There were worse times in the year for a plan like this. Rebecca stood on the side of a road one would describe as being in the middle of ****ing nowhere. She was equidistant from the nearest two streetlights, which was intentional; ideally, she wanted it to be hard for anyone to make out the facial details of herself or Shivs. Given the secret nature of their team, Impact was not a fan putting their faces in play, but exceptions had to be made occasionally. They needed a quiet way into a secret lab surrounded by a fence and security, and reconnaissance provided them with an opening.

Laboratories required supplies, and after some quiet stake-outs with her mirror-encapsulated spouse, Rebecca knew how these were coming in. An unmarked truck manned by two delivery personnel was the only non-personal vehicle that came into the facility. Her perpetual need to be careful and perform her due diligence led to two more stake-outs where Rebecca confirmed the set delivery time of these supplies. As a small blessing, she was able to confirm that the truck personnel rotated out so new faces were not uncommon.

Astrid would be able to find her own way in, though Rebecca instructed her to stay high enough in the air to avoid easy detection. The two grounded members of the squad would try their hand at some subtlety and subterfuge, (which Cait was all too excited about.) Rebecca was dressed in the clothes she would wear to tend the bar; a tank top and cut-off jeans, looking to draw the eye. Her distinct red hair was bundled up beneath a blonde wig, and her face was being partially obscured by a pair of black-rimmed glasses, (if the truck driver even tried to look her in the eye.) She carried a duffel bag filled with X-Uniforms for her and her teammate, as well as a carefully wrapped mirror for easy communication with Mirage.

In the distance, headlights appeared signaling their plan into motion. ”And… we’re on,” she said into her comm piece. Her channel could be picked up by Seraph, Shivs, Doc, and Mirage so their mission communications did not interfere with the team burrowing beneath their feet.

Rebecca walked into the street, well ahead of the truck, waving an arm frantically. ”Excuse me! Excuse me, I’m so sorry, we need help!”

Thankfully for her, the truck-driver was paying attention to the road and slowed down rather than barreling through a pedestrian. She smiled, excitedly skipping over to the driver-side window, her duffel bag slung over her shoulder, with Cait moving to the passenger-side to engage with the female security officer.

Rebecca used her mediocre American accent, playing the role of the panicked, lost girl being rescued. ”I’m like, so sorry, we were out for a hike, and I don’t even know how we ended up here and—”

“Woah, easy! Calm down miss.” His eyes, as expected, were nowhere near Rebecca’s spectacled face. “We have a deadline to meet, but we could possibly call you help?”

In response to the accommodating offer, Rebecca smiled, lowering he glasses slightly with her finger so they were not blocking her eyes. ”Thank you sir, but we have somewhere to be, too.” Her eyes sparkled and glowed for a microsecond, before a narrow blast of light emerged from them, hitting the driver in the head, rendering him unconscious.

Once she was sure Cait had handled things on her side, Rebecca opened the door to the truck and pulled the driver out. She dragged him over to the side of the road where she would start removing his uniform. ”It would have only been too fortunate to get two women, huh?” she muttered to herself, accepting she would just deal with an ill-fitting uniform. What was important was that she grabbed the access card from the lanyard on the man’s neck.

The road was dead because it only led to one place, meaning they were almost guaranteed to be alone as they prepared for their infiltration. Unashamedly shimmying out of her cut-offs and tanktop, Rebecca started switching into her borrowed uniform. Pressing her earpiece to reopen the channel, she spoke to the team. ”Shivs and I are preparing to drive to the entry-point. Just, well, changing and hiding bodies.” It was still not the worst thing she had ever had to say on the comms as an X-Man. Not even close.

”Seraph, keep an eye out for extra security we might run into. We’re going to need a safe place to ditch this truck.” Astrid was equipped with a pair of binoculars that would help her scan the ground, making her their eye in the sky. She almost left the instructions there, but there was a maternal tug at her heart, so she added, ”And… be safe.”

Rebecca finished putting on the inconveniently loose uniform and moved to the passenger-side. ”Okay Shivs, you drive. You look like more of a Nancy Day than I do a Tony Alora.” If the guard was going to pay attention to the name on one of their access cards, it would be the one in the driver’s possession.

This, was the best mission ever. Not only was she on Team Red Fluff, with Becca and Astrid, or the fact that they were here to save mutants some sickos were keeping prisoner, they were basically being super spy's. After Becca had finally given them the good ahead to break into this place and teams has been assigned, Cait had been overjoyed with her assignment. Geo had been a perfect choice for the other mission, and as much as she liked Geo, there was no one else she would have wanted to team up than the boss lady herself. Her and their teams resident angel, hence the fluffy name.

So, here she was, wearing skin tight jeans and a matching tank top, her hair temporally dyed a horrible black. She'd much have preferred not to have to deal with the foul stuff, especially considering how much damage it caused to her hair, but Becca had insisted. Yeah, her hair was a pretty rare colour, and yes the boss had a point about at least trying to keep her secret identity a, well, secret. Not that she was going to admit that to her any time soon. Couldn't let the boss know she was always right. All of that was an aside though. In the distance a pair of headlights could be seen, moving towards them.

Hearing the confirmation from Impact, she gave a quick nod, artfully tousled her hair one last time and got ready for some 'tactical flirting'. In fact, now that she thought about it, was the only reason she was on green team her killer legs? Impact wasn't that cold was she?

