Hunter walked into the Mondragon labs war room. In the centre of the room was a large table with several chars around it. The table was in fact a holographic projector that would be used to give a detailed 3D map of the target zone.

Hunter took a seat and tapped some buttons on the side of his chair, preparing the mission briefing. Once he had the scanner he’d be able to utilize the technology of the war room in the field, allowing for greater tactical flexibility for field commanders.

Strolling casually through desolate hallways of Mondragon labs subterranean bowls Zephyr made his way towards what had been deemed the "War Room". An overly dramatic name in his humble opinion, after all they were not currently at war with anyone nor were they planning to be, to Zephyrs knowledge anyway.

'Briefing room would be a more appropriate title' he mused as he passed yet another of security checks scattered throughout the facility. 'The name is simple and perfectly explains the rooms purpose, it also has the added benefit of sounding mundane enough to be overlooked by any possible intruder.' Shrugging his shoulders in a slightly exasperated way the elemental did his best to remove the thought from his mind; he wasn't running the show, that would take up far too much of time not mention his funds.

At last coming to the controversially named "War room" Zephyr passed through the sliding doors without incident and gave a brief nod of recognition towards Hunter before heading towards the circular table. Although this was the first time he had been in this particular room he had been subjected to enough media to know what was supposed to happen. As he circled the table something caught his eye; a few sheets of paper had been left on one of the empty seats, presumably from a previous briefing but Zephyr wasn't going to question where this little treasure had come from, with a gesture the elemental summoned a light breeze which caught a single sheaf of paper and guided it towards his outstretched hand.

Allowing his mind to go blank Simon stared at the sheet in his hand, not bothering to take in the text that marked it's surface as he waited for a shape to enter his mind; wings...an elongated neck...the image of flight.

Simon smiled as he came his conclusion, 'Crane' the design was an old one but in the mercs opinion it was a classic, taking a small breath Simon closed his eyes as he felt the edges of the paper and slowly began to fold it in apparently random places as he followed an almost millennia old design.

Having been summoned by Hunter, Xiin made his way from the dimly lit hallways near his enclosure to the war room. He was led by two guards, both armed and rather nervous. Xiin’s lips cracked into a smile and he began to make a soft rumble in his throat. The rumble carried a pitch, and it almost seemed like his attempt at humming. He wagged his tail placidly as he continued to follow the men. Xiin’s emerald scales shimmered in the yellow lights enclosed at the top of each hallway.

Upon reaching the room, one of the guards opened the door for the lizard. Xiin bowed his head appreciatively and walked into the room. He nodded both to Zephyr and Hunter and walked to one of the chairs farthest away from the two, not wanting to be too close to the others. He wrapped his tail about the base of the chair as he sat down, a soft hiss coming from his throat as he does so. After a few moments of silence he spoke up,

“Greetsss you two… It hasss been awhile sssince I’ve ssseen anyone other than thessse guardsss…”

(OOC: Jeb, I’m going to press on and do the briefing. Once you read this feel free to do a catch up post of your arrival if you want)

IC: Hunter looked at the three Kabal members. “Gentlemen,” he began, “I have called you all here as there is an item I wish to procure.” Tapping a button on his chair the holographic image of a small black box, two inches by two inches by two inches.

“That is the latest in portable scanning equipment. It is capable of scanning an area and creating a real-time holographic image of the area and those in it, allowing commanders in the field unprecedented knowledge of how a battle is progressing.”

Hitting more buttons the image was replaced with one of a military base. “The device is located here,” he said, and the central building lit up, “and is guarded by an infantry company consisting of approximately three hundred and fifty men. They are well trained, but not as well trained as the commandos that will be accompanying you.”

“There is a security fence around the base and weapon emplacements at the two entrances. The fences are patrolled. You will attack by night and all be equipped with night vision goggles.” He paused and turned to face Xiin, “Xiin can you see in the dark? If not I’ll have your helmet modified to include night vision.”

“Zephyr,” he said, turning to the mercenary, “you will be in command of the mission. Along with Xiin and Jebidiah there is a team of twenty commandos that will be under your command. They have all be recruited from various special forces around the world and all have combat experience.”

