Sirlo walked to the center of the camp. Everyone who was taking part in the operation was already waiting for him. He took a look around, making sure no one was missing before he started.
"Everyone, listen up. We are starting the operation in one hour. You have this time to prepare yourselves. Thanks to Hera, we were able to find a good route through the woods. I have given the information about the path you are going to take to the explorers in each team. Everyone is to leave their tablets behind. We cannot afford to have that kind of electronic signal showing up on their scanners. If the explorer in your team is out of commission, look for another. Keep in mind that even after we are done with the lab, things are not over. We should head north for the escape plan. We will be going through Xacare Valley, then Yotar Plains, and finally Remist Jungle. There, we will assess the situation and decide whether we risk going for another crossing or not," he said, pausing to give people a chance to ask questions.
"Just as a reminder. If we get separated, what do we do?" Brok, another of the dwarves from the Wandering Scale, asked. He was an engineer specializing in security panels and opening locked doors, in contrast to Grimm, who could also open doors but preferred a more forceful approach.
"That depends on when you get separated. If it is during our initial infiltration, you should wait outside until there is an alarm or something that proves the humans know we are invading. Then you join the others to protect the entrance so they cannot send reinforcements or trap us inside. If it is inside the lab, figure out a way to find the rest of the team. I do not have a better solution for that one. The entire structure is built like a labyrinth, so try not to get lost. If it is when we are escaping, there are a few checkpoints you need to look out for. They have the same symbols as the ones you saw when we were getting here. If you cannot find anything, just try to reach an alliance-controlled room."
"What about if we are captured?" Mariana, the Triton healer from the Stormcrest Company, asked. She carried a staff similar to Neria's that could create various types of liquid on command, something very common for the Tritons, who had a natural affinity for water.
"That is up to you and your team. This operation is not focused on saving people, even though that is part of the strategy. If you get captured and there is no way of getting you out quickly, we might need to leave you behind. With some luck, this operation will do what we hope it will, and you will not suffer too much. If you have bad luck, then I do not know," Sirlo admitted.
"So do not get captured. Got it," Koros, the beastman with gray fur also from the Stormcrest Company, nodded.
"After we reach the lab, we are going to split into three teams. Stormcrest Company will be in charge of finding the key locations in the lab and taking control of them. I am talking about the security room, control room, communications room, all that stuff. The Harmony Guardians are in charge of locating the cells and filming them. You are also supposed to fight any Soldier of Strength that you come across, but let us hope there are not too many. Lastly, the Wandering Scale will be working as a backup for both other teams. Grimm and Brok, the two of you will split between the teams. We honestly have no idea where each of your skill sets will work better, so it is up to you," Sirlo turned to Hera.
"The fourth team will be Hera by herself, but not really. As soon as we enter the lab, you are going to take a corridor to the left and use a vent to reach the sister facility. You are going to be on your own, and it will take a lot of time for anyone to be able to help you. I hope you can manage that."
Hera's court appeared behind her, with Livy, Lurize, Nimbus, Viper, Crimson, and Vulcan taking their titled forms. "We got this. Technically, all teams will have roughly the same number of members."
There were some mumbles around, small gasps from those who had not yet seen the display, and a couple of people commenting on how impressive her legacy was.
"Okay then. Remember, the goal is to record everything that we are seeing. If possible, we are going to rescue the people who are there, but that is, unfortunately, a secondary objective. The primary is the recording. However, if anyone finds Frostbite or whoever has that tattoo legacy, kill them. Any more questions?" Sirlo gave everyone a moment, but this time, no one spoke up.
"Great. One last thing. Each team will have a few snakes following along. They will act as the cameramen. Hera is the one controlling those snakes. You can just point to where you want them to film, and they will capture it. If they cannot get a good angle, just grab them and point their heads at the area. Hera, as soon as you are finished getting ready, meet me at the doorway. We are going to cross over first and start prepping them."
Hera nodded, and everyone split off. There was not much she needed to do to get ready, mostly just taking their tents down and confirming they were not forgetting anything.
In just a few moments, the Empress was standing in front of the doorway, together with the rest of the Harmony Guardians.
"Ready?" Sirlo asked.
"We are," Hera nodded.
"Then everybody grabbed one of those boxes and cross over with me," Sirlo pointed to the side, where a few boxes were resting.
"What's inside of those?" Flint asked.
"A couple of them have the cloaks they're going to wear, and the others have the cameras for the snakes," Sirlo explained as he picked one up.
There were another five boxes, but that also meant there were more than enough people to carry them to the other side.
