Triple Point

Chapter 63: 03 DEC 33AE, 0445 MT

03 DEC 33AE, 0445 MT

Outside suspected Exodos base, Yellowstone National Park

"Team Three, in position."

"Team One, in position."

"Team Two, in position."

"Teams One, Two, Three, in position, confirmed," the Team Zero leading captain said over the comms, and Camilla could hear them speaking from beside her as well. "Standby." Then, off the comms, "You're up, Wyatt."

Camilla nodded, and knelt on the ground, placing her palms against the dry patch of dirt she cleared of snow just moments ago. It was nerve wracking to have everyone watching her with high expectations, especially when her job was so critical. Plus, if something went wrong, she would be the only one to blame. The pressure made her want to back out right then and there, but that wasn't an option. The only thing she could do was hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

So Camilla closed her eyes and let her energy surge into the ground, directed towards the mountain before them. As she got closer, she slowed her approach, not wanting to accidentally set off any alarms.

At the surface of the ground, she could sense the weight of several Exodos lookouts, and she could feel their energy humming throughout the air in search of enemies. In search of the Org. But the guardians waited in silence just outside of their reach; Camilla was the only one behind enemy lines.

Eventually, Camilla's energy reached the surface of the mountain, and she carefully searched it for any weaknesses. There were two spots on opposite sides where there were large cuts in the structure; these were the entrances the scouts reported. At the moment, they were closed, but that didn't make a difference to Camilla as she extended her energy inwards.

The next layer was a strange mixture of highly aerated water that viciously churned like in a hot tub. Had another meta been able to make it past the solid rock exterior, even if they could also control the water, their control would falter with all of the air mixed into it. It was a simple defense mechanism that took advantage of the fact that nearly all solids metas wouldn't be able to control both liquids and gases as well. Even Camilla, who could actually control all three, struggled a little with the constant movements.

Finally, she reached a solid layer of wood, and after a quick scan of the material, Camilla was struck with a sense of awe. Exodos's base was essentially a hollow wood block floating within the mountain.

After sensing that the air within the wooden block was at normal atmospheric pressure, Camilla knew immediately that she had infiltrated the main area of the base. Not only that, but she could feel sound waves reverberating through the air.

"I'm detecting conversations inside," Camilla notified the Team Zero captain. "Request permission to listen in."

It wasn't a captain's decision to delay an entire operation, so they elevated the request through their comms. While they awaited an answer, Camilla concentrated on listening in anyway. The conversation sounded far from where her energy had broken through the barrier, and since she didn't want to risk going any deeper just yet, she settled for simply picking up bits and pieces. But what she did hear made her freeze.

"What's... latest... our guardian POC?" one voice asked.

"Last transmission... 24 November," another replied, "munications... trickier... they know there's a mole."

"Captain Wyatt, Base," Camilla heard over her comms. "Permission denied. Proceed with mission as planned."

As much as Camilla disagreed with that decision, she had no authority to argue, especially in front of so many other guardians that were tuned in to the same communications channel. There was no way she could disobey a clear order, nor did she have any way around it. Plus, if there really was a mole in the Org, the last thing she should do was admit that she knew of their existence.