I don't own the X-men. Surprise, surprise.
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It was 5:00 in the morning. The mansion was dead silent. Touch got out of his bed without a sound and searched through the darkness. He had worn his black pants to bed, but he had to search a bit before finding where he had left his shirt. His black boots were right next to the bed, and put on trench coat as he left the room. Fumbling in his pocket, he found the disk that Pip had made for him. He ran through the halls without making a noise, and reached the danger room without a problem.
Pip had made it as easy as possible. All he needed to do was put the disk in, and the program would run as soon as it sensed Touch enter the arena. Following his instructions to the T, everything ran perfectly. He entered the danger room and the program began.
A few walls came out of the ground all around the room. Several bars dropped from the ceiling, and a number of other obstacles entered the arena. Eight opponents appeared from an elevator rising from the middle of the room. Touch's training, level one.
Two of the drones took off towards Touch immediately. The first attempted to slide tackle Touch as the second jumped in the air at him. Touch leaped off of the first drone's head, and roundhouse kicked the second into pieces. He hadn't even broken a sweat.
Four of the drones approached him this time, all carrying steel batons. The formed a circle around him and paced their way around his body. One directly in front of Touch dove at him, but he rolled onto his back and threw the machine over his shoulder, dismantling the one behind him at the same time. Picking up one of the fallen robot's baton, he proceeded to take on the other two, blocking a series of blows and finally decapitating both of them in a single powerful blow. He dropped the baton to his feet, wiping the sweat off of is forehead. His body was capable once again, but it had been so long.
The final two robots stepped forward at the same time, one purple and one blue. The rest had been approximately human sized and their strengths were placed in the same dimensions. These two were seven feet apiece and outweighed Touch ten to one. Their strength was placed at about three times that of his. Knowing this, Touch stepped forward and stared directly into the robots. He mouthed the words "bring it on".
Blue took little hesitation in approaching Touch. He powered his enormous body towards the human, hurtling towards him like a train off of his track. Touch flawlessly jumped off one of the nearby walls and grabbed onto a bar hanging above him. As the robot recovered from slamming into the wall Touch had ricochet off of, his original target swung from his bar and sensed his programming shut down as the foot slammed into his head.
Touch dismounted from the bar above and looked at Purple. Seven down, one to go.
Purple slowly approached. His computer had been processing the way that Touch fought this entire time, and knew which attacks would lead to his death now. Touch swung his foot to connect with Purple, but his opponent caught his foot within his powerful claws and threw his body across the room, slamming him against a wall. 70 feet away.
Touch swayed as he stood up. His confidence had nearly destroyed him. By the time his sight became clear again, Purple was already on top of him. Those claws curled around his neck, slowly constricting as Touch's sight faded once more. With his last ounce of strength, he began to move his mind out of this body. An explosion rattled him back into consciousness, finding himself lying on the ground, gasping for breath as his mind snapped back into the body.
By his feet, Purple lay on the ground. Ten feet away, a purple robotic head lay, still burning. The walls slid back into the ground, as did the bars into the ceiling. The floor took in the pieces of rubbish that Touch had turned seven of the robots into. As he pulled himself off of the ground, he looked up to see Dinah standing there in pajama pants and t- shirt. She didn't look happy.
"What's your problem?!" she yelled. "You could have died! Pip wakes me up to tell me he's worried about you, and this is what you are doing? What were you thinking?"
Touch began to regain his composure, but lost his balance and nearly fell to the ground before Dinah caught him. "Come on. let's go," she whispered. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and walked back to her room with her. Rebecca was sitting on Dinah's bed, curled into a ball. "I woke up and you weren't here." She looked at Touch. "Is he okay?" She stood up and tried to guide him towards a chair, but Touch just snapped his arm away. He had bumps, bruises, maybe even a cracked rib, but it was his pride that hurt the most. Rebecca backed away and sat down on her bed, a look of hurt combined with fear spreading over her face.
"She was just trying to help." Dinah began. "We all are. But we can't if you keep hiding from us! What was that about?" Touch didn't say anything. He wanted to be alone, but at the same time, he wanted them to be here. He turned to Rebecca.
"I'm. sorry." Touch turned his back to them. Had he been facing them, he would have seen the look of surprise on their faces. Touch hadn't been one for words, and those he had spoken lacked any sort of compassion. Dinah put her hand on his shoulder and guided him towards a chair to sit down. She placed herself next to Rebecca on her bed and they both looked towards him. "How do you feel?" they asked at the same time.
