Cypher's Office

Cypher's Office is an area located in the Range, next to the shooting range, added in Patch 4.07 during Episode 4 Act 2. It contains interactive lore elements, in the form of a Laptop that plays a mission log.

## Layout and Design

Cypher's Office is a small area in the Range, placed at the left end of the Shooting Range available there. It is more of a 'cubby' than an room, much smaller than Brimstone's Office (the other such structure housed in the Range), with its limited space filled mostly with CRT monitors. Similar to Brimstone's Office, the room has bare brick walls, with the paint (the little that's left, that is) dry and peeling off.

The room comprises of two desks, against the back and side walls respectively, with a set of filing cabinets (the same kind as seen in Brimstone's Office) shoved into the back corner for storage. As stated before, the room is chock-full of CRT monitors - a grand total of 13 (6 mounted onto a wall, 6 piled on the back desk, and one more on the front desk for good measure) fill the room.

Right at the back corner, atop the cabinets, shrouded in shadow, is a single framed picture. However, on investigation, it seems to just be indiscernible filler assets. It is possible that this might be updated sometime in the future, perhaps in the coming patches.

The Pictureframe in Cypher's Office, nearly impossible to see due to the darknessThe Pictureframe after being brightenedThe image in the game files
The stone floor is covered by thin, plain carpet, on which sits a single office chair. The front desk has Cypher's laptop on it, with his work area lit by a single desk lamp. The peripheries of the platform at littered with stray documents and pieces of paper. As a finishing touch, Cypher's signature white hat has also been laid down here.

On the back and side walls, a few scattered posters have been placed as well. On inspection, these are found to be the same anti-Kingdom propaganda posters that are commonly found all over Bind - likely the only connection that the information broker allows himself to his home city.

In Patches 5.07 and onwards, Cypher himself was added as an NPC in front of the room. Cypher initially leaned against the wall, with his hat covering his eyes, assumedly asleep. In 5.07 - 5.08, Cypher also gave gave the player a short glance and got up when they approached. He stood still, with his eyes following the player, and occasionally rolling a *trapwire* across his fingers (reminiscent of his Character Select animation). The animation was removed later, as many players found it distracting.

Cypher's laptop itself appears pretty standard, if a little worn and dusty - small and seemingly mobile, dark frame, trackpad; pretty much the same as Brimstone's in general. The screen shows a map of the world, with red dots highlighting several points of interest. The seven playable maps currently in-game are highlighted with large markers, while 39 smaller markers specify other locations. It is unclear, however, what exactly the importance of these locations is.

The Laptop can also be interacted with. When this is done, it plays a single Audio Log. The contents of this Audio Log have been changed in the biweekly patches.

