There hasn't been a mission this dangerous since the first facility they attacked. However, this time they had a larger force and thanks to training some of them had new skills to try. Alexandria took in a deep breath glad to be back on the water again. They had spent way too much time on land. She did love the island but being out on the water was definitely the best.
Tyra had to make some adjustments to the crow's nest. Hugo's ship didn't have much to it, so she was able to upgrade it a bit to her liking. The course to this secret facility was rather straightforward which made Tyra wonder why no one had ever stumbled upon it before. She was just starting to relax a bit when something in the distance caught her eye. There was a mist floating over the water and it didn't seem like it was going away anytime soon.
“Captain Alexandria there is a thick blanket of mist ahead of us. We should probably stop for a moment and check the coordinates on the map.” She didn't want anything to surprise. Especially if this information was leading them into a trap. She had seen different types of fog and mist on the water before but this shroud ahead of them wasn't acting like anything she had ever seen before.
Tyra turned for a moment, taking her rifle and looking down the scope behind them. She was able to catch a glimpse of Judy and Lorelei along with their forces. Tyra took a torch and attached it to the top of the crow's nest which was a signal for them to halt their advance. After everything was secure, she made her way down to the deck to join everyone.
They were all gathered around a small table on the deck with a map and the coordinates marked on it. “That fog mist, whatever you want to call it doesn't make any damn sense. Either there's a force in there waiting for us or it's filled with traps or some kind of ship sinking devices. We need to find an alternative route.” Eve didn't like this at all but as she looked at the map there really wasn't another way to get to those coordinates. It also seemed that this fog stretched as far as the eye could see.
Tyra nodded in agreement. “I've never seen anything like it. There isn't any way around it. If it is a trap we need to have some type of countermeasure. I'm not sure what that would be.” She didn't like this feeling and everyone else looked to be just as confused aside from Alexandria.
“If this place is indeed an ability to use a facility, then that is either some type of cloaking device made from old world tech or that is an ability users' technique that is probably being used against their will. Isa, do you think you could burn it away?” Alexandria was thinking that it probably is an ability user's technique. She had read so many books and there was nothing in any of them about a machine that could create this much fog or mist over such a vast area. There was another option, but she didn't want to use it unless it was absolutely necessary.
Isa looked around for a moment trying to think. That dense of a substance would take immense heat to get rid of. There was no way the ship or anyone around them could handle that. “That isn't possible for such a wide area. I would end up destroying Hugo's ship. Shouldn't we ask Valentina to bend the stuff out of the way just to make a path for us? I know that's a lot and we wouldn't be able to use our techniques if the battle intensified, however there might not be much of a battle if we get surprised in that fog.”
Alexandria had already had that thought but she came to the same conclusion as Isa that it would be too much of an expenditure and might hurt them later on. “Valentina, do you think that you can guide us through there at least until we get to a spot, and we can possibly anchor and regroup before attacking?”
Valentina thought for a moment as she looked down at the map. There was no way to tell exactly where the facility was. Even if it was at the exact spots, she would need to know how far they were going to go exactly so that she could gauge how long it would take. “I would need more information. This map would have to be exactly to scale for me to figure everything out. There is a chance I could part the mist for a bit however that would also give away our backup behind us. No matter what I try it's going to take a toll, and I don't know how much rest I would need afterwards to be able to participate effectively in the fight.”
At this moment they were between a rock and a hard place. They had plenty of ideas but at the moment none of them sounded like a perfect match. Alexandria let out an exasperated sigh trying to think of anything else they could do.
“Couldn't we have Eve go in on a rowboat disguised as a soldier? They do have a scout ship that hasn't reported in. It might have helped if we brought it with us but then that would have caused even more problems. Is this too much for a risk?” Lyric wasn't trying to be mean even though Eve shot her look that felt like one of her daggers flying directly into Lyric's head.
Eve looked like she was about to explode but she was stopped by Alexandria who put her hand up. “I will go and with V that way we can scout the area. I highly doubt they are going to do anything to a pair of vultures.”
Veronica winced at the thought. Even though Alexandria was correct in a sense however there was no telling how much information this facility had been given about Crimson Judgment. “Do we really want to risk both of your lives? If they have any information about us, they'll know your shifter forms. That is way too dangerous, and we wouldn't even know if anything happened to you.”
