[OOC: Continued from Rules Are Made For Breaking]

Nothingness never seemed more relieving than now. A comforting darkness engulfed her floating frame. It wasn’t cold or warm. Except peace of mind, she didn’t feel anything. She didn’t see anything. It was like a perfect bubble which separated her from everything else. No images of her parents, no images of the camps, no one blaming her with just their eyes as she stood paralyzed. Nothing.

Her eyes weren’t closed tightly. She wasn’t frowning. From time to time the hint of a smile appeared on her lips. She enjoyed this dreamless sleep. Until…

Ring. Ring. Ring.

As the disturbing sound reached her ears, Alexandra frowned as she was being dragged away from the comfort of her sleep.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

A blue eye opened slightly but closed back in less than a second.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

A hand reached out and grabbed the disturbing device as blue eyes were forced open. Lazily, she pushed a button and put the phone to her ear while placing her head back on the Sam-pillow. Yawning, Alexandra answered with a sleepy voice.

“Hello?”

…

“No, Cold Steel is not a woman.”

…

“No… I’m… err. I’m a team member.”

…

“Oh. I see. We’ll be there.”

With her eyes still closed Alexandra ended the phone conversation and after a few attempts she managed to put the device back on the nightstand. With another yawn she forced her eyes open once again while also trying to get up. A hand moved from her side to reach for Sam’s shoulder as a blurry image of the ice mancer appeared in front of her eyes.

“Sam…wake up.” Yawn. “We need to go."

Sam awoke to the ringing sound of his phone on the nightstand off to his side, however he let it continue to ring and kept his eyes shut, it was probably a kid calling to cancel a lesson. A kid… ”Sammy, Airyn…” Sam said in a soft whisper as he heard Alex call his name and shake him awake from his happy dream that he could already hardly remember. He however knew it was a good dream and his eyes opened slowly at first but then he realized where he was.

Lurching forward being careful not to hit Alex with a flailing limb Sam jumped from the bed and looked around for his phone, but as he jumped from the bed he elbowed the nightstand which managed to knock his phone on the floor. ”I over slept! We over slept! Where is my phone! Where is it!” Sam said in a panicked voice as he looked on the nightstand for his phone knowing he had put it there.

He couldn’t be late from the pick up point, it was cold and the weather said it was supposed to be snowing today and he was personally supposed to take the group over the border. Grabbing his shirt from the day before and throwing it on Sam then grabbed his boots and placed them on his sock less feet before turning to Alex and the franticly waving his arms, ”Get up, we gotta go!”

Searching around the room Sam spotted his phone and picked it up and flipped it open looking at the time… ”We didn’t oversleep yet…” sitting down on his bed Sam laid back and exhaled as he put his hands on his eyes motioning to wake the sleep from his eyes.

Sammy? Airyn? As sleep started to slip away from her, confusion replaced it. Alexandra pushed herself up from the Sam-pillow while letting out another yawn. What exactly was Sam dreaming about?… Who were Sammy and Airyn? And, most importantly, why did these names sound awfully familiar when she didn’t know anyone by that name? Well, she knew that at some point Sam had been called Sammy but she also knew that he didn’t enjoy it so…

Alexandra nudged Sam’s hand again to make him wake up. Icy blue eyes opened lazily and then… then , the following moments were full of confusion and the molecule manipulator could only stare dumbly at Sam. Geez… and I thought I was bad in the mornings.

“No… we didn’t…” She finally replied when Sam flipped open his phone. The molecule manipulator glanced at her watch. “Oh look, I think we even have time to brush our teeth… and maybe get dressed properly.” Sure Sam was already kind of dressed but her eyes trailed to the bare skin of her arms. Boots were in their rightful place on her feet as she had slept with them on but she doubted that she could handle the cold outside in a tank top. Sam on the other hand… he was immune to cold. Lucky him. Yawning again she got up from the bed and rubbed her eyes while adding washing her face as a priority on her current to-do list.

It took close to ten minutes for Alex to get ready, he however was ready the second he had put his shirt on when he jumped out of bed, although during that ten minutes he managed to place socks on his feet that and brush his teeth something he was sure Alex would thank him for later down the line. Although he didn’t need a jacket he placed a heavy one on anyways, it was after all winter and the last thing he wanted to do was look suspicious by walking around in a pair of pants and a T-shirt which he would have normally done in this situation.

