be shot down during the mission and Delta destroys the wind machines.

Later, Ellen, along with Donald Chan, appears again in the mission Up Stream where they try to defend the Chiron orbital lift in the O.C.C.'s attempt to resupply. Ellen talks to Ken again if he is not under the player's control, and she describes him as the one who won't get out of her head. Ken asks her if she knows who he is but Ellen says that if she destroys him, she will be complete. Ken replies by asking if she was gone then maybe things will be easier for him as well. Ellen says, "Then die! Right now!" and Ken is worried if he's unable to fight Ellen. She calls him a coward and asks why he won't fight and Ken says that he's got to take care of business first. Ellen says that Albert and the others don't matter now and all she wants is to kill Ken. Donald and Ellen can be shot down during the mission and Donald is killed if he is, but the mission does not require either of them to be. After Delta stops the Chiron lift, Pierre Gallo discovers this and, flying a large mech, fires a powerful laser beam at the lift, causing it to explode and slowly break up.

In the debriefing, Ellen is feeling angry about Ken and says that he gets her worked up. Albert then shows up and asks her if she was unable to win again and she says that she let Ken get the best of her again. Albert asks her why that is and she says she doesn't know what he means. Albert then asks her if she ever thought about why Ken gets her upset. Ellen angrily says that she has been training so much that she didn't have time to think about it. After some more talk, Ellen then leaves.

Later, Ellen appears flying a mech in the mission Skirmish. If Ken is not being played as, she will converse with him and point out his blue jet. Ken says that it will not work anymore and Ellen says that he beat her on Earth but it won't happen in space. Ken finally realizes that Ellen is his enemy and Ellen says that this time she will take him down and become complete. Ken says if Ellen is an enemy, he'll shoot her down. Ellen can be shot down in the mission. If the player does not unlock Ellen or The Last Duel, it is unknown what becomes of her afterwards.

### The Last Duel

If the player completes the mission Priority and plays Rush Into the Red Star with Ruth while Ellen remains on the O.C.C. side, a mission called The Last Duel will appear where Ruth fights Ellen who is flying her mech and is supported by two robots. Ruth is angry at Ellen for destroying the medical ship and making Ken suffer so much. Ellen says she couldn't care less about Ken's suffering and says the O.C.C. will win once they wipe out the E.D.A.F., innocent and guilty alike. Ellen and her supporting robots are eventually defeated and as her mech is exploding, she reverts to her normal self and Ruth tells her to answer her. Ellen says her final goodbye to Ken before being killed in action.

### Ellen gets unlocked

If the player shoots down Ellen every time she appears while playing as Ken, the debriefings for the missions Up Stream, Meteor Structure, and Departure will then change. In the one for Up Stream, Ellen's brainwashing is slipping and she is in pain. A doctor and a technician are panicking and they try to rush her to the emergency room, but then Albert appears and stops them. The doctor tells Albert that this is an emergency and he will have to step aside, but Albert says he's not moving because he knows it's an emergency. He then beats up and knocks out the doctor and the technician and Ellen starts feeling angry and tries to speak but Albert tells her not to speak and calls her by her real name as opposed to 'doll.' Ellen tries to speak but Albert tells her that Ken won't take him on as long as she's around so Albert decides to get rid of Ellen. Ellen then says Ken's name and the debriefing ends.

In the debriefing for Meteor Structure, Ellen arrives in a plane at the Delta's airbase and at first they believe it to be an enemy, but Ellen reveals herself and she is no longer brainwashed. Ken is shocked and Ruth asks her if she knows Ken and Ellen tells Ken that she missed him.

In the debriefing for Departure, Robert Williams tells Rick Campbell and Alex Levine that he has a new recruit for them now that Jamie Jones is gone, and it is revealed to be Ellen. Rick gets angry and wonders what she's doing aboard Isis and asks if their army still has her on probation. After some talk, Rick finally agrees and Alex greets Ellen and Robert leaves. Ellen happily says it's good to be there. They then walk down the hallway and Rick asks Ellen if she'd rather be assigned somewhere else. Ellen asks what it is and Rick asks if she wanted to be with Ken in his Element, but Alex turns it down saying that then they would have had to take John. Ellen says that Robert offered but she refused and he couldn't understand it either. Rick asks her why she refused and Ellen explains that even though she was being controlled, it doesn't change all the horrible things she did and she feels like she has to atone. She then says she doesn't deserve to be with Ken until the war is over and they can have peace again. She says her time for happiness will come when everyone can be happy too. Alex then asks if she wants to concentrate on fighting in the meantime, and Ellen agrees saying that they have to finish the war and all of humanity is in danger of being wiped out. Alex agrees and Rick does as well, welcoming Ellen to 1st Element, saying she's one of them now. Ellen smiles and says there's nothing she won't do for Delta and thanks them for the welcome. Alex then says it's time for a little welcoming party.

