The missile base was two levels below ground, with a central lift connecting all floors. Johan, Wade, and Connor silently approached the lift, which was guarded, as expected.
"Lucy, cameras…?"
Johan asked.
"I've hacked all the cameras leading to the target. But try not to cause a commotion or they'll suspect."
"That's fine…"
"The lift is the only way to get down… meaning it's impossible to get down without getting their attention. Lucy, is there an alternative route to the target?"
Wade asked.
"Negative. The base is a vertical structure… only one way up and down. Going through the lift is the only way to get to the target."
"Any ideas?"
Lucy replied,
"There's a duty shift every two hours, and the last shift happened about twenty minutes ago, so waiting isn't an option. But two hostiles are clocking on your position, t-minus 8..."
"Yes, thank you Lucy for the friendly reminder that we don't have time," said Wade.
"You didn't let me finish. You and Connor are to take out the hostiles guarding the lift and disguise as them. Johan, I need you to be light again to get to the ceiling of the lift without being detected."
"Right!"
The plan was set in motion. Wade and Connor acted quickly and intercepted their targets before they even made a sound. Johan proceeded to get on the lift and found the hatch on the ceiling and crawled up to it. At this time, Wade and Connor were done disguising themselves as the guards and stood watch, when the hostiles Lucy talked about appeared moments later.
Every guard wore alight headgear that somewhat concealed their faces a little. This worked to Wade and Connor's advantage as they simply nodded at the guards before the latter got into the lift. Johan tightly held onto the lift as it descended.
Shortly after, the lift came to a stop.
"Lucy, where am I?"
Johan asked.
"You're at the base level. Just a few inches above you to your right is the vent system, get into it and I'll be directing you. It will lead you to the target."
Johan found the vent hatch and crawled into it. The space was cramped and dusty, but Johan had no trouble squeezing in and moving through it undetected. After minutes of wandering the maze-like vents with the help of Lucy's directions, Johan finally found the exit that connected to where prisoners were kept.
"This is it. The area below the vent is where prisoners are held, and our target is there. But don't rush in just yet, there's an ongoing ward round. You'll go on my command."
Lucy stated. From the van, she had access to all the cameras within and outside the facility, and before this, she had already been debriefed on the base's security protocols and the times they were carried out. Hence why she could take the necessary steps to work around them.
While waiting, Johan attached a harness to his waist and connected the other end to the wall of the vent, in preparation for his next move.
A couple of minutes later, she called out,
"Johan, it's go time."
Johan quietly opened the vent hatch and crawled out.
"It's dark here, I can barely see my hands."
The cell holding was designed to shut the prisoners away from any form of light, which could deal them intense psychological damage in various ways.
"You have night vision goggles for a reason. The target is at your nine o'clock… cell number 86G," replied Lucy.
Johan tried to bring his feet down to the ground, but it was impossible without the extra weights he wore. Despite that, he still could move along the walls, using minimal force to propel himself forward. Equip with night vision goggles and Lucy's directions, Johan found their target's cell, Hidalgo Davila.
Johan was hanging upside down from the cell, barely holding onto the cell bars to keep him from floating away. He then threw a pendant with an insignia into the cell.
"Who's there?"
Someone spoke up from within the cell.
"Keep your voice down or you'll get us into trouble. Just to confirm, what's your name?"
The cell was pitch black, but after asking, Johan heard footsteps from within the cell.
"Davila… Hidalgo Davila, and this is my country's military insignia."
"Your superiors want you out of here, so let's get down to it."
"Where are you talking from? I can't see a thing in this damned place."
The cells had an electronic keypad fit with a fingerprint scanner.
"Lucy…"
"Way ahead of you. I just need more time to isolate his cell so I won't trigger the alarm system…"
"Just open the cell already."
Shortly after, the cell's electronic keypad issued a light beep before the steel bars slid to the side.
"Give me your hand, I'm directly above you," said Johan as he reached out.
Davila raised his hand and felt around before finally grabbing Johan's hand.
"Hang on tight,"
Johan had the harness attached to him, and by pushing a button on the harness, the cable was retrieved, pulling them in the process. Davila already knew what was happening and simply went with it if it meant he could get out of there.
Getting to vent, Johan reminded.
"You have to be quiet… and no talking."
With this, both of them started to crawl through the vents. Johan moved agilely making little to no sound at all, while Davila was left in awe at how someone could move so freely in such a cramped space. Shortly after navigating the vents, they came to the exit connecting them to the lift. The lift was still at its initial position, so they either had to wait till someone was ready to go up, or they'd have to climb. But for now, they safely landed on the roof of the lift.
It was only at this moment that Davila got to see who his rescuer was. The first thing he noticed was Johan crouching on the lift,
"Are… you okay?" He asked.