The talking around the table intensified aside from Tyra who just stood there and had an intense look on her face. Alexandria clenched her fist and then brought it down onto the table the stones that were keeping the map and the coordinate paper situated bounced and for the next few seconds all that was heard was the tapping of the stones as they shifted on the table.
“I have every right to do anything that I please at this moment. I am the captain and I'm not going to send Eve into that dense cloud with nothing but a rowboat. Even if there is an ambush inside there is no damn way, they are going to shoot me or V down no matter how good they are. Besides we need this Intel and right now this is our best option.” Alexandria wasn't a fan of this type of approach. However, she was getting a bit tired of everyone protecting her like she was some type of rare commodity. They were in this together and she would take any risk no matter how dangerous it was. She wasn't about to send someone into a situation that she wouldn't undertake herself.
V flapped her wings and settled on Alexandria's shoulder. Alexandria smiled at her remembering that she had promised to fly with V but wasn't able to do so. She was going to kill two birds with one stone. A playful giggle escaped her lips hoping that that's saying didn't come true.
“I'm all for this plan. I will give you both a Time increase so that even if someone does spot you, you'll be going way too fast for them to even think about shooting you down. So, the two of you go in to see what's in the fog, find the facility Island location and then return. Is that the plan?” Valentina was thinking that this would do nothing to her as far as exhaustion. It would also alleviate everyone's concerns and perhaps allow her to see if this thick fog could actually be parted by her power if Alexandria was able to gauge the distance she had traveled.
“Yes, that is what the plan is. However, there's no telling what's in there. If everything is safe you won't hear any sound coming from the Mist. If you hear a bird call that means, there is danger. If only one of us comes back that means, there are enemies inside. If neither one of us comes out within three minutes you must enter. Is that satisfactory for everyone?” Alexandria wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers however there were a few tongue clicks and eye rolls but everyone nodded in the end.
Valentina raised her hand and stepped closer to both of them touching Alexandria on the shoulder. She set a time limit and gave them four minutes of accelerated time. That should be enough for Alexandria to transform and get into the Misted area and then get back out.
Alexandria wasn't going to allow any other interruptions, so she decided to shift right away into her vulture form. V squatted with delight as the two of them took off into the air making their way towards the thick mist in front of them. They also decided to move the ship closer so if anything did happen, they could enter immediately. Even though Tyra could hear and see long distances for some reason her sight wasn't able to penetrate the mist. She was still able to hear but it was distorted.
This was the best option and if Alexandria was ever going to take full responsibility for everything that she had done up until this point this was one of the best ways to do it. Her and V flew through the mist. Even though it was thick on the outside there wasn't much difference as they went through. However, waiting below were at least twenty or more ships. They were fairly scattered about and even though it wasn't a lot there were still patches of the mist in different places. Alexandria was going to ignore the ships for the moment the most important thing to do was to locate the island facility. Thankfully that didn't take very long thanks to the time boost they were given from Valentina.
The island itself wasn't very large which made Alexandria believe that most of the facility was either underground or under the water. She dove down with V close at her back. It was hard to make out any of the exits or entrances which was probably due to the fact that her eyes had not adjusted yet to the diminished sunlight in the area. However, they couldn't spend much time there and needed to get back. As she was flying back Alexandria started to count not only the ships below them but how long it took for them to get out of the mist and back to the ships.
Alexandria accelerated down to the ship and began the transformation back into a human only a few feet from the deck. V followed her closely and just as she was finished transforming back into a human V landed on her shoulder. “Well, there are twenty-five ships inside that natural barrier. The island itself isn't very large, and I believe that most of the facility is either underground or underwater. I can't be exact but from the mist edge all the way to the island it took us about seven minutes to glide there. There are patches of mist inside as well which means coming in through that barrier with a ship will not allow us to see every single enemy at once. Valentina, do you think you can calculate how far from the barrier entrance to the shore of the island?”