It took him and Alex fifteen minutes to meet the group they were going to help across the border, his hand in Alex to keep up pretenses and make sure she was close by Sam waved to the eldest man who he was told to find and communicate with. Eight people seven mutants and the old man, he was human but his granddaughter was a mutant and he didn’t want to be separated from her, everyone he was told to meet was here at least the number was right.

Looking to the old man and extending his free hand releasing his other from Alex, as he clasped hands with the old man Sam spoke his tongue reverting to Romania thanks to the gem, ”Buna˘, aici se ga˘sesc iepurii? Hello, is this where the rabbits are found? the old man pulled Sam into a hug and smiled, ”Iepurii se ga˘sesc unde nu sunt lupii.” (Rabbits can be found where wolves are not!) letting out a small laugh Sam pulled away from the old man and casually looked around the park they met in and spotted no one suspicious.

Hera˘stra˘u park was a good call as a meeting location, there were enough people of all ages to not raise suspicion and to his pleasure there looked like to be a group of tourists off in the distance lead by a tour guide. It was early but he guessed the timing was perfect.

Looking to Alex and nodding to her he grabbed her hand and leaned in, ”Ne ara˘t¸i tu împrejurimile, dulceat¸a˘?” Care to give a tour sweet heart? Sam asked as he gave Alex a small tug on her hand as he motioned for everyone to follow him but made sure to keep pace with Alex to make it look like he wasn’t leading the group.

Guiding her down a ways Sam spotted a manhole leading into the sewer system and headed that direction. A thin layer of snow covered the ground as he motioned to the cover and looked around. No one was around and it was clear to go, motioning for the manhole Sam released Alex’s hand and looked to the group and spoke, ”Stat¸i aproape s¸i nu va˘ panicat¸i daca˘ suntet¸i descoperit¸i, eu, personal, va˘ garantez protect¸ia.” Stay close and don't panic if we are discovered, I will personally guarantee your safety!

The cover lifted as a pair of ice hands pushed it to the side and extended them from the hole in the ground. Motioning for Alex to go first Sam then helped everyone else down into the sewers before closing the way behind him.

That was perhaps the quickest shower in history. Plus, an occasion to discover new things such as the fact that she was able to wash herself and brush her teeth, in the same time. Seating herself on the bed, Alexandra put on her boots and while still zipping up the last one she was already moving toward the winter jacket thrown casually on a chair. Putting that on and grabbing a backpack from next to the chair, Alexandra was already speeding toward the door.

While still walking down the hallway, her hand was extended toward Sam so she could grab his hand and continue to walk in the same time. Everything seemed to be in fast motion, even the elevator’s door seemed to open or close faster than usual. Metallic door opened once again with a ‘click’ sound and with a half-hidden yawn she stepped out of it, picking up speed as they passed the reception.

“Good morning!” The cheerful voice of the sticky fingered receptionist greeted them in the otherwise empty hall. Alexandra nodded toward him in response and just as she was about to continue walking out of the hotel – “I am pleased to see that the relationships between you and your husband is blossoming once again, Mrs.” The receptionist eyed both her and Sam as they were holding hands while a smile appeared on his face. With slightly widened eyes, the molecule manipulator coughed a few times before placing a fake smile on her face, then, with her cheeks ten times redder than usual, she avoided looking at Sam for the rest of the trip.

The trip from the hotel all the way to Herăstrău Park, was, once again faster than usual. While scanning the surroundings for any suspicious figures, memories came back into her mind. Just how many times had she spent her days or her nights around here? The Underground didn’t have a building when she first joined and back then, parks were their favorite place for meetings. And even when they did find a building, what place could have been better than a lonely park at night to torment foolish little humans that dared to venture on mutant territory?

With her attention divided between her past and keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, Alexandra didn’t notice that they had reached the group until Sam let go of her hand and talked about… rabbits and wolves? Yeah… nothing suspicious… talking about rabbits and wolves in the middle of a freaking public park. Insert roll of eyes here. Sighing, the molecule manipulator glanced at the group, from the elder leading the way all the way back to the hooded figures in the back.

”Care to give a tour, sweetheart?”

