Streak was all set for the mission. Everything he needed was packed and he’d gotten all the information that was available to him from Sam. Him and his team were going to be taking a regular non mutant obvious plane on their trip to Romania. Streak had been able to get a enough tickets on the same flights for everyone in his team to arrive at the same time. It was just easier for him to get them all on the same flight than it was to have to wait for them to arrive separately. It was a long and boring flight that left early in the morning and would have them arriving late in the afternoon over in Romania. The biggest problem was getting passports on such short notice that they would need to use to get into the country. Things seemed to be going smoothly through the flight and he spent most of his time reviewing the packages information they would be going off of when they started their mission.

Unfortunately there was no place on this plane where they could have a private conversation and give him a chance to give them a debriefing. Streak was a little highly strung going on this mission because it brought back so many memories from when the U.S. had tried unsuccessfully to do the same thing. And now here they were, heading to Romania, and trying to prevent the same thing from happening to mutants in this foreign country. There wasn’t much to see through the windows unless you liked watching clouds pass high over the waves that rolled down below. Being plugged into his iPod had its advantages because it still kept him busy and his mind off the fact of how boring, and how much he really hated flying in airplanes. They were too unpredictable and they were slow compared to him. However, the point of flying here was for them all to pass as humans and not as mutants. Their job wasn’t to get thrown into the camps. They had better plans ahead of them.

“Ladies and gentlemen please fasten you seat belts we are beginning out decent into Romania. Thank you.” The flight attendants voice rang out over the silence of the airplane and brought Streak back from his music jamming to the seats of the plane. All the X-men he’d brought with him were flying first class all the way. There was no reason to skimp on the luxuries since they would be going without some of them for a while, he thought. Streak fastened his seat belt and prepared for the landing. Streak thought the landing was a bit rough, but then again they were in Romania and he didn't know how well they maintained their runways. After getting off the airplane he looked around for a way to claim his baggage. The team leader didn’t pack much luggage to take along with him because he knew that he could get most of what he needed when he was here. Streak placed one of the Dragon Speaks that he had in his pocket in his mouth and proceeded to eat it. The taste was odd and slightly disgusting, though he managed to down it. Streak had yet to pass them out to his team mates but they would have them as soon as they had found a place to talk.

(OOC: skip most of the plane ride so that we can get right into it. If anyone knows the description of the Dragon Speak and I’ve got it wrong let me know.)

If anyone told Lily Lafayette half a year ago that she was going to fly to Romania on a mission with the X-men before 2009 was over, she would have thought that person was out of his/her right mind.
And now... here she was.
On a plane bound to Romania to help mutants. As an X-man. Trainee. Sorta.
The young mutant called Jewel smiled at the clouds through the window.

Getting ready for the ("Daddy, it's just a field trip to Europe with the school") mission took some time and careful planning. Packing was easy (practical kinda girl with lot of past experience with traveling), preparing tools and weapons was required some creativity (fortunately Streak was leading the team, so she didn't have to worry about silver supplies too much - she only needed to make sure she had all the bling she might need to... hmm... impress some people if needed). She also dyed her hair into its natural brown color - being her own careful self she decided it might not be a dead giveaway, but not standing out in a crowd is definitely easier if someone is not flashing silver-and-gold-colored hair. Especially in a country that's hunting down mutants and probably people who look in any way suspicious too.
She read, heard and discussed news from Romania with people back in the Mansion - the mutant world was stirred up. She couldn't quite believe things like that were happening, especially after all the stories she heard about the registration and camps in the USA.
She could tell Streak was tense. No wonder. She was tense too, but so far in a good way; she barely had a clue how she was supposed to feel on her first mission, but guessed that feeling focused and determined counted among the good things. They were on their way to help people. That was all that mattered.
She felt like being part of a team for the first time in her life. She could sense the others around her (not like Streak, of course, but she never really needed powers to tell how others were feeling). She knew Shin and met Fade too, although she didn't know them nearly as well as their leader. Knowing they were friends she could trust was enough for now.
Landing in Romania, she stretched her legs and arms after the long flight as they gathered around. It was weird, crossing so many time zones in such a short time. Something told her jet lag was going to be the least of their concerns.
Ready, steady. Go.

"Hey, look mommy. Clouds!"

