VIPER's presence in the Rime Woods has resulted in a dramatic effect in the area. The Woods' normally docile wildlife, typically afraid of human contact, has mutated and show signs of both increased aggression and ferocity. Several hikers and bigfoot have been captured by VIPER agents and are being held at field labs throughout the region, awaiting whatever experimental procedures their captors have planned for them. The efforts of VIPER personnel in the area are being coordinated out of a facility known as the Clutch, and if the Rime Woods are to be returned to their rightful state its this complex that will have to be shut down.