Uhmm. Sweetheart? Was he mocking her because of the receptionist’s comment? Or just playing pretense? Option number two suddenly seemed more enjoyable and after clearing her throat she took Sam’s hand, a smile on her lips.

“Desigur, iubire.” (Of course, my love.) And, of course, she turned her head away and started to walk, from time to time glancing to the sides. They stopped. Next to a manhole. You gotta be kidding me. Sewers? That shower she had that morning… completely useless now. Ice hands pushed the cover away. The molecule manipulator thought that she could have taken it off with something less flashy than this. Like, you know, make it disappear? And with the snow on the ground, no one would see foot steps that stop right next to a manhole and the snow on top of the cover disturbed. But Alexandra sighed and fell silent as she slipped in. Jumping down from the ladder (in a damn puddle of water, of course!), the molecule manipulator wrinkled her nose at the smell. 18 years spent in Bucharest and she never needed to use the sewer system to make an escape.

As someone else jumped off the ladder (in the same puddle, she noticed with a slight touch of satisfaction) she pulled out a flashlight and directed the patch of light toward the people, counting them as they stopped near her position while waiting for the rest to come down.

Alexandra had already counted six when she moved the light to the one that had just reached the floor. She almost counted seven and was ready to get to the next one when green eyes caught her attention. The seventh was a woman, a hood on her head, a scarf on her mouth, only eyes visible. But I know- The woman reached out and took the scarf away from her mouth. Pacifica? Great. Just great. The last of the people that supposedly were trying to hop borders (because she doubted that Pacifica tried to get to another country) jumped down. With a sigh, she moved the light from Pacifica. Gabriel? Now. This wasn’t good. She didn’t quite get it. Two Underground members here? Were the others Underground as well? Was this a trap?

Shaking her head, Alexandra turned her back to the group while waiting for Sam to get in the sewers as well. “Awesome…” she muttered sarcastically as she reached for her backpack again, this time pulling out a pocket pc. On it, a very handy sewers system map was supposed to make their lives easier. As if that’s possible.

As the manhole was closed behind him and a thin layer applied to the underside giving it the impression that it had yet t move all year Sam hopped in the water and smelt the putrid smell of the sewage that ran over his boots. One of the man reasons he didn’t shower, he knew where he was going and didn’t feel the need to waste the time it would take for him to shower. A small feeling in his gut also tipped him off that next time they were to come this way he should let Alex know.

Patting the man he helped into the hole last before jumping in himself Sam smiled and said, ”Îmi pare ra˘u pentru miros dar vremurile disperate cer ma˘suri disperate.” Sorry bout the smell but desperate times call for desperate measures walking forward and grabbing a flashlight from Alex’s backpack and turning it on Sam looked to Alex and gave her a quick apology in English before he moved on ward, ”Sorry about this, I probably should have warned you before the shower…”

Turing around to face the group of all ages some old some young some scared and others unnaturally calm for this type of situation he cleared his throat and said in a clear Romanian tongue, ”Înainte sa˘ începem, daca˘ ceva se întâmpla˘ s¸i suntem descoperit¸i, continuat¸i sa˘ merget¸i prin canale, o sa˘ ga˘sit¸i o scara˘ marcata˘ cu C51, merget¸i spre dreapta s¸i ducet¸i-va˘ pentru înca˘ doua˘ mile în jos s¸i o sa˘ ga˘sit¸i o deschidere marcata˘ cu F6, de acolo continuat¸i pâna˘ la frontiera˘.” Alright before we get started, if anything happens and we get discovered, continue on down the sewers, you’ll find an escape ladder marked with a C-51 take a right and go two miles down before finding a opening to the outside marked F-6 from there it’s a straight shot to the border.

Turning around and aiming his flashlight forward he started to walk down the pipeline making sure everyone was behind them. Turning his head to Alex slightly as his eyes focused onward, he spoke quietly in English so hopefully no one could understand him, ”If we do get discovered, you take them and run, to the border, Kaz and someone else should be waiting for you guys at the Jet,” he paused and picked up the pace before adding, ”That is an order and a personal request…sweet heart…” Smiling Sam continued onward picking the pace up a little more so he lead the way, having memorized the path they needed days before the members of the group had been selected.