Shin slumped lower in his chair as yet another hour of airplane trip flew by. Ahead of him, a businessman sat with a paper in his lap. Every few minutes, the papers would rustle. Silence, babies would cry, then rustling. And still, the man screwed up his eyes behind thick glasses in an attempt to read. One would have thought he'd have finished that paper some time earlier during the very long flight, but no. This man had been reading the same paper that entire time. Something about that fact seemed inhuman to Shin.

Still. There were far more inhuman things going on in the world than a frumpy Romanian businessman who read slowly.

Mutant Registration. The same act that had been passed, and killed so recently in the history of the United States, had been brought about in Romania. The act that had brought some of his best friends into horrible conditions, rang on-par with Hitler's genocide, and hit every sour note in Shin's vocabulary, was once again rearing its ugly head.

He'd been shocked when he'd heard about the Camps from Ghost, and even more saddened when he saw the way it affected the world. It was a statement of ill intent from every bigot and hypocrite in the land of the free... looking back, Shin wondered what his parents had thought of it while it was going down. Had they approved? Had they cheered the Americans on from across the ocean, when unbeknown to them, their very own son's mutation was cooking away like a meal in a pressure cooker. He'd been lucky he hadn't been a mutant back then. They might have told him they didn't approve of mutants. Then, he'd have been stuck in the oppressive camps of Uncle Sam, heartbroken and uncertain... He'd of been luckier if he'd never had to find out..

Now, it was happening in Romania.

Shin couldn't let it happen in Romania.

When Sam had come to Shin to announce the X-men mission, Shin had agreed point-blank to help avert a tragedy any way he could.

Now, he was on a flight to Romania to do just that. And now, the flight had landed.

Hooray. Shin leaned forward to push himself out of his seat. Around him, people milled towards the exits. Shin grabbed his bag from the overhead, and followed the other X-men casually off the plane.

~*~

Shin grabbed the last item of luggage off the turnstile, and turned to Shawn. It seemed they both had chosen to pack light. Clothes, bathroom essentials, a flashlight, X-communicator (stashed neatly away within a mound of T-shirts), 20 feet of silk rope, some batteries, and whatever else he felt confident he could part with, yet needed in the chilled Romanian winter fit easily into one large suitcase and a duffel bag. He looked towards the other X-people assigned to his team, and felt a mix of emotions. Worry, apprehension, camaraderie, and strength. They'd do what they could. He'd do one better. That was all he could offer, and...

"Do you know if they make a pill to take the butterflies away?" Shin asked.

Kasumi sat in a seat first class on a air plane she has never flue this way before in her life. She holds her new apple Iphone that she got form her mom and dad for her birthday. She has her head phones plunged into it. Her eyes looks over the clouds. She got up so early to put on makeup to cover up her spots. Kasumi thinks about what is going on what is happening to the other Mutants in Romania. She could not help but to feel sorry for them. With er luck she was borne in the US.

Kasumi shifts in her seat her first mission she is happy that she can do this. Yet she is some what scarred. To everyone on this plain she looks like a normal red head. Thank god for tattoo makeup that she found. Part of her is happy while the other part is sad. People should not fear Mutants. Kasumi always hated in being feared. Soon she sees the plain landing. She gets up as she takes her bag out. She walks to clame her bag.

Kasumi packed light like the rest. She pulls some of her hair behind her ear as she sighs. Kasumi is safe for now. She looks around as she soon sees Shin and Streak soon she walks to them as she smiles some. Even if she is tried she still smiles. The plain ride was long and she did not sleep on it her nerves got her. Yet Kasumi is happy to be on the ground again. She has on a sweater with her jeans and shoes.

Soon Kasumi puts on a pair of sun glasses. She will like to stop and get some coffee she needs some and she very well knows it. Soon she yawns as she rolls her shoulders. Oh that felt nice she makes sure that she keeps her sweater down so her spots do not show. She wounder what they have to do now they are now on the ground yey.

(OOC: ok guys this is how it's going to work. Fade's having internet problems so we're going to go on without her. But when/if she wants in she'll jump in like she's been there the whole time.)