## Audio Logs

### Patch 4.07: the 'Sting' Audio Log

KAY/O: Bird's Eye to ground, the VLT/R owns the sky. What's your status?
Chamber: It's another quiet night in Istanbul.
[*Spycam* dart fired, strikes target]
Cypher: Not anymore. Cypher to all stations, I have a signal. Our blackmailer is headed east, entering Sector-4.
Sova: Neon, this is Sova. Confirm you have target visual.
Neon: Yup, got 'em. They're entering.. looks like a warehouse.
Sova: I see it. Ground team, collapse and converge on Sector-4.
KAY/O: Bird's Eye on route. I'm descending to surveillance altitude.
Breach: Let's do this.
Cypher: Closing the net.
Chamber: Chamber up to team, I'm in sniper position, neighboring rooftop northwest of the warehouse.
KAY/O: Do we have eyes inside?
Cypher: Hmm... No internal feed? This bird's little nest is off the grid.
Breach: Then we are in the right place.
Chamber: I'm scoping a skylight at the far corner. Possible access point.
Sova: Leave that to me.
KAY/O: Establish visual, then hold for team execute. Do not engage target.
Sova: Copy.
Breach: Cypher, how is the emergency chatter?
Cypher: Nothing yet. We are ghosts.
Neon: Cypher's with me at the south garage.
Breach: I've got north. Sova?
Sova: On the roof. Entering now. [skylight creaks open, closes]
KAY/O: Sova, you've dropped off my visual, but beacon lock is holding. You are go.
Sova: This eastern half is a warehouse. Ten aisles running north-south... still no sign of target. [footsteps] I see offices on the western side... empty. I'm moving in for drone recon.
KAY/O: Negative, hold position. Sending Cypher in to join you.
Sova: Deploying drone now. [*Owl Drone* launched]
KAY/O: Negative, Sova. Hold position.
Sova: [*Owl Drone* flying] There's a corridor; doors on each side.
KAY/O: (annoyed) Bird's Eye to Sova. You are to hold your current position and *wait for backup*. Confirm order.
Sova: [glitchy] I'm entering the first office- [glitches intensify]
Breach: *Jävlar.* (Swedish: *Dammit.*)
Neon: He can't hear us.
KAY/O: Bird's Eye to Sova, *do you read me?*
[static]
KAY/O: Sova, come in! Respond.
[Sova's comms die out entirely]
Chamber: That is less than ideal.
KAY/O: Cypher, Neon, advance to re-establish connection with Sova. Maintain stealth protocols.
Cypher: Electric locks on the gates.
Neon: I got 'em. [zaps]
[lock falls to ground]
Cypher: Let's find our friend.
[door creaks open, eerie noises]
Neon: (gasps) What was that?
KAY/O: You are both showing elevated vitals. I need a sit-rep (situation report).
Cypher: There's something in here... trailing us. What *is* that?
Neon: Cypher, watch out!
[eerie sounds continue, intensify into roars]
Neon: Lintik-! I can't see!
Cypher: Neon? *Where are you!?*
KAY/O: Cypher? Neon? Report!
[roars intensify further]
Cypher: KAY/O, we're blind in here!
Neon: Danger close, danger close!
[heavy roars, gunshots fired]
Breach: Hang on, I'm coming in! [*Aftershock* activates]
[door blown open, gunshots continue]
KAY/O: Bird's Eye to Chamber! Do you have *any* visual?
Chamber: Merde. (French: *Shit.*) Negative, adjusting angle.
Sova: (glitchy) ..on your right-..
KAY/O: Sova?! Come in!
Sova: *ON YOUR RIGHT!*
[heavy gunshots, aggressive roars]
Breach: Agh! I can't move! Get it off of me.
Sova: Another one incoming!
Chamber: [*Tour de Force* activates] Chamber's loaded, call out my targets!
Sova: Breach is 8 o'clock, ten meters!
[*Tour de Force* fires]
Breach: Hah! Direct hit-.. aw, *helvete*! (Swedish: *hell!*)
Sova: Fall back. Fall back!
Chamber: Moving up to reinforce. [*Rendezvous* activates]
Breach: [gunshots] Covering!
[Gunshots, roars continue]
Sova: Chamber, it's on you!
Chamber: Merde!
Breach: Get out of there!
Neon: Wait! [gunshots subside] There they are!
Breach: Where?
Cypher: The target's on the run! They're outside!
KAY/O: Setting VLT/R to auto; I'm going in!
[VLT/R door opens, heavy footsteps]
Sova: KAY/O, *negative*. You're too high!
[KAY/O jumps off, wind whistles by as he travels down]
[heavy thud]
KAY/O: YOU. ARE. POWERLESS.
[*NULL/CMD* activates]
KAY/O: Freeze! Hands in the air!
[multiple guns cocked]
Sova: Don't move!
Breach: Get 'em up, now!
[handcuffs click, target bound]
KAY/O: Target secured, ease down. [guns lower] We got her.
Neon: Uh, hold on. She was *alone*?!
KAY/O: She's a Radiant.
Cypher: My scanner's picking up chatter. Police incoming.
[radio chatter, police sirens]
Sova: Something about this feels off.
Chamber: Of course it does... *we* didn't find the target, *she* brought us here.
Breach: You think it was a trap?
Cypher: Hey, we have to *move*.
KAY/O: Orders stand. Everyone rendezvous at the LZ (landing zone). We're taking her back to base for interrogation. Move out!

The log was a recount of the VALORANT PROTOCOL's mission to apprehend Fade, formally called 'The Sting'. The mission took place as a conclusion to a small war that the PROTOCOL had been fighting against her. After having suffered through painful dossiers that tore apart the veil of secrecy under which VALORANT and its Agents worked, the entire squad was on edge, and unwilling to stop at anything to capture the aggressor.

