Date Drama in the Danger Room

January 11, 2018:

Cyclops, Colossus and Magik discuss Genosha and Piotr's love life while running a Danger Room scenario. Cyclops is a nosy, protective dad when it comes to his alternate-timeline children.

Danger Room - X-Men HQ - New York City

This room is bordered by a walled and windowed off control panel, where either someone can man the settings of what projects for the competitors inside, or set it to a random scan with multitudes of varying scenario selections, down to ones that truly held a past with X-Men missions.

The Room's World View Model Library has digital models of over 50 million objects and their attributes, including weapons, vehicles, buildings, and aliens in order to make the scenario's laid out true. Although everything is an illusion within the Danger Room's arena, the way it is projected seems near to realistic within the heavy metal bunker that is meant to withstand up to atomic levels of blasts from within, or without.

The Arena of the Danger Room itself bears a hardened floor that even bears the 'X' shape within ridges, but every small nook and cranny bears a purpose from image projection, gravitational irregularities, and effects that can even be felt as their true to nature texture and atmosphere.

This is the training space where the X-Men truly learn to push themselves.

Characters

NPCs: None.

Mentions: Polaris, Scion, Prestige, Phoenix, Psylocke, Darcy

Mood Music: None.


Fade In…

New York, gripped by a supernatural winter and stalked by a demonic presence in the shape of a giant bear. Genosha, caught between Magneto, the mutant who would be king and Zealot, the insane pinnacle of the previous regime's mutate process, with the island's populace caught in the middle.

The X-Men have a lot on their plate. Sometimes it'd be nice to do something straightforward.

Like punch some bigots in the face. Hence the Danger Room scenario that Illyana has dialled up for the team's fearless leader and her brother.

The setting looks like a decaying industrial park in New York City, but at least it's New York City in spring or summer, not the depths of winter. The opposition? A seemingly endless supply of power-armoured troopers, their armour sporting a wide array of shoulder-mounted weaponry - not to mention a disturbingly wide grin, and large staring eyes. The objective? Keep the half a dozen or so young mutants fleeing through the post-industrial wasteland out of their clutches.

"You said you wanted to punch something, brother." Illyana says from beside Piotr, smiling innocently up at him. "Never say I don't do as I'm asked!" A flash of light, and she vanishes from his side, a distant flare in the gathering darkness, as the Danger Room's simulated sun begins to set betraying her reappearance, as she grabs one of the mutant teenagers a moment before he could be shredded by machine-gun fire.


Swinging his massive arms across his chest, tilting his head on his thick neck from side to side, Piotr Rasputin has been aching for this chance. Somehow with the holidays, two major crises brewing and trying to keep things somewhat reasonably normal for the students it has alluded him. But sadly for the hard light constructions shaped like armored troopers, that day has come.

"You are most obliging Illyana." Dressed in a sleeker variation of his red and yellow uniform, no crazy shoulder pads or anklets here. For those who might care his beard is also trimmed way down, to a little more than stubble. Hmm, wasn't he rather attached to that beard?

Though he might be one of the largest X-Men, Colossus can move pretty fast in a fight. He jumps in front of some gun fire to shield those behind him and then reaches out to crumple the weapon with one hand, his other hand comes round with a very satisfying *SMASH* to the helmeted trooper's head.

"Da. This is as good as I hoped. It's not quite Zealot's face, but is good warm up perhaps."


Behind the shadow of Colossus in his tank maneuver to shield the more 'squishy' X-Men and fleeing teenagers a VZOT of red lashes out in a sharp spike. Gone as fast as it was manifested.

"Hmm." The first sound Cyclops has made since the simulation kicked off. He has had a quiet moment, a day of headache and groggy unlike usual for him. It's not the hours the man would normally be tired, usually he cannot find enough to keep himself busy.

"The left, watch the left." Head on a swivel as if to emphasis a second flash of crimson flares out. Troopers meet extreme unchecked optic beam. Dark navy blue full body suit with only jaw visible, a yellow X that spans his entire torso from shoulders to hips.


