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xp_logsAt the Professor's request, a team of X-Men flies south to Brazil for a simple reconnaissance mission.
With a nod to Forge, Marie released the controls and walked towards the rear of the plane, surveying the team that had been assembled for this mission. Brawn, brains, and stealth...a good combination. "So is everybody clear on the plan here? We get in, find out what's causing the energy spike, and then report it back at home."
Logan was fighting an urge to light up. But so far he'd stayed good. "Nice and simple, kid." he said, slouching in his seat, his Stetson pulled down low over his eyes. "Just recon."
"Yeah, but the Brazilian government just shutting the Professor down like that?" Forge's voice chimed in over everyone's communicator. "That's just weird. Anyway, we're cruising at a nice Mach 3.2, we'll be reaching the Brazilian coast in... fifteen minutes. I don't want to have to give the talk about smoking in the plane again, Mister Haller."
"Don't worry, this time there's no blonde flaunting it in my face." Jim folded the sketchbook in his lap closed. "How unobtrusive are we talking? If we're trying to keep a low profile I can only do a one-way translation. I mean, I can claim that I understand better than I speak, but if I try to question directly eventually someone's going to notice I don't know any Portugese."
"Too bad you can't pick the right words out of their heads. Just do the best you can. Remember, we don't plan on being there for too long, so just make sure no alarms are raised and get what information you can," Rogue replied. "Just...be gentle," she added, a slightly cautious look in her eyes as she pulled her gaze away from Haller's.
Jan looked up from the game she was playing on her cell. "Well, that's what Caldera's here for, right? She doesn't have to fake knowing Portuguese, she really knows it."
Amara was busy staring out the window - it didn't actually help her feel much better, but being able to see the ground did keep her calm. "Hmmm?" That was her name! Wait, that was about her. "Oh yes, I do." She flashed a smile over at Jim. "I'm mostly fluent. And I speak a native dialect as well."
"I'm glad someone does. I wish I could do the lexicon trick of the professor's. My way sacrifices the language for the underlying intent." Jim thought a moment, then turned to Logan. "Hey, do you speak Portuguese?"
"Hell if I know." he said with a shrug. "Don't think so." he said, pulling his hat down lower over his eyes.
Forge cleared his throat from the cockpit. "I lived in Attilan for two years, remember? Between Caldera, Legion, and myself - I think we can handle any diplomatic communication with the natives."
"Part of why everyone here was picked, for the special skills you bring to the team...because no one wants to see me trying to absorb Portuguese," Marie said as she made her way to the cockpit. "So we all know the plan. Let's just try to stick to it, shall we?" she added over her comm as she settled into her seat.
***
Fifteen minutes later. the plane was on the ground in a jungle clearing. A five-foot-four-inch woman stepped off the plane, but it was a one-inch one who launched herself into the hot, humid air to survey the area around them. "Everything looks ok!" Jan announced through the coms. "It's just hot and sticky!"
"Welcome to the suck," Forge said as he walked down the ramp, adjusting his uniform jacket into a sleeveless configuration, taking a quick drink from a canteen. He turned around and gestured towards the Blackbird, a remote in his hand.
At the press of a button and a small hum of lasers, the matte black finish of the Blackbird shimmered like mercury, then seemed to go transparent, reflecting the surrounding jungle and rendering the jet effectively invisible to anyone who wasn't standing directly next to it.
"Remember where we parked," the inventor quipped.
"You guys are just far too used to New York summers," Amara said with a laugh, feeling much more at east now that she was on the ground - and on vaguely familiar ground. It wasn't precisely home, but it was so, so similar.
She glanced down at the map, before sweeping her eyes around the clearing for the path opening. "This looks like it! Shall we?" She started moving towards the opening, presuming everyone would fall in behind her.
After a few glances to familiarize herself with the surroundings, Rogue followed Amara. She was used to humidity and heat from her years growing up in the South, but she wished she could at least have dressed for the weather. Turning to the X-Man beside her, she asked, "Wolverine, anyone else around as far as you can tell?"
If Logan was bothered by the humidity or the bugs, he didn't show it. Instead, he squatted down and inhaled deeply. "Don't think so." he said, and then without asking rose quickly to pass Caldera and take point. "Getting something. Human, probably." he said, sniffing again. "Down this trail."
Jim unzipped his jacket. "Rogue, for now I'm going to reserve the telepathy for comms, if you don't mind. At least until we're sure what's going on."
"Sounds good. Wolverine, Wasp, Forge, scout ahead and see what's going on and just keep Legion in the loop, then let's get the hell home," she said with a nod to the seasoned X-Men before turning to face the only trainee on the mission. "Caldera, Ah want us to review the map, make sure we figure out all our exit strategies just in case."
The telepath turned to the designated group. "Okay, I'm putting you all in light contact with each other. I'll monitor." As he spoke, he gave them each a light touch to indicate the switchboard's activation. Because of what he'd heard of the psychic damages to other man's mind, there was a slight hesitation before Jim implemented the link with Logan. "Just let me know if there's trouble."