Valentina's eyes widened. That was pretty fast even with her time acceleration cast on them. If she took a moment to factor in a normal time it would probably take the ships from the barriers edge the island shore probably about almost twenty minutes of course you probably had to add on an extra ten maybe even twenty more minutes to navigate through the enemy ships. “I would say about forty minutes maximum depending on the strength of the enemies we have to fight. I don't know if I can get us through that quick enough. Do you think we should bring Judy and Lorelei along with their forces here? We may have to use their added power in order to get through this fast enough.”
“No, we will stick to the plan with them following us. What I do want you to do is ready yourselves for battle. If there are that many ships inside, what we should do is have somebody take control of the cannon batteries and we'll move through the first line of ships and just blow holes into them with our cannons. When we get to the middle area Veronica you and lyric will split off in either direction and take one side and wipe them out however you see fit. And once we make it close to the shore Valentina that is when you will speed up time for the ship. Once we make it to a place, we can disembark myself Eve Valentina and Isa will leave the attack on the facility. Hopefully by this time Judy and Lorelei would reach us and they can help Veronica and lyric mop up the rest of the opposition and then join us. We will figure out the seed equipment when we have taken care of the rabble protecting the waters around the facility.” Alexandria was getting excited at the prospect of fighting again. Even though she did enjoy all the work that they were doing on the island which could be the start of a new nation along with a superpower. However ever since she got out of the facility fighting was one of the things she enjoyed the most. Hopefully they could find the captives inside the facility and rescue them. Of course, if there was someone strong enough in there to create that much mist, they may have to be very careful on how they proceed.
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“I think allowing me to take out the maneuverability of the ships would also be a good idea. We don't want to expend too much energy fighting whoever is guarding the water around the facility. There is no telling how strong the defenders are. Especially since this facility seems to be specialized. I will remain in the crow's nest for the duration of the fight to make sure everything on the outside goes smoothly if that is alright with you Alexandria.” Tyra wasn't about to set foot inside another facility. She didn't really care much for any kind of place that reminded her of the old world. Besides there was no one who was a better shot than her.
“That works for me. It seems most of the ships are either pirates or smaller rogue organizations that have been able to keep their autonomy outside of the walled cities. I believe that's enough planning you can give the signal to Judy and Lorelei that we are attacking. I hope everyone's prepared. This is not going to be easy.” Alexandria let out a devious giggle as everyone nodded in agreement getting ready for the fight ahead of them.
Tyra made her way up the mast and took the torch off the crow's nest, throwing it into the water which was the signal that the attack was going to begin. There was no need to send them a message about the ship's inside since by the time they reached the area Alexandria, and the forward ship should at least be at the halfway mark.
Isa decided she was going to take command of the cannons since she was probably one of the only people aside from maybe Valentina that could light them and fire them in quick succession. Veronica and lyric took positions on either side of the deck getting ready for their turns as well. This was probably the largest naval battle they had ever been a part of.
Eve was a bit annoyed she wasn't given a bigger role. However, allowing her to join them when they disembarked onto the island was a huge deal. She wasn't sure as of right now, but it was probably going to be her job to find a way into the facility. Of course, they had to make it through the gauntlet of ships that was blocking their path.
Once everyone was in position the sales were let loose, and they started moving forward drifting into the fog barrier that was before them. The ship wasn't even fully through yet and whistling sound reverberated around them as cannon fire echoed off in the distance. Veronica jumped up into the air with some assistance from Valentina and Tyra; they were able to deflect or destroy the incoming cannonballs.
“It would seem they were expecting us or someone noticed the vultures. It doesn't really matter, we already have a few of their ships' positions thanks to that cannon fire. Isa ready our cannons the moment we are beside the first shifts open fire.” Alexandria let out a playful giggle as the ship continued moving forward.
It didn't take them long to get up to the first few ships and both sides of their top row of cannons opened fire. Even though the sea defenders were told not to engage Alexandria on the open water it seems that some of them decided that they didn't care and thus if they lived, they would forfeit their reward and possibly even their lives.
The barrage of cannon fire through the enemy ships. Screams mixed with the cracking and splintering of wood echoed around the outer area. Even though it was only a few ships, the rest of the other defenders ceased their cannon fire and tried to retreat.
