Just after leaving Opalene's house, Eddie and the rest of the group decided to spend some time training and getting a feel for her gadgets. As they trained with Opalene's gadgets, the group found themselves more and more impressed by the ingenuity and functionality of each device. Eddie, in particular, marveled at how seamlessly the gadgets had integrated into their training exercises. Mariko's precision was enhanced by a wrist-mounted laser cutter, while Delilah found her agility improved with a pair of gravity-defying boots. Meanwhile, Alice experimented with a holographic interface that displayed tactical information in real-time, providing valuable insights that allowed her to make split-second decisions during combat simulations.

"Damn," Iggy uttered out loud. "It's only been, what, a few minutes? But these gadgets Opalene made are so fucking awesome!"

Delilah nodded. "Indeed, for prototypes, they sure do hold up well."

As the group continued to train and familiarize themselves with Opalene's gadgets, they discovered new ways to combine their individual strengths with the capabilities of the devices. Eddie found that by utilizing Mariko's precision and Delilah's agility alongside his strategic thinking, they could create formidable strategies for different scenarios. After about three hours of training, they decided to stop for now, hoping that that was enough time to adjust to their arsenal.

"Do you think we're ready to save Keiko, Dad?" Mariko asked Eddie.

"God, I hope so," Eddie replied. "I really want this to work."

"Me too, Dad. Me too."

"Alright, the sooner we get on this, the better."

After their training session, the group gathered around a map of Lord Stingray's Atlantean compound to strategize their mission for saving Keiko. Each member contributed insights on possible entry points, guard patrols, and potential obstacles they might encounter. Genie and Delilah both suggested that Mariko use her laser cutter to disable security cameras, while Iggy and Sally proposed using Alice's holographic interface to create distractions and confusion among the guards.

"Okay, now that we've pretty much covered everything, let's go down to Atlantis," Pearlisle said.

"Yeah, it might be a matter of life and death," Piscynia added.

Once everyone had finalized their plan, they geared up for the mission to save Keiko. Eddie, Mariko, Delilah, Alice, Iggy, Sally, Aurelia, Flavia, and Genie all felt a mix of nerves and determination as they prepared to face Lord Stingray's forces. Like a broken record, they kept expressing hope that they could find Keiko alive and save her before it was all too late. However, it felt as if they were stalling for whatever reason. Perhaps they weren't exactly confident that they could pull this off, but that's why Eddie was with them. He could bring that spark of confidence back into them every time they expressed doubt. Opalene's gadgets were securely fastened to each member as they set out towards Atlantis under the cover of night. To do that, however, they had to take a submarine ride that Pearlisle and Piscynia had to seek out for them at the last minute. The journey was tense, with each member lost in their own thoughts about the upcoming mission. As they approached the glowing underwater city of Atlantis, Eddie gathered everyone around for one final pep talk.

"Alright, gang," Eddie began. "Think of all those hours we put into training, think of all the skills we gained, and then think about how those gadgets are going to help us succeed. Now remember that no matter what happens, we've got each other."

"Don't worry, Dad," Mariko assured him. "We'll remember."

"Good. Because these are the best gadgets that Opalene could give us. Pearlisle and Piscynia even assured us of much. Now let's go. We've got a young woman to save."

"We sure do, Dad!"

Everyone cheered as the submarine inched ever closer to Atlantis. As the submarine approached Atlantis, the team could see the glowing underwater city shimmering in the distance.

The city of Atlantis stood proud beneath the depths, a mesmerizing metropolis where merfolk with legs roamed alongside shimmering seahorses and bioluminescent jellyfish. Towers of coral intertwined with swaying kelp forests, creating a breathtaking underwater landscape. Schools of iridescent fish darted through the crystal-clear waters, while graceful manta rays glided effortlessly above majestic sea turtles. The inhabitants of Atlantis, a diverse array of aquatic beings, moved with an otherworldly elegance through the city's intricate network of glowing tunnels and grandiose chambers. Every structure seemed to pulse with an ethereal light, casting colorful reflections on the inhabitants' scales and skin. As the team's submarine approached, they were greeted by the harmonious hum of underwater life and the sight of fantastical creatures coexisting in perfect harmony within this submerged paradise.

"Whoa," Mariko muttered as she looked out the window. "I feel like I could maybe live down here."

"Mariko, focus," Eddie scolded. "We're on a mission here!"

"Sorry, Dad. It just looks so cool down here."

"Well, you were always fascinated by the ocean and all that jazz, but there's no time for dilly-dallying right now."

The excitement and tension among the rest of the group was palpable as they prepared to execute their plan to save Keiko. Each member held onto a sense of hope and determination, fueled by Eddie's words of encouragement and confidence in their abilities. They had only one chance to succeed, and they were determined to do everything in their power to make it happen. They had to stay focused and keep their eyes on the task at hand. They had to save Keiko.

