Mid-Level Danger Room

November 17, 2017:

Nate's first attempt to teach combat, guess-starring Logan. Victims? Lorna and Marcos.

X-Men Danger Room

Hammer Bay streets.

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions:

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

"So, Marcos, I heard you have some combat experience," comments Nate. "What kind of stuff have you done? Super-hero style vigilantism or have you been in the army?"

The room, cold grey metal walls until now, flares to life. A city street which Logan would recognize as Hammer Bay, bright sunlight. But it is not clean and neat Hammer Bay with the flying cars and the Pleasantville 50s movie feel. The streets are empty of people and many of the windows of the buildings are broken. The shops at the sides of the sidewalks seem to have been pillaged, and the few cars on sight are on the ground and look pretty battered.

"What scenarios have you been through with him, Lorna?" Adds Nate, looking at the green-haired girl. "I know you were here yesterday."


When asked about what kind of training he has by Nate, Eclipse was straighting out the cuffs on his uniform. "What kind of experience? well…I guess you could call me a soldier of a type. Just street level stuff." he says, apparently not willing to go in depth with that. He takes a deep breath when they enter that danger room, and takes a goooood look around.

He lets Lorna answer for herself. He barely knows all that coding business and what kind of level simulations, he only knows that dying or getting beaten was unpreferred.


Lorna glanced around, her booted feet clicking beneath her. She left whatever Marcos wanted to say in regards to his training to him. If he didn't want to share that he was muscle and arsonist for the Cartel, then she wasn't going to say anything. Of course there were telepaths, but hey, what can you do. She kept her hands up, watching the room change and develop.

"We went through a few level one scenarios. I was concerned about pushing Marcos on my own. I didn't want to push him too hard while he was getting used to how it worked." She squared her jaw, internally fighting with herself over whether or not that was the right choice.

"I was thinking about pushing myself beyond what I did before I left. I was a bit more advanced then in training, but I know my powers have grown since then."


Logan takes in the scenery of the familiar Hammer Bay, it had been a long time since he walked between the buildings of the capital city. Some things looked different from when he remembered. He was sure whether that was a different between the universes, or an inaccuracy of the danger room program. He shrugged his shoulders, and turned his attention back to the rest of the group.

He was quite happy letting Nate taking the lead. He would, for now, take a step back and see how Nate runs the session.


"Uh huh," Nate is a telepath, but he doesn't need to read minds to see Marcos does not want to talk about it. Gang warfare, he figures, he is too young and too nice to be a real 'soldier' hitman.

"Basic is okay for kids. It does not cover real fights, nothing trains for those, really. Just being there and survive the 30 seconds or chaos and panic. Do that a dozen times and the panic is mostly gone. Do it three dozen and then it does not feel like chaos, right, Logan?"

He gestures at the city around them. "Lets say there was a real civil war in Genosha. Not the three days coup Cyke staged. This is what a street would look after a few weeks. There are people here, but they don't get out during the day much. You know why?"

Nate points to Marcus chest. There is a small red dot over his heart. "Snipers."

The hypersonic bullet actually hits a full second before the crack of the rifle. Nate's telekinetic shield stops it ten inches from Marcos chest. "Lorna, find me the sniper. No Logan, I know you did it already, but let Lorna do it now."

It is not easy because like all good snipers the Genoshan Magistrate began moving to his backup firing position before even checking if the target died.


Marcos gives Nate a clearly uncomfortable nod. The telepath could probably read him like a book. Though he did notice the red dot on his chest about maybe a second before Nate pointed it out, and he moves out of the way and behind rubble about a second after Nate puts up the shield. "Thanks…" he sighs a moment with a silent 'come on Marcos, get your head in the game!'

But he gives Lorna a little nod. "You got this." he says encouragingly, though he does look around his rubble cover.


Lorna's expression froze as she noted the red dot and the bullet zoomed forward only to stop under Nate's command. But she didn't stop to think, to freak out, to so much as snarl a word 'no' against it as Marcos backed away. Still, Nate's words cut through. Green slip shut and she flung up her hands to either side and reached out with her senses.

Her sense of metal and ferrous materials stretched beyond her usual range and she inhaled a breath—looking for the magnetic finger print that shouted 'gun'.

