"Everything that goes on at Area 51 is classified 'top secret' when it's going on." - Annie Jacobsen, investigative journalist
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Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Alex was still undecided between Hades' Helm and the tinfoil hat while preparing the necessary items for his raid of Area 51. He had discussed with his Generals and made a detailed plan. First, he would take a flight to Las Vegas, Then a taxi to a nearby town, and finally enter the base covertly on foot.
Alex allowed Scott to temporarily speed up the time flow of Cardopolis so that he could collect more Seal cards. Soon after, it was time to leave.
***
"Passengers, we have arrived at the destination. Enjoy your trip to Las Vegas!"
As Alex got off the plane, the first thing he was surprised by was the multitude of slot machines all over the airport. 'I guess it makes sense Las Vegas would have something like this...'
Leaving the airport, Alex took a taxi to the Las Vegas strip. Bright lights, crowds of tourists, giant fountains, and casinos. It was his first time here and his jaw dropped looking out the window.
Alex wanted to stay in Las Vegas for a few days and try to turn his billions into trillions, but Scott had convinced him not to. First, Scott told him that it would lead to the Rodwells possibly discovering his identity. More importantly, he told him there was a chance that Area 51 would have Ironman armor, so Alex immediately changed the target of his enthusiasm.
In the city, Alex walked through a busy shopping area, where he bought a pair of sunglasses, a baseball hat, and local clothing with cash. He changed his clothes in a bathroom before leaving the area and finding another taxi. The Rodwells had significant access to intelligence data such as cameras so Alex was being careful. Otherwise, there would be a chance they could track him down following the raid.
From there, he hopped into the back of another taxi. "Can you take me to Rachel, Nevada?" he asked the driver.
"...That town near Area 51? That's two hours from here," the drive answered. Alex threw 1000 dollars onto the passenger seat. When the man saw it, he immediately started the car. "The customer's always right." It was a peaceful trip with Alex playing PUBG on his phone the whole way.
Several hours later, the car arrived at a tiny town with a population under 100 that was a frequent destination for many visitors daily.
This was an area where hundreds of strange UFO sightings had been reported over the decades. Area 51 itself had been a myth for a long time until several years ago when the US government publically admitted that it was a real Air Force base. Since then, tourists frequently visited the area, especially UFO aficionados. As such, there were many cars and tourist buses that ran through the town.
Alex exited the taxi and the car left. At this time, sundown was approaching. His plan was to sneak onto the base after dark, but before that, he had to make extra preparations. He went to a secluded area behind a building and put on the Helm of Darkness.
Now invisible, he walked through the edges of the town until he found an abandoned garage where he hid a bag of supplies. It was filled with food, water, and other necessities. After raiding the base, his plan was to make it back here and sneak into a bus or car to leave the area.
Hopefully this time he could escape before the personnel even found anything was missing, but it was important to have a backup plan. Just in case the military closed off the town or roads, he would need to leave on foot and walk for some time before reaching the next town.
It was getting dark now so Alex decided it was time to leave. The town was several miles away from the base so he still had a slight walk ahead of him. Hidden under the cover of his Helm, Alex walked towards the base along a dirt road. Although it was dark, from time to time, the moonlight revealed a white security vehicle near the road. These were monitoring vehicles from the base.
About a mile from the base, the road became paved. The number of vehicles steadily increased until Alex caught sight of a chainlink fence blocking the road, illuminated by street lights. Next to the fence were several guard posts with soldiers inside, keeping a watchful eye on the perimeter. Alex approached the fence, his heartbeat accelerating when he saw it.
There, on a white metal board, in large black lettering, written in a stern font that showed the stoic air of the military, was the text he came here to see.
"Area 51."