With all his things gathered, Streak motioned for the rest of his team to follow him. Passing through customs was a fairly easy task. Since they didn’t seem to ask if they were mutants and there was nothing to give them away, they didn’t have any problems. After he had gotten outside he waved down a taxi van so that they could all fit in it. Streak then decided to pass out the Dragon Speak gems to his group. “Here guys. Eat these.” He said handing one gem to each of them. “They help with um…” He glanced at the taxi driver and gave him the address to the hotel they would be staying in before continuing, “jet lag.” Of course Streak didn’t mean ‘jet lag’ but he didn’t want to say ‘hey these let you speak any language’ in case someone over heard them, understood English, and probably worse followed them and turned them in. That was the last thing they needed.

The cab ride took about 15 minutes. Streak didn’t say much because he was looking over the landscape and trying to make mental notes about the area. Some places caught his eye as places that he might want to stop by when they start looking for the resistance. One place in particular looked like it might be an old castle still used for government or some form of education building. When he realized they were getting close to their destination he started speaking.

Before he spoke though he made sure that he didn’t use any words that might give them away as not being just tourists. “OK guys. The school has put us up in a nice hotel for when we’re sightseeing. Don’t forget that we have an appointment with the local university to get everything in order for out exchange program.” As he finished speaking the taxi pulled up to their hotel. The driver got out and began unpacking their luggage as a bellman came rushing out with a cart and proceeded to load their things onto the cart. Streak was impressed he was glad that he’d picked this hotel as he walked straight up to the main desk and began speaking, “Hi I have a reservation for Shawn Quincy.” Fluent Romanian poured from his mouth as he began conversing with the receptionist. The man behind the counted handed Streak five keys that gave them access to the rooms. “Come on guys lets go. Our rooms are this way.” He passed out the keys and he led the way to their rooms.

((Yes, I am here, sorry for the delay. As Shawn mentioned, I am having some problems but I can still post))

First class. First class. First class. First class. Every time Fade said the word over in her head, it sounded even better. It was not her first time flying, but the last time she flew, she just turned invisible and hid in the baggage compartment, not very cozy. This time she had a huge chair with this nifty magazine full of things you could purchase and these odd inventions. It wasn't like she could read the magazine or any descriptions of the stuff she was looking at but there were plenty of pictures for her to follow along with.

When they landed, which she did not even look up, she was used to just landing without expecting it, so it did not even phase her. Shawn got out (Sam had been making it a point to use everyone's real name, but Fade hated the name Jenny, so she would try to correct any one who called her that) and Shin, Jewel...uh...Lily, and Kasumi got out, followed by the redhead invisible illiterate. Each were given a pill of some kind, something to make them speak another language. It was so odd, these different... well... things that the X-Men could provide to make it so that they can blend in anywhere.

She took it and went into the hotel, following Shawn all the way. Oddly enough, she just wanted to blabber out any language just for the hell of it. What's that? Fade can't speak French? C'est français, n'est-ce pas? 我可以说比你更好的中国东方食品. И теперь я говорю Русский, спасибо. They were simple pleasures but she was enjoying it. Had she spoken outloud though, it would be apparent that she shouldn't be able to speak that many languages. Hey, was there a pill that could let her read? Surely there had to be something for that, maybe then she would not look like such a loser while everyone else read their novels and she looked at pop up books.

Although it seemed like they would each get their own room, they of course had to meet up and discuss the plan, so Fade just tucked her key in her back pocket and followed Shawn to whatever room he would want to talk to them in. For starters, Fade didn't even know there was a country called Romania, but apparently they were having trouble and it was up to the X-Men to help out.

This part was the easy part of the trip. Jewel was used to traveling first class, and the whole drill with the baggage claim and the cab ride. When Shawn handed them the gems, she raised an eyebrow.
Jet lag. Yeah, right.
She could sense the gems ever since they got on the plane, even with Shawn's silver in the background. They caught her attention and her curiosity, but of course she wouldn't ask while there was a chance anyone would overhear them. She had her own gemstones with her, mostly embedded in her jewelry, except for the diamonds that still refused to yield to her will. She was curious why Shawn brought some too.
Her question was answered when the gemstones got handed out. Eat it? Hm. That was a first, even for the jewelry manipulator. She swallowed it like a pill, and her powers immediately caught up on it. It was weird, sensing something inside her own body. She wondered how she would feel like if she had her own natural silver like Shawn. All in all, the whole swallowing-a-gemstone experience was much more interesting than the fact that they could suddenly speak Romanian. Besides a couple of hundred other languages. Jewel only spoke French before.
The city looked surprisingly calm and usual in the face of all the fact and rumors about the Registration Act. For a split second Lily felt like being on another European vacation. The moment didn't last.
The keys got handed out, but she could tell a team meeting was in order, so she followed Fade...umm, Jenny's lead. Waiting for the others, she wondered what came next.
Still not worried. Lily dear, if you saw yourself now, you wouldn't recognize the girl.