Whether or not it was the sniper's, she reached out, and yanked. Hard. Her hands throwing up into that air as she released a snarl of a breath and a curl of her lips.


"Yeah nothing beats preparing for real fights like actual fights." Logan agrees with Nate. Though of Logan was thrown to the wolves and gained experience before any formal training, almost quite literally. "It's one of life's great absurdities."

Logan didn't flinch when the shot rang out, and he wasn't surprised when Nate caught it either. The shot was almost painful to his ears, but it's not something he hasn't heard a hundred, maybe a thousand times before. "OK, you're the boss." Logan says to Nate, and turns to watch Lorna. Of course, Logan knew where the sniper was. He already knew the sniper was there before the shot, and where the sniper was likely to head to now. Logan was calculating when and where he would head the sniper off, if Nate so instructed. At the same time, he was working out which route he would take in pursuit of the sniper if Nate, or perhaps even Lorna decided to launch him up there.


"Sniper bullets muzzle speed is close, sometimes even more than three times the speed of sound. You can gauge distance with a little practice," notes Nate, helpful. "Sometimes it helps," he adds.

"The sniper was over a thousand yards, Lorna," which is evil, because it is too far for Lorna's magnetic senses and Nate knew it. But he didn't tell her to rely on the magnetic senses either. "You got a spotter, I think. So not bad!"

There are sounds coming from the general direction the sniper took, though. Shouts, gears, incoming machines. "Keep watching for snipers. Those bullets can get through most body armor."


Well, at least Marcos was encouraging. Marcos does look to Lorna when she manages to get the spotter. "Better than nothing I say." always the optimist, though his hand glows "I can try to make a shot at the sniper or at least blind his fire for Lorna to get closer." he offers, moving slowly around the rubble.

Though he does look to Logan, nodding a few times. "Fair enough…"


Lorna looked down right infuriated that she didn't get the sniper. So she dipped into the electrical grid, her hands curling like claws to draw on the electricity to boost her power. Her magnetic fields thusly bolstered, she reached out around them to create a bubble of a barrier. It wasn't wide, and in fact was limited her immediate area, but it was better than nothing. Better than letting another bullet get through past her senses.

She was fast, but not Pietro fast, after all.

Light sparked at the edges of her finger tips and she glanced at Nate. She still couldn't get the sniper from her reach alone. A green eyebrow lurched upwards and then she glanced to Logan.

"Wanna go flying after him?"


Logan nods in agreement, finding a spotter is useful, and taking him out means give the enemy a disadvantage. "Well done Lorna, though Nate I think you could've given her a tip." Logan holds his hands, "But hey it's your call." He turns to Marcos, "I like that you're thinking, but do you really think you could hit a sniper a thousand yards away, that's on the move?" He pauses, "That guy had equipment to help, and probably has some experience to boost. Though I'm going to let Nate make the call."

He watches as Lorna erects the magnetic barrier, he nods thoughtfully. Logan realises that he doesn't need her protection exactly, and neither would Nate. However, he does appreciate the gesture. In response Lorna, Logan says, "Do you think you can handle my weight and keep the battle up? I'm not exactly light on my feet."


Nate steps back as the Genoshans come. He is not really part of the simulation, the enemy can't 'see him'.

The enemy group is formed by a score men on foot, most with light weapons, although some carry energy rifles and they have a heavy machine gun. A mixture of elite Magistrates and raw militia. The main threat seems to be a walker vehicle, three tons all-terrain biped armored machine, a little battered, but carrying rocket pods at the sides and a massive Gatling gun front. The gatling starts firing right away, as do a couple of Magistrates with plasma rifles.

"Hey, no. Lorna calls the shots. I am here only for the snarky comments and advice," mentions Nate. "But you don't give them bad advice, old wolf," that to Logan.


Marcos nods a few times. "Lorna calls the shots." he says in agreement, though when Logan asks him, he gives a grin. "I can make a strafing shot. It may not hit him, but it'll buy you an opening if you're going for a flight." he moves his head out of the way just before a bullet hits the rubble where his head was. a stray, not even close to an accurate shot.

"I can do it."