Keiko couldn't believe her luck. It hadn't even been two years since she'd been held hostage at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas, and yet here she was in this situation again: confined to a room just big enough to live in, but not big enough to fully explore. Unlike last time, however, there was no bodyguard for her to talk to. This was more of a disadvantage on her captor's part than it was an advantage, but it still sucked not having someone to talk to around here. Nevertheless, she was determined to survive and escape this time. She had a feeling that if she worked hard enough, she could make it out alive. She had to stay positive and stay hopeful.

Determined as she was, she couldn't help but notice just how hungry she was around here. Lord Stingray hadn't given her much food since they got here. It seemed that he'd resorted to depriving her of basic needs just to make her suffer. What a bastard. She had to wonder what his endgame was here. He'd already had his children force themselves onto her back in Las Vegas, he'd already trafficked her to whom she could only describe as scum of the Earth, and he'd already left bruises and marks that still found themselves in her imagination even after they'd mostly healed. Was none of that enough for him anymore? She had to find a way to escape, but Lord Stingray was too smart. She needed a plan, something subtle that would give her the upper hand. She was running out of time.

She decided to look around for a secret passageway (perhaps more specifically, a vent) she could use to escape. It had to be somewhere that no one could ever expect to look, somewhere that was least conspicuous. Hopefully, it would lead into the kitchen or the dining room. Escaping this place was hard enough. Escaping on an empty stomach was harder. She searched in every corner and every other possible place for someplace a secret passageway. It took some time, but she was eventually able to find a hidden vent behind a portrait of the Atlantean royal family.

"Bingo," Keiko murmured to herself.

It was awfully risky, but if it meant that she would be back with her family sooner than later, then it would be worth it. Conveniently enough, the vent had just enough crawl space for someone of her size. Sure, she might have gained some weight from when she was pregnant with Raphael and then never lost it, but she could still fit inside and move around in the crawl space.

"Alright, here goes nothing," Keiko again murmured to herself.

With that, she managed to climb into the vent and start crawling her way to freedom.

"Can you run that plan by me one more time?" Mariko asked her father. "I wasn't paying attention for a second there."

"Very well," Eddie began. "We'll infiltrate the compound disguised as Lord Stingray's guards. Once we make our way inside, we will then try to search in every corner to find Keiko and attack anyone who might stand in our way. While we're at it, we'll also try to find any weaknesses we can exploit."

"So... like the Death Star from those 'Star Wars' movies?"

Eddie nodded. "Exactly. Design flaws."

"Cool. How long will it take us to get inside?"

Eddie shrugged. "A couple of hours at most, I reckon. Depends on how many guards there actually are. We need to hurry, though. We don't have much time."

"Okay."

"Good. Just follow my lead."

With about an hour to spare, Eddie and the rest of the group made it inside Lord Stingray's compound while assuming disguises as guards. Eddie, for his part, couldn't believe how well they had managed to pull it off. He hoped they could keep up the good luck streak while they were searching the place. They'd managed to come so far in this mission. It would be a waste if it all fell apart now. They continued through the compound, carefully avoiding any signs of suspicion.

"How much longer until we find Keiko, sir?" Aurelia asked Eddie.

Eddie shook his head. "No idea. Let's keep looking. She must be around here somewhere."

Nearby, a guard squinted at the two people in front of him. Being hard-of-hearing, he couldn't really hear what they were saying, but then he didn't really need to. That was what lip-reading was for. He read the lip movements that Aurelia and Eddie were making closely before then quickly faking a cough.

Aurelia quickly stopped talking and turned to see who had coughed. "Is there somebody over there?"

However, the guard had quickly slinked back into the shadows before she could spot him.

"Huh," Aurelia said. "That was weird."

"Focus, Aurelia," Eddie scolded. "We need to be dedicating our time to finding Keiko."

"Yeah, uh, right. Sorry. Okay, where are we going now?"

Eddie pointed towards his right. "Uh, this way."

Eddie and the rest of the group rounded a corner as they made their way through the spacious compound. While everyone had some idea of how and where they were going to find Keiko, their real concern was what would happen to them if they were caught. They all knew they would probably be tortured or worse. However, despite their concerns, they decided to continue with their trek towards the right wing of the building.

"We're going to have to be careful," Delilah told the rest of the group. "I hear that there's extra security in the right wing."

"Yeah," Genie added. "It'll probably be just like in the movies."

"Let's just stay together and keep moving. We can do this."

"Yeah, we can find her."

Suddenly, as they were briskly sprinting through a hallway, they came across another guard. Aurelia couldn't quite tell just by looking at them, but she didn't think this was the same guard she saw from before.

"Hello there!" the guard greeted them. "Thank God you're here! Listen, there's something I need to-"

Before the guard could say anything else, Alice punched them in the face with all her might, and they fell to the floor unconscious. Aurelia, Flavia, Genie, and Delilah all froze and stared at her.

"Alice?" Aurelia asked nervously. "What did you just do?"

"Don't worry about it," Alice assured her. "I've got this."

"Are you sure about that? We might need them for directions."

"Nah, we're fine. Let's keep moving."

They did so, now more determined than ever to race against the clock and find Keiko. Neither of them knew how much time was left, but they weren't going to waste any of it while they were here.