Author's note: Thank you to KEZZ 1, NotMarge, partygirl98, NicoleR85, Torchwhovian, ZabuzasGirl and Paige Charles for the reviews! I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. This is my first time writing anything remotely action-related, so please don't be afraid to tell me what you think. I must admit, one of Zoey's abilities is a nod to the Lore Master character on LOTR online. Brownie points to those who spot that Easter egg! I hope you enjoy :-)

Myocardial Infarction

Instinct took over as a spray of bullets chased along the side of the Mercury, coming from a nine foot tall robot that had appeared from down the street with five of its cohorts.

I need to keep her safe.

I grabbed Zoey, shielding her body with mine, and jumped over the car in one leap to use it as cover.

I could hear Alex let out a joyful whoop and Sean's loud, high-pitched scream designed to get him airborne. Both of them were old hands at this.

Training in the Danger Room happened to be Alex's favorite form of entertainment. I think it was because it was a safe place for him to let loose and use his powers without fear of hurting anyone. Both he and Sean were fine.

No, it was Zoey I was worried about, since she was so new to everything.

And if so much as a hair on her head gets hurt I'll go into a guilt spiral for agreeing to let her in here.

"You ok?" I asked as we huddled behind the bullet-ridden car.

She nodded, though her eyes were so wide I thought they may pop out of her head. I had the feeling she hadn't expected everything to be so abrupt.

"Now what?" Zoey asked, biting her lip.

"Go destroy some robots," I replied encouragingly. "You can do it. Can you set them on fire from here?"

She frowned thoughtfully.

Together we both peeked our heads out from behind the hood of the car to observe the scene. Four robots were down already, with two to go. Sean and Alex looked like they were having a blast- literally and figuratively.

"I can't," Zoey muttered after a moment's concentration. "I guess there has to be some kind of flammable material for me to catch on to. Let me try something else."

She ducked behind the car again, but I remained in a kneeling position and watched the other X-Men take out the second-to-last robot.

Alex hit the machine with a debilitating shot to the torso, and Sean knocked it over with a sonic scream through the wall of a house. The structure crumpled like paper mache.

So much for minimizing collateral damage.

Alex caught sight of me as the last robot sized him up. "Hey, Beast! Your girlfriend chicken out?"

At that moment I saw motion out of my peripheral vision. And then a sizable fireball flew over me and hit the last robot right in the head, melting it on the spot and causing the thing to completely collapse to the ground.

Alex let out a gleeful shout of laughter. "Nice one!"

I turned, and Zoey was standing behind me with a shocked expression on her face, her mouth in such a perfect "O" shape it was comical. She was looking at the melted wreck that used to be the robot's head like she couldn't believe she was the one who destroyed it. I had the suspicion that Zoey had never done something like that before.

She finally looked down and gave me a huge, well-pleased smile. It was the expression of someone who had just discovered the depths of their own potential, and despite my many reservations about Zoey's very presence in the training room I couldn't help feeling proud of her.

"You amaze me all the time," I murmured honestly.

I adored the blush that came to her cheeks at my words.

Zoey came out from behind the car for the next wave of robots. She still looked anxious, but there was excitement there too. Like she wanted to test herself but had a good feeling she would do well.

"There's going to be twelve robots this time," I told her as we joined the other X-Men. "And they're going to have more weapons, ok?"

She nodded.

That was the only respite we got, because at that moment more robots dropped from the sky, raining bullets and blasts of fire down on us.

I reached to pull Zoey out of the way, but she'd already disappeared, dissociating herself into heat and turning amorphous and invisible in the atmosphere.

Wouldn't it be nice if she just stayed that way so I wouldn't have to worry about her in here?

I used my enhanced speed to dodge out of the line of fire and scampered up the back of one of the robots, using myself as bait to get one of the other machines to shoot at the one I was on. At the last possible moment I jumped off, landing cat-like on my feet. My target fell from friendly fire.

I turned to find that Zoey had re-materialized on top of a house. She cupped her hands together- much like when she made those little fire birds for Olivia- and within two seconds a ball of flames appeared.

She pitched the fireball at a robot, but I didn't see if she hit it or not. Because at that moment, another robot sent a jet of fire straight at her, setting the roof alight and engulfing her in flames.

For a brief, horrible moment my heart stopped and shredded itself into a thousand, bleeding pieces.

No!

But then the flames cleared, and Zoey stood there completely unscathed. In fact, she was more than unhurt- she had somehow gathered the robot's fire into a sphere in her hands, which she immediately sent back at the offending individual. It turned into a melted, twisted pile of metal.

Oh thank all that is holy.

Logically, I knew a pyrokinetic like Zoey was likely to be fire-proof. But love and logic don't exactly coexist. I was practically incoherent with joy that she was unharmed.

Never again- I can't do this again. My blood pressure- aneurysm- myocardial infarction. Never again.

We dispatched the rest of the robots from the second wave quickly and efficiently.

It was tempting to run over and ask Zoey to step out of the simulation because watching her was giving me heart failure, but I held my tongue. I was trying desperately to be a good, supportive boyfriend. And besides, she was doing quite well for her first time in the Danger Room. My solicitousness would come across as overbearing and pointless at this juncture.

But I couldn't keep my thoughts from running away from me as I finished off the last robot by hopping onto its back and ripping out the hydraulic system powering its movements. I pictured Zoey asking to become part of the X-Men, to regularly put herself in danger, and felt a flash of panic.

One thing at a time, McCoy, I told myself sternly.

So I swallowed down my worries and found something resembling a smile for Zoey when all of us regrouped in the street.

"You're doing great," I told her, trying to arrange my face in an encouraging expression.

"Really?" Zoey asked incredulously. "Because you look like you're about to die."

Oh, you think?

"I'm fine," I fibbed- poorly, I might add.

She knew I wasn't being truthful. In fact, it looked like she was trying very hard not to smile at my atrocious attempt at lying. We were so often on the same wavelength, I should've known that Zoey would be able to guess at my thoughts. Even if I tried to hide them.

"Hank," she cajoled. "Just one more wave, and I won't come back in here, ok?"

"You won't?" I asked blankly.

Don't toy with me, Dr. Dubois.

Zoey shook her head, eyes wide. "No! This is terrifying. I just wanted to try it once to see how I well I'd do. How do you do this all the time?" she babbled. "Do you really think I'm doing ok?"

Relief. Instantaneous, overwhelming relief.

"Yes, you are," I replied truthfully. "Are you- are you sure you won't want to do this again?"

She shook her head. "No thanks."

"Oh, thank God," I breathed, feeling like I'd just gotten a reprieve from an appointment with a defibrillator.

Zoey's eyebrows raised.

"I mean-"

"Just keep digging yourself a hole, Beast," Sean laughed, leaning against a car with his arms crossed.

Thanks. It's not like I need help burying myself from the peanut gallery, here.

I would've been almost grateful for the eighteen robots that chose to attack at that moment and the distraction from my big mouth that they provided, but this was the most difficult wave. Not only did these opponents shoot bullets and flames, they were also armed with heat-seeking explosives.

And that meant Zoey's mutation would instantly make her the enemy's favorite target.