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.

"They'll be fine," Elsie's hushed voice from Camilla's side was accompanied by the soft crunching of the rocks she stepped on as she approached. "Nakia's keeping an eye on them. Apparently, containing their noise makes for a good warm-up."

"Or a good way to waste energy," Camilla muttered, scanning the shoreline until she saw Nakia positioned a few meters away from the Copycat's group. As Elsie said, Nakia seemed unusually focused on the rambunctious bunch, but Camilla knew no amount of silencing their sound waves would do any good if their movements ended up setting off the ground sensors.

"Worrying can do that too," Elsie replied, her arm gently brushing against Camilla's.

At her subtle touch, Camilla silently scolded herself for her bad attitude. She was letting her worries negatively affect the people around her, and it wasn't doing anyone any favors. And yet, Elsie was still thoughtful enough to know how Camilla's nerves made her even more over protective about her personal space.

"Sorry," Camilla sighed, letting herself lean against Elsie's side. "I may be... panicking a little."

"I don't blame you," Elsie replied, then wrapped an arm around Camilla's shoulders. "Anything I can do?"

Camilla looked up at Elsie and did her best to offer a small smile. She knew it came out a little tight and strained, but at least she tried.

"You're already doing it," Camilla said, holding Elsie's hand that was draped over her shoulder.

Elsie smiled easily at her words, and her expression was enough to ease some of the tension in Camilla's body.

At that moment, her comms buzzed with quiet static.

"Decoy Team is docking," their half of the Telepathy Twins' light and airy voice echoed in the comms.

In an instant, Camilla moved from Elsie and braced herself for battle. At the same time, Elsie shifted nervously besides her, and Camilla felt a brief sense of guilt. Elsie was here because of her. And while she had accepted it was Elsie's choice to make, she couldn't help but worry.

But there was nothing they could do about that now. So instead, Camilla held out a hand to Elsie and met her eyes firmly, hoping that her stubborn determination would offer them both courage. A second later, Elsie took her hand and squeezed it tightly, her own gaze steady and strong.

"Understood," Chief Ali's voice came next. "Have them maintain radio silence. We can't have our element of surprise ruined at the last moment. Mission teams, starting positions."

Camilla and Elsie were already at their starting positions, so they took the chance to watch everyone else get ready. In seconds, everyone had gone from a chaotic mess to organized clusters hidden along the beach, all of them positioned at the foot of the cliff to the higher ground. The only people that didn't move were the Ali twins, Sydney, and their guards; they stayed put at one end of the shoreline to oversee the operation. Besides them was a large, flat rock that they used as a table with a digital map of the island and its facilities being projected on its surface.

"Mission teams, hold your positions," Chief Ali ordered. "Wait for my signal."

And so they waited with bated breaths, frozen in place. The silence was so tense that even the smallest fidget or the slightest cough echoed throughout the crowd, setting everyone even more on edge. Camilla felt the sudden need to make sure her friends were okay, and she forced herself to tear her eyes away from the island to verify.

To her right was Elsie, who gave her a nervous but brave smile. Next to her, Hitomi had one hand tightly gripping the shoulder of a pale-faced Minyoung, as if to steady him. On the other side of him was Jordan who was nervously fiddling with the straps of his backpack. It didn't take long for Finn, who was on Jordan's other side, to hold up a fist in front of him. And he didn't put his hand down until Jordan eventually returned his fist bump, albeit a little feebly.

On Camilla's left, AJ's narrowed eyes were already hunting for targets, and sparks seemed to jump from her fingers. Next to her was Mack, whose own eyes kept darting between the island before them and towards Jordan. He only stopped when he caught Camilla watching and he gave her a guilty grin. To his right were Bev and Nakia; although both looked to the island with fiery determination, Bev also seemed anxious while Nakia appeared solemn, and both held the other's hand in solidarity.

Voices from inland drew Camilla's attention back to the task at hand. She couldn't make out what they were saying, but several semi trucks without their trailers began to drive out to meet the supply ship. As far as she could tell, the guards believed nothing was amiss.

Eventually, the trucks became obscured by the fog, and for a moment, the still silence had returned. Then, seconds later, a plume of fire burst into the dark sky, its bright flames only partially diffused by the thick fog. A beat passed, then a rumbling boom reverberated throughout the island, even shaking their bones. It had started.

"Hold steady," Chief Ali reminded them over the comms. "Wait for my signal."

It took half a minute for the landscape to change completely. In that short amount of time, the island was suddenly flooded with people that seemingly poured out from both the mountain and the ocean. They clashed at the halfway point, and the sounds of fighting and battle cries echoed all the way to where the mission teams hid and waited. It took another fifteen seconds for the battle to extend to the air, and violent gusts of wind and radiant balls of flame began whipping around the island.

"Shit," Elsie whispered from Camilla's side, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and fear.

Camilla turned to her immediately, but before she could say anything, Elsie sighed.

"I'm still going with you," Elsie insisted.

"Who's the stubborn one now?" Camilla muttered. Regardless, she held out her hand to Elsie, who immediately accepted.

"They're still too close to the facility," Senior said from a distance, her powerful voice still being engulfed by the noise from the battle. "Have them fall back five-zero meters."

Not long after Chief Ali relayed the message, their forces began drifting back towards the ocean, and the Farallon guards followed.

"Mission teams, confirm ready," Chief Ali announced over the comms.

"Intercept Team, ready," an Exodos meta said.

"Control Team, ready," Hitomi said.

Elsie squeezed Camilla's hand.

"Capture Team, ready," Abby said.

"Rescue Team, ready," Mack said.

"MS's, prepare for Phase Two," Chief Ali said.

At his order, Camilla, along with several others along the shoreline, focused their energy on the small cliff in front of them. Slowly, it transformed into a steep incline, and then a gradual slope, until it was at a low enough angle to walk on.

"Mission teams, commence Phase Two on my command," Chief Ali said. "Three, two, one, go!"

Then they were off.

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