x_team | Mission Report: Friends of Humanity Rescue, File #341

Mission Report: Friends of Humanity Rescue, File #341

Team Members: Cyclops (lead), Cannonball (2nd), Colossus, Dazzler, Iceman[1], Rogue.

Intention: To rescue Jeffrey Lowenstein, son of Senator Aaron Lowenstein (D, NH), from a group calling themselves the Friends of Humanity (FoH).

Mission Status: Failed.

Summary:

The team left at 2245 hours, 20 November 2003, headed to Mississippi. Early leads on the FoH location indicated it might be located in Black Creek Swamp in Jackson County, in southeast Mississippi. We flew to just outside or Hurley, MS, and arranged for motel rooms for the night.

Early the next morning we split into pairs for information gathering purposes. Cyclops/Cannonball, Colossus/Dazzler, Iceman/Rogue. Very little was gained on the location of the FoH base at first, but later in the day, Cannonball was able to get a disgruntled ex-girlfriend of an FoH member to give up a vague location. Upon hearing that it was located in an area surrounded by swampland, I decided that we would investigate it the next day.

Early in the morning on 23 November, the team left to procure a boat and a guide to navigate the swamp. It took some time and a large amount of money and charm from both Cannonball and Dazzler to find someone willing to take our large group in. We spent the daylight hours viewing the "public" swampland, noting the areas from which our guide kept us. It was determined that a smaller group of us would return in the evening.

A boat was acquired, and Iceman, Rogue and I headed in for further investigation. Rogue did arial reconaissance, while Iceman and I proceeded via boat to as close as we considered safe, and then went on foot. The small team managed to get a good idea of the land and the compound (an old plantation), and the best way in. We retreated undetected and rejoined the others. We held a discussion on the best plan of attack.

At 0500 hours, 24 November 2003, we commenced our infiltration. A small outbuilding was our first objective, as it was lightly guarded and was thought to contain their weapons cache. Upon subduing the guards, we opened the door to find Bobby Drake on the floor.

The "Iceman" in our group winked at us, changed into Mystique, and fled. I pursued her, attempting to bring her down with my blasts. Colossus followed. Our attempt at a stealty entrance was blown by my blasts after Mystique, who evaded capture. Colossus stopped me from following her into the swamp.

Upon returning to the outbuilding, Rogue and Cannonball stayed behind to take care of Bobby while Colossus, Dazzler, and I proceeded to the main house with all due haste, secrecy no longer an option.

We subdued the guards rapidly, and began our search of the mansion, floor by floor, room by room. In a room on the third floor, we found the body of Jeffrey Lowenstein, along with a few FoH members and a reporter/camera crew from a local TV station. We subdued the FoH members in short order, and I proceeded to have a discussion[2, 3] with the reporter.

Retrieving Jeffrey's body, we left the reporter and cameraman there, film intact, and went to gather the rest of our team, and departed the compound.

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Footnotes:

[1] During the course of our mission, it was determined that Iceman was actually Mystique. See Summary for further details.

[2] Colossus should be commended for his level-headedness in the face of my fury.

[3] Dazzler should be commended for her level-headedness as well.