[Chamber X Viper] Begins at the End

Seeing Doubles

"Viper, you must let me take you out some time. "
"Viper, I know the perfect place for dinner, dancing."
"Viper, don't pretend you're not happy to see me. "
"Sabine..."
"Shut up!" Viper finally couldn't bear it anymore and yelled at Chamber, "I've told you not to use my real name during missions."
Chamber remained silent, then let out a few awkward laughs.
The same drama played out every time Chamber and Viper teamed up for a mission.
Out of respect for Viper, most agents quietly stood by and watched the entire drama, privately exchanging comments.
But there were also younger agents like Phoenix and Yoru who didn't care, expressing their views publicly.
"This isn't the first time, is it?" Yoru said gleefully.
"Sorry, I've silenced Viper again," Chamber apologized with remorse.
Thus, Viper faced the second painful moment in her life — embarrassment.

No one ever considered why such an awkward drama continued to went on between Viper and Chamber.
One, a French agent known for elegance and finesse.
The other, an American scientist turned to the dark side for revenge.
Logically speaking, with Chamber's emotional intelligence, if he truly wanted to pursue Viper, there would surely be better tactics.
And conversely, knowing Viper's character, if she truly wanted to reject Chamber, she would have more decisive methods.
Furthermore, with their respective charm and abilities, they could undoubtedly find better partners.
So why continue this same drama?
No one knows, and no one has really thought about it.
After all, those who come to Valorant each have their own purposes — whether to find long-lost family, reclaim lost memories, or see departed loved ones reborn.
As long as there's no conflict with oneself, no one delves into the true motives of others.
Just like how Chamber and Viper treat each other at this moment.

"Chamber, I think we need to have a serious talk."
After the mission, Viper pulled Chamber aside.
"Well, I've been wanting to have a chat with you. Let's find a coffee shop..." Chamber seemed genuinely unaware of what Viper was talking about and pulled out his phone.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Viper looked visibly impatient. "I want to discuss about how you flirt with me in front of other agents."
"Well..." Chamber stopped joking around.
He knew Viper is not an idiot. Also, he knew very well that the real issue between them was the trust issue almost every Valorant agent had with Chamber. Viper was particularly sensitive to this, never truly trusting Chamber since he joined, and always ready to eliminate him.
As the false flattery slowly faded from Chamber's handsome face, an image of a shrewd arms dealer reappeared behind the mask. Viper's lips twitched slightly behind her mask. She paused and said, "I like things direct. First, less flirting during missions, more focus. Second, don't use my real name when other agents are present."
"Is that all?"
Chamber seemed to relax a little.
"That's all," Viper replied. Her tone was gentle and enticing, revealing no hint of fear or suspicion.
"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes," Viper continued.
"No problem!" The usual pleasing smile returned to Chamber's face. "Um... just to confirm, so it's okay to call you Sabine in private or in letters, right?"
"Whatever suits you," Viper replied casually. "You're charming, Chamber, but not as clever as you think."

"So, let's get this straight, what are you really conflicted about?" Reyna took a deep sip from her coffee cup and asked.
"I don't know why I said that." Viper poured coffee from the siphon into her cup as she spoke.
"You mean saying he's charming?"
"Yes. I just wanted to say he should focus more on the mission, and I didn't want to delve into anything else. But I don't know why I said that.""
"Firstly, Viper," Reyna set down her coffee cup, "are you sure I'm a good emotional counselor?"
"I wouldn't talk to that woman who does revive stuff or those brats," Viper replied.
"What about Killjoy?"
"We don't discuss matters beyond the experiment."
"Ah," Reyna sighed heavily, "I never thought I'd see today."
"Let me ask you, Reyna. With my temper and age, would a man as young and rich as Chamber pursue me purely out of affection?"
"Correct." Reyna replied frankly.
"Then why would he pursue me?" Viper asked.
"Chamber is slightly more astute than other businessmen, in that you can never see through his true intentions," Reyna replied. "Just as I didn't understand why he would spend so much money supporting my shelter."
"If we don't know his purpose, but Cypher and Fade haven't intervened, it at least proves that this purpose won't conflict with the objectives of Valorant for the time being,"
"That makes sense." Reyna replied.
"So, here's the question. Considering Chamber pursues me for his own reasons, would you fall in love with a man flirting with you like that?" Viper asked.
"No, I'd just give him a headshot." Reyna replied bluntly.
"Exactly, so his actions wouldn't achieve his purpose. Do you think Chamber, with his abilities, would not realize this?" Viper pressed.
"Well..." Reyna hesitated, "maybe French men are just more confident? They think they know everything about women."
"If it's just a pursuit out of genuine affection, that makes sense. But if there are other motives, he seems to be overly confident," Viper concluded.
Reyna nodded, taking a large gulp of coffee to digest all this information.


