The Leviathan Project lab shuddered again, the groan of tortured metal echoing through the comms. Jäger watched, his breath held tight in his chest, as the colossal shape outside, a deep-sea submersible of impossible design, pressed against the reinforced glass of the main dome. Figures, clad in sleek, dark suits that seemed to absorb what little light permeated the depths, swarmed its hull. They weren't using cutting torches; they were using something else, a focused energy beam that ate through the titanium like paper.
"They're not trying to breach, Jäger," Percival's voice crackled, laced with genuine alarm. "They're trying to crack it. That's a deep-sea breaching submersible, not a transport. They want everything intact, or mostly intact. They're coming for the pathogen."
The implication hit Jäger with the force of a physical blow. Not just to stop the sale, but to take it. This wasn't some rogue cartel trying to make a buck; this was a highly organized, technologically advanced force. And they were faster than the Syndicate.
"Data transfer at 98%!" Percival yelled, his fingers flying across his interface. "Almost there!"
Jäger's attention snapped back to the immediate threat. The lab's inner door buckled, then exploded inwards under the precise, coordinated assault of the initial breach team. More dark-suited figures poured in, their weapons spitting silent, high-velocity rounds. His SHD turret, which had been doing brutal work, finally overloaded, sparking and collapsing.
"Too many!" Jäger shouted, pressing himself behind a sturdy console, the impact of incoming rounds rattling his suit. His Chem Launcher, loaded with corrosive rounds now, spat green goo, melting weapon barrels and blinding optical sensors. But they were relentless. Their numbers seemed endless, their movements practiced, fluid.
Then, the final, chilling pop from Percival's comms. "Transfer complete! Data acquired! Now, get us out of here, Jäger!"
"Percival, cover!" Jäger yelled, unleashing a burst of suppressed fire. He activated his SHD Pulse, sweeping the room. The hostile figures glowed red, but so did something else. A faint, almost imperceptible symbol, overlaid on each of them. It was a stylized, predatory bird. A hawk, perhaps, or a falcon. It wasn't any known military insignia. It was a brand.
He saw it, too, on the suit of a figure leading the charge from the breached outer dome – a figure that moved with a chilling precision, its features obscured by the helmet, but its presence radiating authority. This was their leader.
"Jäger! They're cutting off the vents!" Percival's voice was sharp with urgency. "Our extraction route is compromised!"
The exhaust vent they had used for infiltration began to seal itself, thick metal plates grinding into place. The primary access points were already overrun. They were trapped.
"New plan," Jäger grated, his mind racing. He toggled his comms to his broader team, the surviving Delta-SHD agents and Syndicate specialists scattered throughout the facility, engaging other hostile teams. "All units, converge on the main bio-containment lab! Priority: Secure the pathogen, destroy any remaining samples! Extract through the main dome breach!"
It was a desperate gamble. The main dome breach was where the unknown force was swarming in. But it was their only way out.
The main bio-engineer, Dato' Arshad Malik's contact, screamed as Percival, having completed his data transfer, slammed his elbow into his head, knocking him unconscious. He then began systematically smashing the glowing containment units holding the pathogen, the lethal liquid dissolving into the water-filtration system.
As Jäger fought his way towards Percival, engaging the encroaching hostiles, the leader from the main dome breach entered the lab. The stylized bird sigil on his suit seemed to glow in the dimming emergency lights. Their eyes met across the chaotic lab. The figure paused, a subtle shift in his posture. He wasn't just observing. He was recognizing.
A single, chilling word crackled, distorted but clear, over Jäger's comms. It wasn't spoken by Percival. It was from the enemy leader, somehow tapping into their frequency.
"Jäger."
The blood ran cold in Jäger's veins. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. A declaration. This unknown, incredibly powerful organization not only knew who he was, but also his codename. The Viper's words echoed: He's alive!
"We need to go, Jäger!" Percival yelled, grabbing his arm. The last of the pathogen samples were destroyed. "Now!"
Jäger broke eye contact, the questions screaming in his mind silenced by the immediate, overwhelming need for survival. They plunged into the massive hole torn in the main dome, propelled by the sudden surge of water, and vanished into the inky blackness of the ocean depths, the glowing lights of the Leviathan Project fading behind them, swallowed by the pressure and the silence.
The figure in the dark suit watched them go, his hand slowly rising to touch the stylized bird sigil on his helmet. "He lives," he murmured to himself, then turned to his own comms. "All units, target confirmed. The Division agent known as Jäger is active. Inform 'The Rook.' And prepare for pursuit. He has something we need."