Not According to Plan

Even with the best preparations, our first coordinated mission together didn’t feel very “prepared”.
 
Isobar, Faust, Field Effect, Cypher, Maximum Resistance, and I worked late into the night discussing how we might trick the computer systems at the plant into a perceived “melt-down” triggering them to shut down the power on their own volition. Isobar, Faust, Field Effect, and I would be onsite for the mission.
 
Our instructions from “SCRT” were specific — even if a little cryptic — that we needed to turn the power off by 5:08AM...and that it would automatically return at 5:10AM.
 
We ultimately were not able to obtain the facility schematics so, once onsite, our original plans went by the wayside. It was 5:00AM. And in this moment, our small resistance sprang into action.
 
Using their fringe invisibility, Faust and Field Effect took on the building marked “412” — a large facility with a single entrance guarded by two armed men. Isobar alone targeted a smaller building on the opposite side of the campus and I was positioned behind building 412 near three exposed electrical turbines ready to create an explosion, just in case Faust and Field Effect were unsuccessful in their power-down attempt.
 
Each of us had our DarkR web comm devices active, but we remained quiet most of the time. Then, the sound of a car alarm rang out. And a minute later, I could hear the sound of key-card swipes and a “beep” as doors opened — Faust and Field Effect must have gained entry into the building. I held my position out of view.
 
It was 5:02AM now and the DarkR web comms remained quiet. Admittedly, I was growing anxious. A large cargo truck passed by me, making its way across the campus and leaving the compound. A few minutes later, another cargo truck passed by, also leaving the compound.
 
Then, at 5:05AM, red lights flickered on around the entire campus and an emergency siren began blaring.
 
“They must’ve shut down the power.”, I thought to myself.
 
A third cargo truck passed by me. But this time, I caught a glimpse of the driver and his passenger. They were fully armored...coming out of a power plant. This didn’t feel right...
 
Acting quickly, I sent a paralyzing burst of cosmic energy aimed through the window of the passing cargo truck, hoping to prevent their departure. The driver seized up, gripped by the energy coursing through him — the cargo truck veered off the road and onto the median, coming to a full stop.
 
Moving closer to the truck, I sent another jolt of cosmic energy through the passenger as well, leaving them both momentarily paralyzed. Moving quickly through the cargo, I was able to break open one of the crates revealing a large stash of blaster weapons. Each of them had an ominous looking insignia etched into the stock — what looked like a cobra snake.
 
At that moment, over the DarkR web comms, Isobar called out, “I’m coming under fire. Need support!”
 
Recalling the building he had been moving toward, I closed my eyes and concentrated intently. The runes on my skin glowed warmly and a portal opened around me, transporting me directly outside that building’s entrance.
 
The time was now 5:07AM.
 
At the entrance of Isobar’s original building target, there was a large hole in the door — it had been blasted inward by what must’ve been enormous pressure. And looking inside, I could see that it contained a deep cargo elevator shaft leading far underground.
 
Without hesitation, I stepped out into the empty space of the corridor and focused all of my intentions on the bottom of the elevator shaft. In barely a second, transported by the same energy of a dying star traveling across time and space, I soared down the elevator shaft. Slowing my descent at the last moment, I hovered just out of range from the noise of explosions I could hear directly below.
 
Now I could see Isobar standing in the main elevator bay at the base of the shaft some 400 meters underground — incoming fire all around. So I created a protective barrier of cosmic energy in front of him and then I left my covered location, joining him in the fight. Glancing at him to my left, I could see that Isobar had been blinded by what must’ve been flash bombs and he was wrapped in coils, working to break himself himself free of them.
 
More explosions and gun fire rang out at the far end of the underground facility...but that was too far away. So I flew upward to get a better view of the situation. The building was full of large shipping containers, some of which had been tumbled over by force. There were three armed agents to our left, along with the mark of pressured explosions similar to what might’ve caused the hole in the building we entered at the top of the elevator shaft.
 
But most alarmingly, I could see a heavily mechanized giant of-a-man, hovering above other armed agents at the end of the facility. Noticing the barrels of fuel directly underneath him, I directed a blast of cosmic energy at them, exploding the barrels and sending the agents reeling backward toward the far wall. However, the mechanized giant was barely moved by it. And in return, the giant “mech” returned fire, though the blasts soared narrowly past me...
 
It was now 5:08AM and the power was out. Red lights continued to illuminate all around us. Still hovering in the air near the ceiling of the underground facility, I could see the shipping container directly below me burst into movement — as if grabbed by an invisible force — hurtling toward the far end of the building. I thought to myself, “I’m glad I wasn’t on that container...”
 
But with the container now gone, I could see more agents directly below me...and I was an easy target for them, floating in the air. Several of their shots fired at me — one of them connected, bringing me to the ground hard. And then another, but it was different...containing coils that wrapped around me similar to the ones holding Isobar.
 
And just as quickly, another agent took aim at me, now coiled on the ground, but I portaled out of the coils and to the right — barely dodging the rain of incoming fire.
 
Still standing behind my earlier cosmic energy barrier, Isobar broke free of his coils and looked around — clearly shrugging of the flash bombs that had previously blinded him. These agents had pushed him too far — Isobar unleashed an explosive blast of pressure that knocked several of the agents to the ground with a hard “thud”...they wouldn’t be getting back up again soon.
 
Thinking to myself, “All of these pressure blasts must’ve been from Isobar...wow...”
 
It was now 5:09AM and text alerts began to stream across my DarkR web comm. It was a short message from SCRT:
 
“EGRESS!”
“EGRESS!”
 
Receiving a message from SCRT now, after 5:08AM — and with the explicit instruction to leave...I shared the same urgent message over audio comms with the team:
 
“Get out! We have to get out NOW!!”
 
Though I heard other explosions at the far end of the building, I didn’t know what was going on down there. And I never saw Faust and Field Effect enter the underground facility...so I do hope they were able to make it out of the 412 Building undetected.
 
SCRT gave us a new set of coordinates, so Isobar and I both retraced back to the elevator shaft and quickly soared upward to the surface...narrowly escaping the building as power was restored at 5:10AM.
 
Now we just needed to quickly get to the new coordinates — and they weren’t too far from here.