Lorna growled under her breath, or at least, as much of a growl as the magnokinetic could make. Her hands held up as she directed her powers into the shield, ready to catch bullets and whatever else came her way. A glance was spared toward Logan and a brow arched upwards. "You've got a good amount of metal in you, yeah, you'll be easy to throw around." Green eyes flickered toward the approaching group and she exhaled a breath. Plasma she could reflect more or less if she kept the shield up. Charged particles more or less, though that really would be Marcos' domain.. though he hadn't exactly absorbed something that rapid fire or concentrated that she had seen before.

Her shields stayed up.

"Logan, I'm going to throw you behind their lines. Ready?" She waited a heart beat, two, for a response, before chucking him up and into the air. A hand out stretched as the other remained at her side, focusing the shield. Her lips twisted into a silent snarl as the bullets started flying and she flung them right back at the simulations along with Logan, into the air.


"Well if you want to Lorna to call the shorts, why don't you let her? From where I'm standing you've been calling the shots since we started." Logan puts bluntly. "And what do you mean bad advice?" He turns his attention back to Marcos, "Well you could take a shot as a distraction. Though a sniper is not exactly going to be shooting whilst on the move, too risky. At that distance, he could shoot one of his own."

"I do have a lot of metal running through my body, yes, but being thrown around by my skeleton, is probably not going to be pleasant. If you can't use magnetic fields to propel me, then I'd rather Nate do it." He turns to Nate, "Nate would you do the honours? At least you could do that!" He hears Lorna say something behind his back, but doesn't really pay attention.

Suddenly, Logan finds himself flying through the air sideways. "Hey! I wasn't ready he shouts." He was right, being thrown about by his skeleton is a rather uncomfortable and unsettling experience. Logan felt his skeleton moving before his internal organs had a chance to respond. He tries to stay limp to lessen the impact. Before long he lands, and he feels his brain hit adamantium skull, it ricochets off and hits the other side. Everything, goes dark, as he falls unconcious.


As the Genoshan rain lead and plasma on Lorna's shields, Nate talks calmly. "You know why sometimes the instructors tell the kids the DR safeties are off? Because no one, I mean no one, can take a training session here seriously. There is no real death threat and deep down we know it. So the whole 'oh no, we have lost control of the Danger Room. Safeties are off' becomes a more real training session. Honest panic and all."

"No, the safeties are never off. Well… except for that one time we overloaded the room and ended up in my world," it wasn't his fault!

Logan goes flying and… lands badly. "Eh, I am surprised that doesn't happens more often. I am sure he will wake up in ten seconds or so."

Meanwhile the Genoshans are advancing cautiously, in teams, sustaining their fire. Finally the biped vehicle launces a couple rockets towards the mutants. But they explode a few yards before reaching Lorna's shield. Delivering a huge grey cloud of tear gas. "Hmm, can you shield from gas, Lorna?"


Marcos gives a small sigh then when he sees Logan go flying. "That….is going to hurt. I can feel that I'm not the one flying." he shivers then imagining it, but when he hears them get closer, he looks to Nate. "You're a real charmer." he chuckles then good-naturedly, before he starts to move around the rubble as if to flank the genosians.


Logan's failed flight had frustration and anger flashing over Lorna's features. Self-loathing, mentally kicking herself, and an assortment of other frustrations began to take hold. While level one scenarios had been too easy, this was quickly becoming too much for the magnokinetic while she struggled to figure out what to do. When she'd been in Nate's world, it had been with a team she'd worked with for years, trusted and knew inside and out. It had been why she'd felt comfortable calling out commands to Rogue about handling Gabriel. She knew what she was facing and who to pair against those she couldn't handle easily.

Here? Here, she was desperately trying to do too much. Trying to shield Marcos and protect him, not giving him a clear chance to shine as it were. It wasn't like when they were on the streets and he'd had her back. Here, Lorna was over-extending herself and her focus in too many ways. And it showed.

She backed up, pressing closer toward Marcos as she kept her hands up to maintain the shield. The tear gas grenade that flew their way and exploded a few yards away had her shaking her head. "No," Green eyes narrowed, but she could at least propel the shell back at the Genoshans. She reached out, sending the shards back the way they came, for all the good it did.

"Marcos, we need some light." She called over her shoulder.

Her anger, the bite in her voice hadn't cut back. In fact it only seemed to grow as her lack of a plan grew more apparent. The tank. The tank, she could throw… but not while maintain a sizable shield..


