Viper's eyes shot to the computer screen the instant the lights turned to a sinister red in an even more sinister calm. In place of screams, an eerie silence took its place as time slowed to a crawl. When the moment ended, Ryker's adrenaline shot through his body as he and Flores started to continue to upload the files he could.
Charlie: Two minutes. Cameras in the mansion look clear. Whatever is going on outside, it doesn't concern us.
Ryker responded, his words a cold mutter.
Viper: Yeah, until we have to extract. F. Sitrep.
Santiago sent a breath through his microphone before replying, his voice infinitely more strained than it was thirty seconds ago.
Flores: Almost done. I found my files. They're gone.
Viper: That a breath of relief I hear?
Santiago offered a hidden grin before terminating his link with the server and listening to Sarah Fisher direct his escape. Charlie chimed into Ryker's earpiece, his warning thoroughly flattening any zen Ryker had.
Charlie: Security teams are headed your way! The minute I open the heavy doors, bullets are going to greet you! I can hold the door for ninety seconds!
Viper: So find a fucking workaround before-
Charlie: Relax. I had an escape in mind. Southwest corner, you'll find a grate. Open it and drop through! Seal it before you advance!
Ryker swore again, dropping his connection to the now-empty server and lunging to the far corner. As if he had any doubt, Charlie was right.
Ripping open the grate, Ryker slipped down into a dark concrete hallway, the path likely leading to a bunker. Dragging the grate over his head, Ryker started his prowl forward. As tempting as it was to ask what the hell was happening on the surface, the details had to wait.
Charlie: Keep going. This leads back into the mansion. I-
A rumble shook the tunnel as Ryker blasted into a sprint. Controlled explosions were starting to detonate, some of which were close enough to piston the tremors underground.
Viper: Grim! I need an update!
Grim: Charlie, focus on holding the security gates! Ryker, listen closely. NIGHTHAVEN is experiencing an attack from an unidentified threat. These explosions were planned. Run until you can't!
Ryker didn't need any additional motivation to move. Keeping low, he stormed the tunnels, launching himself either right or left depending on the route Grim was choosing. Turning down the final corridor, Ryker felt a crisp breeze blowing against him as he ran towards the end of the tunnel and found himself on the outer edges of a cliff.
Making the mistake of looking down, Ryker found death several hundred feet below him, that being the motivation to all but pin him to the concrete sewer dam.
Viper: Grim. I'm outside. There's a building with a helipad on the north side. I can take the latter up.
Grim: Copy. Sam is bringing in the stealth chopper. Flores made it out. Go.
Letting a breath go from his lungs, Ryker scaled the dam and dove for the shadows alongside the short road leading toward the helipad. Charlie spoke, his voice nearly cracking with the sitrep.
Charlie: Thermal scans show two squads heading your way. Cross the road and lay still.
Viper: Jeez Charlie. Did you regress two decades?
Ryker slipped into the nearest ditch a hundred meters from the building and slowed to a crawl.
Charlie kept talking, clearing his throat and gathering himself before attempting to sound more stable, warning Ryker of a bridge he was about to pass under, as well as five NIGHTHAVEN soldiers jogging above.
YOU ARE READING
Viper: The Official Remaster
ActionThe Viper was a terrorist. A feared White Mask Lieutenant. Joining the Syndicate in its early days, he helped bring peace to nations that couldn't procure it themselves. Now, it's an organized syndicate that trades blood for profit. Trapped in a pr...