Illyana blinks back into view with the youth, the reptilian green of his skin clashing wonderfully with the blood red and black of her uniform. She gives him a shove in the direction of his friends and gestures them towards the skeleton of a factory unit. The roof is long gone, and there are probably more holes in the walls than there are actual walls any more, but the rusting remains of the heavy machinery inside might at least give them some cover.

"I wanted to talk about Zealot." Illyana begins, her voice carrying clearly across her X-Communicator, only broken up by a wash of static each time she bounces between Limbo and the Danger Room. Scott's warning grabs her attention before she can finish. "On it." The words are clipped, as Illyana flashes to the top of a discarded, grimy shipping container. The container itself winks out of existence a moment later, only to come crashing down in front of the troopers to cut off their advance from that quarter.

"As I was saying." Illyana's voice is back to her previous conversational tone. "Magneto isn't doing anything about Zealot. I think we should be ready to step in. Do I have your approval?" That's clearly meant for Scott, and Illyana looks across from her high perch to where Piotr is handily beating up his trooper, a teasing tone entering her voice. "And do you want to help?"

There's a glint of light from armour beyond Piotr's position, as one of the troopers braces himself. This one doesn't have machine guns on his shoulders. This one has a pair of rockets, and a laser spot tracker that starts to dance across Colossus' form.


Glancing over his shoulder, Piotr tries to make sure to position his large frame to best cover any innocents behind him, well and Scott too. At Illyana's voice he raises a hand to block any incoming fire, so he can listen better.

"Da. Zealot has shown his true colors. He must be stopped, even if it helps Magneto. And of course I will, field leader" Like a good older brother he can't resist referring to Illyana by her title.

It's rather convenient for smashing things to not really feel much of anything in his metallic form. But his power set doesn't make ranged encounters necessarily easy, so Piotr improvises. He can deflect much of the gun fire but in order to try and stop the incoming rockets he need something to throw. Picking up the soldier he just downed, Pete launches him at the source of the laser trackers. He's not worried about taking a missile strike, but there are less durable individuals in the area.


"I've trusted you so far with making the correct choices while there, Magik." Simulation or not Scott sticks to the names while in costume. It's one of his golden rules after all. "That alone should give you plenty of approval. You're a star." A joke? Delivery is as flat and dry as cardboard.

"Zealot needs taken down but careful, from what reports I have gotten he has amassed a number of followers that are likely just wanting some direction. Magneto isn't going to inspire every mutant, mutate or lost metahuman to his cause. You have to remember Genosha has by and large been under a protected and heavily censored information web, what they knew or learned has been minimal compared to the outside world, their first experiences with the rest of our Earth is happening right now, we come in, topple what they know, Magneto kills the Geng—- " A noise from Scott and he is evading trooper who has gone close range, a sweep around him to take out his legs and a quick shot in to the armored back before the X-Men's leader stands atop the downed man like he's a surfboard, "Moreau, announces he's the new face of their country and the now have access to look him up, what do you think they find first? An international mutant fanatic and terrorist. So, they turn to their own homebrewed one, Zealot. I suppose its time we make a face of our own there."

As much as Scott has been trying to avoid a heavy X-Men presence it's likely they can't just keep at it.

"It has been long enough. No more shadow ops if you find it feasible. Just… kid gloves and full neutrality. We are there for the people of Genosha. Not just mutants and not Magneto. He won't use us as a symbol for his wanted reign."

A lot of dialogue from Cylops, he's actually moving in tandem with Piotr, using the much larger man as a shield to work around and take shots while they deal with the threats.


The glare that Illyana directs toward her brother is probably lost as the artificial sky continues to darken. "Are you SURE you don't want the job?" She asks him in an aggrieved tone… that proves to be as fake as her glare when she sees a pair of rocket exhausts light up in the gloom. "Piotr!" No sulkiness in her tone now, just a sharp warning…

…that goes to waste as her brother sends the trooper he'd been punching right into the missileer. They both go down, the rockets fire, and twin blooms of fire in the sky light up the scene below, revealing more troopers moving to flank the ruined factory. "Showoff." She tells her brother, sniffily, as if she's hoping he'll forget that she sounded concerned for a second or two there.