"But..." Viper looked out the window thoughtfully.
"But what?" Reyna looked at her, puzzled.
"I'm thinking, if his goals don't conflict with Valorant and he needs my help to achieve them, why can't he just tell me directly?" Viper replied.
"What?" Reyna was so surprised she almost sprayed coffee everywhere. "What are you planning, Viper?"
"I don't actually dislike him," Viper answered. "The real reason I hesitate to get close to him is because of that sense of mistrust. He's keeping too many secrets from us."
"So you don't actually like him, right?" Reyna seemed almost unwilling to accept these words from herself.
"I said I don't dislike him," Viper reiterated. "It's just that I think he's not very clever. He hides himself so well that it makes everyone wary."
"But that's just who he is!" Reyna was struggling to organize her thoughts. "I mean, if he were to reveal his intentions and you disagreed, what would he do next? After all, he's a businessman."
"But right now, There's not even a possibility of me helping him. He should take a chance at least," Viper replied.
"So we just have to wait for him to come around, is that it?" Reyna seemed more confused with each passing moment.
"I don't think he will come around," Viper said.
"Then let him be."
"But is it a good thing to have someone in Valorant who can't be trusted by others?"
Reyna chugged coffee like a relentless coffee pouring machine, trying to keep her brain awake with caffeine.

Despite the fruitless conversation with Reyna, Viper engaged in some introspection and began to understand the source of her inner turmoil.
Perhaps Reyna had a point. Chamber wasn't sure if he cared about his true purpose, and he feared that revealing it would lead to Viper rejecting him completely.
If that was the case, why not give him a chance to speak up?
Viper casually picked up one of Chamber's love letters, dipped it in the specially crafted green ink he had given her, and started writing on parchment. The writing process wasn't easy; despite having a template to follow, Viper wasn't adept at writing such sentimental things. Considering that anyone else seeing the contents of the letter would lead Viper to poison herself, she decided to personally deliver the letter to Chamber.
"Sova, where's Chamber?" Viper asked."
"He's in the VIP lounge at Breeze," Sova replied, focused on adjusting his bolt without looking up.
"Thank you." Saying that, Viper left Sova's room.
It took him a moment to realize.
"Wait, who was she looking for just now?!"
Realizing something was wrong, Sova hurriedly ran towards the rooms of Cypher and Fade.

The bar at Breeze was as lively as ever.
Up on the third-floor VIP section, a regular patron awaited in his trademark white shirt and blue waistcoat—a Frenchman known as Chamber.
"Sir, your guest has arrived," the waiter whispered in French.
Chamber discreetly placed a rendezvous anchor under the table corner, then went down the stairs.
Rendezvous, also known as French Displacement, was a secret technique allowing for a swift retreat to base when combat turned unfavorable. By placing an anchor at a safe location, one could quickly escape the battlefield within a certain radius.
Leaving an anchor was a habit Chamber developed over years as an arms dealer.
After all, in this line of work, you never knew what tomorrow might bring.
The term "French Displacement" might sound like mocking cowardice for thinking of escape during negotiations, but for an arms dealer, adaptability was a necessary quality in this less-than-glamorous business.

On the other side, Viper also arrived at the VIP section of the Breeze bar, holding what was referred to as a "love letter."
She glimpsed Chamber coming down from upstairs, appearing to wait for someone.
Despite its concealed location, based on their familiarity with each other's habits during missions, Viper discovered the rendezvous anchor under the table corner.
Viper knew Chamber wouldn't place an anchor here without reason. She had also heard rumors that Chamber had encountered the Chamber from Omega and they had even collaborated. Surely, this anchor was meant to guard against a certain collaborator.
Putting on a gas mask and holding a vial of snake bite venom, Viper found a narrow corner on the VIP balcony where she could hide her figure. From there, she observed every move along the seaside through the railing.

About two minutes later, a man approached Chamber.
He wasn't wearing overalls or formal attire, just casual clothes, but his build and mannerisms were strikingly similar to someone Viper had in her mind. Viper vaguely felt she had seen this man somewhere before, but couldn't recall why.
"Could it be him?" Viper widened her eyes. She couldn't believe this person would still appear here.
Viper scrutinized the man in front of her against her memories, finally confirming him to be the same person—the senior engineer from Kingdom Corporation whom Viper had encountered during the lab attack years ago.
She watched as Chamber exchanged a few words with the man and then handed him a note. In return, the man handed over a document.
Unconsciously, Viper tightened her grip on the snake bite venom in her hand. Scenes from the uncontrollable memories of the lab attack flooded Viper's mind.
—flames soaring, devastation everywhere, and the people she cared about forever left behind.
She saw Chamber shaking hands with the mastermind behind all this pain, seemingly enjoying their cooperation.
Just like years ago, anger once again filled her chest, accompanied by myriad pains and despair rushing over her.
Viper struggled to contain her emotions, but her grip on the venom had become uncontrollable.
Click
The snake bite venom slipped from Viper's hand and fell to the ground.
The vial of this poison was not sturdy, designed to shatter upon impact, increasing the damage from the glass shards and allowing the poison to seep into the skin.
"What's happening?" Security and patrons from the Breeze bar rushed over upon hearing the noise.
Viper didn't have time to explain. She knew that soon, fully armed police would arrive here. To avoid raising suspicion, she deployed a smoke screen to obscure the view and swiftly left the bar.