Questions would have to wait though, they were up. Impact quickly hailed the truck and turned the charm on the guy driving. Poor sod didn't have a chance, in that outfit even Cait had a hard time keeping her eyes to herself. What hope did a random horny guy have. "I'm so sorry miss, me and my friend got lost. Is there anywhere close by we could warm up? Maybe get a nice long shower?" So she might have been laying in on a little thick, but it apparently worked long enough. The blasting sound was enough of a signal for Cait to bring the caestus on her hidden hand slamming into the woman's temple.

It was genuinely surprising how effective that was. The woman crumbled over, her eyes rolling back into her head. Taking Impacts lead, she dragged her unfortunate victim out, and quickly stripped her of her uniform. Smiling at the grumbling behind her, she peeled off her tight clothes and pulled on the baggy outfit. God, did every woman she meet have to be better, equipped than she was. Did she constantly need reminding about her last teenage insecurity?  "This one would probably fit you better, Impact. I hardy need the extra, room"

Grabbing the last few items, and pinning on the ID badge the woman had, she dragged her over to the other unconcious body, hiding them from sight. "Well, it's been a few years Impact but I should be able to manage it. And don't sell yourself short, you'd make a lovely Tony," she finished with a smile. Climbing into the driving seat and turning the radio on, she eyed her companion before starting the engine.

"Now where can Miss Day take you today, Sir."

They were on a mission! A real live mission! Like, a legitimate one. It wasn't one that was created to give her more training, or just a quick one off. As much fun as her mission with Geo was, this one felt larger and more important. They were rescuing real live people and she was helping. Being useful. It was very exciting. 

At the same time, it was also nerve racking. There were lives at stake, and it was Astrid's job to make sure that no one lost theirs. 

Astrid was perched in a tree, her binoculars in hand as she followed the two X-women. She was their eyes in the sky, flying as silently as she could between locations to make sure that things were clear for them.

So far, things had been going smoothly for them. They had acquired a truck by letting a few officers take... an early break. As soon as the truck began to move, Astrid abandoned her perch and flew higher into the air so that she wouldn't be seen as easily. She kept her binoculars raised to her eyes so that she could keep track of them.

"I will be safe, mom, but only if you are also," Seraph said into her communicator. She flew a little lower to see the compound that they were driving toward better. From her height, she could see the entire place, including the outdoor security.

The compound was much larger than she had anticipated. She lapped the building twice in order to get the best possible layout. 

"There is a team about a mile in front of you, so you are going to want to pull off to the side. There is a group of trees just to your left. After that, you should be alright for a while, but I will continue to keep an eye out."

She hovered above the truck, being sure to keep watch. As long as she was above them, Astrid would make sure that nothing would surprise Shivs or Impact. 

Rebecca looked at the uniform shirt being offered by Cait, forcing herself to keep a straight face at the implication. Cait was too hard on herself, as an attractive young woman who could garner attention without worrying about future lower back problems. From a combat standpoint, the X-Leader was often annoyed with her chest, which was why her uniform compressed and helped control it so she was not hitting herself in the face.

Unfortunately, the male guard was rather thin, and looking over the shirt she was borrowing, Rebecca doubted it would stay on her body without at least two buttons buckling under the pressure. Not acknowledging why Cait was offering, Rebecca simply swapped the garments and buttoned her new shirt, providing just enough room for the girls.

Removing her wig, Rebecca’s hair tumbled down to her shoulders, temporarily dyed black like her partner’s. Dark hair was less distinguished than fiery or copper red hair, and concealing their identities was crucial. Her hair had little time to breath as she pulled it into a messy bun and hid it in the hat previously worn by the unconscious driver. She filed into the passenger’s side and Cait made some smart remarks about her persona. Rebecca knew what she was signing up for when she put one of the chattier squad members on assignment with her. ”Straight, Miss Day,” she replied flatly. ”It’s the only road, you can’t miss it.”

They drove the truck along the abandoned street for a mile before they even reached the facility gates. Only one guard was attending to the booth, granting entry in or out of the building. Impact let Shivs handle most of the talking as the guard came to request their paperwork, (which had been thankfully left on the dashboard.) Rebecca was trying to look like she was going through a typical workday: bored and unenthusiastic. She only responded to the guard when he requested both their cards.

The lack of picture ID was fortunate for the young women who looked nothing like the original employees driving the truck. The man did look at the cards and question “Tony” briefly, but Rebecca deflected in a nonchalant, New York accent. ”My parents named me Antoinette. You’d go by Tony, too.” And that excuse somehow worked, going so far as to warrant a chuckle.

Once they were within the facility, there was still a sprawling area between their truck and the laboratory. From this point forward, their eye in the sky had their backs. At her prompt, Impact nudged Shivs to cautiously drive them off the road, concealing the truck behind a grouping of trees. Between the cover and the growing darkness of night-time, the guards passed by without incident and the team could return to traveling. ”Nice eyes, Seraph. Keep it up.” She knew Astrid was excited, but she also had to be nervous. As her leader and her mother, positive reinforcement was necessary.

The truck followed the path dictated by Seraph, ducking out of sight when necessary until they were approaching the lab building itself. They needed a point of access, and as easy as breaking a window or blowing a hole in a wall sounded, stealth was more important than speed. Fortunately, they had a truck loaded with supplies, meaning they had every reason to approach the loading dock in the back.

As they approached, Rebecca counted five men, but only two were security, and the rest were just there to load and unload trucks. ”Okay, this shouldn’t have to get messy. We pull up, try to be inconspicuous,” she said, looking directly at Cait for the word, before continuing, ”and we can ideally get into a position where Shivs and I can each take out two men before the others can sound any alerts. Seraph, be prepared and be watching us, because you will be swooping in and taking out the fifth. Once all five men are incapacitated, we can zip tie them, Shivs and I can finally change, and we are officially in infiltration mode.”