Abandoning her perch atop the relocated shipping container, Illyana easily drops to her feet and runs across to rejoin Scott and Piotr, taking over the covering role on the opposite side from her brother as Cyclops goes hand to hand. Her arcane bolts don't pack nearly the wallop of his optic blasts, but the lance of silver-white fire that leaps from her palm at least staggers an armoured trooper as he tries to pile in on the fight.

"I'm thinking we make Lorna the People's Princess." Illyana suggests. "She's a lot nicer than Mags. Not to mention better looking." She may or may not be serious. "Zealot stood off Nate last time." Illyana says. This time she's not using personal names for the hell of it, she's really not sure what he's going by these days. "If we have to fight him, I'm going to take him off the island if I can. Less civilians to get in the way."


"Were you concerned Illyana? I appreciate it, but I have survived long enough as an X-man before you decided it looked like fun." Piotr is of course grinning at his sister as he talks, even if she can't see it from her vantage point, she can certainly hear it in his voice over the comm.

When Illyana comes to join the fray, he smiles are her and says "I think it is good for you to lead the team. And I prefer to stick to the punching." With Illyana around to make magical shields if need be, it gives him the freedom to charge forward into the fray of oncoming soldiers.

Through punches and cracking heads together Colossus weighs in. "Agreed. If Zealot is tied to Genosha as the field reports say, getting him away will likely have many benefits. Perhaps SHIELD would oblige to take him into custody, should he appear in their jurisdiction? Somehow, magically."


"Scion. Polaris." Cyclops corrects in a clipped tone. That arcane bolted trooper falling down near him gets a step around and a shot peels off from red visor to sweep wide, carry over two assaulters, "The People's Princess? We could do worse. She's pregnant and about to be wed, maybe that will earn some sympathetic types to her favor. We are going to assign a bodyguard to her, full time." Also a spy someone they can trust. A proven X-Man. "Suggestions?"

"Colossus is right. I am needed here, you're needed there." A wince at the cracking head noises and thunderclaps of brutality the osmium mutant deals out Cyclops lunges to the side, hefts up a fallen man's helmet and launches it at a trooper that is staggering, following up with a harsh high kick to the man's ribs. Breathing heavy he withdraws to make sure the escapees are safe, "It would be a good call on SHIELD's behalf. If Genosha wants to join the rest of the world again they need to start by acknowledging SHIELD's jurisdictions and authority in these regards." Even though Phil Coulson himself refused to assist the X-Men with Scott's initial plan.


"You did." Illyana acknowledges Piotr's point, leaving a moment's pause for effect before she adds, "But that was before you decided to date a former Phoenix host." She hopes she's close enough for her sweet, sweet smile to be seen before she spins away and conjures another bolt of magical force to thin the ranks of their opponents that little bit more.

Scott's summation of the benefits of putting Polaris front and center draws a smirk from Illyana. "I did actually think about this." She remarks, although she says it lightly enough, before calling a stepping disc and hopping into it. Across the far side of the derelict factory, gunfire erupts muzzle flashes revealing the troopers starting to push inside. Another, much larger flash of light splits the darkness, and suddenly it's raining disoriented troopers not far from Cyclops and Colossus' position. Illyana's voice comes across the communicator again. "I'm looking for stragglers." She announces, before picking up the thread of the conversation again. "I think she's already got a bodyguard, courtesy of Magneto. She's going to love a second. Got any telepaths who aren't intimidated by Mags, and have more flexible morals than Je… Phoenix?" She might be learning. "What's Psylocke up to? And it sounds like you've found another problem for Darcy."

Illyana's sure she'll love to deal with the headache of disposing of Zealot, assuming they can bring him down in the first place.


