Viper: The Official Remaster

Chapter 15: Deimos

Ryker opened the door to his home, ending his rather lengthy phone call with Sam and slipping inside. An aroma wafted from his kitchen down the hall, Ryker too exhausted to label what it was. The door clicked shut behind him as he made his way down the hall, wearing a tired smile while holding a small Tupperware container over his head in faux-triumph.

Viper: I remembered the Parmesan. That marks the second mission I've completed tod-

An embrace cut off his jest, Nøkk wasting no time in dropping her wooden spoon on the counter and wrapping around Ryker like a veiled python.

Nøkk: Baby.

Viper: Hey, you. Uh... We can wait till I shower, right? I could probably kill a deer.

She shook her head, hinting to him a smile from underneath her veil as she gently tapped his cheek with her palm in a playful slap.

Nøkk: You probably could. That said, I'm not a deer.

Ryker tossed the Parmesan onto the countertop. Spaghetti seemed to be the dinner item of the night.

Viper: Do I have time for a shower? I'm sorry I got home so late. Ash-

Nøkk: Babe, it's fine. I heard about Ash. Are you involved in her rescue?

He nodded, pulling each arm over his chest in a stretch before heading towards the bathroom as she turned back to the stove.

Nøkk: Fifteen minutes, Ryker.

Viper: Fifteen? That's just enough time to wash my left leg.

Her head shake and stifled laugh was all he needed to smile. To be honest, he couldn't wait to come home to see her. Kisses, romantics, and poking fun. His list of planned evening antics was specific. Still, Ryker preferred he didn't smell like sweat and metal when he indulged her.

The cold water cascading down Ryker's body felt little less than a godsend. The simple mission of reacquiring the NATO agents had unfortunately devolved into a prison exchange, yet that wasn't the looming dread Ryker was focused on. Sam had called him several seconds from home, leaving Ryker to stand by the mailbox for ten minutes as his heart rate steadily increased with news of his objective tomorrow.

Rainbow would be getting the news in several hours that a smaller NIGHTHAVEN base had been the target of an attack. Upon viewing Sam's photos of the perpetrators. it had only taken seconds for Ryker to assure him it wasn't Mask-related, but a different entity entirely. Sadly, that conclusion only locked Ryker in for a conversation with one man who'd shaken Rainbow to the core several years ago.

Deimos. Gerald Morris. Ryker found it hilarious that Rainbow's greatest adversary was named Gerald. Unfortunately, that's where the humor stopped. Sam had hoped Ryker's distrust and secular approach towards NATO could bridge the gap to talk to Deimos. Belonging to Rainbow in Deimos's eyes in this day and age was nothing short of heresy. It was an odd strategy with no appeal, yet Ryker accepted. Honor-bound loyalty to Sam could stretch over fear.

Deimos had attempted to murder the director of Rainbow, being Harry, not six months before Viper's defection. Of the million universes this occurred, Ryker was convinced this was the single one that existed in which Harry survived. The cold irony was of Deimos's previous employment, being Rainbow itself. Merciless execution bred fear and effectiveness in his time. Deimos hadn't taken the change of his previous employer well.

Gerald Morris was a soldier in his own right, and Ryker had developed a respect for him for it. His infamy stood on its own. Even Kirin Salazar admitted he steered clear of the side of the world Deimos was on, refusing contracts when he knew Deimos was only a short flight away. Even the White Masks understood. They wouldn't work with him either.