Impact took one last calming breath before speaking over the comms one last time. ”Good luck, team.”

Ahh, Red team! It was the only team you could occupy whilst lounging in a comfy chair in your study/bedroom/office/placewithfancycurtains. He liked Red Team. It was significantly more safe. Still, it had it's own weight, acting as support... Eight years ago he'd learned that lesson first hand.

Now was not the time to think of such things, though. Now was the time to wait, and be ready. He looked up from his notes on the location to his somewhat haphazard looking set up of maps and LEDs. It had taken all day to get this set up together, but the sense of preparedness it gave was worth the hard work. His set up was rather complicated overall, but, sparing the details, he'd managed to set his insectoid pals to work effectively enough to build up a rudimentary bug-based surveillance system that would tell him how many combatants or non-combatants were in each room in the complex at any one time.

He sat in relative darkness as his compound eyes glanced up at the clock... It was around that time. Were those butterflies in his stomach? Was that considered cannibalism? He awaited feedback that friendlies had shown up on location before chiming in. The flashing of green lights on the periphery of his hand-drafted layouts hinted that the first team had arrived. A glance to the sub-levels told him Blue team had made their way in.

He cued into the conversations of the team, keeping track of a baffling amount of information for anyone not used to this sort of thing. Fortunately for him, he had ten years of experience under his belt.

"Impact, heads up. One more combatant is in the hallway leading to your outside position. You may want to be ready if they decide to investigate any noise."

He left it at that; the sublevel team was already inside, so he would have to dedicate more time to them for now.

At least Becca had been very diplomatic with her response. Choosing to take the offered shirt without comment, exchanging it for the more form fitting uniform. Well, this one fit a little tightly. That made her feel a little bit better, or it would of had she not then seen the boss already pulling on the other one and it as still just a bit too tight for her. Cait knew logically that she was good looking, even eye catching, but when she was surrounded by so many beautiful, well built women she couldn't help but be a little self concious. Christ at the rate she was growing, Astrid was going to over take her soon as well. It was all very unfair.

Pulling her hair into a tight, professional pony tail and grinning at the deadpan response from Becca, she pulled the truck back onto the road and carefully started off along the road. She wasn't exactly the most experienced driving and controlling a truck was a pain, but the road was pretty straight and the headlights were bright enough that she had no problem seeing the way.

Only a mile in and they were at the gates for the facility. Not that it meant they were close to their ultimate goal, the grounds of the place were huge. At least the guard was a guy. They were so easy to deal with, just a nice bright smile and some mostly innocent flirting and he was far to distracted to pay much attention to her ID. "Sure Miss Day, everything seems about right." All of her practice at picking up guys had somehow paid of in a mission. Raine would laugh so much when she got to tell her later. "Why thank you, always a pleasure to be able to get your last delivery done before the end of a shift. Can't wait to head into town and blow of some steam."

He spent all of two seconds talking to her companion in the passenger seat before sending them again on their way. Still a bit of drive left, then she could get out the ill fitting uniform and into her mission outfit. Now that was something she felt sexy in. A quick report from their guardian angel and a nudge from the boss and she managed to get the unwieldy beast she was driving behind the tree thicket before they were spotted. Smiling as Seraph got some motherly love over the radio, she opted to keep her mouth shut.

Cait generally stay off the comms on a mission unless she needed to report in, her accent was pretty recognisable and when she was excited or stress she would forget to hide it. That and their fearless leader was already stressed enough at the moment, worrying about the safety of her strays. She didn't want to add to right now.

Trusting Astrids directions they were soon rolling up to the lab they needed to. A few quick words from Impact, along with a very loaded look and a battle plan was formed. Who did she think she was talking to? The Scot was a born sneak, it's how she got onto the team after all. This was her element. Pulling out a matched pair of knives and giving the boss a confirming nod, the new voice in her ear made her visible jump in her seat. "Jesus Christ Doc, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Of course one of the even sneakier teammates had to chime in a ruin her self image.

"Heart conditions aside, I'm ready Impact." Switching into Gaelic she added "Good luck, let the clan watch over you." Yeah it was cheesy, but it something she always said before a mission. If there was ever a time they needed a little Gaelic magic, it was now.

The plan for entry was simple enough, so of course there was an additional element to worry about. As much as Impact did not want to hear Doc deliver more bad news, she could not hold it against him. The guard was coming, regardless of how aware they were of him, and if changing plans meant a safer start to the mission, Rebecca would be flexible. ”Dammit. Received, Doc.” She thought about the added variable, and decided her daughter would be in the best position to handle a new intruder. ”Seraph, when you come down to deal with our fifth, have an eye on the door and be ready to take out anyone that comes through it. I’ll cover you, just in case.” Her daughter was well trained, and this was something she could handle, but things went wrong for even the most tenured vigilantes. Rebecca would be ready to provide a supportive laser-blast if things did not work out.

Cait gave her customary final words of encouragement before they left the truck. Rebecca doubted the clans were particularly keen on her as a London-born mutt, but she nodded in appreciation regardless. She was, after all, a quarter Scottish, and she was not so stubborn she would refuse a little luck.

Rebecca stepped out of the vehicle, grabbing a clipboard the former delivery-person had rested on the dash. She lifted herself from the ground to the elevated loading dock, immediately catching the eyes of the employees. Her and Cait were an unexpected surprise to some of the men, but one of the five approached Rebecca seriously. The badge clipped to his chest was a different color than the other men; the supervisor, if she had to wager a guess. ”I’ve got your latest shipment, sir.” She smiled, hoping to seem friendly and welcoming, two things she could, at the very least, fake.