Back in the Ashen Root, the first thing Hera did was call all of her snakes. They started preparing them for the mission, picking the cameras and connecting them up over their bodies. All the while, the Empress was just staring down at the snakes, giving them individual numbers and commands.
The device is worth a small black box with a tiny lens in the front and a microphone attached at the top. Underneath it, there was a small clamp that could glue itself to the snakes. The agency had already made all the tests necessary to make sure no amount of movement would make the cameras fall. It took them a good 20 minutes to finish setting everything up. By the end of it, a few of the snakes were left behind, the ones that would accompany the teams in the lab, while the rest of them already left the cave.
Most of those cameras also had a cable attached to another, forming a pair. Those pairs were supposed to be in different snakes. And Hera commanded the snakes to act natural and not always move together while also making sure that they wouldn't be too far apart for the cable. In addition, each of those snakes in a pair was required to be on a different side of the barriers. That way, the transmission could go through the blocking spells without a problem.
"Hang on. How exactly are we going to take the snakes?" Vash asked.
"On our bodies? They can just wrap around people's legs, arms, whatever people are more comfortable," Hera replied.
"But what about the cloaks? Wasn't there a whole thing about how we couldn't put one cloak inside another or the invisibility effect would go kaput?" Vash asked.
"You really didn't pay attention to the explanation, did you?" Skyler shook her head. "The snakes that are coming with us to the lab don't have an invisibility effect on their cameras. They will be invisible only because they are under the cloaks. When we get there, Flint and the other Crafters will finish the spell circle for their invisibility effect."
"And the ones that are on the snakes that already left are also different. They only make the cameras invisible. The snakes are still full view," Hera added.
Vash nodded, "Right, I remember that part."
People will slowly start to come out of the doorway as the Harmony Guardians helped everybody get set up. The Ophidianite told everyone about the snakes again and how they would be wrapped around their bodies during the infiltration. Once the entire 20 people team was ready, they put on the cloaks and covered their heads with the hood, triggering the invisibility effect and started to move.
The Explorers took charge of guiding everyone by using small spells that would create a drawing or a symbol in the air. It helped that each Explorer could use their own map to make sure they were following the correct path. They also had their displays set up in a way that they could track the position of all members of the operation, even if they were invisible to everything else. This only worked thanks to a small trinket that they gave everybody. Hera wasn't even aware that was a possibility. But apparently, if she imbued an item with her mana and gave it to someone else, this other person would also appear on her map in real time.
Usually, if she had a short-range communicator, the effect would be the same, and that's likely why she never worried about finding something else to simulate that same result. But it was still good to know that this was a possibility.
Without saying a word, the group rushed across the jungle. They were being very careful not to make too much noise, but there were some time frames that they needed to keep. Along the route given by Al, there were moments when the Brutehorned Lizards move quickly across a specific area. Sure, their actual time frame was much longer than what they were using, but the guy had to give them precise directions. If they were to waste that, or go against what was said, there was a good chance the humans would notice the group.
Thankfully, it seemed like the path they were following also made sure that no monsters would get close. They only noticed tracks or distance sounds of the creatures that inhabited this room. That was one of the reasons for this strange movement they had to follow.
After 1 hour, the group reached the first barrier. There were a couple of Hera's snakes around, and so far they had sent no signals to the Empress that something was going wrong. Still, the group had to cross the threshold and walk around it, staying close to the edge for a few minutes before they could towards the inside layer.
Everyone froze as they watched a pair of humans approach. Both of them carrying heavy weapons and looking around with serious expressions. According to the route they were supposed to take, they had to stop on this specific location for 5 minutes before continuing. The tension grew as those guards approached. Every single member of the team was worried that someone would decide to go against the plan. Someone would get cold feet and figure they should attack first before getting noticed.
Yet, that did not happen. Everyone was able to keep their cool and not mess everything up with a rash decision.
After moving to the next spot where they had to wait, there was another close call. This time, a drone was flying overhead, but the group was near a cluster of trees and after passing by the first without any issues, they all felt more confident about the plan.
The same thing happened for another 20 minutes. They would move in strange directions but stop just at the right moment before a patrol would pass by. Eventually, they reached a tall, ashen rock protruding from the ground. Brok approached it and unveiled a small keypad on the side. And after about a minute, the rock shifted, revealing an entrance. It opened directly into an elevator, and everybody rushed inside.
They all waited, still covered by the invisible cloaks, until the door closed and they started the descent. Once that part was clear, they all took off the hood so they could talk to each other properly. This was the last moment of reprieve they would have until this operation was over.