The log was almost a direct continuation of Sova's voicemail to Brimstone, audible in Brimstone's Office in Patch 4.05; and Cypher's email to Brimstone, visible in Brimstone's Office at the same time. The email states that Cypher had been successful in locating Fade, guaranteeing their location to be somewhere in Türkiye. While he worked on pinpointing the data, Brimstone turned to Sova to organize a strike team to apprehend her, which was discussed in his voicemail.

This mission was the culmination of all this. We had the team, comprising of Sova, Cypher, Breach, Neon, and Chamber on the ground, with KAY/O in the skies operating the VLT/R, launching an attack on the blackmailer in Istanbul.

The Audio Log started off with the team setting up around Fade's location, preparing for action. Once Cypher tagged her, the team went into operation, chasing her into a warehouse. However, on entry, they were faced with a formidable opponent - that is never described directly. All that we got are the fearsome roars that came through the comms, and the heavy gunfire that the Agents employed to fight back. Whatever it was that faced, it was clearly terrible... and terrifying.

Eventually, the team was able to bring down Fade (well, *KAY/O* was able to bring down Fade). As were the orders given to them, she was bound and taken by to the VPHQ, where she was to be interrogated further. The results of this were better described in the voicemail and email present in Brimstone's Office at this time (Patch 4.07).

Notably, despite all the enmities and discords that were present between various members of the team (Sova and Cypher, Sova and Breach, Chamber and Cypher, Neon and Chamber, Breach and Cypher, to name a few) the entire squad was fully willing and ready to rush into battle to help their allies.

At first notice that the ones inside needed help, Breach aggressively charged in, and so did Chamber once he realized that he was needed on the ground instead of as a sniper. It's a remark to the cohesiveness of the VP that all the Agents were willing to put all their internal differences aside in wake of the necessity that combat brought.

The Audio Log itself performed a second, equally important function: that of delivering the playerbase more cinematic-like content, without the burdens of actually producing a cinematic.

Cinematics have, historically, been the primary way in which we can see our Agents at battle canonically. However, they come with the caveat of taking a grand amount of time and effort to produce, involving collaboration with different studios and artists. Due to these stipulations, Riot has had to limit itself to around one cinematic per episode, i.e., one cinematic every 6 months.

By creating a separate set of Audio Logs, Riot now allows for the PROTOCOL's important missions to be expressed in another means that is still representative to the lore, and still provides the thrill of watching a cinematic unfold, but without most of the attached strings. This is, in all means, a great and vital step forward, as it means that in the future we will see a much greater influx of this 'pseudo-cinematic' content that retains the old level of quality, but with a much faster and easier production.

### Patch 4.08: Fade's Interrogation Log

Cypher: The more you talk now, the better I can guarantee your safety.
Fade: This is something they say before putting a bullet between my eyes?
Cypher: No... no bloodshed here. I just want information.
Fade: You just want revenge, for how badly I embarrassed you.
Cypher: Only a little.
Fade: Hmm.
Cypher: So... what do you know about the VALORANT PROTOCOL?
Fade: More than you'd like.
Cypher: Indulge me.
Fade: I know your operating guidelines. I know the location of your headquarters. I know your typical weapon loadout. Your RnD budget. The last 6 months of your mission archives. And the leave requests of every Agent that bothers to file them... should I go on?
Cypher: I'm impressed.
Fade: Because I am impressive.
Cypher: How did you do it?
Fade: I have ways.
Cypher: Such as?
Fade: Not every secret hunter needs a camera.
Cypher: Your Radiant power... of which I am now quite familiar.
Fade: [*sarcastic*] Sorry.
[drawer opens]
Cypher: Your first communication to us... [paper unfurls] you mentioned someone was *taken* from you.
Fade: I did.
Cypher: Care to explain?
Fade: Why should I? You know what you did.
Cypher: I do not. We are not in the business of kidnapping.
Fade: How convenient.
Cypher: [bangs] It's the truth! Whatever that means to you...
Fade: If you didn't take him, who did?
Cypher: Let me tell you something, my friend... and listen to me well. There are *other worlds* than this.
[silence, drawer closes]
Cypher: And now... we are getting somewhere.
[recorder clicks off]

The Audio Log was a recording of Cypher interrogating Fade, after the Protocol captured her in Istanbul. As seen in his voicemail to Brimstone, Cypher was willing to recruit Fade to the VALORANT PROTOCOL, after investigating her and learning that her accusations about the PROTOCOL taking someone from her were misplaced (his awareness of how useful Fade's powers could be to the team also helped with this decision).

