The security uniform trick worked.
The trio managed to blend in and move freely through the various security doors and restricted areas. These areas mainly held equipment, old museums exhibits, and similar useless items. They quickly moved through the various doors and areas until they reached a large freight elevator.
The elevator descended down into the earth 8,000 feet (about a mile and a half). The trio cautiously remained silent as the elevator descended…occasionally it would shudder, and shake accompanied by a loud metal screech of strained metal cables. As they descended deeper and deeper, metallic tremors would cause the elevator walls to tremble as if the elevator itself was afraid of the pit below.
The air changed to a faint scent of metal, stone, and recycled air. The trio remained silent. There were security cameras recording overhead and they needed to act as ordinary guards accustomed to this routine.
After a very long descent, the elevator stopped and the doors slide open with a loud metallic scrapping sound. Instantly, a wave of cold refrigerated air sent shivers to the team. They were shocked to see a massive subterranean facility underneath the NAVA HQ building. The facility seemed to stretch for miles in both directions…and appeared to be expanding with construction equipment visible on one side of the facility.
The space in the facility was divided into two levels. The first level was connected to the elevator and served as both a hallway and balcony that wrapped around the entire facility giving workers and security guards safe passage through the facility without disturbing the work below. Hundreds of people walked along the metal balcony in hurried steps. Some wore white lab-coats and held tablets and computer devices and appeared busy reviewing files. Others wore blue overalls worn out by repetitive work, and others were security guards roaming the balcony.
The second level was 50-60 feet below and served as the "work floor". Staircases connecting the two levels were spaced at large intervals. Workers dressed in blue overalls were seen moving up and down the staircases like ants moving to and away from a worksite.
A large sign was visible from the elevator. It said "SILO 52" in extremely large and bright color. Silo 52 was roughly the size of a football field and was easily 30 feet tall. Large concrete partitions separated Silo 52 from other silos. Large plastic tarps were draped over Silo 52 covering the content underneath.
Numerous workers were seen on the work floor operating large construction machinery that transported loads to and away from the silos. At first glance, the trio thought the workers were excavating…hauling and removing stone and dirt. However, an enormous dump-truck the size of a house made its way to Silo 51. It dumped its contents into the empty space.
The trio's eyes opened wide in disbelief.
It was mana crystals.
Mountains and mountains of mana crystals shimmered and shined with a familiar whitish-blue hue that was unmistakable to veteran heroes. Mana crystals were being transported to and from the silos. The trio watched in shock as teams of workers unloaded the mana crystals into the silo. Far away from Silo 51, another team of workers was seen loading crystals into cargo containers. Some containers had visible letters that said "USA", "Italy", "England", "Russia", "China".
There was no longer any doubt.
Avalor was real.
The team walked on slowly, careful to blend in, examining the operation taking place below. There were easily 100 silos, each the size of a football field inside this facility. They reached the end of the silos and entered into a long corridor that stretched long and straight connected to numerous rooms.
Some rooms had workers wearing rubber suits dissecting and removing tissues from dead magic creatures. Bones, teeth, claws, organs, skins, scales, shells, all being meticulously removed by teams of workers and placed into large plastic bens. The bens were transported to other rooms where teams of workers were seen crafting and assembling items.
Other rooms had workers firing guns and weapons at magic creature's shells, scales, or similar tissue. Camera equipment and numerous instruments were seen in those rooms recording and taking notes of the outcome. The workers were seen carefully documenting their findings after every weapon's test.
Further into the corridor there were similar rooms with workers testing what appeared to be prototype weapons on dead magic creatures. Those weapons fired a whitish-blue energy-based beams. The beams seemed to "pulse" as they thundered through the air…causing massive damage to anything it struck.
"WARNING! WARNING!
Security breach detected!"
"WARNING! WARNING!
Security breach detected!"
Suddenly, red lights started flashing everywhere. This was accompanied by a horrendously loud sound similar to a fire-alarm erupting from speakers all over the facility.
"WARNING! WARNING!
Security breach detected!"
"WARNING! WARNING!
Security breach detected!"
Arthos, Kristan and Wain closed their eyes tight and tensed their bodies…they had been caught.