EEERRRRT! Did a record just go off the track? No those would be Pete's metal teeth grinding together when Illyana drops that particular bit of information. He turns to look back her long enough for the soldiers to hit him with something not quite strong enough to hurt, but enough to propel his body through a few walls. That is what Pete gets for thinking, even for the briefest moment that he was in anyway more clever than his sister or in anyway prepared to keep up with her in a verbal sparring match.

"Well if we are discussing Rachel." Don't say she is more flexible!! Danger! Piotr clears debris off himself and rises up to face more soldiers. He more carefully chooses his words to suggest, "Perhaps she would be willing to play bodyguard. And besides, it hardly can be counted as dating. We have yet to find a night that works." Maybe that will make it better? Maybe not.


"More to the reasons you're a team lead. You actually think." Scott applies, "One of /our/ bodyguards not Magneto's." Which means, again, spy, someone they have close to their chest that can watch not just over Lorna but also watch her because frankly, Mr. Summers is not entirely sold on her position with the X-Men against her father when it comes down to it. Time will tell on that front.

"Darc…." Scott stops and swings a hand having swung out wide to knifehand chop a trooper in an exposed neckjoint.

"End simulation."

The man knows he's been out of touch with his out of reality children, not the best father but it is not easy when they're full grown adults already, they've been molded. The bonds at this point are genetic and implied but implied and genetics say, he's still a father and Piotr is one of his oldest friends. A peer.

"What now?" Red singular lens settled on Colossus shiny metal hide.


Illyana can't help but wince when Piotr goes slamming through those walls, even though she knows he'll be fine. Is she guilty about distracting him with that little revelation, though?

Not even a little.

Stalking silently through the rusted hulks of machinery within the factory itself, Illyana hears a heavy tread close by, sees a hulking shadow move, and creeps closer. She really needs to remain silent to make the ambush work, but when Piotr's voice comes across the communicator, she just can't. "I've seen what she's going to wear. Clear your schedule." She tells her brother, flatly. The trooper ahead of her spins around in surprise to face her, shoulder-mounted guns zeroing in - and with a jaunty wave, she calls a portal into existence at his feet and drops him through the floor.

And that's the end of the simulated engagement for Illyana, as Scott calls a halt to proceedings.

As the troopers, the mutants, and finally the industrial area all fade out, and the lights come back up, Illyana turns smartly and walks back across to join Scott and Piotr. Her hands are linked innocently behind her back, but once she's within reach she pats her brother reassuringly on his shoulder, even if she has to reach up to do so. "Sounds like you two have things to talk about." She looks over at Scott with a smirk. "Good exercise. I'll let you know how things go on Genosha."

With a brisk and efficient nod, Illyana's already walking toward the Danger Room's exit, a suspicious spring in her step.


The simulation vanishing in bright gridlines and digitized humanoids-to-terrain leaves Scott to pull his cowl off, just the visor on and his face visible, "We do. Thanks for the work out, Illyana."

"So… maybe color me old fashioned but shouldn't you have spoken to her father… your friend about this first, at least before I hear about it second hand?" Final words the Limbo Queen is going to hear out of Scott before the doors of the Danger Room close behind her.


At least by now Piotr is prepared for this topic, so Illyana baiting him with what Rachel is planning to wear doesn't throw him off his game. He is used to distracting banter, it just usually doesn't involve his love life. With a punch already in the works Piotr's fist swings and … hits air? He stumbles a bit with the follow through but at least manages to not fall and make this any more comical. He struggles to look somewhat respectable, standing up straight.

"I asked her to dinner, not to marry me Scott."

His voice is as flat as ever, but it's pretty clear from his smile that he is joking with Cyclops. He does however seem like it's perhaps not a topic that he was just dying to broach with Scott. He says "Perhaps you can let us have one date before you ask my intentions of your daughter" Yes dating a Summers is going to weird, Pete gets that. He thought he was prepared.

He was wrong.

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