The snow crunched softly beneath her boots as she moved swiftly through the trees. Among the silence the occasional bird or critter could be heard squeaking or chirping. Their presence brought a slight smile to X-23's face. But what she was focused on was the scent of her target, the agents of the 'Facility' had exposed her to it back at the drop site and she had been honing in on it ever since. It had been over an hour now since she had started running, what little information the 'Facility' had been too vague to pinpoint the exact location of this outpost and so the drop site had been little more than a guess. Despite this X-23 bore the responsibility for the success of this mission, as always. If she had to spend the entire night running then that is what she had to do.

It always took her some time to adjust properly to these temperatures. There was no risk to her from prolonged exposure to the freezing cold, her healing factor ensured that there was no possibility of frostbite or hypothermia. The 'Facilities' tests had confirmed that for certain. That didn't make the stinging cold any less painful, nor the bite of the wind cut any shallower. Her body would always be healing itself, returning to it's optimal state, that did not help with coping with the sensations experiences while doing so.

X-23 had been keeping a steady pace, the scent grew stronger and stronger over time. She noticed that the target must be moving, however it was doing so rather slowly and so she had been steadily closing the gap between them. Close. Close now. she thought. Not alone. X-23 had noticed as she drew closer that she could start to pick up on other scents. Two others or so it seemed. There was a strong stench of cigarettes and alcohol but also something else. Hunting? It smelt like a rifle that had been fired. That smell of cordite in the air.

As the scents reached a certain intensity X-23 found herself instinctively slowing down, so as to minimise the noise that she was making. It was good that she had because not long after there was, in the distance, three lances of light cutting through the trees. Her eyes watered as they adjusted to them, she focused her vision until she could see ahead on that distant view lay a path and on it walked three men, layered appropriately for the weather and well armed. Each of them in one of their hands held a flashlight. Even at this distance X-23 could pick up little details like the exhales of breath turning into a fine cloud of mist, or the limping of the man at the back of the trio. The same man to whom the scent she had been following could be traced to. Her ears pricked up as she heard them speak.

"Let's be quick about this. Don't want to spend any longer out here than need be. 'specially on a night like this." The limping guard spoke.

"Dreadful, just dreadful." Another of them agreed.

"Target found." X-23 whispered. The guards continued walking, they had heard nothing that would draw their attention.

"Prepare to engage target. Strike when ready X-23." A male voice spoke from her earpiece delivering her orders.

X-23 lowered her body down into a crouch before starting to slowly creep step by step closer to the treeline, all the while shadowing the guards as they made their way along the path. The three of them were completely oblivious, even at this now short distance between them. She felt her muscles tense, she was ready to dart behind a tree at a moments notice. Limping one first. Then... She took a closer look at the other two guards. One she could make out a rifle slung over the shoulder attached to a strap, the other had no weapon that she could make out at least not visible, but they were carrying a pair of hares. Limping first. Rifle second. Hares third. X-23 had decided on the order which she would kill these three men.

She would try her best to make this as quick as possible for them. X-23 clenched her hands into fists just before her twin pairs of adamantium claws popped out from between her knuckles with an all familiar SNIKT.

Limp turned his head "What wa-" he twisted his body to face the treeline as he spoke out in surprise. But his exclamation was cut short. X-23 had leapt forward from the treeline and with her claws cut the throat of Limp. His hand darted up to the wound as he fell onto his back, he began choking.

Limp down.

The second guard tried to ready his rifle to fire, his efforts were wasted as when he attempted to aim his chest had already been pierced by X-23, her claws cut right through his body impaling him. He feel limply to the ground as they were pulled out.

Rifle had dropped his torch at the sight of what had just occurred, in a panic he tried to take hold of his gun and aim at their assailant. He didn't have the time to do that. Before he could get the rifle in both hands the claws had already ran right through his chest, X-23 pushed him off his body being sent into the trees on the other side of the path.

Rifle down.

CLICK. BOOM.

X-23 felt the bullet rip through her shoulder. "RAAAAGH." she yelled out in pain as it burned through her. She practically growled as she snapped her head around to face Hare, the guard she had determined was unarmed.

CLICK. BOOM.

Perhaps he thought the first shot would have incapacitated her but seeing that it hadn't Hare fired for a second time. With a swing of her claws X-23 parried the bullet as it spun towards her. Hare's eyes widened as he saw that the wound in her shoulder had already healed.

"It's you." He said.

X-23 rushed forward and with a slice severed the gun wielding hand from the arm of Hare. The guard began to scream, it made her hesitate slightly. To end it she sliced open his stomach.

Hare down. She concluded.

"Strike complete. Target dead." X-23 whispered.

"Retrieve that card from the targets body X-23." The voice delivered the next order curtly, without emotion and without comment.

Approaching the body of the target, which she had named Limp, the smells of battle were already starting to fester around the area. Blood and death, this stench had always disquieted her but there was something else. It was like a switch had been flipped, she was alert and ready. Ready for another battle. No. X-23 knelt down next to the body and began to search after retracting her claws. In several pockets she found either nothing or at least nothing that resembled any kind of card. Eventually she found it. The security card. On it was the face and name of the man, as well as a few other details mostly consisting of different strings of numbers. This would give the 'Facility' access to the outpost where these men had worked, where this path led to.

"Retrieved the card." She waited in silence for a response.

"Leave the bodies as they are. We shall handle the situation once you have located and cleared the outpost X-23. Proceed." The voice eventually broke the silence.

X-23 nodded to herself, a self-confirmation that she understood the orders conveyed. The last time she had expressed it vocally she had been chided for it. She could remember what had been said, whether she could comprehend it or not was irrelevant. Just get the job done.