Nest of Vipers

"*Democracy... A marvelous system that we don't need right now. We been waging a constant war for over 2 decades now and it's time to change that. We, we are about to make a change. It's because people can choose that the wrong choices are made. The Sovereignty believe that they can continue to fight for their ideals, deciding for everyone what the new world should be. We got to put them in check. It's time for a new system, one that preserves peace through order.*"
―Whistler briefing the committee.

**Nest of Vipers** is the ninth mission in Warzone: Iron Wolf II. It resolves around Mark "Karma" Owen and the Vanguard team protecting the Geneva Convention Committee from Terminus assassins during a conference in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

## Cutscene

*This is only unlocked after completing The Devil Incarnate.*

Saint's expression goes from satisfied to displeased, as together with Deuce, Skylar "Siren" Woodrow, now under the pseudonym of Lady Black, steps into the room. Saint asks why she is here, but she responds that the voice is "him", the Agent that targeted the Archangel team in Africa. Saint quickly fires back, saying what that means for them, but Prophet calmly says that that means someone has infiltrated the Convention and that they need to make sure he is not puppeteering the Convention.
Glasgow notes that only one person could fit the position of their man; the leader of The Intelligence Agency, Tom Whistler. Locke asks what Whistler has to gain by planning out the Singapore attack, to which Glasgow replies the similarity with a CIA operation that was planned to gain more supporters behind them and their plans. Saint says that he is framing them to get his own agenda in the works and that they should dispose his ass in front of the world.
However, Lady Black steps in and says that they got no credibility at this point and gathering enough evidence will take too long. Saint responds, asking what they should do then, to which Black replies that they got to erase him from the picture now. Prophet says that a committee is assembling in Monte Carlo, with Whistler as a guest. Locke notes that they are running low on equipment, meaning that whatever happens, they will get a lot of angry people go after them. Saint responds with that he might know a way to gather some insurance.
Prophet proposes to split up them, but Saint says they aren't with enough. Lady Black curtly says that she got some people she can rally to go with them and that they will manage. The team agrees to split up and Lady Black, Deuce and Prophet decide to go to Monte Carlo, while Saint, Locke and Glasgow will plan another operation. The scene ends with Saint bitterly turning a cold shoulder to the 3 going to Monte Carlo as he says that whatever happens there will be on them.

## Overview

The screen opens with the POV of Karma inside a luxurious apartment with a convivial atmosphere, as fancy dressed people are having small talks. He, Harrison Decker and Thomas Jaeger are elite bodyguards for the members of the committee. Whistler steps up and grabs the attention to give his opinion on the coming conference. He ends with a wish of good fortune and the audience claps. After he is done, Whistler approaches the trio, telling them that he appreciates the work the members have done in the past and also congratulates Karma, saying that for both of them it still a day of celebrating independence is, albeit in a new light.

Decker takes the opportunity to ask Whistler about what the Agency knows about Terminus at this stage. Whistler grins and responds that Terminus isn't going to be a problem anymore soon and that they've played all their cards He goes on, saying that he will promise that Decker and his men will be the ones dealing the final blow when the time arrives. In the corner of his eye, Karma notices a scope glint in a building across the hotel and shouts everyone to lay down and that there's sniper. A shot pierces through the window of the apartment, but misses Whistler. Decker takes charge in evacuating the committee and Whistler, who asks for Decker's pistol.

They head down the hotel stairway and through the radio, Vanguard guards notify the 3 Vanguard operatives of assassins entering the hotel lobby to ambush them. The team takes point and repels the assassins inside the lobby, with Whistler also engaging the hostiles in the firefight. Jaeger shows some respect for Whistler's skills, who says it's all experience. They escort the committee and Whistler to an armored convoy and let them escape safely. Clockwork contacts the crew, saying that the city escape routes are covered and that they got to "clean up" the city as quick as possible. Whistler says he will send his best teams to assist them in that before stepping into a car and driving away.

After gaining access to it from Clockwork, Karma takes control of a Warhound, a robotic canine drone, that allows him to scale buildings and travel through the city extremely fast. The Warhound can tackle enemies and subdue them with a shock or kill them by snapping their neck. Together with Vanguard and Agency teams, Karma can quickly recon areas, eliminate hostiles and have them bagged by friendly forces. The entire map is open to explore in any way possible and the amount of enemies apprehended or killed is up to the speed and efficiency of the player. If the Warhound is destroyed, the mission fails. The player is notified of ongoing gunfights throughout the city and is able to intervene them by flanking them and causing confusion inside clusters of assassins.

After cleaning up the majority of the city, Karma and his team are contacted by Cardinal, who's with the Agency. He says that they have surrounded the sniper's nest and ask the Vanguard Warhound to recon the building first, find out who is hiding there. Karma does so and reaches with the Warhound, who is about to tackle a female, but one operative grabs the Warhound and drags it down, emptying a clip into the Warhound's head and deactivate it, saying to some others of screen he will hold them off. Cardinal contacts the team again, saying that the operative is a HVT and must be brought in alive. Vanguard moves towards the location and take in the chaos that had swept through the city. Jaeger notes that considering the scale of the attack, they got lucky. Decker responds petulantly that he never got lucky in the city before.

The Vanguard team and the Agency team enter the building, slowly heading towards the room with the HVT. They enter it, finding the HVT with his hands raised and on his knees. The team surrounds him and Cardinal steps forward, saying he will be damned. Deuce responds, saying he thought so he saw him, but Cardinal hits him the face, knocking him down, asking why he is doing all of this. Deuce laughs, saying: "You know me, right? It's what we do, remember?". Cardinal turns around and walks away, commanding to take Deuce to Agency headquarters for interrogation. Karma, Decker and Jaeger wait for a few seconds and Jaeger asks what they think is going on. Decker responds, saying that he doesn't want to know what was between them.

## Characters

* Mark "Karma" Owen
* Harrison Decker
* Thomas Jaeger
* Tom Whistler
* Mike "Deuce" Fisher
* John "Cardinal" Fowler

## Achievements

* **Queen's Gambit** (15 File:Gamerscore.png/Bronze File:Trophy bronze.png) - Complete **Nest of Vipers** on any difficulty.