“There are equipped to deal with anything from infantry to heavy armour. Their commander, Mike Neal, will be able to advise you on appropriate deployment of the team,” Hunter told the elemental, “However, he doesn’t have any experience fighting alongside mutants, so you’ll need to factor yourself, Jebidiah and Xiin into his suggestions.”

Tapping another button on his chair the map zoomed out, with a blip in the Nevada desert showing the location of the target. “You will be flow out to a private airfield here,” another blip appeared thirty miles from the base, “And helicopters will take you in close.”

“You’ll have to cover the last mile on foot. Your objective is to infiltrate the base, secure the scanner and bring it back. Don’t get involved in a pitched battle,” he advised the three of them, “I’m not looking for you to wipe out the base. Ensure the scanner isn’t damaged.”

“If any of you are captured I will deny any knowledge of your existence. While I will make covert attempts to free you, I cannot overtly attempt to get you released.” He paused to let that sink in. “Unless you have any questions I suggest you head down to the barracks and meet your team. Night vision goggles and other equipment will be waiting for you there.”

“Zephyr and Jebidiah,” he said to the pair of them, “there will be body armour and fire arms available to you if you so wish. Xiin, your armour will be there along with people to assist you in putting it on.”

The lizard sat in quietly in his chair as the briefing began, his tail tapping the floor below him and the chair. His eyes widened as the holographic map appeared, his head nodding in awe as Hunter explained its use and purpose. When the man posed his question about Xiin’s ability to see in the dark, the lizard spoke up quickly…

“Yesss… the moon iss enough to light my way.”

Xiin sat patiently throughout the remainder of the meeting, looking to Zephyr and nodding slightly when it was mentioned that he would be the leader of the mission. He looked to Hunter and nodded as well when the man stated that if any the crew was captured he would simply deny knowledge of their existence. Xiin looked to the remaining members of the table and shrugged idly.

“I have no quessstionsss… go get a computer thingy… come back and give it to you. Easssy enough.”

He sits there after his comment, a small grin slowly appearing on his face as he waits for the other men to speak up.

Zephyr’s hands paused for a moment as his vampiric employer began the mission briefing and his eyes darted momentarily to the hologram. However his idleness did not last long and soon his hands had begun their liquid movement once more as they slowly manipulated the sheaf of paper in his possession.

As the briefing progressed Zephyr soon finished his crane and placed it gently on the table before him before turning his focus to a new sheet of paper. While it may have appeared to the casual observer that the elemental was paying no mind to the proceedings a more experienced watcher would note that the mercs eyes would occasionally dart up to the hologram whenever the Kabal leader mentioned some key point of interest. When it came to the point where Hunter announced that Zephyr would be taking charge of this assignment the elementals hands froze for a second time and he slowly lifted his gaze to see what the other Kabal members thought of this decision, he was after all the youngest member present and he would not have been surprised to see looks of resentment. However it seemed that none of the Kabal had a problem with this, the lizard man even sent him a nod of acknowledgement when Hunter voiced his decision.

‘This may be simpler than I had anticipated’ the elemental mused as he once more returned his attention to the sheaf of paper he was slowly crafting to his will. The truth was that origami was the mercs way of relaxing, it was almost like a form of mediation for it allowed him to clear his mind and focus only on what was relevant. At this particular moment relevant subjects would be; the object they were to obtain, where it was stored, who their opposition would be and the tools they would have at their disposal. With these thoughts set as guidelines/objectives his conscious and unconscious mind swiftly went to work, comparing each of these guidelines to what he knew, making connections where it was of benefit and disregarding when it was necessary.

‘The base is located in Nevada. Nevada is a desert. Deserts are prone to sandstorms. Sandstorms reduce vision and disrupt communication. Night vision will therefore be rendered ineffective during a sandstorm, thermal vision would be more appropriate.’

“Would it be possible for the team to be equipped with thermal vision instead of, or along with the night vision?” Zephyr politely inquired, not once raising his eyes from the slowly growing shape in his hands. “I believe it would be more beneficial than night vision alone.”

Hunter noted Xiin’s ability to see in the dark, and so would not bother to have his helmet modified. He had noticed Zephyr’s origami, but made no comment as he had seen that whenever he had indicated something of note on the hologram the mercenary had looked up, all be it briefly.