He swung his duffel bag over one shoulder as he turned towards Kasumi. She smiled at him. Shin offered a weak smile in return. And there was that worry again... Butterflies were apparently very good at wielding chainsaws in a stomach's interior. Shin had known they'd be assigned the same mission. He'd thought Sam would try sculpting the teams a bit more carefully. Still, it was kind of nice. He could keep an eye on her, and stave off some butterflies. Now, if only they made that in a spray.

Once everyone had gathered, Shin followed the group out through Customs, and down to the taxi van. His suitcase's wheels rolled slowly across the Romanian ground. Shawn paused outside the cab, and passed out strange jewels. Was this the end-all cure for butterflies? Shin's was small, bite-sized, and green. Disturbingly green. He downed it with a gulp from a tiny can of lemon lime soda he'd scrounged from a flight attendant and stashed some time during the immensely-long trip. As Kasumi moved to take her pill, Shin held out the drink and shook the can lightly.

"You can have the rest?" He offered.

After they'd all taken their medicine, Shin slipped into the cab with his bags. The ride to the hotel was interesting and beautiful. They passed tanned buildings, a castle, and so much else. Shin's eyes surveyed the people moving about on the streets as they passed. So many people... and so many mutants, forced to register. His finger traced a line across the fog of the cold window. Shin was glad he'd packed a heavier coat. His coat was dark blue and poofy, more for skiing than walking around. It held up against the cold pretty well, and Shin's mobility wasn't too severely impeded. Beneath the coat, he'd chosen to wear a nice lime green sweater. It was one his grandmother had knitted for him, and sent over Christmas break. As for pants, he wore some light, yet hefty, dark blue trousers. Altogether, he was very warm.

As they stepped into the swanky hotel, Shin realized he was even warmer. He unzipped the coat, and shrugged it so the faux-fur lining of the hood hung over his shoulders. As he fanned himself lightly, Shawn handed him a key. It slid into the front pocket of Shin's coat. He glanced around at the others.

Fade, Kasumi, Lily, Shawn.... the only one he was really familiar with was Kasumi. Maybe Lily. But Fade and Shawn...

Shawn led the way to their rooms, stirring Shin's thoughts. Another thing stirred, though. The subtle undertones of conversation. Shin's eyes swept the lobby. People were talking... talking in Romanian, yet.

"Huh." He shrugged. Perhaps the pills were less for setting butterflies, more for kicking up new ones?

... Translator Microbes...

Well, whatever they were for, this would make things decidedly easier...

“My room 2 minutes. We’ve got a lot of stuff to discuss.” Streak said as he inserted his key into his rooms lock. The key worked, not that he expected it not to, and he entered his room. He left the door open a crack so that it wouldn’t lock and his team would be able to come into the room whenever they were ready. It was a giant room filled with lots of roomy closets and a large bed big enough for what looked like 3 people could sleep in. The bathroom was just as large and had plenty of room for him walk around in. it was like staying in a mansion and everything was taken care of. As he set his belongings down on the bed he looked through the rest of the room until he found the TV remote.

There were so many buttons on that thing he figured that if he pushed the right button it would whistle and blow in his ear at the same time. Or maybe that feature would be in the next hotel they stayed in. After looking through his entire room he sat down and reviewed the information one last time before he gave the briefing to his team. Streak had just about memorized the information that he’d been given. He’d spent most of that long boring flight looking over any and all pertinent and irrelevant information that the folder contained. Streak sighed, and decided that he’d looked over it enough to be able to answer any questions that might arise in their briefing. Now all he had to do now was wait for them to come in.

(OOC: the doors open. Just come on in.)

