In Novaya Zemlya, Russia – Former Soviet Biowarfare Facility
The wind screamed over the frozen desolation.
At the northernmost edge of civilization, where only the most ancient secrets still whispered, a rusted compound lay buried beneath the tundra. Hidden since the Cold War, forgotten by governments—but not by Archer.
Inside, beneath layers of ice and Soviet concrete, a machine blinked to life.
A cryogenic vault hissed open, spilling vapor. Within, a figure emerged—pale, emaciated, eyes fluttering. Not a clone. Not a creation. A man. Cryo-preserved since 1986.
And he whispered one word:
"Damien."
---
Moscow, Private Tarmac – Hours Earlier
Damien stood before the aircraft, the biting cold clawing through his coat. Beside him, Nora adjusted her thermal gear. Elijah loaded intel onto a holo-pad while Kiyomi, silent as ever, examined schematics of the facility they'd been sent to locate.
"This facility doesn't exist on any modern Russian database," Elijah muttered. "But our contact—Kolev—says it housed Project Stribog. Biowarfare crossed with psychological weapons."
Nora raised a brow. "Sounds like Archer's playground."
Damien stared at the icy skyline. "He's reaching for old war ghosts. Means we're close."
Kiyomi added, "Stribog's files mention test subjects who could withstand brainwashing… and bend loyalty itself. One name matches a former Black Phoenix agent. Your mentor."
Damien's eyes hardened. "Reich."
---
Underground Facility – Novaya Zemlya
The descent was treacherous.
Snowmobiles had brought them close, but the entrance had collapsed decades ago. They blasted their way in, rappelled down into darkness.
The air was still. Too still.
Light flickered along frozen walls as they stepped into the bio-labs. Glass chambers lined the corridors—each housing twisted remnants of failed experiments. One pod held a half-grown humanoid with eight eyes. Another contained only a heart, still beating.
Then came the chamber.
At the center, under protective casing, floated Reich—the man who once trained Damien in the brutal arts of survival, deception, and counter-subversion.
"Elijah," Damien ordered. "Wake him."
"Are you sure?" Elijah asked, hands trembling.
"No."
But they did it anyway.
---
Moments Later –
Reich's body convulsed violently as the cryo fluid drained. He gasped for breath, eyes fluttering open, recognition dawning in them like lightning across a dead sea.
"Damien…" he rasped.
Nora stepped in with a defibrillator, keeping his vitals stable. Kiyomi stood watch, gun ready.
Reich sat up, staring straight at Damien. "I warned them. I warned Tavara's high council in '86. They laughed."
"You're supposed to be dead," Damien said.
"I was. Then Archer found me."
Elijah leaned in. "What did he want?"
Reich coughed, spitting blood. "He wanted the override code. The final failsafe embedded in a Cold War satellite array. It controls everything. Drones. Missiles. Even economic kill-switches."
"Why?" Nora asked.
Reich smiled bitterly. "Because Archer's not just building an army. He's replacing the world's operating system. He's hijacking reality itself."
The chamber trembled.
Motion sensors flared red.
"Someone's here," Kiyomi warned.
---
Facility Outer Perimeter
Snow erupted as black-clad soldiers burst through—the Pale Division, Archer's elite kill unit. Silent, emotionless, each carrying neural disruptors designed for one thing: mind-kill.
The team split.
Kiyomi covered the flank, slicing through enemies with silent grace.
Nora dragged Reich toward the escape tunnel as Damien and Elijah laid down suppressive fire.
"We're pinned!" Elijah yelled. "This isn't a skirmish—it's an execution!"
Damien activated a manual override, sealing the core chamber with explosive charges. "Then let's deny them the body."
They detonated the cryo chamber just as the last of Pale Division flooded in.
Flames and ice exploded into the void.
---
Extraction Point – Evac Chopper Above Frozen Coast
Reich, half-conscious, clung to Damien's coat as they lifted off.
"Archer's next play… is not a country," he mumbled. "It's a currency. A digital seed that blooms into mind control."
"What's it called?" Damien asked.
Reich's lips trembled.
"…Project Helix."
Damien looked at Nora.
The game had changed again.