The Captain willed himself to remain calm…Giving myself a heart attack won't help matters. It's not as if we can fool the security scanner by being quiet, and there's no escape if they pick us up. He closed his eyes, concentrating on something…anything…there was no sense of when or if they passed through security, not even so much as a bump to indicate the transition to the inside of a warehouse. But within the space of five minutes, the crate was being raised, shifted, and then lowered back to solid earth. There was a bump as it came to rest on something, most likely concrete, and then another tremor as another box was placed atop it. A horrible thought suddenly struck the Captain: everything about the box had theoretically been coded in its delivery instructions, including whether it was to be placed at the end of a row or in the middle. But suppose there's a mistake? Suppose they put another crate up against the side of us so that I can't get the hatch open, and…He shook his head furiously. The importance of the mission was overwhelming him, the sense of what they were about to do pressing down like a great weight on his shoulders. If they failed, they lost everything…they had lost their home in this version of reality, and they had only one chance to regain the one they had lost before. But he could not let the stress get to him. Fear is the mind killer. You think about making a mistake, you make one for sure. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. After ten or fifteen minutes, all sound ceased from outside, and SC-80 turned to the others. "Ready?" There were two nods, and the Captain slowly eased himself over to the hatch.
When he opened the panel, the immediate surroundings looked much like those they had just left…only this freight yard was indoors, a warehouse of some kind, and the crate's nearest neighbor was somewhat further away, allowing plenty of room to exit. The same materials that made the crate impossible to scan also made it impossible to transmit through…the Captain quickly ducked outside and placed a tiny pocket transmitter underneath the edge of the crate, snaking a wire back inside to his own radio. Pulling the hatch gently back into place and hoping that no one noticed the thin, almost invisible wire, he keyed his radio. "Captain Sakagawa, we are in position. Do you confirm?"
The voice that came back from the other end was at once pleased and nervous. "Affirmative. GPS confirms that you are inside the testing facility's perimeter. Are you and your men ready to move?"
The Captain looked around at his two companions; 101 gave a sharp nod and drew a silenced pistol from its shoulder holster as if in emphasis, while the Doctor simply gave a helpless nod. He looked like a grandfather being dragged along by two young and energetic grandchildren, SC-80 thought with amusement, but the thought was not unkind. While tactical operations may not have been the Doctor's specialty, RP-18 was certainly not one to quit. "We're ready, sir."
"Copy that. My connection to the facility's network is good…I should have full control over all internal systems. Door locks, cameras, everything. I am going to initiate a fire alert…that should be sufficient to prompt an evacuation, but without drawing anything more unwelcome than the local fire brigade. You will still need to hurry, however; I cannot say exactly how long it will take the enemy to discover and terminate my connection once I begin manipulating their systems. I programmed the intrusion software myself; I can guarantee you ten minutes, but nothing beyond that. You will also need to wait for several minutes for the area to clear before you move, cutting your time even further. When I tell you to move, you will need to follow my instructions quickly and exactly. Now your ship is on the ground level, so at least we won't have to navigate any stairs or elevators. As soon as I press the button, however, the clock starts…and we only have one chance at this. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir. Do it."
"Initiating now. Wait to move until you receive my all-clear." After perhaps five seconds, an alarm began to wail in the distance…first one, then several. The Captain removed the hatch and dragged it out of the way, the Doctor and 101 moving up close behind him in preparation for leaving their temporary shelter. The seconds passed with agonizing slowness, SC-80's ear attuned for the crackle of the radio. When it came, he almost jumped. "Go now. Turn left and make your way to the end of the container stack, then turn right and head to the door at the north end of the room. Stay low. There are two guards still in position against the west wall." SC-80 drew his gun and led the way, his two companions close behind. They did in fact have to detour to avoid the guards, who suddenly shifted position and began heading toward them…while Sakagawa relayed instructions quickly and efficiently, the operation was still terrifying. The Oompa-Loompas could not see the men that Sakagawa steered them to avoid, could not see what was beyond the next door until they were already through. But with the clock ticking, there was no time to stop or even to slow. It was like piloting a ship, the Captain thought, with only flight controls but no windows or instruments. Someone else is seeing for you, and you just have to hope he's right. But Sakagawa was. With absolute precision, he maneuvered the Oompa-Loompas through a labyrinth of rooms and corridors, keeping them well away from anyone and everyone on their route. SC-80 could tell from the expression on the Doctor's face that he would have given anything to stop in even one of these chambers for just a few minutes; the Chadworth aeronautics facility was impressive even by the Fuhrer's standards, and there was no telling what manner of technological wonders they might have in development. All stolen from the original Fuhrer's technology, of course, SC-80 reminded himself with a growl. And with that thought, Chadworth's magnificent halls of glass touch-screens and stainless steel equipment became a gross mockery of the Fuhrer's work. SC-80 relished the sudden burst of hatred that filled his mind: Soon this would all be set right, and the Chadworths would go back to their rightful places in whatever afterlife they happened to warrant.