nextgen_parent:

To say that Scott had found the results of X-Force's mission distressing was an understatement. There was the fact that Nathan had played them; Scott was inclined to give his son the benefit of the doubt, but when he went and did something like this, using the students to carry out his own plans, well...

There was the appearance of a new group of Mutant terrorists. Especially one led by a woman styling herself after Magneto. In these troubling times, most of the so-called "evil" or revolutionary mutant groups had had the good sense to go to ground. Worse, the woman was bound to attract Magneto's attention, or worse, that of his followers. The very presence of a revolutionary cloaking herself in the Master of Magnetism's old standard could set the world of Mutants ablaze, with sides being chosen all around. It might well lead to a mutant civil war.

But worst of all, however, was the state of the team itself. Joey had been grievously injured. Tina was exhibiting strange side effects and it was possible the others would be experiencing the same. And even Rose was not her usual self, having retreated more into herself, in a way Scott had only seen in Logan a few times before.

The meeting with the team was a casual one, to hopefully keep them at ease. But this would not be easy. Not with the personalities that made up the team.

"Thank-you all for meeting like this," he said. "I know the last few days haven't been easy, and I want it known I appreciate the efforts you all put through. If the X-Tremists hadn't appeared, I have little doubt I'd be congratulating you on a job well done. You took a situation full of unknowns and performed above and beyond the call."

He frowned. "Unfortunately, in the wake of as many unknowns as we're currently facing here, and in light of giving you all time to recover... we have decided to temporarily suspend you all from field status; restoration of such... will come when we feel it safe, for both you and everyone else."

wild_rose:

Rose begged off anything after dinner with Brad, saying she had an early class in the morning.  A complete lie, but he bought it hook, line, and sinker.  They needed to mobilize as quickly as possible, and the lab would be mostly deserted in just a few hours.   Brad might possibly still be there, but she was more than prepared to deal with that.

It did not take long for the team to assemble, staging just outside the lab complex and just out of range of security cameras and the like.  Their stealth uniforms--which had been carefully and completely hidden away in their luggage--were the go to clothes of the day.  The black and gray suits would provide a measure of stealth and electronic misdirection.  Each contained a small mask, with various vision settings, though Rose's mask mimicked the lines of her usual pointy eared one.

"Okay," she said.  "We all know we need to shut this down.  That means smashing or confiscating any samples, destroying the computers, and otherwise makin' as a big a mess as possible.  And if there's anybody there...  we take them down as quickly as we can without killin' 'em.  We'll clean up anything we have to after we slow them back to the stone age."

She looked to Tina.  "Your move, chief."

wild_rose:

For the members of X-Force, the previous night had been extremely successful.  Each, in their own way, had gathered pieces of information which helped to make the larger puzzle a little more clear.

1) Rose had determined through a conversation with one of the lead scientists that not only did the X-Gene therapy work, but that it was largely being purposed as a means of suppressing the x-gene in others, with the possibility of adding powers to an individual being more of a side project.  She had also wrangled herself an invitation to see the lab up close and personal.

2) Tina and Joey had, in what even Rose would admit was a spectacular piece of subterfuge, learned that not only was there workings in place to get the therapy to the outside world, but Tina had secured herself a job within the lab on the promise of a favorable negotiation with regards to this deal.

3) Anastasia had managed to secure a security badge for the lab.  It would be some time before this was missed.  With Tina having gained access and her skills, this might have turned out to be redundant, but as each had been operating individually, some duplication was to be understandable.

4) And Chris...  had listened to rumors and confirmed that there was interest among the population in the therapy.  She also had a much more pleasant evening than any of the others had in their interactions with the natives.

In ones and twos, the group had passed the bits of information on to each other and begun to hatch a plan.  Rose and Tina would both be able to be in the lab at the same time easily enough.  Between Tina's technopathic abilities and experience, and Rose's own skillset, they could decide how to proceed from there.  The others would hold back on stand-by, ready to come with a moment's call and gain access either through Tina or through the stolen card. 

It was a solid plan.  It was supposed to just be about gathering info.  What could go wrong?

wild_rose:

With the fake backgrounds and IDs Summers and the rest of the crew, getting into Providence (Rose and Tina inserted in one group, Chris and Annie inserted in another, and Joey with his own plan) as part of differing immigrant groups had proven surprisingly easy.  Fake IDs listed them all as a little bit older than they were, but not impossibly so.  They'd passed the background checks, taken aptitude tests, and been given various placements within Providence society.

Per the initial meeting outline, they'd purposefully avoided each other for the first three days on the island itself.  Now, however, it was time to meet.

Rose--whose fake ID identified her as Elizabeth Howlett--sat down on the park bench that was X-Force's rendezvous point.  She took a long sniff, breathing in the air.  It was cleaner than back in the states, clean like the wilderness.  Whatever Nate was up to here... it sure seemed to her like he was doing something right.

nextgen_parent:

The call went out for the members of X-Force to assemble in the briefing room as soon as possible. When they arrive, they'll find that it is Scott Summers, rather than the Professor, running this meeting. He looks grim, even by Scott Summers standards.