Cypher used a calm yet playful tone when interrogating Fade, while Fade was relaxed throughout most of the interrogation. He began by toying with Fade, who played along, to establish some sort of relationship between the two parties. Cypher then asked Fade about her blackmailing, questioning exactly how much she knew about the VALORANT PROTOCOL.

It is likely that Cypher possessed this information already, and this was a question to ease the subject into the interrogation and make them think they have the power, through having knowledge. Fade's confident tone suggests that his tactics had worked.

They continued to participate in banter back and forth, until Cypher raised the point of Fade having a person, whom she refers to as 'him', taken from her. Fade gave off a more recoiled tone, refusing to answer the question. The interrogation escalated, as Cypher truthfully denied any connection to kidnapping this person. He then revealed the concept of the Mirrorverse to Fade, gaining some of her trust and ending the investigation.

It is implied that Fade learned about Ω-Earth after the Audio Log ends, and then agreed to join the VALORANT PROTOCOL. Cypher reported about his interrogation to Brimstone, while Fade discussed her terms for joining the VALORANT PROTOCOL in the voicemails heard in Brimstone's Office, added in Patch 4.08.

### Patch 5.07: the 'Setup' Audio Log

[radio clicks off]
REALM Officer: Bear right in 200m, we're maintaining course.
REALM Private: Copy that. Once we hit the highway, how far to the staging point?
REALM Officer: Not far. Captain Greaves said our target is passing the linchpin in 72 hours. We'll be ready.
REALM Private: Hard to call Varun Batra a target...
REALM Officer: No kidding, he's a legend. Met him when I first signed up with REALM... smuggling ring bust in Algeria.
REALM Private: Really?
REALM Officer: Nicest guy you'll ever meet - assuming you're on the same side. Man's an absolute *terror* on the field.
REALM Private: [*sarcastic*] Really building confidence in the mission, sir.
REALM Officer: Easy now. After all this, Batra's as good as dead.
[helicopter flies overhead]
REALM Private: How's this time any different from before?
REALM Officer: Greaves is putting the budget to work. Regional fire support, access to their satellite network... never seen him this wound-up.
REALM Private: That's one word for it...
REALM Private: Why couldn't we run a capture op first? I mean, come on - *live* munitions!
REALM Officer: Greaves can have that conversation with REALM command.
REALM Private: I don't believe it... whole thing's a shame. After *all* those years of service... Batra is a *hero*, not a traitor!
REALM Officer: He stole an artefact with power we've never seen before, and tried to *murder* Greaves.
REALM Private: Sure... if you believe Captain Greaves.
[sharp inhale]
REALM Officer: I'm choosing to ignore that juvenile and *very dangerous* statement. Eyes on the road, Private.
REALM Private: ...yes, sir.

The Audio log, titled 'Setup' in the game files, was a log of communications between two REALM operatives discussing their pursuit of Harbor, intercepted by Cypher. The operatives were reluctant to attack Harbor due to his reputation for being a respectable man who had served diligently under REALM for many years.

The conversation was between a Private and his superior (of unknown rank). The Private had a distinct Indian accent, while his superior's was unidentifiable. The superior officer spoke with much more experience, and he knew not to question their higher-ups while encouraging the Private to do the same.

The operatives spoke about staging an interception in Harbor's path, who was assumed to pass a certain location (described as the 'linchpin') three days from the recording. REALM was putting a significant amount of resources into the capture, although the lower-ranked REALM operative was not sure why, apart from the fact that he was a dangerous individual.

A decent amount of the motivation behind the attack came from Captain Greaves, who seemed to have a 'vendetta' of sorts against Harbor after he (allegedly) tried to murder him. The Private was skeptical of this claim, believing that a man of the reputation and legacy of Harbor's would do no such thing. This assumption turned out to be correct, as it was Greaves who had betrayed and attempted to murder Harbor, as seen in his Agent trailer, *TURN THE TIDES*.

Beyond continuing the plot behind Harbor's recruitment, this Audio Log did also provide a lot of valuable insight into REALM's functioning and organization. While Greaves was probably the senior officer calling the shots for this particular mission, there certainly is a higher 'REALM command' that exists, which even Greaves must answer to.

