[Target Spotted: 5,954 Meters Northeast of Current Location]
"There it is, in all of it's glory."
Tip stood atop the school building, scouting the location while Bo and Nifla where on-site, cloaked and scanning for abnormalities.
Bo and Nifla moved to another spot for a better look at the entrance to the facility, warping within an instant thanks to Nifla's abilities.
It was a small house with boarded windows and door; any normal person would think it was abandoned and steer clear, but Nifla could see inside. Her abilities revealed an elaborate passageway underground that led to hundreds of feet under the surface; possibly lower.
"The citizens… What are they doing to them?"
They sat in a pile, Nifla said. The passage stretched far beneath the surface, and in the middle of it sat a large block holding seemingly thousands of people together. Bo spoke, still unsure of what to expect.
"That's still not enough for the entirety of Hinasho City to be there. It must go deeper than your sight can go."
"Most likely."
[High Value Target: Approximately 75 Meters Underneath Your Location]
Bo picked up the walkie talkie, holding it to his mouth before speaking softly, careful not to draw attention to himself.
"Identify Target."
[Identify: No Persons Present Higher Than Rank Sergeant]
Nifla became worried by Tip's report.
"That contradicts his previous report."
Bo interrupted her, holding his hand in front of her and halting her speech.
"Shhh...Follow my lead, Nifla."
Bo descended from the tree and, with the help of Nifla, made no sound while doing so. Bo walked closer to the building cautiously, trying to stay as silent as possible, not even crushing a leaf.
Bo held his walkie to his mouth once more.
"Tip, surveillance."
[Command Acquired.]
Nifla picked up her walkie as well.
"There's an enemy approaching the door."
Everyone stood silently as the door slowly opened, screeching as a man exited the building. They pulled out a cigarette and began smoking against the door. His appearance was that of a young man with brown hair and a neatly shaved beard, much like a civilian, but he bore a strange badge. It was a golden crest that looked like a layout of the Metam continent, and it was positioned on his chest.
[Target Acquired: "Ocular Override"]
The man began twitching as soon as Tip's report came in, and his eyes became clear, seeming to reflect anything he was looking at. He entered the building slowly and closed his eyes. Nifla and Bo followed closely behind.
"I'm cloaking us, Bo. Stick close to Tip's man puppet."
"Ok."
The initial house that hid the facility seemed like it was about to collapse from beneath them. The floorboards creaked as they stepped through the building until Nifla deafened the noise with a silent snap of a finger. The man that Tip had taken control of sat atop an extensive ladder-way, leading further into the facility.
The man turned around and spoke.
"I've got an idea, Nifla."
"Let's hear it."
"Since there's a high chance that there's enemies down there, why don't I climb down alone while you and Bo shrink down and climb atop my back? That way, we can get past them and possibly get some info about what's going on down here."
"Sounds good. What are you going to do in the meantime?"
"While I'm controlling him, I'm going to head over to the facility myself in case things go sour."
"That sounds like a plan. Do you think so too, Bo?"
Bo stepped toward the man Tip was controlling.
"Yeah."
"Ok then. I'm going into dual recon. I should be able to hear you guys from my 'drone' if you need me. From now on refer to him as me."
They both responded.
"Noted."
Bo and Nifla shrunk down, climbing atop Tip's back. Tip climbed down the ladder, making so much noise that everyone was glad they'd gone with Tip's plan. As they began to approach the bottom, it seemed exactly as Tip had predicted.
Five men stood at the foot of the ladder, making curious looks toward Tip.
"Hey, Young! What're you doing down here so early?! I thought you were on front door duty today!"
Tip eventually reached the bottom of the ladder, but he waited until he'd completely descended to respond. Bo and Nifla hid in his collar, peering over so they could see what was happening. Nifla cloaked them for good measure.
"The coast seemed clear enough, so I just decided to come back down."
Tip started walking down the corridor, and one man followed. He had a trimmed beard and a uni-brow, giving him a rough yet distinguished look. His hair was short and curly, and he wore a vest with a strange embroidery lining the expensive-looking fabric, a white shirt underneath.
"Really, huh? Tis a shame, though. I was looking forward to some action, for once. Not even grunts like us were allowed to go into town last night. They got to hog all of the fun."
The man laughed, his voice full of bass. He had a strange confidence to him or, perhaps, an ego, the mercenaries able to sense it through his voice and mannerisms.
"Yeah. I heard Dola showed up, though."
"That's about the only downside to it, though, if you even consider that a downside. She's quite the looker for over 40, and the abrasive personality doesn't deter."
He chuckled again at himself, but Tip challenged, playing deeper into the scenario.
"I wouldn't joke about that. Next thing you know you'll actually be in cuffs. They don't take lightly to us."
"Right, right. Well… how's the Mrs?"
Tip paused, unsure of how to answer.
"Getting better."
Tip thought to himself, the weight of the question holding much more significance than he'd expected. Given the wrong answer, it could blow his cover
'I have no idea about this guy's personal life, so I'll play it safe. 'Getting better' leaves possibility for a few situations.'
The man folded his arms, looking forward instead of at Tip now.
"Really? Glad you two are getting back into the groove."
Tip continued to try and converse with the guy while getting farther into the facility. Little light was used in the corridors leaving a lot of blind spots, but through his power, he could see through the darkness, dozens of troops accompanying those blind spots. They made no movements as they traversed through the corridor, but he could feel the weight of their eyes upon the two of them.
'They've prepared for possible invasion.'
The man followed them into a room that was unlike the others, a plain white color lining the walls in its entirety.
'A white room?'
Not a single color was in the room, but a dozen men stood in a line facing the door. Smiles grew on their faces.
A click was heard behind them, and Tip's automated voice rang through the ears of everyone in the room, shaking their bodies.
[Incoming force of over 60 joules: Attempted attack.]
Tip's body turned instantly and caught the man's attack, a strike of his own swiftly plummeting into the man's face. The man flew back into the wall, blood seeping from his busted lip and nearly broken nose.
'They knew we were coming.'
Tip whispered over his shoulder.
"Bo. Nifla. The jig is up."
Nifla and Bo returned to normal size, facing their backs to Tip and covering all angles. The men began charging them together.
"DIE, MERC! WE WON'T GIVE MERCY HOWEVER LONG YOU BEG!"
Bo stepped forward with his bat in hand.
"I can handle them. You two go on ahead."
The nodded in unison.
"I trust you."
Nifla teleported herself and Tip out of the room and further into the facility while Bo stayed, preparing to fight. One of the men spoke, their eyes crazed and hungry for blood.
"You seem a little confident in yourself, huh? That won't last long. We'll make sure of it!"
All of them unleashed their powers, the man who'd led them there still recovering from Tip's blow to the face. They were all natural abilities, leaving Bo with the advantage.
Bo cut under them, tripping a few while the others just continued to follow him. As one ran up to him, Bo swung his bat, making a whoosh through the air and contorting the man's face.
"Next."
They charged in unison, but Bo's superior hand-to-hand combat skills shown true as he quickly swung his bat furiously yet precise, leaving all of the grunts on the ground with blood splattered all over the white room's walls.
The man that Tip struck stood up again, pushing against the wall for support.
"You're strong, strong indeed, but I'm sorry to inform you. You're not strong enough."