"In response to the growing use of sophisticated digital encryption to conceal potential threats to the United States, the National Security Agency has ushered forth the new dawn of intelligence-gathering techniques. The top- secret initiative is dubbed Third Echelon. Its existence denied by the U.S. government, Third Echelon deploys a lone field operative. He is sharp, nearly invisible, and deadly. And he has the right to spy, steal, destroy, and...

He is Sam Fisher: Third Echelon special operative. When a cargo freighter loaded down with radioactive material is headed towards the coast of the United States, he has minutes to disable the ship or die trying.

"Third Echelon's Sam Fisher is one of the deadliest men in the world. Even the FBI and CIA are in the dark about the black ops that he takes on. He's known as a Splinter Cell, and sometimes he's the only force holding the country together ... Third Echelon is training new recruits who will be given a necessary but terrible mission. They must capture or kill one of their own, a man who's gone rogue and sold out his government ... Sam Fisher, Splinter...