Viper 1-1, on standby.

31: Redemption

"Yeah. Okay." I responded to Harry over the phone.

Harry: "John, this is completely dependent on your cover. If it's blown, Nighthaven is a PMC. They might have you killed. Their limitations are unknown."

"Thanks for the warning, Harry. Do I go to the base or?"

Harry: "Make your way to these coordinates. You'll see a large plane, men should be waiting to escort you in."

"Aye Aye. Harry, it's good to work with you again."

Harry: "And me to you, John." He hung up the phone as I opened my maps on the overlay.

"Hey, wankers, get me directions." The overlay lit up. "Gracias, little blokes."

Timeskipppp

Walking towards the location, I didn't see anything. "Oi, we in the right place?"

Church: "Um, yeah. Are you too early?"

"He didn't give us a time, so."

???: "Above you, man. Look up." Snapping my head up, I saw a huge ship, a... Mothership. Yeah, a mothership.

"Uh, hi there, I reckon you're my friend?"

???: "You could say that." The male voice replied.

"Who the fuck is this?" I muttered to my A.I.

Church: "You expect me to know?"

T: "No idea, sir." Well shite.

"Uh, who you with?" I questioned.

Sam: "He's with me, Bryne." I exhaled, realizing I wasn't about to have a curtain call to a huge fuckin' plane.

"Where's Harry?"

Sam: "He couldn't make it, too busy with the other operatives."

Shit shit shit shit shit shit

"We're good, right?"

Sam chuckled. "It's not me you should be worried about. GSG9 is pissed."

FUUUUUUCKKKKKK MEEEE

"Marius and Dominic gonna kick my ass in there?" I asked.

Sam: "Breathe in relief, Bryne. They're not here." Calmed again, I watched as the mothership touched down for me to enter. When my eyes adjusted to the ship, I saw multiple soldiers, all just waiting. Okay, play it cool. I saw Sam gesture me to follow him from a doorway before disappearing from my sight. I ran down to the door, seeing Sam waiting at the end of the hall near a closed door. I went to him, and he opened the door, gesturing me to enter. I entered and saw a table with two chairs. It was reminiscent of an interrogation room to me, and I sat on the right-facing chair, which had a view to the door. I hadn't been unarmed, which was a reassuring fact to me. I saw Sam walk in, along with a female with auburn hair dressed in the same gear as everyone else. And who are you? I said in my mind.

F: "Hello, Viper."

"Hello, ma'am."

Sam: "I don't believe you've met this woman, Bryne." Aye, you think? "This is Anna Grìmsdottir. You'll call her by Grim." Oi, you don't happen to be the same one that I betrayed, yeah? I stifled a chuckle at my own joke, hoping no one noticed.

Grim: "Viper, as far as I know, you accidentally shot an operator with live ammunition. It is clear you knew the magazine was not full of live ammunition, as it was snuck in by an unknown male."

"And?"

Grim: "You went with Nighthaven after the squabble between Ash and Kali along with multiple other operators. You are trying to get out because they breached conduct. You are a double agent for Rainbow now."

"Yep."

Grim: "And this might seem unorthodox, but..." She pulled a manilla folder from the doorframe and placed it in front of me. "You're an echelon-level soldier Viper. I'm offering you to join us." Okay, lady wants me to join. I opened the folder, and it included photos of me, but when I looked at the name, I saw a disconnection.

"I'm sorry, but I can't join you." Grim seemed a bit confused, and I bet Sam was just hiding it.

Sam: "What do you mean, Bryne?"

"The name change. The red tape. Even Delta ain't got this hassle. I mean, I have a family, Sam."

Sam: "Your family would be safe, as well as all your other contacts. It'd be as if you never met."

"See Sam, that's where I struggle. They're family, friends. I like being out in public. I don't want to spend the rest of my military life as a different person."

Sam must've known he couldn't convince me, so he turned to Grim.

Grim: "We can erase the entire history that the bullets were ever shot." I felt my head jerk up like a dog.

"You can?"

Grim: "It would be like you were never there. But," Of fucking course, a but. "We need you to sign this contract." Blackmail! Fuckin blackmail! Can't expect less from 'Mericans.

"Any more selling points?" I questioned, acting like I wasn't already being baited in.

Grim: "You know Radioactive? The Russian militant group? We get you info on them. Names, known aliases, almost anything you ask for. Nighthaven, we can do the same."

"Info and a clean plate for cooperation." She nodded her head yes. At least the blackmail benefits me. Hang on. I grab my head, feeling the metal. The hard drive. "Hey Grim."

Grim: "Yes, Viper?"

"I have a hard drive hidden somewhere, and it records every single thing I see while in the armor. It's on twenty-four to the seven of the three-sixty-five. I have video evidence of how you just attempted to blackmail me. And I bet you know how the media loves their whistle-blowers. I have a deal for you. A one-mission contract for my slate wiped clean, as well as the information on both Nighthaven and Radioactive, and in exchange, you get the part of the hard drive. How's that sound?" Sam almost laughed while Grim's face turned into an almost crocidile-looking woman.

Grim: "You know how to play your cards, Viper. Deal. Stay on the plane." She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. She stomped on out like an elephant with a kangy on its nose.

"Man, she looks like a crocidile."

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