Sorry, this one is a bit shorter. I've had writers block. I know where I want to go with my characters, I just don't know how to get them there. Planes, trains, or automobiles?
Once again, not all of these characters are mine. Almost all of them are Marvels.
"This is the Danger Room," announced Ms. Manh, after a long and winding tour of the Institutes lower halls. Aden was in shock. He would never imagine that below the classy brick mansion lay a labyrinth of shiny metallic halls. A Danger Room? What is this, Power Puff Girls? On second thought, however, Aden realized that it was necessary. How else would students get the chance to prove their skills in battle. That was the second shock. Battle? What if I have to fight? Will I be able to?
"Aden?" Ms. Manh said, drawing his attention back to her. "Are you paying attention? Good." She wandered around the stark bare circular room. "Originally, the Danger room was filled with machines and training devices, but with futuristic Shi'ar technology, Dr. McCoy and Ms. Pryde were able to create the new and improved Danger Room."
"Shi'ar. Those are aliens, right?"
"Right." Said Ms. Manh, smiling. "Nice to see a teenager who keeps up with the news. Although, an alien force isn't hard to notice." She chuckled. "Now, instead of devices to help train, we use holograms to help train. I'll show you an example." She nodded to a window up near the ceiling and the stark metallic room disappeared. In its place lay an oasis of cool blue water, surrounded by three green palm trees, and dry, red sand surrounding the entire area. Aden stumbled and fell onto the hot sand. He picked up a handful and sifted it through his hands. It's real. Amazing.
"Hard to believe, isn't it? Try drinking the water." Ms. Manh motioned toward the clear blue water. Aden stood and walked over, having trouble walking on the shifting sand. He hesitantly reached out and touched the surface, expecting it to disappear. It's wet. It's real. He reached out with his mind and felt for the flowing energy he had become so acquainted with. Nothing. He turned in puzzlement toward his guide. "The sub-conscious is a hard thing to fool. It knows that there isn't really water there, but go ahead and try raising the water with your mind." Aden frowned and turned back to the water, the hot breeze blowing through his hair and the green leaves above him. He reached out with his mind and felt nothing, but went ahead and tried to raise it. A globule of water raised above the surface.
"Pretty impressive, huh?" Ms. Manh was grinning. "Now that we're here, I want to see how powerful you are." Aden dropped the globule and focused on Ms. Manh. Here was the part the he was dreading. "What can you do with the water that you control? Can you shape it to whatever you want?" Aden nodded. "Can you give me an example? Make⦠a fish." Aden turned to the pool. He reached out again, not feeling the reassurance of his element. Come on. This is easy. He made a gesture with his hand and a liquid fish leaped out of the water and froze in mid-air. Aden made another gesture and spun the fish, giving Ms. Manh a 360 view of his shimmering creation. She smirked. "Let's try something else."
It felt like hours that they spent in that oasis, Ms. Manh requesting a more challenging task after Aden completed it. She even asked him to try walking on the water, which ended up with a soaked student. She then asked him to draw the water out of his clothes, which surprisingly worked and dried him effectively. Aden grew more tired after each task, but he strangely kept going. He had never worked at such a grueling pace, but it suited him. He eventually raised the entire volume of the pool, which was only a few feet deep. At this point, Aden was thoroughly sweating, and Ms. Manh appeared uncomfortable as well. "Well, good job." She said. "I still have a few questions to ask you, so I suggest we go back to my office." The oasis disappeared, and in it's place returned the cold bare walls of the Danger Room. Aden shivered. He realized he was covered in sweat, and he could feel the water settling on his skin. He wiped it off with a thought;b the sweat dropped off of him and hit the ground with a plop. That's useful. Why didn't I think of that before? He looked at Ms. Manh and attempted the same thing. She froze as the sweat fell off of her body. She raised her eyebrows at Aden, and said nothing. He followed her out of the room, back into the hallway, and up the elevator.
"Don't worry," Ms. Manh added, noticing the strain in Adens expression. "You've passed."