The man did not look amused. “Wasn’t Tony bringing in the shipment today?”[/color] He sounded more matter-of-fact than suspicious, but doubt of any kind was not a good start.

In an effort to make the personnel change less questionable, Rebecca began nonchalantly with the process of unhooking the handle to the back of the truck, pulling upward to lift the door and reveal the back area filled with boxes of medicines and chemicals, small machines, monitors, and miscellaneous lab equipment. ”I needed a shift change next week. I’m covering Tony so he can cover me.” It was important to give minimal details; the worst method

Impact was close to the supervisor, but no one else was right in her reach. She could have used her optic blasts to disable a second worker, but that would draw attention, and if she was too early, she could alert the others to the plan. While the supervisor begrudgingly looked over the inventory sheet, Rebecca looked around and thought of the one environmental element that might help: the truck.

It made enough sense for her to go in and look over the contents of her delivery before handing things off. Rebecca walked into the trailer, and the man did not bat an eyelash. When she was closer to the back of the small cargo area, she looked back to make sure the supervisor was the only man in line of sight to where she was. ”Hey, there were no office supplies on that list, yeah? Because I’ve got a big-ass box of paper back here.”

Puzzled, the supervisor joined her on the truck. “No, you guys never deliver junk like that,”[/color] he confirmed, approaching her in the back. Rebecca hoped Cait was succeeding in distracting some of the other men for what came next.

Just as the supervisor got to the back of the truck and started looking for the mystery paper, Rebecca placed a hand over his mouth and grabbed his arm. Before he could react, she twisted his arm and pushed him down and forward. His head hit a large metal canister with a resounding gong, and he fell to the floor.

Rebecca dropped him behind the canisters, just out of immediate sight, before she walked to the edge of the trailer, poking her head out. Cait had two men in position near her. One man was near the back of the dock, removing glass items from a large crate, while the other was close to the truck, clearly waiting to get started with unloading. Both men looked toward the truck, clearly aware of the sound, so she played it off. ”Sodding hell, we dropped one of these massive things. Care to lend a strong hand?” she asked the closer of the two men.

The employee shrugged, evidently deeming her idea as plausible enough to follow her request. He took two steps into the trailer with her, before he caught sight of something suspicious; the lack of his supervisor. He was looking around, initially confused, before he noticed a work boot sticking out from behind a wall of metal canisters. “The hell?”

Unfortunately for him, Rebecca had already turned on the receiver of her comm piece under the guise of brushing a (fake) lock of dyed hair behind her ear. ”Let’s get down to business,” she muttered, heard by the Green and Red teams on her channel, who she was now signaling to action.

Impact wrapped an arm around the worker’s throat, taking his arm in her free hand and holding it behind her back. With him positioned directly in front of her, she released a small blast of light. It was intentionally weak because she was not looking to destroy his skull; only hit him hard enough to knock him out.

With her task done, she turned and looked from the back of the truck to ensure Shivs and Seraph got their men, ready to provide long-range support if necessary.

Good, she didn't need to worry about the sixth. She wasn't entirely sure she'd be able to take three on at once without seriously hurting them. Two she could do thought, she just needed to find a way to distract her two until Impact gave the order. Scattering the knives she'd pulled out, she knew she wouldn't be able to hide them until needed. She hated wasting the energy, but for now it was necessary. Once they had suited up in their respective outfits, she have access to her physical knives. That way she would have to rely on her power all night. Hopefully.

Following her lead and stepping down and out of the truck she noted the looks on the men, seeing two women stepping out of the vehicle. Hmm, maybe she could use that to her advantage, a little harmless flirting might be just the distraction she needed. All she had to do was buy a little time after all.

While the boss had a very official looking man bearing down on her, Cait stepped to the side and tried look bored and tired. That usually did the trick and while Becca and what she guessed was some sort of supervisor, she noted the curious glances from a couple of the younger lads there. This might be easier than she initially thought. Stretching languidly, as if she'd just spent a few hours in a truck and needed to loosen some muscles. They were both clearly interested and started to whisper to each other, casting sidelong glances at their own boss to see if he was paying attention.

Smiling as Impact worked her own brand of boss magic and getting the supervisor to follow her to the back of the truck, her two admirers leapt at the chance to talk to her. It would have been cute if they'd been in a bar and not some super secret base where they kept mutants prisoner. She needed to remember those details.

"Good evening lads, long night?" Time for a bit of Scottish charm and what she'd sometimes referred to as tactical flirtation. "How are you two tonight?" Suppressing a grin as they both nervously introduced themselves and tried to get to know her. They were not good at this. Any other time it would be disappointing but right now, it was exactly what she was after. Someone more well versed with chatting up a lass might be able to see she was distracting them, these two were just happy she was paying them any attention.

A loud sound followed by Becca's quick demand for help meant the plan was on. Tensing slightly one of her new friends noticed her change in demeanor. "Hey, are you OK? You seem a little upset." Damn, she shouldn't have been so noticeable. Although, she might be able to use this to her advantage.

Pointing over one of their shoulders, she put on a suitably worried face. "I think a saw someone over there, they weren't in uniform." It was almost too easy. "Oh god don't say there was, I can't fight, I barely passed the physical." Wouldn't hurt to have them underestimate her and her timing had been perfect, just as one of them turned to 'investigate' and the other tried to clumsily calm her down, Impacts call came through. Go time.