“We can't allow a single ship to escape. Valentina, I want you to slow time for the area by sixty seconds and speed us up as much as you can. Isa, I don't care how you do it but destroy the ship's trying to flee. Tyra, I want you to give Isa as much support as you can. Lyric and Veronica, we are going to get to your area quicker than expected so be ready to move.” Alexandria was making sure that no one got away from this fight. There wasn't going to be a repeat of any of their past engagements. No one will know that this took place until long after they were gone.
Isa and Tyra began taking out the ships that were trying to escape. Tyra would disable them while Isa would fill them with holes or set them on fire depending on how close they were. The screams and splintering began to combine with loud splashing of the water turning into a rhythmic melody of destruction.
Valentina did exactly what Alexandria wanted. It wasn't too long before the outlining ships were either on fire sinking or floating to the bottom of the water. They reached the middle point at a fast pace. Lyric and Veronica stood at either end of the deck as they turned around to look at each other they both winked and as the ship passed in between two others they both jumped onto the respective enemy ships in front of them.
Lyric disappeared from View and began to terrorize the enemy. Veronica's ship however suffered a different fate, and she landed on the deck wasting little time all Alexandria could see was her fist go into the air after that it was as if a volcano exploded in the center of the ship. Debris body parts water and screams filled the air above her first target. Without missing a beat, she jumped to the next one as Alexandria and the rest of the crew continued to make their way forward.
Time was accelerated again as they made their way to the shore. Out of the twenty-five ships that I took up defense between them and the island, only ten were still able to engage in combat. Out of those ten eight of them were currently being engaged by lyric and Veronica respectively. Two ships were left close to the shore and both of them were equipped with front cannons.
Of course, with the time acceleration on their side the cannon fire shut off way too early and they were able to pass by it without any issues. Tyra took care of the ship on the left well Isa and Valentina took care of the ship on the right. Most of the fighters inside the two ships that were guarding the shoreline were not pirates but part of a smuggling operation, so they weren't much of a threat. Alexandria decided to salvage the frontal cannons and brought them to shore as they took their ship and anchored it.
Eve Isa Alexandria and Valentina disembarked. Eve had a puzzled look on her face as she looked around. “Where the hell are all the guards? There is no way all this noise didn't bring them out here. Is it really so strange to have someone find this place that they wouldn't come out to all this racket?”
“We don't have time to worry about that right now. Judy and Lorelei will be catching up to us soon and we at least need to have a point of attack. Eve go find an entrance to the facility we need to get in there. If there is no way to do it and we're going to have to lay Siege to this place. Isa and Valentina, I want you to make us a makeshift headquarters here. I know that Judy and Lorelei have equipment for that, however I want something up now just in case.” Alexandria shared in Eve suspicion however this wasn't the time to get comfortable. No facility was the same and the lack of guards coming out to meet them could mean that this area has automated defenses.
Eve nodded as she disappeared making her way towards the facility. There wasn't much to the island since it was a dormant volcano. This was the only area that even resembled some type of beach. Alexandria needed to decide if she was going to shift or fight with her scythe.
Isa and Valentina took the debris from the ships that they had destroyed and started making makeshift fortifications. Everyone inside the vessel had been killed. Once they realized what kind of people they were, Alexandria wasn't about to let any of them live. It was because of organizations like that the ability users were kidnapped as children and experimented on by the world city government.
It didn't take long for everyone else to converge on the makeshift fortifications. Judy and Lorelei anchored their ship which was fitted for naval sieges to bombard an area from a far distance. They took a rowboat with a few of the sailors. Veronica showed up not too long after that. Lyric appeared out of nowhere and they were both covered in blood.
“Everything is ready on the siege when you want to start the bombardment. It seems you were able to take out everyone in front of us with not much of an issue.” Lorelei was impressed and she wanted to tell both Lyric and Veronica to go take a bath however there was much more to be done.
“There is something that isn't right. Even if this facility was automated something should have attacked us already. The only one who isn't back yet is Eve which either means she is still looking for the entrance or she ran into some trouble and hasn't been able to send out a distress signal. Either way since the two of you were here, we are going to send in a party after her.” Alexandria was extremely worried. Eve was usually quick with these things and the fact that she wasn't back yet and the feeling she had in her stomach. She wasn't about to lose anybody else.