This Audio Log was also the first one to have it's own image that popped up when interacting with the Laptop. Before this, interacting with the Laptop just brought up an image of the map on it's screen.

The screen seems to represent how Cypher's Laptop looked like at the moment when he himself was reviewing the audio - with several windows pulled up, which include one with REALM's logo in the top-left, a playable audio file (likely of the Audio Log itself), and an image.

The image window showed a group of four, perhaps five, armed REALM soldiers in city facing an oncoming wall of water - one of the many encounters between REALM and Harbor. The image seemed to have been taken by a security camera, judging from the (now-redacted) dates in the corner of the screen.

The fact that the log was an audio file saved on the laptop implies that Cypher isn't hearing it live as it happened, but is instead listening to a pre-recorded version, with the conversation itself having happened in the recent past.

### Patch 5.08: the 'Artifact' Audio Log

Harbor: [*chuckles*] At least it's near the kitchen.
[door closes]
Astra: Now, that artifact. Let's have a look.
Harbor: Uh... right here?
Astra: *Chale*, the time for traps has come and gone. No one is after your bracelet here, trust me.
Harbor: I hope not...
[artifact activates]
Harbor: It's such a small thing... but there's so much power in it. I don't even know *how*.
Astra: *I* do. See these engravings carved along the inside?
Harbor: Yes Ma'am. I ran them against every record in the world linguistic archive... no matches.
Astra: Because the script is not of Earth! It is the language of The Guardians.
Harbor: The Guardians!? So they're real?
Astra: Yes!
Harbor: And *you* can read it?
Astra: Only some... I am still learning.
Harbor: What do you recognize? Any touchstone words?
Astra: [*reading engraving*] guardian... flower... gift... key-
Harbor: Key? I'd love to find a lock.
Astra: Perhaps... LEGION already has?
Harbor: What do you mean?
Astra: The knowledge left for me is vague, incomplete. But the lock... I think it's a place. Something called a 'Nexus', a lost city built by the Guardians. I could never find it.
Harbor: Because it's gone.
Astra: Gone? Please explain.
Harbor: At REALM, I studied the 'City of Flowers', even tracked it down with a map we pulled out of Gulf of Khambhat. When I got there... well, it wasn't pretty.
Astra: Ruined?
Harbor: Worse... decimated. *Sabotaged*. I couldn't even get close.
Astra: Sabotaged by who?
Harbor: I don't know... I'm sorry.
Astra: Destroyed on Alpha... what about Omega? Maybe it's still there.
Harbor: Maybe... and if Omega me activates this 'Nexus'...?
Astra: That is a question for Killjoy! Why don't we pay her a visit? Bring the relic.
Harbor: Yes ma'am.
[artifact powers down]

The recording audible in this patch is an Audio Log of Astra and Harbor discussing their artifacts, their connection to the Astral Guardians, and the City of Flowers. This was the start of the plotline which would lead the Protocol to Lotus.

The 'Artifact' Audio Log reveals why Astra has held such keen interest in Harbor, and more specifically in his Bracelet, for so long - it has a connection to the Astral Guardians, a group of extraterrestrial beings or entities that serve to uphold the balance of the cosmos, which Astra is a part of.

Her translation attempts (which are limited to a few keywords due to her lack of complete understanding of the Guardians' language) confirm her suspicions that the relic serves as a key to opening a lost city that the Guardians had built, the 'City of Flowers' (this is the same city which would go on to be the setting of Lotus). Astra's description makes Harbor realize that the location she's talking about is one he's explored before, and he shared the sad fact that Alpha's version of the city is ruined.

This voicemail was, in effect, the first major teaser for the map Lotus. This conversation between Astra and Harbor ultimately caused the Protocol to send a mission into Omega Earth to look for their version of the Nexus, and eventually battle Legion in the city once they found their way to it. The fact that the Audio Log foreshadowed a new map was further hinted at by the *Astral Conduit* playercard, which was released in the same act as it.

 ***Astral Conduit***
The *Astral Conduit* card shows a single massive flower (likely a mutated lotus), in front of some old temples. In the corner, below the flower, one can see a dark humanoid figure. This card is a teaser for Lotus.