Pulling out her paired knives, she started with a particularly dirty trick. She kneed the first guy in the crotch, slamming the hilt of the knife down on the back of his head as he crumpled over. He was down for now but his friend had realised something was up, trying to spin quickly and catch her out. Dodging under his elbow, she slammed her fisting into his stomach, before bringing the knife hilt first into his jaw. Oof, from the crunching sound he wasn't talking for a while. Punching the hard construct into his temple, he was out for the count. That, had been really easy. Was it meant to be that easy? 

The best thing about working on a superhero team was getting to work with superheroes. Like, actual superheroes. There was none of that "I'm a politician cleaning up the streets" nonsense. Shivs and Impact were nitty, gritty, punch-you-in-the-face superheroes. Astrid watched in awe.

First, Impact got out of the car, and before the young mutant knew it, they were in an all out brawl. Thankfully, the girl's only job was to take out the fifth man, so she had a minute to sit back and admire them.

They were just so cool.

Sometimes, it was hard to imagine that Impact was technically her mom. That she had picked up a little mutant girl from the streets and raised her as her own; raised her to be kickass and self-sufficient and strong. Sometimes, Seraph needed a minute to reflect on how lucky she was. Her life would have been so different had she not been adopted.

She couldn't wait too long, though. If she did, then there would be no more superheroes to admire. She left her perch a few minutes into the flight and joined the two women at the site of the action. As she did so, she couldn't help but think that there was a chance that she would have been on the wrong side of the X-Men if she hadn't been rescued. That, or she could have been one of the ones that needed saving. She was, so glad that wasn't the case.

She landed in front of a large man in a uniform that matched all the others'. She could have picked him up and dealt with him in the air, but it was difficult to manoeuvre in a fight that way. There was a high chance that he could get the upper hand, or that she could unexpectedly drop him and cause a fatality that she did not intend. Sure, he was her enemy in that moment, but he was also a son, a brother, and a friend to people out there somewhere. He deserved to have the chance to keep on living, no matter what he might have done.

Instead, she shifted her wings and waited for him to come to her. To him, she probably looked like an easy target; everyone else was busy, she was tiny, and she had just plopped herself down in front of him. Essentially, she was asking for a fight. Lucky, that was what her crystal wings were made for. 

She was knocked back quite a bit by the force of him ramming into her, but she held her ground as best she could. She pushed back against him, using her wings as best she could under the circumstances. Luckily for her, he had buried his skin in the worst part.

With a surprised shriek that did not fit his manly physique, the man retreated, holding his arms so that he could examine his sliced forearms. While he was distracted, Seraph stepped forward and clocked him in the jaw. Her punch hit hard enough to throw him off, but not enough to do any real damage. It did, however, give her just enough time to sweep his legs out from under him. He toppled to the ground and hit his head on the pavement. Astrid hoped that there would be no lasting damage from that fall.

Despite the man, Seraph turned around to face her mother and teammate. She'd just taken down the fifth man like she'd been told, and she wasn't entirely sure what the plan was next. But, she wasn't entirely focused on that. Her mind was still racing with what-ifs and wonderment. 

"Mom, you are great. Thank you," Seraph announced somewhat distractedly, not caring whether or not it was a good time to be sharing that fact. 

Impact stepped out of the truck, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. What she saw was… well, closer to the best than the worst, thankfully. Shivs was just finishing the dismantling of her targets. For such a sweet girl, she was not shy when it came time to get her hands messy. The leader was always a fan of that; she had no use for a team of hesitant crime fighters when their enemies would not be afraid to play dirty.

Astrid… Seraph was still playing by the rules. It was fortunate she was so well-trained. The girl stood face-to-face with her opposition, relying on underestimation and the strength of her wings. The man took the bait and walked himself into the equivalent of a wall of spikes. With a newfound advantage, Astrid was able to dispatch the man, but not before he let out a screech of his own. Needless to say, not ideal in a stealth mission.

The youngest X-Man was mission-ready, Impact was certain, but she still had all the excitability of a girl amongst superheroes. Years ago, Impact was much of the same when she finally joined the team in the field. She may not have called Arclight “mom,” but the urge was probably there.

Before she could respond to her daughter, the door opened, as Doc had warned them it might. Impact turned her sights to the man, sure he was only following a curious urge to inspect the shriek. The blast cut through the air from where she stood at the edge of the truck to the other end of the loading bay. By the time it reached the target, the light was a blend of blue and green, with both beams merging together, striking him with a hit wide enough to collide with his chest and stomach.

The man flew ten feet back, and Impact was confident he was immobilized when he hit his head on the ground. He would have to deal with a concussion; it was the price for working in a shady anti-mutant facility.

Stepping out of the truck and going to the passenger’s side where a duffel bag was left, she was already giving mission notes. ”Seraph, good technique, but if we have the option to catch these men off guard, we take it. Yelling does us no good. And I get it’s exciting, but the sixth was yours.” She was back on the loading bay, regrouping with her team. ”Also, in the field, I’m Impact,” she reminded her daughter.

Of course, it was hard to do nothing but chastise, and Rebecca ended up cracking a smile. ”Good job. I’m proud of you.”

Leaning down, Impact grabbed an access badge from the nearest dockworker. Their access would be basic, but it would open the door into the building, which was enough. ”Shivs, Seraph, we’re in,” she confirmed, opening the door and leading them into the hallway.

As they stepped by the unconscious victim of an eye blast, Impact was looking specifically for a restroom. The first one they came across was a men’s room, and she could not care less, kicking the door open.

