You’re soaring over the neon-soaked rain of Gotham, and suddenly Aaron Cash’s voice crackles over the comms. He’s worried. Station 17’s fire crew is missing, and in a city where literal fear toxin is drifting through the streets, that’s a death sentence. Most players treat the line of duty arkham knight as just another checkbox on the way to the Knightfall Protocol. But if you actually look at the details, this mission is one of the darkest, most morally gray stories Rocksteady ever tucked into a side quest.
It starts simple. Save the guys. Stop the thugs. But by the time you’re hauling a broken man back to the GCPD, the game has forced you to realize that not every "criminal" in Batman’s world is a monster. Honestly, the ending of this quest hits harder than most of the main boss fights because it’s so... human.
Why Station 17? The Setup Nobody Tells You
Most people just fly toward the "Local Surveillance" icons, but there’s a reason this specific crew was targeted. Gotham City was planning on cutting funding to the fire department. Think about that for a second. In a city that gets blown up or set on fire every other Tuesday, the politicians wanted to save a few bucks by closing stations.
Chief Raymond Underhill wasn’t just a guy in a uniform. He was desperate. To save his men’s jobs, he made a deal with the literal devil—Garfield Lynns, better known as Firefly.
The deal was "simple" in a twisted way: Underhill would give Firefly access to abandoned buildings to burn. Firefly gets his kicks, the fire department gets to look heroic putting out the flames, and the funding stays secure. But you can't control a pyromaniac. Firefly eventually betrayed Underhill, leading to the kidnapping of 15 firefighters across the three main islands of Gotham.
Tracking Them Down: A Logistics Nightmare
You can’t just finish the line of duty arkham knight in one go. The game gates these guys behind story progression. If you’re hunting for the last few and they aren’t showing up, it’s probably because you haven't unlocked Founders' Island or dealt with the Stagg Airships yet.
Bleake Island Locations
You’ll find six of them here. The first one, Leary-Wood, is basically a tutorial at Dixon Docks. It’s a standard "beat up five guys" situation. But things get trickier fast.
- Adamson: He’s near the bridge to ACE Chemicals.
- Wyatt: Tucked away on a dock south of the Lighthouse. This is a predator-lite encounter; you’ve got to be smart about the vantage points or you’ll get peppered with lead.
- Ashley: He’s in a bar in mid-Chinatown. Look for the neon.
- Cannon: Way down by the southern docks. This one is a pain because of the sheer number of thugs.
- Norman: Right by the Falcone Shipping Antenna.
Miagani Island Locations
There are only four here, but the difficulty spikes.
- Green: He’s under Mercy Bridge. You can actually cheese this by parking the Batmobile on the shore and using the Riot Suppressor.
- Richardson: This is the one that frustrates everyone. He’s at Grand Avenue Station, surrounded by turrets. If you try to glide in, you’re dead. You need the Remote Hacking Device or, better yet, the Batmobile's winch to open a door and blast the turrets from safety.
- Daniell: He’s on a ledge at Wayne Tower.
- Hill: Tucked away in the southeast corner.
Founders' Island Locations
The final five. These are the hardest because the militia here is better equipped.
- Taylor: Port Adams. It’s a massive area with a lot of verticality.
- Lozar: This is the "hidden" one. He’s underground in Ryker Heights. You have to find a wall panel, rip it off with the Batmobile winch, and then head inside.
- Wilson: Near the rail station.
- Bliss and Scott: These two round out the crew, often involving snipers or jammers that mess with your Detective Mode.
The Underhill Twist: The Real Villain?
Once you’ve rescued all 15, you get the location of Chief Underhill. He’s being held at an unfinished building on the north end of Founders' Island. After you clear out the thugs—which includes a sentry gun and a lot of hardware—you don't get a "thank you."
You get a confession.
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Underhill admits everything. He tells Batman that he started the fires. He tells him about the deal with Firefly. The look on Batman’s face isn't one of anger; it’s almost like he’s tired. He realizes Underhill was just a man trying to protect his family. But in Gotham, good intentions usually lead to a cell in the GCPD.
Why the Ending is So Controversial
When you lock Underhill up, he doesn't go to a normal cell. He gets put in Maximum Security. Right next to the supervillains.
A lot of fans hate this. They argue that Underhill isn't a "supervillain." He didn't want to kill anyone. He actually made sure the buildings he helped Firefly burn were empty. But the law is the law, and in the world of the line of duty arkham knight, Batman doesn't make exceptions for "nice guys" who aid serial arsonists.
If you stick around the GCPD after locking him up, you can hear the other villains mocking him. It’s depressing. Underhill even mentions his daughter and how she’d be jealous he got a ride in the Batmobile, which is a gut-punch of a line.
Actionable Tips for Completing the Mission
If you want to wrap this up quickly and efficiently, here is how you should actually play it:
- Don't hunt them all at once. You'll burn out. Just keep your ears open for the "Local Surveillance" prompts while you're doing main missions.
- Upgrade Fear Multi-Takedown. Most of these groups have 6-10 thugs. Being able to take out 5 of them instantly makes these fights trivial.
- Use the Disruptor. For the Founders' Island rescues, the enemies have medics and jammers. Sabotage the medic packs before you drop in, or you'll be fighting the same guys twice.
- Listen to the thugs. The dialogue in this mission is actually great. They talk about "the burner" (Firefly) and how the Chief was "helping them." It’s great foreshadowing that most people skip.
Basically, the mission is a tragedy. It’s about a man who broke the law to save the people who enforce it. It's not just a side quest; it's a reminder that even the heroes of Gotham are just one bad day away from being the people Batman has to hunt.
Next time you're flying over the city and hear that distress call, remember that you're not just saving a fireman. You're uncovering a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top of the department.
Next Steps for Players:
- Check your Mission Select screen to see which island still has missing firemen.
- Prioritize the "Remote Hacking Device" gadget from the Stagg Airships story mission before attempting the Miagani Island rescues.
- Visit the GCPD lockup after the mission to hear Underhill's unique dialogue with the other prisoners.