Astra managed to translate only four words from the bracelet: "guardian", "flower", "gift", and "key". Three of these have relatively obvious meanings - the Bracelet was the key that opened the City of Flowers, an ancient city that was built by the Guardians. However, it is currently unclear what message "gift" was supposed to provide.

When hearing Astra talk about the engravings, Harbor was surprised to learn that the Guardians did truly exist - implying that he previously heard unconfirmed evidence or rumors of them. This tells us that there are at least loose stories and myths about the Astral Guardians that do exist among human civilization.

However, it is unknown to what extent these myths are known among the common people. It is possible that Harbor only knew about these tales due to his experience with REALM and the world of ancient antiquities, relics, and the legends that surrounded them.

### Patch 5.12: the 'Nature's Wrath' Audio Log

Skye: Astra! Harbor! How we looking?
Astra: We're almost there.
Harbor: The ATLAS troops are gaining on us!
Skye: 'Course they are. Hold up!
[*The three come to a halt as Skye channels Regrowth.*]
Skye: How far to the lost city? Any chance we outrun 'em?
Harbor: It's too far, we need a contingency plan.
Skye: Watcha got?
Harbor: We'll hold them here.
Astra: There's no time, we must move!
Skye: Right. You two keep going, I'll stay here, slow 'em down.
Astra: Are you sure?
Skye: Only you two can open the gate. No wukkas [no worries], I'll handle it!
Astra: Go. Good luck!
Harbor: Be safe, Skye.
Skye: Ah, you know me.
[*Harbor and Astra walk away. Skye takes a deep breath, before drawing her knife and hiding herself. Multiple ATVs are heard approaching. The vehicles stop, and their riders get down.*]
ATLAS Titan Lead: This way, stay sharp.
ATLAS Soldier: Sweeping the area.
ATLAS Titan Lead: Keep it tight, keep it tight.
[*Skye takes out one of the soldiers by stabbing them silently.*]
ATLAS Titan Lead: Perimeter control, I said keep it tight! If I can't see you, you're too far. Where the hell'd you go?
[*Skye activates Trailblazer and sends it forwards.*
ATLAS Titan Lead: Field command, this is Titan Lead. I've lost eyes on-
[*The Tasmanian tiger tackles Titan Lead, brining them down, and Skye kills them with her Phantom.*]
ATLAS Field Command: Titan Lead? Titan Lead, come in. Sector 7 ground units, Titan Lead is not responding. Check the position.
ATLAS Soldier: Roger, approaching now.
[*The ATLAS soldiers are heard walking nearby.*]
ATLAS Soldier: Titan Lead? You there?
ATLAS Soldier: Can't see crap out here.
ATLAS Soldier: Wait a minute. Shit, got a body here!
[*Skye summons Guiding Light and sends it forwards.*]
ATLAS Soldier: Titan Lead down, call in-
[*The Hawk explodes, blinding the soldiers. Skye takes one of them out with a knife, another with her Phantom, before being tackled down by the third.*]
Skye: Piss OFF!
[*Skye pulls out a Sheriff and kills the last soldier.*]
ATLAS Soldier: [in the distance] Shots fired, shots fired!
ATLAS Soldier: Call it out!
ATLAS Soldier: West, Sector 7!
ATLAS Field Command: Sector 7, we hear shots fired. Report. Sector 7 ground, report in.
Skye: [picks up radio] Yeah, that's gonna be a problem.
ATLAS Field Command: Who is this? Identify.
Skye: Why don't you come and find out, mate?
ATLAS Field Command: Alpha contact, Sector 7! All units, respond! I repeat, Alpha contact-
[*Skye crushes the radio.*]
Skye: Should buy 'em some time.
[*Multiple ATVs are heard approaching from the distance. Skye loads an Ares, and begins firing at the oncoming troops. Some are heard exclaiming "Over ther-" and "Get her out-" before being shot down.*]
Skye: Where do you think you're going?
[*Skye summons her Seekers and sends them to hunt down the soldiers. As they catch up to ATLAS, the last remaining enemies in the area are taken down. Skye hops onto one of the now-unmanned ATVs.*]
Skye: Thanks for the ride!
ATLAS Soldier: The ATV! She's on the move!
[*Skye rides off on the stolen ATV, being pursued and shot at by several troops.*]
ATLAS Soldier: RPG! Bring her down!
[*RPG fired in the distance.*]
Skye: Oh- shit!
[*The RPG hits Skye, knocking her off the vehicle. She picks herself up, screams in rage, and begins firing ceaselessly with her Ares until her magazine is emptied.*]
Skye: Hmm.
[*A helicopter is heard in approaching.*]
Skye: Oh, you've got to be KIDDING!
[*Skye runs away from the helicopter as it closes in on her position, then opens fire.*
Skye: Bloody hell!
ATLAS Soldier: She's heading for the waterfall!
ATLAS Soldier: Don't let her jump! Get her!
[*Skye leaps off, jumping down the waterfall and into the water below. She comes up for air, then swims to the shore, out of breath and thoroughly exhausted.*]
Skye: Harbor... Astra... you owe me...