With a nod to Forge, Marie released the controls and walked towards the rear of the plane, surveying the team that had been assembled for this mission. Brawn, brains, and stealth...a good combination. "So is everybody clear on the plan here? We get in, find out what's causing the energy spike, and then report it back at home."
Logan was fighting an urge to light up. But so far he'd stayed good. "Nice and simple, kid." he said, slouching in his seat, his Stetson pulled down low over his eyes. "Just recon."
"Yeah, but the Brazilian government just shutting the Professor down like that?" Forge's voice chimed in over everyone's communicator. "That's just weird. Anyway, we're cruising at a nice Mach 3.2, we'll be reaching the Brazilian coast in... fifteen minutes. I don't want to have to give the talk about smoking in the plane again, Mister Haller."
"Don't worry, this time there's no blonde flaunting it in my face." Jim folded the sketchbook in his lap closed. "How unobtrusive are we talking? If we're trying to keep a low profile I can only do a one-way translation. I mean, I can claim that I understand better than I speak, but if I try to question directly eventually someone's going to notice I don't know any Portugese."
"Too bad you can't pick the right words out of their heads. Just do the best you can. Remember, we don't plan on being there for too long, so just make sure no alarms are raised and get what information you can," Rogue replied. "Just...be gentle," she added, a slightly cautious look in her eyes as she pulled her gaze away from Haller's.
Jan looked up from the game she was playing on her cell. "Well, that's what Caldera's here for, right? She doesn't have to fake knowing Portuguese, she really knows it."
Amara was busy staring out the window - it didn't actually help her feel much better, but being able to see the ground did keep her calm. "Hmmm?" That was her name! Wait, that was about her. "Oh yes, I do." She flashed a smile over at Jim. "I'm mostly fluent. And I speak a native dialect as well."
"I'm glad someone does. I wish I could do the lexicon trick of the professor's. My way sacrifices the language for the underlying intent." Jim thought a moment, then turned to Logan. "Hey, do you speak Portuguese?"
"Hell if I know." he said with a shrug. "Don't think so." he said, pulling his hat down lower over his eyes.
Forge cleared his throat from the cockpit. "I lived in Attilan for two years, remember? Between Caldera, Legion, and myself - I think we can handle any diplomatic communication with the natives."
"Part of why everyone here was picked, for the special skills you bring to the team...because no one wants to see me trying to absorb Portuguese," Marie said as she made her way to the cockpit. "So we all know the plan. Let's just try to stick to it, shall we?" she added over her comm as she settled into her seat.
***
Fifteen minutes later. the plane was on the ground in a jungle clearing. A five-foot-four-inch woman stepped off the plane, but it was a one-inch one who launched herself into the hot, humid air to survey the area around them. "Everything looks ok!" Jan announced through the coms. "It's just hot and sticky!"
"Welcome to the suck," Forge said as he walked down the ramp, adjusting his uniform jacket into a sleeveless configuration, taking a quick drink from a canteen. He turned around and gestured towards the Blackbird, a remote in his hand.
At the press of a button and a small hum of lasers, the matte black finish of the Blackbird shimmered like mercury, then seemed to go transparent, reflecting the surrounding jungle and rendering the jet effectively invisible to anyone who wasn't standing directly next to it.
"Remember where we parked," the inventor quipped.
"You guys are just far too used to New York summers," Amara said with a laugh, feeling much more at east now that she was on the ground - and on vaguely familiar ground. It wasn't precisely home, but it was so, so similar.
She glanced down at the map, before sweeping her eyes around the clearing for the path opening. "This looks like it! Shall we?" She started moving towards the opening, presuming everyone would fall in behind her.
After a few glances to familiarize herself with the surroundings, Rogue followed Amara. She was used to humidity and heat from her years growing up in the South, but she wished she could at least have dressed for the weather. Turning to the X-Man beside her, she asked, "Wolverine, anyone else around as far as you can tell?"
If Logan was bothered by the humidity or the bugs, he didn't show it. Instead, he squatted down and inhaled deeply. "Don't think so." he said, and then without asking rose quickly to pass Caldera and take point. "Getting something. Human, probably." he said, sniffing again. "Down this trail."
Jim unzipped his jacket. "Rogue, for now I'm going to reserve the telepathy for comms, if you don't mind. At least until we're sure what's going on."
"Sounds good. Wolverine, Wasp, Forge, scout ahead and see what's going on and just keep Legion in the loop, then let's get the hell home," she said with a nod to the seasoned X-Men before turning to face the only trainee on the mission. "Caldera, Ah want us to review the map, make sure we figure out all our exit strategies just in case."
The telepath turned to the designated group. "Okay, I'm putting you all in light contact with each other. I'll monitor." As he spoke, he gave them each a light touch to indicate the switchboard's activation. Because of what he'd heard of the psychic damages to other man's mind, there was a slight hesitation before Jim implemented the link with Logan. "Just let me know if there's trouble."
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