In order to see what they would be up against, Chase sent a drone to survey the island and it revealed some possible complications. The island had defense turrets on all sides to shoot down anything that posed a threat. The main power station was well-protected and the backup generators were in a separate area. Since the sun was setting, everyone decided to sleep and then lay out the plans in the morning. After breakfast, Marina gave her ideas on how to knock out the electricity.
“It looks like we can take out the main generators and stall for time by blocking the gate to the backup area. The backup generators must be activated from a terminal in the same room as them. In order to reach that area, the technicians must go through an underground tunnel and climb a ladder through a hatch in the floor. If we blow up the main generators correctly, the rubble will weigh down the hatch.”, said Marina as she showed the power plant schematics.
“That’s perfect, Marina. The longer their power is out, the better. We need all the time we can get in order to save our parents and our kids.”, replied Callie.
Knowing that Callie was right, Marina proceeded to examine the holding area. The schematic showed that the entire facility was underground and the roof was a tinted glass dome. The entrances were underground as well. In the way of where everyone was, Callie’s parents were in cells 1-Q and 2-E on sub-level 4-R, Marie’s parents were in cells 8-P and 9-L on sub-level 7-G, and Taylor and Lizzie were in cells 5-Y and 6-J on sub-level 3-S. All of the floors were guarded heavily and the staff were on constant patrol duty.
“If the holding area is that secure, how are we going to save our parents and our sweet little angels without being seen?”, asked Callie nervously.
“Back before we retired, we developed a special formula for sleep-inducing gas. It is formulated to knock out anyone or anything that breathes it in. It is EXTREMELY concentrated and travels through air ducts like wildfire. For perspective, just shooting two canisters of this into an office building will knock EVERY SINGLE WORKER unconscious. Pressurized suits and gas masks are the only two ways to avoid inhaling the gas by accident. Your parents and kids will pass out too, but we’ll wake them up after extraction.”, explained Ryder as he pulled out a six-barreled launcher and a metal container with a sleep symbol on it.
“That’s a good idea to knock out the guards. My only concern is how we will get to the holding area and get away quickly. It’s not like you could walk or run. That island’s in the middle of the ocean, and it’s HUGE.”, said Marie in a worried voice.
“We’ve got that covered, Marie.” said Mickey.
Marie noticed he had put on a yellow safety vest and was putting on ear-protectors. Confused, she shrugged to indicate she didn’t know what he meant. Moments later, everyone heard a loud roaring sound. They spotted a giant black aircraft flying towards the base camp. It looked similar to a plane, but had smaller wings with rotors built in. Mickey gestured for Agents 3 and 4 to follow him and they picked up weighted blocks, called chocks, on the way. As the craft came in to land, Mickey found a flat spot near the camp with no obstructions and then he pulled out two orange rods. Waving the rods, he guided the aircraft to the ground. Once the craft had touched down, the two agents ran underneath and positioned the chocks under the landing gear. Once the engines were shut down, Minnie got out and they returned to meet back up with everyone.
“How’s this for transportation?”, she asked.
“GENIUS!”, crowed Callie and Marie.
Minnie told Skye and Chase that they would be in the cockpit while she and Mickey would be two members of the crew dropping into the holding area. After running them through a quick simulation and telling them about aircraft marshalling signals, Minnie and Mickey were certain that Skye and Chase were ready to fly the rescue craft. Ryder was on the crew as well to deploy the sleep gas, while Agents 3, 4, and 8 made up the other half. Everyone would wear black suits to blend into the darkness. After everyone accepted their roles, Mickey turned to Smolder.
“I need you to marshal the craft for takeoff and landing. Come with me.”, he explained.
Smolder followed Mickey over to the aircraft and Mickey showed her how to use the marshalling wands. Along with showing that they lit up in orange for use at night, Mickey explained the motions that Smolder would be using.
“You may have seen that I wore ear-protectors when I was bringing in Minnie. Due to how loud the rotors are, you wouldn’t want the noise to hurt your ears.”, said Mickey.
Smolder understood Mickey’s instructions and then put on a safety vest to get ready. Once everyone was prepared, it was time to begin the rescue mission.