Striding down the seemingly endless bland hallways that connected the various facilities and departments of Mondragon labs Simon maintained a steady pace as he followed the armed guard who was leading him to the armoury.

Normally Zephyr would have preferred to search for the weapons cache on his own, wandering pointlessly through the maze like structure and perhaps ‘accidentally’ stumbling into a few restricted areas. However at present he did not have time for his usual recreational explorations, he’d told his “teammates” that they were to be at the hanger in an hour and although the merc hadn’t actually said he’d be there to meet them he wanted to be in the air as soon as possible to maximize their window for the mission.

After innumerable twists and turns along with an annoying amount of security checks the elemental and his guide finally reached the subterranean levels that housed Mondragons armoury. Raising his hand and placing it on a translucent square of plastic set into the wall just outside the entrance Zephyr waited patiently as the green light of a scanner ran down the length of his palm, a moment later a sound of confirmation was made from inside and the heavy metal doors slowly slid away into the walls. Stepping into the room and taking a moment to glance around the merc had to admit he was impressed; the room was easily the size of a small warehouse and it had been decorated as such. Shelves upon shelves stood in rows on the floor like the soldiers they would soon be equipping should the labs ever find themselves under attack. Although the elemental had to wonder who would ever be foolish enough to plan an assault against this facility; there were easily enough munitions stored here to wage a small war. As he stared upon the many rows of weaponry Zephyr found himself wondering if the labs had acquired a contract with some military manufacturer or if, more likely, the majority of these weapons had been smuggled into the country.

Turning his gaze away from the vast display of munitions Zephyr directed his attention to the stocky individual who had led him here, like most of the guards on Hunters payroll the man was decorated with a suitable display of weaponry that most people would have found at least slightly intimidating. However in Zephyr’s case he considered the guns little more than toys, still he had decided he would obtain a firearm and this man would help him select one. “I require something light and easily concealable” he informed the guard, “but also accurate as well as reasonably powerful and I need it in the next five minutes, what would you suggest?”

The guard didn’t even hesitate as his hands swiftly drew out his own hand gun and presented it to the bemused elemental. “The Beretta 92F would be your best choice at the moment sir”[/color] The man replied in a deadpan tone of voice, “It uses a 9mm cartridge, weighs approximately 2lbs, is accurate up to 50m and each magazine contains fifteen rounds.”[/color]

Still wearing his bemused expression Simon extended a hand and retrieved the proffered firearm. Turning the weapon over in his hands he saw that the man either took great care of the pistol or it had never been used, there wasn’t a single scratch on the metallic surface, nor was it coated in dust or grime. Momentarily satisfied the elemental curled his fingers around the textured hand grip and stretched his arm out before him until he held the gun parallel to the floor and began counting under his breath. After he reached a count of ten his arm had yet to tremble and he deemed the pistols weight as suitable for the moment.

Tucking the weapon into a hidden pocket located inside his coat the elemental inclined his head to the guard. “It will do for now” he stated simply, “Tell me what is your name?”

“Malcolm Evans sir”[/color]

“Tell me Malcolm do the labs possess their own firing range?”

--

The firing range, like the armoury, was located underground. Split into four different sections it covered roughly the area of a football pitch and noise it produced was deafening. Almost all the early stalls were occupied and the constant crack of gunpowder echoed in the air as those present unleashed round after round into the stationary targets. As Zephyr followed Malcolm down the long corridor that ran down the center of the room he could almost feel each shot echo in his skull due to his sensitive hearing, so in order to spare himself the ordeal of a migraine the elemental swiftly dispersed the air surrounding his ears, creating a void that left him completely deaf to the sounds around him.

Eventually the two made their way down to one of the more deserted sections and Simon allowed himself the luxury of hearing once more. Now with only the faintest traces of gunshots echoing down the corridor Zephyr gave his full attention back to his impromptu guide as the man took back his firearm briefly and swiftly disassembled the weapon in order to explain the mechanisms that allowed it to function. Simon’s eyes drank in everything he was shown, swiftly depositing this new knowledge in his short term memory before mentally repeating it to make sure the information sank in.