A man in a custodial uniform looked back at them, confused, but he was quickly met with a blast that knocked him into the tiled wall behind him, cracking the cheap ceramic with his impact. Blast first, questions later.

”Seraph, watch the door. Shivs, it’s time to get in uniform.” Impact dropped the duffel bag and unzipped it, revealing their costumes and a mirror just large enough for Jesse to check in with them if necessary. ”They’ll care to see our faces now, so masks on.”

Rebecca was shimmying shamelessly out of her borrowed outfit so she could hastily get into her X-Costume, but she was always one to multitask. ”So while we have time, we have to get access to computers or a records room, and we don’t yet know where either would be. Any ideas?” Impact had thoughts of her own, but she was not so proud that she would claim she thought of everything. It was important to get perspectives and make sure she had no blind spots.

Apparently, four years of intense combat training worked. Who knew? At least neither of hers had taken any particularly nasty injuries and a quick check proved to her they were happily snoring away. Good, she wasn't a fan of hurting people at the best of times, killing a couple of poor sods just doing their jobs would have really rubbed her the wrong way.

Smiling as she stood back up, Seraph was so damn cute all the time. Cait didn't know if there was ever a point the younger team member had been grumpy. Becca wasn't quite rubbing off on her yet. More ways than one though, since she'd forgotten about the sixth guy, Cait being halfway to throwing a knife before he was slammed back by some fairly familiar energy beams. Don't mess with momma bear. "Awesome shot, boss. Don't think he's going to be up for a while."

Awww, it was so adorable watching their fearless leader trying to play both roles at once. A little bit of leaders chastisement followed by mothers pride was a very interesting combination. Raine was going to be so jealous when they got back to base.

Cleaning up their carnage a little, hiding the bodies from the casual observer, she followed the others into the building, trying to keep at least one eye out for any camera's or unseen guards waiting to pounce. "Want me to take out camera's along the way?" Seemed like a good idea to her, but Becca was the lead on this and it was her call.

She was so looking forward to getting out of this uniform. She didn't need the constant reminder of all her highschool complex's, no matter how silly they were.

Was anyone safe from Becca's evil eyes? Now a janitor was laid out and the boss lady was stripping. Twice in one night she'd stripped down with another person present and it hadn't led to anything fun. Didn't seem right somehow.

What did feel right, was the familiar texture of her uniform. The uniform always helped her get into the right mindset. When she wore it, she really knew she was a member of the X-men. She belonged. Slapping her mask on, she raised an eyebrow at Becca. "If it was me I'd say records room. It's probably less well guarded and while, yes, it'll take longer to search, we're not dealing with setting of a computers automated security thingies." Technology wasn't her strongest point.

Grinning as she rummaged in the bottom of the bag, she removed the two steel knives she had packed for the mission. The knives completed her, made her way useful on long term missions. Generally, she preferred using her power as little as possible, to save energy and for more pragmatic reasons. The knives she could make were sharp. Really sharp. Like kill a man by accident sharp. Having something real in her hands was definitely more comfortable.

Giving them a few experimental spins, smiling at the perfect balance, she sheathed them at her side. "Wouldn't the security station be a good first call though? Surely they'll have maps of the facility there and we might even be able to knock out the cameras wile we're at it." Cait wasn't a natural planner, but a few years of working with the other, more experienced X's had rubbed off on her.

"You got any ideas Seraph? Can't hurt to get more options on the table."

As much as Astrid was quite proud of herself for taking down that fifth man, she had neglected her other task of taking out the sixth, and she had broken protocol by calling Impact ‘mom’. She pressed her lips together and hung her head a bit, casting a glance at the other men that Impact and Shivs had taken down together. They were so much more skilled than her. All she could really do was learn from them and her mistakes.

”Sorry, mo- Impact. Sorry, Impact,” she repeated, the second time more sure of herself as she tried to break her self-imposed habit of calling the redhead ‘mom’. She’d wanted one so bad growing up, that as soon as she’d gotten one, she never went back to ‘Rebecca’.

>>”Good job. I’m proud of you.”

The teen looked up with wide blue eyes. She smiled widely at the praise, letting it wash over her rather than the criticism. ”Thank you, Impact,” she smiled, making sure to use her X-Man name. She was going to finish the mission right if it was the last thing she did.

She followed her two senior teammates into a little hallway and stood a little in toward the doorway. She didn’t want to overstep anything, so she made sure that she was always walking behind them. She was still a trainee, and that meant that she was there to do as she was told, not make decisions or moves without consulting her leader.

Jumping a little as the custodian was slammed into the wall, Astrid threw a hand over her mouth. Yes, she was on a superhero team, and yes, her main power was rather stabby, but she still didn’t love seeing people get hurt. If she could help it at all, she preferred that they all stayed safe. Everyone.

However, her mother had explained her to that such was not the way of the world, so she kept quiet about it. She did, however, walk over to the man and take his pulse, just to be sure that he was still alive.

Distractedly, she then walked over to the duffle bag and took out her mask. She was already wearing her costume since she was the only one that didn’t need to participate in some part of the scheme to get inside. It was rather difficult to do with her wings, after all. The mask fit snugly over her eyes and blocked just enough of her face to mask her identity from cameras or anyone who might have seen her.

>>"You got any ideas Seraph? Can't hurt to get more options on the table."

”I think we should go to the control room,” she nodded, agreeing with Shivs. ”We don’t have to worry about little cameras then since we can turn all of them off together. Also, we can be looking at the cameras to try to find the people we are looking for.”