Was the Underground sick of the X-Men helping mutants to hop the border while they were trying to recruit them for their cause? Possible explanations for Pacifica and Gabriel’s presence here ran trough her head again and again. Alexandra was uncomfortable with this situation and with Sam here she didn’t have the chance to question any of them. Sighing as Sam reached for the flashlight, she turned around to face the eight people. “Dacă se întâmplă ceva... rămâneţi cu grupul. Nu vă putem garanta protecţia dacă plecaţi de lângă noi.” (If something happens, stay with the group. We can’t guarantee your safety if you leave our side.) And that was something she needed to say, in case the people in front of her weren’t Underground members.

Alexandra turned around once again, starting to walk.

”If we do get discovered, you take them and run, to the border, Kaz and someone else should be waiting for you guys at the Jet. That is an order and a personal request…sweet heart…”

Alexandra glanced at Sam, giving him a half smile. “I’m never good with orders or requests… honey.” she said before turning her attention to where she was stepping. “They have a better chance if both of us cover their backs and Kaz can come and pick them up very quickly.” Stubborn? Yes. Sam was a good fighter, she knew that, but this heroic attitude of his would stop being useful at some point and get him hurt… or worse. Besides, although Sam’s well being was her priority, she was right about what she had just said. “So, baby, next time you have this awesome plan of getting us in the sewers, let me know cause I could have told you a few other ways to get them out of the country without the need to smell like a toilet when we get out.” Alexandra glanced at the small device in her hand once again before turning her head to Sam. “But since we’re here already… can I know the whole plan?” And her foot landed into another puddle. Great… Just great.

Frowning slightly as she continued to show off her stubborn side Sam spoke quietly in English once again, ”Regardless if listen to me or not, they are far more important than my own safety, so I hope you’ll choose the right decision if the time comes, Love” continuing on with the pet names Sam could help but smile, despite the darkness of the sewers she should be able to see his white teeth through the dim light of the reflection from the flashlights.

”Besides Kaz has other obligations, we aren’t the only team who could be in need of him, and I would prefer to get there with out his help…” Sam bit his lip quietly as he decided not to press the importance of this mission and it’s success. He would gladly put himself in danger if it meant others could escape unharmed. He was more than confident with his abilities and his will to survive any and all situations he had been put in before now wouldn’t be so different.

Nodding his head as he walked over a puddle he continued to speak, ”Well when we set this up we didn’t have your Intel because I…” he trailed off trying not to remind her that he had left her behind purposely. ”Anyways it is just what I told them though the plan is completely different when we are thrown into the mix, I have a van waiting for us once we get outside from there it’s back road after side street till we get across the border.” it was simple as that; any problems appear he would deal with it then.

Looking back Sam sighed and lifted his arm signaling for them to slow down to a stop, he didn’t like stopping when time was of the essence but the old man he had greeted earlier seemed far to frail to continue onward with out a little rest if need be he would have no problem carrying the man after all it would be to much work to create a golem to do the job, it would just mean he had less attention to spare on his surroundings.

Alexandra stopped when Sam signaled the others, glancing over her shoulder to the place where Pacifica and Gabriel were standing, distanced from the others. Shaking her head slightly, she put the pocket pc in her pocket and turned back to Sam. “I know you are concerned about their safety. I’m not going to lie, I’m not letting you get hurt but their safety is in my mind as well. So trust me on this... baby.” Cough.

“So… a van. You want to drive all the way to the border?” She sighed slightly. “Trains would have been better for this. No one asks for names there. With the van authorities might stop us at the Iron Gates and to be truthful we look pretty suspicious.” Blue eyes scanned the small group behind her and Sam. A group who probably had nothing in common except the fact they were mutants. The fact that three either were or had been a part of the Underground was not to be mentioned, of course. “You have fake IDs for them or something?”

It was ten minutes and for the most part everyone seemed alright all except the old frail man that was there, his grand daughter held his hand ever so tightly hoping to possibly pass off her energy to the older man in hopes she could will him to continue on this long journey. Looking from the pair to Alex he held his tongue again deciding it was best not to argue with her in front of everyone. If they were to come off as a happy couple or teammates it was best to keep arguments down to a minimum.

