Triple Point

Chapter 112: The Ascent

Camilla

15 OCT 34AE, 0520

Southeast Farallon Island, northwest shoreline

While the fog that engulfed the island was thick, Camilla could still make out the imposing outline of Farallon Prison. She had never actually seen it from the outside before, unless her brief stint on the building's roof counted, but the sight of it still made her restless. Maybe it was thinking about her memories within the walls that put her on edge; or maybe the architects just knew how to design a building that instilled fear and obedience with just a glance.

The prison was situated on the largest island of the Farallones, where it seemed to be carved into the towering mountain that took up the majority of the land mass. Its bleak gray stone walls were cold and uninviting, as were its lack of windows and extraneous decor.

The only "warm" thing about the place were the bright lights that illuminated the perimeter and scanned the island for threats. Thankfully, their team was hidden on the lower ground of the shoreline, protected from view by the three-meter tall cliff that led to the higher ground of the island. Still, whenever a searchlight neared them, Camilla tensed automatically, as if the beam of light would catch her if she even breathed.

"I still think we should thicken the fog," Camilla suggested to no one in particular, but knowing Abby was only a few feet away.

"Like I said, our recon team has made it as thick as they could without making it obvious," Abby repeated. "They already drew enough suspicion when they started it three days ago. Besides, they've done this before; they know what they're doing."

"Yeah, but we're the team that's definitely not supposed to be seen," Camilla argued, not taking her eyes off the prison. "Maybe Miles can throw up an illusion, just in case."

"He needs to conserve his energy," Abby explained patiently. "We all do."

Camilla heard the rocky shoreline crunching nearby and Abby climbed up besides her to peer at the higher ground.

"I know you're worried," Abby assured, her voice lowered. "But just try to be patient for a few more minutes, okay? We just got word from the Decoy Team. The supply ship's almost here."

Camilla grunted bitterly in reply, but she didn't say anything.

Abby jumped back down to the lower ground, and Camilla followed soon after. It took nearly all of her willpower to pull her eyes away from the prison, and she could only force herself to do so to ensure that the rest of the team wasn't doing anything that could get them noticed.

Their team was scattered across the rocky shoreline, quietly busying themselves with various tasks as they waited. A small group of people lingered by the three large boats they used to get to shore and were ensuring that the vessels were still securely tied down and hidden.

When their group first made landfall, they had subsequently lifted the boats from the choppy waters and onto the relatively safer rocky shore. Still, every gentle breeze threatened to tip the boats over, and no one wanted to risk drawing unnecessary attention and losing their exit plan at the same time.

Most of the other members of their group sat around the rocks in small clusters. Some of them whispered to each other in hushed tones, while others silently inspected their gear.

The group that worried Camilla was the dozen or so members gathered around the infamously obnoxious Copycat meta. While the loudest thing he was currently doing was making exaggerated hand gestures, Camilla knew it was only a matter of time before he would burst out laughing at one of his own jokes.