Impact took no joy in taking out a non-combatant, but safety and limiting risks were more important motivations than mercy. The janitor would be fine, and it was easy to justify the decision. This building screamed “shady business,” and even the support staff had to have an inkling of what they were complicit in. He chose the wrong job, and benefit of the doubt could only blow back in her face. No one else on the team questioned her actions, or at least they kept any apprehension to themselves.

Getting into her bodysuit was second-nature after so many years. When she received the uniform, it was initially looser than she liked, but after years of training and adding some muscle to her frame, along with some other changes to her body, it had become almost snug. There would be no replacing the outfit; the military was not going to offer her a replacement since the X-Men “obtained” the first one through questionable means.

As the two elder team members changed, Shivs suggested the best target in her eyes. She made a fair point, suggesting they look for hard records over computers. The new team lacked some of the tech savvy of the original X-Men, and Chrys’s programs and tech were mostly lost in the explosion. If a computer was all they could access, they would need to wrangle someone who could get them in. Threatening someone into compliance might not sit well with Seraph. Heck, Shivs might flinch at the idea, but it was that, or they just destroyed computers and left with no new information.

Seraph and Shivs both agreed on the best course of action to access a map and some additional stealth coverage. A Security Control Room. A building like this needed a focal point for security to gather at the start of their shift, eyeing cameras.

”Good plan. I agree. I know Doc’s troopers are doing what they can to make the cameras bug out,” she said, before she stopped herself, realizing what words she just used, and added, ”Pun certainly not intended. Taking out the surveillance entirely would be so helpful. And the security office should be easy to find; there’s no way they won’t be sending people to check on the cameras that keep going wonky.”

Progressively, the mission would become less stealthy, and they would handle that when the time came, but it was unrealistic to think they would pass through such a secure facility completely unnoticed. For all the strengths of the team, they had zero stealth-focused mutations on the roster. What they could do was leave a swath of unconscious bodies in the hallways. ”We’re gonna want to disable people before they can radio for backup. We want things to stay on our terms as long as possible. I’ll handle much of the knocking out,” she added. Her blasts were strong, but a blunt force, meanwhile Shivs and Seraph were both designed to leave a bloody mess. ”If you shoot or throw, aim for radios or weapons.”

Adhering her domino mask to her face with spirit gum, Impact looked around at her team. ”Okay Green Team, let’s move.”

The way the squad moved though the hallways was methodical. They would peek around corners and disable any visible security cameras with one of the long-range techniques at their disposal. If the Green Team composition could do one thing, it was fight at a distance. Guards came one at a time, followed by pairs. It was imperative to handle their appearances quickly, with well-placed ocular blast headshots, along with disabling techniques from Seraph and Shivs.

Eventually, their strategy led them to a large room with a heavy door and a large window. Through the window, several dimly lit screens were visible, but they were the only lights illuminating the otherwise dark room. The glow was enough to confirm that no one was in the office, which seemed like shoddy security work. ”Green Team reporting, Control Room located. It’s empty. We’re moving in to check it out,” she spoke into her earpiece, alerting the Red Team of their progress.

Turning back to her team, Impact steeled her nerves. ”Be on your toes. We don’t know when they’ll be back. Don’t lower your guard.”

Impact pulled open the door to the room and took two steps in before the lights came up, seemingly on their own. They did not know when the guards would be back specifically because they never left in the first place.

It was as though an illusionary curtain was dropped, and on the other side of the large room stood six guards dressed in the same garb as the bodies they dropped along the way. Along with those guards was one man with a shaved head wearing a black, pseudo-military uniform. One of these things is not like the other. With the way the “curtain” followed the man’s hand, Impact assumed he was a mutant. The revelation would be sickening, knowing what happened in the laboratory, but there was no time for disgust.

All the men had hands at holsters on their belts. For a moment, it felt like they were at a standstill. ”Boys, you don’t want to pick this fight,” she warned, unsure if it was a bluff. They had walked into a trap; someone got a report back to the office along the way. It was the only answer.

“Disregard,” the military man barked. “Engage! Eliminate the intruders!”

Impact fired off a blast at the man, but he ducked and waved his hand, seemingly vanishing again. She charged right into the line of men, hoping to eliminate the distance between them and negate the advantage their firearms would give them.

This was going to go to hell in a handbasket.

Well, looks like they had a plan. Not only did they have a plan, it was her plan! That was so cool, here she was and the boss lady was taking her advice, never mind it was obvious, that didn't matter. She belonged here, with the others on a mission. Grinning at the hidden joke and giving Impact a totally not amused look, "At least our little friends are only a pest to the enemy who, heaven forbid don't have an exterminator on site."

Nodding along, while keeping her hands on her knives just in case, she could do this. They might work for an evil group, Christ some of them might be pretty rotten themselves but she wasn't making that call and frankly, she didn't want to be. They helped people, they weren't assassins. "Can do, I want as little blood as you do boss." Which wouldn't be easy, given her training and particular affinity for knives, but she could do it. With that extra bit of training from the resident grump of the team she was a pretty nasty shot with her power. Tagging a few radios and guns should be a piece of cake.

Giving Seraph one last grin and following the leader, they moved pretty quickly, the years of training together making team work natural and talking mostly unneeded. The few poor guards they came across were pretty quickly dealt with, most didn't even know what was happening before a laser was smacking them in the side of the head. God that power was so cool. The few she or Seraph had to deal with went down equally quickly. Hers could barely register the sudden knife sticking out of their radios before she was on them, slamming tender points with blade pommels and putting them into dream land pretty easy. Maybe this wouldn't go too bad?