Five minutes ago, on the beach of Breeze.
Chamber watched as his former colleague, dressed in cheap casual clothes, walked towards the beach. He reached out his hand and waved to the man, seemingly nostalgic for their past working together.
"Mr. Fabron," the tall man also extended his hand, friendly gesturing towards Chamber.
"You guys are down to selling action briefs for money now?" Chamber joked lightly.
"Mr. Fabron, you're generous with money. That's why we're willing," the man replied unabashedly.
"According to the agreed price, here's the check," Chamber said, handing the check to the man.
"And here's the brief you requested," the man handed over the documents promptly.
"Pleasure doing business," Chamber extended his right hand, ready to shake hands with the man.
"Sorry, I just have to ask," the man double-checked the check, seeming a bit incredulous, "This is just an action brief from many years ago. Why is Mr. Fabron willing to pay such a large amount to buy it? Is there something of interest to you?"
"It's none of my concern," Chamber replied, "but it's important to a friend of mine."
"A friend?" The man seemed to doubt his own ears.
"Yes, a friend..." Chamber's gaze dimmed momentarily, but then returned to his usual ambiguous smile, "Actually, I'm not sure either. Just thought I'd buy it first and show her, might be useful."
"Well then, best of luck to you," the man extended his right hand and shook Chamber's hand firmly.
Click. The snake bite venom shattered on the ground, making a piercing sound.
Chamber turned towards the noise, spotting a familiar figure with a gas mask slipping into the toxic fog she had created.
"Oh no," Chamber muttered to himself, without saying goodbye to the man, he hurriedly chased after Viper in the direction she had left.

Viper returned to her room.
The mishap left her shaken to the core.
That anger... that heart-wrenching pain...
After all these years, she had never realized the strength of that force could be so overpowering.
The attack years ago had turned both her and Omen into dreaded monsters.
Omen's terror stemmed from his appearance, while Viper's horror perhaps came from within.
"Instead of shaking hands with that man, I might as well drink my own poison," Viper muttered calmly to herself.
Indeed, just seeing Chamber shake hands with that man caused her to accidentally drop and shatter the snake bite venom.
Did she have the capability to handle Chamber's darker, deeper secrets?
"If his goals are related to that experiment, would I really be able to stop myself from killing him?" Viper murmured to herself again.
She tossed the love letter into the poison, and used a bottle of chilled champagne to calm herself once more.

On the other side, Brimstone's office door was heavily knocked.
"Come in."
"Brimstone, we can't ignore the issue with Chamber any longer." Fade entered, throwing a stack of letters onto Brimstone's desk.
"Is it because of those threatening letters, or do you think Chamber is connected to the people who kidnapped your loved one?"
"Not the threats. It's Viper."
"What's wrong with Viper?"
Fade took a deep breath and said, "I swear on my life that Frenchman is in love with her. Viper went to Breeze's bar to see him today."
Brimstone paused for a moment, then slowly responded, "Since Killjoy and Raze got together, we no longer prohibit romantic relationships between agents."
"That's not the point!" Fade was almost incoherent. "He's a dangerous man who made a deal with his Omega World self. If his intentions don't conflict with the protocol, I might turn a blind eye. But Viper is different. Do you know why the Scions of Hourglass is still hunting her? Do you know why Omen tried to kill her during the lab tragedy years ago? We haven't figured any of this out, and you're okay with Viper being sweet-talked and bombarded with sugar-coated bullets by Chamber every day?"
Brimstone fell silent.
Fade quieted down too, looking pained and occasionally groaning.
After a moment of contemplation, Brimstone finally responded to Fade's concerns with a question of his own.
"Fade, do you think Viper is smart?""
"Very smart. She's one of the smartest women I've ever met. That's why I came to you. I can't stand seeing such a smart woman being deceived so easily."
"If you think she's smart too, maybe you should trust her like I do."
"What do you mean by trust her?"
"If neither of us knows Chamber's true intentions, what's the best way to figure out?"
Fade pondered for a moment and retrieved the letters from the desk.
"But I must say, this approach carries great risks. If it fails, we'll both be held accountable."
Brimstone remained silent, nodded, and watched Fade leave.