Later, Delta is sent to defend the E.D.A.F. armada from an enemy formation. Delta eventually manages to wipe out the enemy formation, completing the mission.

Afterwards, Delta is sent to attack the L-2 Colony where the O.C.C. base is believed to be located. 2nd Element attacks the enemy's fleet while 1st and 3rd Elements go after their fighters and mechs. During the mission, they encounter Francine Davout who wants to avenge the death of her friend Jake Emerson. Delta manages to win the battle, but then it is revealed that the L-2 Colony was not the O.C.C.'s main base, and they are located at Mars and they are lead by Navigator. Delta decides to head for Mars.

1st and 3rd Elements are sent to defend four ships as they descend to Mars' surface from enemies. They encounter Francine one last time and she is killed during the mission. Delta then manages to fight off the enemies, but three of the ships have been destroyed. Luckily, they are able to defend Isis, the last ship, as it reaches Mars' surface. There, E.D.A.F. troops construct a base and prepare for the final battle.

### Ending

If Ellen is unlocked, she will participate in the final missions for 3rd Element, Mother Ship and Inside, despite being in the 1st Element. Ken, Ruth, John, and Ellen attack the large floating fortress and they destroy spheres which causes the fortress' core to open. They destroy it, causing the fort to break up and reveal a large crystalline structure creating a large portal. They fly through the portal and they find themselves inside an unknown alien location. They fly through doors that constantly open and close and they encounter three robots which can be destroyed. They eventually reach what appears to be a large chamber and they encounter Pierre who is flying a strange, large mech. After a long fight with Pierre, they eventually defeat him and Navigator kills him when he tries to regroup. They then fly through another tunnel and they find Navigator. They kill him and they manage to escape just before the doors close.

### The Confront

If the player plays the above missions with Ken while Ellen is unlocked, they will converse with each other about Ken leaving. Ken smiles and states that a little staff officer once said that Delta's job is to make the impossible possible, and that they should still find a place to have dates. Ellen states that she's going with Ken and that she knows a thing or two about making the impossible possible. Ken gets worried that they would get separated again, but Ellen reassures him that they always find their way back together and that they'll find their way back this time too. Ken smiles and says "Alright Ellen. Well, shall we?" and Ellen says that they should go. They head to the briefing room and Lilia Mihajlovna and Amelia Johnson inform them about large missiles approaching Earth, and that it'll be an even bigger disaster than the time with Chiron tower. They also say that all other Delta members have gone off to intercept and that Ken and Ellen are the last two left. The two agree and Lilia tells them they get to fly their old-regulation space fighters again, much to Ellen's delight. They head off to deal with the missiles and Ken enters one of them. There he encounters Albert who wants revenge. Ellen tries to reason with him but to no avail. Ken manages to shoot down Albert, killing him. Ellen then says to hurry and that they will enter Earth's atmosphere soon. Ellen's communication suddenly breaks up. Her whereabouts are unknown but Ken's line, "Ellen, I'll be back!" implies that she is alive.

## Specifications

### O.C.C.

* Call sign: Wraith 1
* T.A.C. name: Doll
* Plane colors: Reddish-pink with images of a rose, alongside images of a doll-like figure on the wings. The nose of her craft is also black. Her Type-R2: Vamp appears to be tinted pink, similarly to a Type-R3: Comp. It also possesses the same doll-like figures that her J-10 has.

### E.D.A.F.

* Call sign: Anaconda 1
* T.A.C. name: Rose
* Plane colors: Same (except with Delta insignia and Element number and without the images of the doll-like figure). Her Jian-Ji 10 also has a white nose instead of a black nose.

## Characters who can be killed by Ellen

* Francine Davout - Killed in Rush Into the Red Star.
* Navigator - Killed in Inside.