Jewel walked in about a minute later. She only stopped by at her own room to drop off her suitcase and walk to the window to admire the view. Everything else could wait; she knew they were not exactly here to enjoy the comfort of a first-class hotel room, neither to play tourists, but she couldn't stop being somewhat enthusiastic about the place anyway. She really hoped things would turn out well. Maybe then one day they could come back for a real field trip. Maybe.
Walking down the corridor to Shawn's room, she was about to knock, but the door was not locked and it moved at her first touch. Smiling, Lily walked in and found Shawn reading the same file he'd been reading over and over again. She shook her head. Shawn was taking the role of team leader as seriously as humanly (mutantly) possible. He was just that kind of person. It made Lily feel safe and confident.
Walking over to the bed, she sat beside him.
"So, got it all memorized yet, boss?" she grinned at him.

Shin rocked on the heels of his sneakers for a moment after Streak had left, just taking it all in. New country, new language, new people... it was all so new. So cloak and dagger.

Shoe-rocking came to an abrupt halt. Shin beat feet towards his hotel room. If it was cloak and dagger, that meant there were daggers abound. It wouldn't do to draw attention to himself by being an idiot. He glanced back to Kasumi, and nodded for her to follow, then vanished around a corner.

Five minutes later, he arrived in the hall outside Streak's room. He slid in, luggage-free and ready to hear more about the mission. His bags were safe and secure in his locked hotel room. These hotel rooms were swank. Mansion-levels swank. It was nice they had a chance to live it up for a night or two. He had a sinking suspicion the following weeks would be hell.

Shin waved to Lily as he slunk into the room. "Hey. Can't wait to hear what Sam's big plans are."

Everyone had been walking in and instead of just opening the door like a normal human, Fade glanced around her to ensure no one was looking and simply phased through the door. Of course, it may have been less lazy of her to open it and walk in, but she enjoyed using her power at the most inopportune moment, so she could not resist. She found everyone inside waiting and she leaned up against the wall nearest to Streak and Jewel, she knew those two better than Shin and Kasumi, plus, Streak was very good looking, and a good guy, which made it easier for her since the past couple of nights, she had a few flirtatious run ins with the wrong kind.

Damn, why couldn't she be the full blown good kind like everyone else? Everyone had their flaws though. "I'm here, so continue," she simply said. Saying anything else would be unnecessary and now that she was in a different country and not yet going on the mission, she could be lazy in her word choice as well.

((sorry it is short, I can't really think of what else to say until she learns the details of the mission))

It took a little longer for everyone to get settled into his room than he'd have hoped for to start this briefing. Jewel was the first to walk in and say something to him. He responded with a smile and a quick, "If not I'm pretty close." Shin was next to enter and he sat next to Jewel. The silver manipulator gave Shin a humored smile at his comment. What made him think this was Sam's plan? Why couldn't it be my plan that I brought to Sam? Was I not leader enough to come up with my own plans? Was that why Sam was leading this mission and I was only a team leader here? Had I not earned the right to lead the X-Men in Tricity's absence also? To say the least Streak was not completely comfortable with the fact that Sam had been the one to become second in command of the X-Men. Shaking his head to get these thoughts away he figured that he would start the brief.

"Ok, now that we're all here, we'll get started." Streak took a deep breath. "Here it is..." He'd read the thing enough to have it practically memorized, however, now that it was time for him to give the briefing to his team he was having trouble finding the right words so that it didn't sound like he was rehearsing some prepared speech that he'd been handed to memorize only a little while ago. As he tried to think of the words he walked over to his door, made sure there was no one outside it, closed it, and locked all the locks that were available to be locked. "Our job here is to find and establish a connection between the Romanian mutants and the rest of our team at the boarder. Since we're the main team in the country and the rest of our team is on the outskirts we have the hardest job. Finding these mutant cells is in charge and getting them to trust us is going to be the most difficult thing to do. What we're trying to do is find the mutants that don't want to get involved in the fighting and provide them with a safe way to get out of the country."

Streak pulled out a giant map of the country with grid marks on them. "We'll be doing periodic sweeps and checks of certain grids of the city that I've prepared and marked out on this map. We'll be going over each square at least twice, and very throughly. Once in the early morning/morning-afternoon time. And once in the evening-late night time frame. Each of these sweeps will be done on different days, to be determined by me and to avoid looking suspicious for anyone looking to pick up mutants. Our job is to find those who want to leave not to get thrown in the camps, if we can help it. Once we've established communication with them we'll start getting a line out to Sam and everyone else at the boarder to start expecting transports of mutants that want to get out of the country." He took a moment to let it sink in. Now that he was saying it out loud to these people he thought it might be a lot to take in. Hell, now that he was saying it out loud he thought it was a lot for them to accomplish with such a small team in such a large area.