In response to the young man’s question Hunter replied, “The night vision goggles you will be supplied with are, for lack of a better term, state of the art. They have both night and thermal vision, along with a zoom and range finder function.”

Zephyr nodded his head in acknowledgement of Hunter reply as he put the finishing touches on his final creation. So the man was giving them access to the very best was he? That was good, for not only did it mean they would have the necessary equipment, it also showed that the vampire placed a certain amount of significance on this mission. This was more than a simple test of their abilities; the scanner was important. The merc made a mental note of this fact, it was always worth knowing what possessions your employer valued or were valuable, so that when their grand plans came crashing down around their ears, or when they refused to pay out you knew what to… appropriate.

With a final flourish of his fingers Zephyr performed the last fold that completed his final creation. Examining his completed work with a skilled eye the elemental allowed a sense of satisfaction to pervade his mind as he found no flaws or errors, it truly was a masterpiece and it was with a certain amount of reverence that he lay the lotus flower among the middle of his other creations. The moment the paper had left his hands though the mercenary promptly dismissed such toys from his mind. They had served his purpose; he had crafted a plan for this odd assignment, there was no need to dwell on them any longer. So with a final thought the elemental gave the surrounding air the edge of a razor, reduced his creations to confetti and blew the scraps to a nearby waste bin.

Rising smoothly from his seat Zephyr prepared to the leave the war room, the briefing was all but officially over and he saw no point in lingering behind, not when he was in command of said mission. Still though it would not do to be rude and so he directed his azure gaze to his employer, “with your permission I'll begin the assignment immediately”

Even as the elemental uttered these words his thoughts were already drifting ahead as he tried to recall where the armory was located. Zephyr had every intention of taking advantage of his employers offer of free weaponry, in fact he had long considered the idea of purchasing a firearm of some kind. In the past he had never had need of one for his mutation had always proved itself superior to any trigger happy idiot he’d met in the criminal underworld. Now that he was in the United States though Zephyr found himself running into an unprecedented number of mutants, and most of them he’d noted only used their mutation and therefore expected others of their kind to do the same. If there was one thing the elemental detested it was being predictable in a fight. That was the reason he was so secretive about his abilities, that was the reason he worked on developing mutation to cope with any possible situation and that was the reason he was going to carry some type of firearm from this point on.

(OOC: Jeb, well work on the basis of you have no questions so that the mission can get moving. If you want feel free to add in a post to catch up, or go straight to the armoury and get on with the mission)

IC: “Of course,” Hunter replied to Zephyr’s request. He was intrigued as to where the boy had learned origami to such a high standard, but that was a question for later. “If there are no further questions then briefing over, get to work.”

The scanner would be a great asset, especially if they had it back in time. Although he could do the meeting with the Order without the scanner, it would be preferable to have it. It would also allow for a plan of the mansion or sanctuary and knowledge of the location of each person inside, if not who they were.

With the Kabal off on their first mission Hunter stood and left the War Room. He had someone to meet. While he had been following this person for some time, now was the time to meet them in person.

Nodding absently as Hunter gave his permission Zephyr waited for his employer to exit the room before lifting an arm and drawing back his sleeve slightly to catch a glimpse of his rather thick wrist watch and his lips thinned. They had a few hours before nightfall but if one took into account the amount of time it would take to travel to their destination then they were suddenly on a tight schedule.

Dropping his arms back to his sides the elemental glanced at his partners, Simon knew next to nothing about Xiin but that was still more than he knew about this other Kabal recruit Hunter had pulled out of nowhere. Unfortunately for the moment he would have to remain in ignorance for there was little time to waste. Lifting his gaze to Jebidiah’s hazel eyes and then Xiin’s amber orbs Zephyr spoke clearly and slowly for he was uncertain how much of a grasp the lizard had on the English language and he did not wish to be misunderstood, " Make sure you find your way to the hanger in one hour. Do not be late”

Without another word the elemental then pivoted on his foot and strode out of the briefing room as he tried to recall where the armoury had been hidden in the labyrinth of hallways that was Mondragon labs.

--

((OOC: I'm going to create another thread either tonight or tomorrow where our characters basically equip themselves for the mission, after that's done there will be one more thread in which we actually get to do the mission.))

Edit: This will continue in Preparations