No one in the control room? That was....odd. On a hunch she pulled a round shield out and set it floating in front of her. True, Cait would prefer to be able to cover the others, but she couldn't make enough constructs to fight and play team defense and besides, Astrids' crystal wings a petty shield than any she could make. The boss, well she was probably the scariest fighter Cait had met, plus she'd get an ear full for neglecting herself in a fight if she did. 

She was right behind Impact when the trap was sprung, moving quickly to her side as the world rippled like fabric. Yep, seemed about right, they'd done something wrong somewhere. Whatever power was being used, it was strong and scary. Oh and they now had six armed men to deal with. Perfect.

While the boss threatened, she was pulling knife after knife out until she had three ready to go, hidden away from view behind her and Impact. This was going down quick.

Now! Launching herself forward, staying low and keeping the shield up she was into them before they could blink, knives flashing, causing as many small, but painful wounds as she could. Cutting fingers, stabbing hands and feet, she was always moving between targets forcing a couple of them to focus on her instead of the rest of the room.

Things could not get much worse right not. Instead they got a lot worse. An unseen kick took her legs out from under her, slamming her right into the floor face down. Rolling away and scything her flying knives around her, "Watch out! Invisible lad's about and he's wanting to play!"

"Small and not bloody. Got it," Astrid nodded, following her adopted mother and Shivs down the hallway. Astrid was not a planner by any means, but luckily, the other two women on her team were. Astrid was content to just sit back and let them instruct her on where to go. If one of them pointed her to it, Astrid would stab something. Something that wasn't living, that was. Something that couldn't bleed. She really didn't like blood, and she would try to keep from spilling any if she could help it.

They rounded the corner and made their way through the compound, Astrid looking up and down the entire time. There were plenty of things to look at in the compound when you weren't afraid of someone trying to kill you. She was in her feathered form, wishing all the while that she could fly rather than walk. It was so much nicer to be in the air rather than on the ground.

Despite the situation at hand, Astrid had let her guard down. For some reason, she felt safe roaming those halls. Angry men trying to attack them? No worries, Impact and Shivs had it covered. Building on high alert? No worries, Impact and Shivs had it covered. There was nothing that could come at her that she would have any doubt that they could take. Hell, she was pretty sure that they could even take on Poseidon himself if it came down to it. They were just that awesome.

She walked breezily, up to the door of the control room, almost expecting it to just be unlocked and empty. While she waited for Impact to give the all clear for them to go in, she picked a piece of lint off of her suit and flicked it onto the ground. That was how relaxed she was. 

They received the second-hand okay from Impact's discussion with the Red Team, so Astrid walked in, not all that surprised to find the place empty. It just seemed to be coming up Green Team that day. She walked around the room, examining the different things that it boasted: the controls, cameras, and most of all, buttons. She really wanted to touch the buttons and find out what they all did. What if there was one that could release all the mutants they were looking for?

A second later, though, buttons were the last thing on her mind. The veil dropped, and they were no longer the only three people in that room. Six men with weapons were standing in the centre of the room, one looking distinctly more important than the others. Astrid was standing very close to the group. So close, in fact, that she could feel breath on her skin. It was sickly warm, coming from the bearded mouth of a man close to her. He regarded her with hungry eyes.

The feeling of safety and security that she'd had before had vanished and was replaced by a deep feeling of dread. Luckily, Astrid was not one to freeze when she was afraid. Reactively, she jumped back and attempted to hide behind her mother. It was one of those moments when she just wanted to take a long shower to try to get the feeling of that man's breath off of her skin and then be held by someone important to her. Unfortunately, they were still in a fight.

Impact and Shivs had both immediately launched forward into the fray with expert fighting skills, but Astrid felt out of her depth. Sure, she had trained in those cool painting things, but she still hadn't done all that much fighting on her own. Training was completely different from how it was when lives were actually on the line and they were fighting for something real. No matter how much she wanted it, she still just wasn't skilled enough to fight like her mom. Astrid's limbs felt awkward and unrefined as she tried to run forward like her teammates. 

The 'Invisible Lad' really was everywhere at once. Before she knew it, he had moved from Shivs to Seraph, surprising her with a jump attack. The teen screamed and tried to shake off the sudden hanger that had taken up a space on her back, but there was no use. She had to take a different approach. 

With all her might, she attempted to shift her wings in the most painful configuration for the leech on her back. It worked, but it worked too well. Her entire body suddenly felt heavier and stronger at the same time, but it was also painful. Seraph screeched and looked down at her hands, only to see that they were made from the same crystal as her wings. That had never happened before.

While that was being processed by the angel mutant, Invisible Lad had gotten what was coming to him. Blood seeped from a wound that was several inches off of the ground, starting to cover the shape of the invisible body. Usually, that would be the point when Astrid would feel remorse and try to make up for what had just happened by making sure he was alright, but she was a bit preoccupied.

The teenager was still screaming, unsure of what to do with her body. It hurt. It all hurt so much. For some reason, though, she just couldn't seem to switch back. Whatever she'd done to get to that point was keeping her there. In a futile attempt to get rid of some of the weight that was pulling her down from every angle, she shot a row of crystals forward. It did nothing.

She wasn't looking at where the crystals went. They might have hit her teammates, but she wasn't thinking about that. All she could think about was ways to get the weight off of her body.

Seraph sunk to her knees and sobbed as she dropped to the ground, overwhelmed by everything. She kept going until she was lying, curled up on the ground.