Rhodoreef

34. The Amber Tubes

Dea propelled herself through the water. The visor was indeed equipped with augmented reality, and it dulled the view through a dark filter similar to sunglasses. The urgency of the mission pushed her to pick up speed.

She maneuvered past rock and mangroves until she reached the cove, where the dock jutted out. The system auto-detected the target location, and the distance appeared in her vision in glowing blue digits. Swimming up, she breached the surface and porpoised towards the beach.

It was warm inside the carapace, though it was designed to be lightweight. At first glance, it resembled an amphipod with stiff armor segments, but they slid and overlapped like tectonic plates, allowing fluid motion.

When she hauled herself onto dry land, augmented reality yet again marked the safe route in blue—all the way up the winding road that led to the facility.

She disengaged the military Cypod on her back and unfolded it to its full dimensions. The added weight should have tired her, but the exoskeleton absorbed much of the stress. Rigorous workouts had also boosted her stamina.

As Dea wriggled into the Cypod, she activated real-time tracking. "I'm at the dock. Be there soon."

"Copy that, Butterfly," Sagari's brisk voice replied. "We see you."

Bull echoed acknowledgement.

"We're on our way to the prison area. You should see us on the map," Sagari continued. "Hold your position at the first guard room once you enter. Rendezvous on the given marker once we give the all-clear."

"Understood."

Sand crunched as the Cypod rolled forward. Dea's hands tightened on the gun, even though the system was set on high alert mode to detect any human within a twenty meter radius. It wasn't fear that made her tremble—it was the fiery magma within that had started to simmer.

Dilip Goonewardane was in the building ahead.

The option to observe from a safe distance was on the table, but she intended to be there to capture Dilip.

Dea sped up the road that snaked through bushy wilderness. Red overlay in her view displayed the detection area of the remaining surveillance cameras. The others fired words back and forth on the general comms link as they advanced through the building.

It struck her then how much of an extra she was to this team. She dwelled on the ease with which she convinced Massa to allow her on this mission. On the other hand, Talmus Mora was quick to air his objections. Doubt seeded in her gut at possible political motives she might have overlooked.

The grim face of the facility loomed ahead in greeting. Next to the closed roller door was the smaller orifice, gaping open for her. The unconscious guards had been cleared, though flattened land grass revealed where they had fallen. She veered away from the red zones and followed the highlighted route.

"I'm at the entrance now," she whispered.

"I see you, Butterfly," Bull responded without missing a beat. "Go right in."

When she zoomed in, the sound of waves dipped. It was a claustrophobic passage that opened up to a space akin to a warehouse. Stark lighting lay bare a monotony of steel grey walls, pipes and cables. On one side was an upper landing. Her eyes flew to the glass barrier there, which showcased a guard room. Screens and workstations sat idle.

Dea eased to a stop and expanded the map at the corner of her view. Sagari and her team appeared in blue icons. They were in one of the large spaces at the center, where the prisoners were held. Red icons turned yellow to indicate incapacitated targets.