This Patch's Audio Log continued the ongoing mission in Omega Earth: Skye, Harbor and Astra were sent on a cross-continental trip, to reach the City of Flowers. Once there, they intended to lay down a Teleportal Beacon, which would allow permanent 2-way travel between the city and the PROTOCOL's own teleportal.

The PROTOCOL's need to get to the City of Flowers was because of its function of a Multiverse Nexus - one that was dormant at the moment, but if activated, would release a shockwave towards Alpha capable of causing mass destruction. Since Alpha's version of the City of Flowers has been destroyed, there was nothing to absorb the incoming shock. A potential activation would result in millions of casualties

Because the PROTOCOL's only access point into Omega Earth was through the terminal in Pearl, the team of Agents had to get all the way from Lisbon to India, where the City of Flowers is located. At the time of the Audio Log's recording, the three were "almost there" - almost at the end of their momentous journey.

While on this journey, the primary danger that the team faced was ATLAS - the same security organization whose soldiers were seen in the *SHATTERED* cinematic. After having fought against them repeatedly on the way through Europe and Asia, they came in for one last standoff as their trip reached its end.

In order to ensure that Astra and Harbor would have as much time as possible to work on the city, Skye opted to stay behind and keep ATLAS distracted. She did this by going on a rampage, taking down several ATLAS soldiers who stood in her path, only giving up in the end when faced against an approaching attack helicopter.

As summarized by Skye's voicemail during the same patch, her bold antics left her stranded 10 klicks (10km, 6.21 miles) away from the other two, a testament to how well she was able to hold back ATLAS's troops. In the *REVELATION* cinematic, we saw that her efforts were not in vain, as the two of them managed to get into the city without being harried by ATLAS (of course, by then the Legion Agents had arrived, but that is a different matter).

## Notes

* The 'Sting' mission was originally meant to be a cinematic, which couldn't be completed due to restraints in budget and time. Cypher's Office was created as an alternative way to deliver the cinematic content in an 'audio drama' format

## Teasers

On 10th April, at around 9:30am PST, @VALORANTtr posted an image that was deleted within an hour. It was a teaser for Cypher's Office, showing him sitting on his desk, with all of his many monitors hacked, and now only showing [ENCRYPTED]'s symbol.

Cypher is very obviously shocked at the development, as witnessed by his hands on his head, as well as by the upturned coffee mug that lies fallen on his desk, with all the beverage having spilled out.

## References

1. ↑ This was first identified Go by Rei (viper enjoyer#8227), on the VALORANT Lore // Art Server
2. ↑ The image doesn't look to be of any particular importance (currently) - Tweet by Arch Scribe Cynprel Go
3. ↑ Image Go by Record Keeper ChillX, on the VALORANT Lore // Art Server
4. ↑ The elements of a cinematic are timetaking and difficult to produce - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
5. ↑ The various steps of the creative process that went into creating the *DUALITY* cinematic - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
6. ↑ Riot is restricted to about one cinematic every six months, because of intensive effort needed to create them - Reddit AmA with Creative Director Riot KingKut Go
7. ↑ Patch 4.08 voicemails in Brimstone's OfficeGo
8. ↑ Patch 5.07 audio was transcribed with help from #DarkGlaceon#0001 on the VALORANT Lore // Art Server Go
9. ↑ Patch 5.08 audio was transcribed by Kingdom Archives Go
10. ↑ Patch 5.12 audio was transcribed with much help from @Stratege\_304
11. ↑ Harbor's Voicemail to Brimstone, discussing the City of Flowers Go
12. ↑ Some comments on the making of The Sting - Discord QnA with Creative Director, Riot KingKut Go