After all that had hopefully sunk in he continued, "Now on with the rules. Yall all have your X-communicators. Keep those on you at all times. Even when you're sleeping, in case you're needed. We're going to be keeping constant comms with each other. No one will be out of communication with the rest of the team for longer than 10 min. Think of this like a SWAT operation, that you've probably seen in movies, where they're all talking to each other. That's what this is, especially when we're going into buildings looking for a group that doesn't want to be found by other people. Expect trouble but don't get into it. Try to avoid fighting at all costs so that we don't end up on the wrong side with the people that we're trying to find. No one goes out alone. No one." He repeated the last to emphasis its importance. He didn't want anyone getting taken by surprise. "If you run into trouble report it immediately and we all drop what we're doing to help. I want my team to finish this mission together not separately if that's possible. "Oh and another big thing, no killing whatsoever. Unfortunately we don't have any leads on the resistance yet so we're starting here from scratch. We're gonna need to be at the top of your game here to find them." There wasn't much else he thought he was leaving out. However, he thought there might be lots of questions from them.

"One last thing before I take you're questions... Teams. Fade and Shin you're together. Fade is in charge. Kasumi, Lily, and me are together. Now..." He said smiling and clapping his hands. "Questions."

So, the team was together once again. Lily watched Fade phase through the door, and couldn't hide a smile; in a strange country, surrounded by all kinds of danger (all the information about the Registration Act and what followed it suddenly seemed very real), it was good to see the four people she could rely on.
She listened to Shawn's plan intently. Her mind was just not used to this kind of planning, and thinking, and it took a great deal of effort from her to hide how nervous she was about the mission. She stayed quiet, nodding once in a while.
SWAT operation. Right. For a girl who still had been playing with dolls a couple of years ago this doesn't really help to imagine the situation.
"Oh and another big thing, no killing whatsoever."
Yeah, no problem. It was good to hear something like that. No 'we'll do whatever it takes' and 'suck it up girl you're not in Kansas anymore'. Don't kill. Nice and easy. Lily could deal with that. And she was glad the rules of the X-team matched her own thoughts.
She could tell Shawn put a lot of thought into this. Also, he clearly had experience. Combat, leadership, planning, the whole deal. She had the vague feeling that if she followed the rules, nothing could possibly go wrong. Then again, she had the same conviction all her life.
"One last thing before I take you're questions... Teams. Fade and Shin you're together. Fade is in charge. Kasumi, Lily, and me are together. Now... Questions."
Shawn and Kasumi. Good. She knew that it was only logical for her to be teamed up with her primary source of weapons and protection, but she found herself smiling none the less. What could go wrong?...
Yeah, what indeed.
She didn't really have a question yet. Her brain was still working on sorting out all the information they heard; she looked at the map, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the markings and the areas they would have to search through.
"That's a lot of work, if we have no leads." she murmured, then looked up "Do we have a time limit?"

(sorry I have not posted at last I feel good enough too. My tooth is not out but better lots better)

Kausmi looks to Shin as she nods with everything that is going on around her soon she opens her mouth to speak yet she finds it best not to. Following close behind Shin at last the briefing. She leans on the wall with her hands behind her back. She did not want anyone to go to camps anyone. Rather they were human or mutant. Hearing about what Sam did. What if Sam did not put this togeother? Yet she was not sure about that.

Soon she hears what is going on as she nods. She is with Lilly she did not mind that. Heck it will be nice to make a new friend. Kasumi could not bring her self ever to kill anyone and she will not do so no leads. That is some what bad so they have to ask around? Soon she looks over the map as she speaks "No leads how can we get people that we are know mutants ask them?" She looks to Shawn with her eyes. In her mind it might be very odd to just "ask" around.

Kasumi does not want anything like that to get out. That might go down very bad for them. She knows that some people that are seen can very well be mutants like herself. But a person that has no marks how can they know that they are not talking to the wrong person? She did not like going in so blind. She wished that she could do something more but she wants to make it clear. It is the way that Kasumi is she will always be like this.