Once the gun had been reassembled Zephyr once more took the weapon into his possession and stepped into one of the many empty stalls as he prepared to make himself better acquainted with his latest tool. Gripping the pistol in two hands as he’d been shown the elemental raised the weapon until it was at eye level, then he patiently waited for his target. He was determined to get some practice in before he left.

As the first Humanoid figure rolled into his line of vision Zephyr waited until it came to complete standstill before firing off three shots in rapid succession. However having never used a firearm before he had not been expecting the recoil that came with each shot, nor had he been expecting the resounding crack of noise that came from the chemical reaction which forced the bullet from the barrel of his weapon. Consequently when he tilted his head up to glance at the plasma screen above him which displayed a close up of his target he found that his shots were a scattered spray instead of the tight grouping he’d been hoping to achieve. The corners of the elementals lips tugged downwards ever so slightly as he stared at his results. Some individuals may have been happy with the fact that they had managed to hit the target on their first attempt; this was not the case with Zephyr. The merc had developed his mutation to near perfection and he was used to the results such a level of mastery granted him. He had realised of course that he would not become a sharpshooter over night but still, it was irritating to see how far he would have to come in order to simply be considered competent. ‘Practice makes perfect” he reminded himself as he steadied his arm for the next target, he had some time to kill may as well do it here.

--

Twenty minutes later Zephyr left the firing range and entered the nearest elevator in order to ascend back to the surface. He had to admit he was feeling marginally pleased with his final performance at the firing range. He’d developed a temporary solution to counteract his poor aim; by creating a thin yet powerful stream of wind between the barrel of the gun and his target at the exact moment he pulled the trigger he could influence the bullets trajectory enough to ensure that it always hit its mark. This little trick only worked at long range though, where the wind currents had time to affect the projectile, at short range its effectiveness where practically nil, but then Zephyr never intended to allow anyone to get that close to him.

As the elevator doors pinged open Simon found himself in the middle of the guards barracks, not surprising really when you considered were he’d just come from. Deciding to use his current location to his advantage the elemental wandered down the busting passageways until he stumbled upon one of the senior guards. Offering the man a calm expression the elemental voice his query, “Pardon me but would you happen to know where I might find an individual by the name of Michael Neal?”

((Okay sorry i have been away, i am back though))

The briefing had been surprisingly fast. The Hunter apparently had a lot of respect for the group and Zephyr in particular. He left it up to the group to figure out most of the details. The fact that Hunter had put Zephyr in charge was understandable. Zephyr was a more senior employee but he seemed a little too nonchalant to Jebidiah.

Why the hell is he folding paper while we are getting briefed?

Unlike Zephyr who had been apparently paying very little to Hunter, Jebidiah had been focusing, studying the whole presentation. Mistakes did not suit Jebidiah well and he preferred to make as little of them as possible.

The meeting ended and Zephyr said no more then a few words to him and the lizard. What is it with people in this little group and ordering me around without even a formal introduction?

Jebidiah was not impressed. Great, first that punk Damian now this punk Zephyr. Give a kid some power and they think they are king of the world.

So now, under command of another kid, he bit his tongue and did as he was told. I got an hour... might as well check out the equipment.

Before leaving he made it a point to nod toward the lizard. He didn't really know what to say and was still more then a little surprised at its intelligence, so he didn't say anything. He left the room.

Having absolutely no idea where he was going he simply asked a guard. He was pointed in a general direction and told to ask another guard when he got closer. Arriving to his destination by these means, his jaw dropped as he saw the arsenal.

"Sniper. Thats all I need.... and those fancy goggles..." he told a guard inside the room."

Having been a sniper in the Army, he was confident in his ability to hit a target. His calm demeanor had always complimented the sniper well. Waiting for a target, patience; It was easy.

Now, the hangar. Might as well wait it out there.

In the same fashion he found the weapons room, he found the hangar. After examining the room, he sat on a crate with his new weapon, waiting for the rest of them.

Until Xiin returns this mission is halted and the thread considered null and void so as to free up an RP slot for both Jebidiah and myself.