”The problem with trains is I ran a group over not to long ago, needless to say I thought it would be suspicious if the same people spotted me with a different group of people.” he paused and looked at his watch and continued, ”I am well aware of the gates but, I think the ID’s will cover us, we a family going to visit our grandmothers grave, a year after her death.” Sam motioned to the old man, ”It was actually his idea, he used to cross the border to visit her grave all the time, so a few people might recognize him. I figure it seemed like in alright cover, Dear.”

Eyeing the old man trying to stand up straight but fall back against the wall Sam looked to Alex and said, ”Let’s keep moving,” taking a few steps in the opposite direction Sam crouched down to the old man and young girl and smiled and turned his back to them so the old man could hope on Sam’s back. It was in his opinion the safest way to do the carry; it was clear without Sam intervening or someone else helping he wasn’t going to make it and sticking to his “X” mind frame no one got let behind.

He was reluctant but the old man climbed onto his back and spoke as the young girl stuck by Sam’s side now that he was carrying her grandfather, ” Îmi pare ra˘u ca˘ ba˘trânul a˘sta este o povara˘.(Sorry this old man is being such a burden) Said the old man into Sam’s ear as Sam took his lead at the front of the group again with the girl still inches behind him, ” Nu suntet¸i o povara˘.”No burden at all. looking down to his hand he felt the small girl slip her hand in his own as he looked up and back to Alex and smiled before he continued onward with the group.

Alexandra decided to remain silent. Yeah she could have said a couple things about this mission but then again, Sam was the team leader so he had the final saying. Not that it made her feel more comfortable with the sewers, or the Underground members in the back, or just how wrong everything felt. She sighed, smiling slightly at the ‘dear’ part. “I trust you have picked the best, love.” Heh. She was running out of pet names.

”Let’s keep moving,”

Alexandra gave Sam a small nod as she directed the flashlight to her front, eyeing the way ahead while Sam started to carry the older man on his back. Sam had barely passed her location when Alexandra started to move again.

“Please, help us.

Alexandra blinked, a low growl leaving her lips. Gabriel. And that was the signal that Pacifica and Gabriel wanted to speak with her. The molecule manipulator turned her head to Sam. “Keep walking. I’ll see what they need and we’ll be right behind you.” Without actually waiting for an answer but hoping for a positive one, she pivoted on her feet and walked backwards, passing the other members of the group without a glance.

She stopped next to Pacifica and Gabriel, eyeing both of them with a disapproving look. “What happened?” Alexandra asked loud enough for the others to hear, concern in her voice while she continued to stare suspiciously at the two. “My sister, she caught her foot in something, she can’t move.” Gabriel answered, looking at the group with the corner of his eye. Alexandra herself glanced over her shoulder, to be sure that they wouldn’t overhear her words. “Why are you here?” Alexandra whispered the question to them, eyes moving from Gabriel to Pacifica and back. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you.” Glance over shoulder again.

“We came to warn you.” Pacifica said as she leaned against a pipe. Gabriel kneeled next to his “sister’s” leg. Alexandra followed his motion, pretending to do something to help the ‘entrapped’ Pacifica. “The authorities had found out about your friends helping mutants hop borders. They’re waiting for you once you exit the sewers. And at the borders.”

A sudden headache made its appearance. She swore under her breath as she straightened herself up. “Why are you interested in helping these people?” Pacifica smiled at Alexandra. “Circe, we’re not concerned about them. We came to warn you.” Green eyes traveled toward Gabriel as he got up, blue followed rapidly. “Gabriel insisted in warning you. And I couldn’t let him go alone.” Pacifica smirked slightly as she pushed herself off the pipe she had been leaning on as she looked back at Alexandra. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Gabriel for a few more moments. “We didn’t have any other way of contacting you so we joined a group of mutants wanting to hop borders.”

“Great. Just great.” Alexandra muttered as she looked back at the group. Sigh. “Okay, we’re good to go. Let’s move.” Alexandra was already turning around by the time she looked, the grim look that formerly had been on her face now changing to a serene one. Alexandra started to move, Pacifica and Gabriel flanking her sides. “Thank you for your help.” An inaudible sigh left her lips as she eyed the group in front of them. “You’re welcome.”