## Ellen's planes

* Tornado F3
* Su-33 "Flanker D"
* Jian-Ji 10
* I-2000 LFS
* X-36
* Bird of Prey
* Type-R2: Vamp (if not rescued)
* Seeker (only in The Confront)

## Mission Appearances

* Doll Master (As an enemy, pilots a Jian-Ji 10)
* Priority (Optional mission/As an enemy, pilots a Jian-Ji 10)
* Wind Valley (As an enemy, pilots a Jian-Ji 10)
* Up Stream (As an enemy, pilots a Jian-Ji 10)
* Meteor Structure (Debriefing, only if unlocked)
* Departure (Debriefing, only if unlocked)
* Skirmish (Can be either an enemy or a playable character/Optional. If enemy, she pilots a Type-R2: Vamp)
* The Defender (Optional/As a playable character)
* Rush Into the Red Star (Optional/As a playable character)
* The Last Duel (Optional mission/As an enemy/Killed in action, pilots a Type-R2: Vamp)
* Mother Ship (Optional/As a playable character)
* Inside (Optional/As a playable character)
* The Confront (Optional mission/Not playable)

## Gallery

### Artwork

Ellen McNichol brainwashed.Ellen McNichol brainwashed.Ellen McNichol brainwashed.Ellen McNichol brainwashed.Ellen McNichol Unbrainwashed.Ellen McNichol Unbrainwashed.Ellen McNichol Unbrainwashed.Artwork of Ruth and Ellen.
### Aircraft

Ellen's Jian-Ji 10 she uses when she is brainwashed.Ditto, from Up Stream.Ditto, featuring her emblem (There doesn't seem to be a difference between her O.C.C. emblem and her E.D.A.F. emblem).A close-up view of her emblem.Ellen's Type-R2: Vamp she uses in the space missions if she is not saved.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Tornado F3 paint scheme 1.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Tornado F3 paint scheme 2.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Tornado F3 paint scheme 3.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Su-33 "Flanker D" paint scheme 1.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Su-33 "Flanker-D" paint scheme 2.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Su-33 "Flanker-D" paint scheme 3.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Jian-Ji 10 paint scheme 1.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Jian-Ji 10 paint scheme 2.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Jian-Ji 10 paint scheme 3.Ellen's E.D.A.F. I-2000 LFS paint scheme 1.Ellen's E.D.A.F. I-2000 LFS paint scheme 2.Ellen's E.D.A.F. X-36 paint scheme 1.Ellen's E.D.A.F. X-36 paint scheme 2.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Bird of Prey paint scheme 1.Ellen's E.D.A.F. Bird of Prey paint scheme 2.

## Trivia

* Ellen is the only character in the game to switch from being an enemy O.C.C. pilot to a playable E.D.A.F. pilot, though it depends on the player's actions.
* She is also the only character in the game to have two character profiles, as opposed to just one.
* Ellen has the second fewest number of planes of any playable character in the game after Jamie Jones who has only five, while Ellen only has six.
* Ellen, Albert Ungar, Pierre Gallo, and Francine Davout are the only O.C.C. pilots in the game who appear without their helmets and flight gear.
* Ellen, Albert, Leon Kleiser, and Donald Chan are the only antagonists in the game whose fates are determinant.
* Ellen, Albert, and Leon are the only O.C.C. aces that can be killed in secret missions.
* Ellen, Ken Thomas, Ruth Valentine, John Rundal, Lilia Mihajlovna, and Amelia Johnson are the only characters in the game to be seen wearing an alternate outfit.
* If Ellen is unlocked, she is the last character in the game to become playable.
* Unlike all other playable characters, Ellen does not appear in the game manual, though she is mentioned, but not by name. This is most likely to ensure the twist of her being alive (And unlockable) is a surprise.
* Her surname suggests that she has Scottish descent.
* Ellen rejoining the E.D.A.F. and reuniting with Ken is likely the canon choice for the story, since, if she is unlocked, she will always be available to play as in replayable space missions and Ken says, "Ellen, I'll be back, I swear." in the cutscene after Inside, regardless of whether or not Ellen was unlocked.
* For unknown reasons, completing the game as Ellen does not unlock the Jerry Mouse despite the fact that she is in the 1st Element.
* Purchasing all of Ellen and Ruth's planes is required to unlock the ?????? plane, the Poly.

## References

1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040413175856/http://www.konamistudio.com:80/ad3/ds/
2. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20040612113631/http://www.afd.jp:80/
Click on 'Characters' and click on the third of the five buttons. Scroll down and click on Ellen's profile.

For reference 2, click on 'World' (the fifth button from the left) then click on 'Mechanics'. Keep scrolling down until you see the Type-R2: Vamp images.