Although the canisters are repelled, most of the tear gas falls on Lorna and Marcus, making breathing difficult and filling their eyes with tears. Nasty stuff. It is also far harder to concentrate through all the chocking.

Sniper shoots, more plasma and many bullets keep hitting Lorna's field. They are relentless. "I think we should add air filters to your standard gear. I have them in my belt after… well, psionics requires a lot of concentration. This kind of crap ruins my day."


Marcos moves around the rubble field, and uses his powers over light to use his hands like a flash bang, his hands shining a bright light towards their opponents, then he hides back around the rubble once out of gunshot sight. though he does move a hand to use his photokinesis to fire a laser of light to try to take one of them out.


When the light started up, Lorna dropped her shields and jumped into the air. The green haired mutant would've told Marcos to get to cover, but he already was.

She flew above the smoke cloud of tear gas inhaling a deep breath. Now that she could focus? Now that she wasn't holding intensely strong shields? She went for the attackers on the offensive. Her hands were thrown out and clenched tightly as she grabbed at every gun, every piece of metal she could get her senses to wrap around and yanked into the air.

It took seconds. A breath. A heart beat. Then she was flying for the tank with a snarl. Making to close the distance further so she could have an easier time ripping it apart at every seam of sealed metal and every rivet.


Nate sighs. "Finally you are moving and taking the offensive, I was starting to worry," he comments. His voice reaching Lorna and Marcos ears thanks to the tricks of the Danger Room. "This was a low-power, medium difficulty sim," he adds.

The burst of light makes the Genoshans pause in the shooting as they seek cover or shield their eyes. And just then Lorna strikes pulling the guns off their hands. The bipedal vehicle is mostly ceramics, light metals and hard plastic, so it fares better, but loses the Gatling gun. It backpedals quickly, seeking a place to retreat.


Marcos covers his eyes then when the tear gas starts to get to him. He takes a breath, though then he tires to move back by Lorna. Though he looks to Nate after. "You're a real fun guy arn't ya." he says after rubbing his eyes some.

Though he looks at the vehicle when it's leaving. "Right then…your call Lorna."


Lorna continued her attack now that she was no longer watching and worriedly keeping eyes on Marcos, she had been holding back before.. Now, she fired the guns at the Genoshans, flinging out the gatling gun to fire off the simulations that got in her way. The bits of plastic that made up the tank were met with equal retaliation from the frustrated magnokinetic as she prowled forward on the magnetic currents.

She didn't even have the decency to look back and comment on Nate's saucy commentary.

No, now, Lorna seemed content on just finding every bit of metal and ripping it up into another weapon to use. A strange sort of detacted rage simmered in her expression as she worked, hands stretched out at her sides as she directed metal and fired off concentrated electromagnetic blasts when that didn't work. (I.E. that infuriating tank). At least until the simulation was ended or another target came into play. She certainly wasn't going to calm down and just 'let them go' it seemed.


Yes, eventually the 'walker' gets buried under much more metallic abandoned aircars, garbage cans and assorted ferromagnetic debris. The enemy soldiers scattered, and Logan is found smoking a cigar at a corner of the sim, just watching.

"OK. End simulation," states Nate, making the beaten Genoshans vanish. "You killed a bunch of fake guys," he points out. Xavier won't approve. Nate is not really very concerned, but in the case it was not Lorna's intention it needs to be remarked. "We gotta talk about all this later. Plenty room for improvement. But you won, that counts too."


Marcos stays kneeling a moment before he looks at Nate and Lorna, patting his girlfriend on the shoulder and leaving his hand there. "Alright..sounds good." he smiles to Nate, before looking to Lorna worriedly. "You alright?"


Lorna seemed to catch herself, hand still out stretched as if to reach for another chunk of twisted steel at the edge of her senses… and then the simulation was over and she staggered a step. She blinked, and some of that rage bled from her eyes. Still, there was no small amount of irritation remaining as she twisted around.

"They're a simulation. I wasn't given clear goals or anything, Nate." She grumbled, hitching an eyebrow upwards. Her gaze swinging back toward Marcos briefly and she nodded, and shrugged once.

"I'm fine. Yeah, you good?" Her voice a bit more strained in the edges than usual. Some undefined emotion that she herself couldn't a name to. A muscle in her jawline clenched briefly and then relaxed as she exhaled a breath.

"And yeah, we'll talk. Thanks."

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