“Myself, Valentina, and Isa are going to make our way in the direction Eve went. Lyric and Veronica, you will protect this base camp. Judy, please go back to the ship and oversee the siege bombardment. Lorelei, you will stay here and have command of the base camp. If the three of us are not back within the hour I want a full-frontal assault, rip this place apart.” She didn't allow anyone else to say a word and started to move forward. Valentina and Isa followed her straight away while Judy returned to the rowboat with the two sailors to get everything started with the bombardment.
The three of them made their way up the trail. Valentina used her ability to at least briefly see where Eve had stepped in order to follow the trail once it became harder to see it. They made their way to a path that was made from hard metal in Alexandria pushed her hands to the ground as everyone stopped and ducked for cover. Ahead of them Alexandria could see Eve she was crouched between the wall of the facility and some bushes.
Alexandria wanted to call out, but she decided to look around and then saw the gun turret listing back and forth. There were bullet holes and light wisps of smoke trailing from the ground. She understood now why Eve hadn't returned. They needed to do something about that weapon. No one was entering the facility until it happened.
“Isa, do you think you can take out that weapon with your fire?” Alexandria wants to try and get Eve's attention, but something still seems off.
“That won't be a problem. I will just have to focus for a moment, so I don't hit anyone else.” Isa closes her eyes and extends her hand taking in deep breath. Everyone can feel the heat around them as she launches the stream of fire out of her hand, melting the metal as the turret falls to the ground.
Eve leaves her hiding place and rushes forward. She stops in front of them almost out of breath, her eyes wide. “We need to get the hell out of here right now. This is not something that we can handle.” as the words leave her mouth loud crashes echo in the distance and the ground shakes below them almost causing Eve to fall.
Alexandria raises an eyebrow wondering what the hell could have scared Eve so much. Another gut feeling punches her. She bends over clutching her stomach as she winces and looks up at the door where the turret used to hang. She just noticed that the door wasn't secured. And then everything starts to make sense. He turns to look at Eve placing her hands on Eve's shoulders and she speaks in a stern heightened tone.
“Are you telling me that the researchers and soldiers inside are dead?” A cold chill rushes down Alexandria's spine. That would completely explain why no one came out to meet them. If all the researchers inside are dead and that means one or more of the ability users inside is free. There is no telling who it is and what kind of state they are in.
Eve nodded as her entire body was shaking. Alexandria could feel it under her hands. “I'm not sure when exactly it happened. However, as I was walking up and found this door, I heard the screams. If I'm not mistaken it's probably only one but whoever that one person, is she is incredibly powerful. The gun turret was only activated after the screams which meant that one of the either researchers or soldiers inside was able to hit a security button before they were killed. Every instinct within me is telling me to run and never come back.”
It was out of character for Eve to be this terrified. They had faced much worse in the past and Eve would meet it with a smile and a dagger. Alexandria had to know what was happening inside the facility. If these ability users were that strong, they could prove to be the turning point. Even if she had to go in alone.
“Isa, I want you to take Eve back to the base camp. Valentina, you don't have to, but I would like you to come into the facility with me. If there is an ability user inside, we need to help them your powers would be invaluable. However, if you don't want to go inside you may return and I will go in myself.” aside from the bombardment and the shaking below them everything else around the three of them seem to stop. Isa was the only one that actually reacted to what Alexandria said even though it took her a few moments. She took Eve, throwing her over her shoulder and took off for the home base.
Valentina took in a few deep breaths thinking over everything that had just happened. After a few moments she centered herself and opened her eyes looking Alexandria straight in the eyes. “I will go with you, Captain Alexandria. There is no way I will pass up this opportunity.”
Alexandria let out a playful giggle after two of them stood up and walked towards the door. It opened automatically, crawling slowly across the floor. Alexandria stepped in first and Valentina followed closely behind. Darkness hit them but it didn't feel heavy, it was just pitch black. Valentina her hand in front of them trying to set back the time to when light was in the room, but it didn't work.
“Whatever abilities you possess will not work here at least not until your intentions are made known. I am Eclipse and darkness is my playground.” Both Alexandria and Valentina had no clue how to respond at least for the moment.
“My name is Alexandria, and I am the leader of the pirate crew Crimson Judgment. We are here to destroy this place and offer sanctuary to any ability users inside.”
A playful giggle echoed in the darkness. “We shall see about that.”