Silence fell between the three… but, unfortunately for the molecule manipulator, it didn’t last. “So… are you with him?” Gabriel received an incredulous look. Did she look like she wanted to have that kind of talk? “Gabe. This is not the time to talk about this.” Alexandra replied, turning her face away from the man in time not to see the look he gave her. Gritting her teeth, she began to move faster, for the first time in the day welcoming the company of strangers. Glancing one more time at Pacifica and Gabriel as they blended in with the rest of the group, she stopped next to Sam. “Problem fixed. Let’s go.”

And she started to move. How the hell was she supposed to warn Sam without revealing the source of information?

Hearing another pet name Sam couldn’t help but laugh in their poor situation, at first he only kept up the names for appearances due to the fact that they were playing a married couple but now he couldn’t tell if she was serious about the names or she was just continuing appearances and at the same time teasing him for what he had started earlier. With the extra weight on his back Sam smiled and tugged the small hand that was intertwined with his and continued onward his attention shifting this way and that to try and spot anything that looked out of the ordinary that could possibly be a sign of trouble.

Eying a few rats trudging through some puddles ahead of them Sam didn’t really hesitate to keep moving when Alex told them to keep moving, he knew she could handle what ever problem that was with the two that were at the back of the group after all he was only going to round the corner to see what was a head before waiting for them.

It took a few minutes but as she approached the group again followed by the other two Sam looked to Alex and asked, ”Everything alright?” Feeling his hand tighten Sam looked down the little girl and smiled before giving her a small squeeze in return before moving forward with the man on his back Sam continued to shit his eyes about.

”Everything alright?”

No. We’re walking into a damn trap. “Yeah. Come on.” With Sam carrying the man in his back and holding the hand of the girl, Alexandra moved in front of the group, one hand holding the flashlight, the other reaching for the pocket pc. With her attention divided between checking the surrounding, keeping an eye for any other possible threats and the device in her hand, she continued to walk.

They continued to walk for almost twenty minutes when she stopped, turning around to face the group. “Rest for 5 minutes.” Alexandra announced, putting the pocket pc back in the pocket before looking at Sam. “Baby, I need to talk with you.” She said lowering her voice while eyeing the old man and the little girl. Alexandra sighed, hopefully the two didn’t know English. “In private.” A nervous smile appeared for a moment upon her face as she glanced at the following corner, gesturing Sam toward it.

Nodding his head as they had neared the end of their tunnel Sam smiled to the little girl and released her hand as he lowered himself into a crouch and arched his back up right so the old man could slide off onto his feet without much of a problem. As the old man hobbled over to the wall and the girl accompanying him Sam stood up and looked to them and gave them a reassuring smile before looking around. All seemed to well for the most part the refugees they were helping to border hop seemed for the most part ready to continue on.

Eyes fixing on Alex as she called out to him and he nodded his head once again, something had seemed to be up and she was speaking in English, which meant that it must have been regarding something important. Lifting his hand up to the little girl and old man Sam gave them the ‘wait here’ gesture before he walked away from them and he took a few steps to Alex. Hand on her waist he took a few more steps away from the group before he asked, ”Something wrong?” he asked having a feeling he already knew the answer to the question, ”And you can drop the names if you want…”

As they neared the corner Sam felt a quick breeze rush by him. A chill ran down his spine, was it intuition or just paranoia? He didn’t know and for the moment he focused on Alex, forcing the feelings away to the back of his mind so they could dwell and fester for the time being.

Blue eyes moved away from Sam to the back of the group. Blue met blue as Gabriel starred back at her. Mentally, she shook her head, wondering where exactly this was going. A hand reached her waist. The molecule manipulator’s muscles tensed under the touch as she turned to Sam, then started to walk away. Gabriel’s glare, she was sure, was burning holes trough her jacket. Sam’s too, probably.

”Something wrong? And you can drop the names if you want…”

“Riiight.” Names. Alexandra sighed, looking at Sam with concerned eyes. “Yeah. Something feels wrong.” Alexandra narrowed her eyes. “You’ve been doing the border hopping a few times now. Doesn’t it feel strange that you haven’t encountered any problems by now?” The molecule manipulator took a hand up to the side of her head, rubbing lightly as the headache was getting stronger and stronger. “I think we should go check first, before taking them out.” As her hand fell back to her side, she nodded toward the group with a sigh.

Hopefully, Sam would leave the ‘I can deal with it and even I can’t I’m willing to sacrifice myself’ attitude aside and listen