Infiltration Method: In Through the Out Door

This time, the cold had a Level One hazard alert. So we were using all pieces of the armor, helmet included. But the snow was going to provide good cover for approaching the center, also, no one was going to know we are invading, not with all the fog and wind. I was prepared for resistance, especially inside.

We reached the location where the water was disposed. Until now everything was going accord to the plan, but the next part was tricky. Matias knew every move, he didn't even said a word. I was carrying the flamethrower. The M-451 Firestorm, a heavy weapon used mostly against armored enemies. I had to melt the ice, what was inside was still a mystery, but I was expecting an interest challenge.

After some minutes I could see that the ice melted, showing what appears to be an cave. Just lime I thought, the hot water in contact with the ice created a lake inside the mountain. The pipe we will use for reaching the base was inside, below water. To go up, first we need to go down.

"So, it is like you said. We really needed the helmets." Matt always didn't like to use helmets.

"We could not stand the cold without it, but if you want to turn in a popsicle, just take it off."

"Yes, and who will save your ass when all the shooting starts?" Always made fun of my aim.

"When recover your biotic's amp you be good as me fighting that giant monster we found." He had great biotic powers when we were young.

"Good point. Can't argue with that." He still had his bomb expertise, but was limited.

The only way to go was swimming through the lake. The water was cold. Not too cold like outside, most probably they dispersed hot water recently. We were now inside the cave with water in our neck. I gave the signal to go down, the water was getting colder. The more we were getting closer to the pipe, more cold the water. This was strange, but I didn't had time to think why, we had to find the pipe, and I could see a spot where the water was flooding.

I found why the water was cold below. They were throwing cold water in the lake. Something was very wrong, normally they used water to cool hot plates of metal and ceramic. The water couldn't possibly be of that process. It was like they are defrosting something. I could think in a few things they were doing, but the most obviously was some type of experience. And a experience with organic tissues, which just got out of the fridge.

Matias was pointing his finger to the top. Again I signal in a direction. My plan was going perfectly. The pipe was made from metallic material. If it have iron, then the way up was going to be easy. I acquired a way to go up, it wasn't cheap, but the money was well invested. It was a tool used to climb magnetic metal walls. Basically it convert electric impulses into magnetic energy, directed to the hands and legs of the user, attaching metal armor to any form f iron based metal. But if it just did that, the amount of strength needed to go up was going to be immense. The solution: it also had a tool that create a small mass effect field, effectively reducing the weight of the user, making the climb a lot easier.

In Matt's words: the climb will be a piece of cake. And he was right. We passed the flooding water quickly. We had climbed at least one Thousand meters, when the pipe began to get bigger. We passed some bifurcations, but all pipes come from the same place, the final process of the production line. That was our way in, through the waters of the construction process. The magnetic tool was needed anymore, we reached a flat area of the pipes. There were water high as our knees.

"We are close. We will go separate ways when we reach the factory floor." Matt knew the plan, but was good to pay attention to the details.

"Yes, I go cloaked. In the Laboratory I will find the dossier." He had the cloaking device.

"Right. You go first, room seven, third locker form the left, password "Indicium"." It was Latin for information, not a literal translation.

"Ironic password. After that I wait for you inside the room."

"I will be in the hangar, searching for anything not "usual"." Most likely a weapon.

"Look, there is a way up."

Above our heads a grate was showing a dark open space. We used the Magnetic Climbers to go up. We got inside the research center, after around one hour. There were no signs of life. It was quiet, soundless and badly illuminated. Perfect conditions for a infiltration. Matias just wave his head to the direction of the labs, then he was invisible.

I began my way to the hangar, Mattock in hands. When I was close to the exit I heard footsteps closing by from the corridor. I hid behind a crate full of metal parts. The Production Center was full of pieces like this, each production cell had at least one part being constructed. The strangest thing, nobody was working. It was like a ghost house, almost like if they were all in one place. To me this was true, they was doing something, and they didn't want everyone talking too much about it.

The footsteps got closer, now the voices were getting clearer. When they reached the production cells I could hear them well. The voice of one of them was different, like he had something in his throat. The other had an accent, I didn't know from where.

"You saw what they did with the prototype?" Said the man with the accent.

"Yes, what were they thinking?" I had to find out what they were talking about.

"They put it in that fighter, a weapon that size would fit perfect in a frigate."

"I know. It doesn't make sense. The cannon it's longer then the fighter. Just imagine pilot that thing." It was a cannon, a big one.

"Almost impossible, the maneuvering will be terrible, and the aim, I will not even say all I think about the aim... " The voices began to go away.

Now I knew what to look for. A fighter with a cannon, massive in size. If get right the tone they were using it also had a lot of firepower. And it was a prototype, so it could be a very Strong weapon.

I was going the opposite way the two persons passed. Not long before I began to walk I saw an exit. I didn't even had to search for the mysterious weapon. Right in front of the exit there were at least ten fighters, one after the other. The first four was like any fighter we see in the Alliance. The fifth had a giant canon attached above it.

Now I understand why they were concerned, that prototype could easily perforate a Frigate armor. It was like nothing I ever saw before. If I had never see the galaxy before I would say that only aliens would built a thing like that.