Despite his words not 30 seconds ago, he reverted back to his silent ways. this time, however, the scowl on his face was replaced with a look they couldn't put their fingers on. "I feel hungry." A smile crept across his face.
Dinah looked delighted. "Finally! A good idea!" She jumped up, threw on a sweater and tossed another to Rebecca who quickly followed suit. As she reached for the door handle, it swung open before her. Jack stood in the doorway. He didn't wait for an invitation before walking up to Touch.
"I don't think you're completely sure of the rules, are you?" he started, not letting anyone interject for a second. "Just because you are new, doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want." Rebecca quickly stood up to tell Jack what had happened, but he interrupted anything she started to say. "You don't belong here. don't you get that? I don't want you around. no one does." Dinah tossed Jack against the wall.
"Shut up Jack! This isn't what we are about. We are supposed to be helping our kind, all of them. That's what you aren't getting!"
"He's right," Touch said. "He's right. I don't belong anywhere." Touch took off out of the room. By the time Dinah reached the door, he was out of sight, with the sound of boots heading towards the front door.
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It was 5:00 in the morning. The mansion was dead silent. Touch got out of his bed without a sound and searched through the darkness. He had worn his black pants to bed, but he had to search a bit before finding where he had left his shirt. His black boots were right next to the bed, and put on trench coat as he left the room. Fumbling in his pocket, he found the disk that Pip had made for him. He ran through the halls without making a noise, and reached the danger room without a problem.
Pip had made it as easy as possible. All he needed to do was put the disk in, and the program would run as soon as it sensed Touch enter the arena. Following his instructions to the T, everything ran perfectly. He entered the danger room and the program began.
A few walls came out of the ground all around the room. Several bars dropped from the ceiling, and a number of other obstacles entered the arena. Eight opponents appeared from an elevator rising from the middle of the room. Touch's training, level one.
Two of the drones took off towards Touch immediately. The first attempted to slide tackle Touch as the second jumped in the air at him. Touch leaped off of the first drone's head, and roundhouse kicked the second into pieces. He hadn't even broken a sweat.
Four of the drones approached him this time, all carrying steel batons. The formed a circle around him and paced their way around his body. One directly in front of Touch dove at him, but he rolled onto his back and threw the machine over his shoulder, dismantling the one behind him at the same time. Picking up one of the fallen robot's baton, he proceeded to take on the other two, blocking a series of blows and finally decapitating both of them in a single powerful blow. He dropped the baton to his feet, wiping the sweat off of is forehead. His body was capable once again, but it had been so long.
The final two robots stepped forward at the same time, one purple and one blue. The rest had been approximately human sized and their strengths were placed in the same dimensions. These two were seven feet apiece and outweighed Touch ten to one. Their strength was placed at about three times that of his. Knowing this, Touch stepped forward and stared directly into the robots. He mouthed the words "bring it on".
Blue took little hesitation in approaching Touch. He powered his enormous body towards the human, hurtling towards him like a train off of his track. Touch flawlessly jumped off one of the nearby walls and grabbed onto a bar hanging above him. As the robot recovered from slamming into the wall Touch had ricochet off of, his original target swung from his bar and sensed his programming shut down as the foot slammed into his head.
Touch dismounted from the bar above and looked at Purple. Seven down, one to go.
Purple slowly approached. His computer had been processing the way that Touch fought this entire time, and knew which attacks would lead to his death now. Touch swung his foot to connect with Purple, but his opponent caught his foot within his powerful claws and threw his body across the room, slamming him against a wall. 70 feet away.
Touch swayed as he stood up. His confidence had nearly destroyed him. By the time his sight became clear again, Purple was already on top of him. Those claws curled around his neck, slowly constricting as Touch's sight faded once more. With his last ounce of strength, he began to move his mind out of this body. An explosion rattled him back into consciousness, finding himself lying on the ground, gasping for breath as his mind snapped back into the body.
By his feet, Purple lay on the ground. Ten feet away, a purple robotic head lay, still burning. The walls slid back into the ground, as did the bars into the ceiling. The floor took in the pieces of rubbish that Touch had turned seven of the robots into. As he pulled himself off of the ground, he looked up to see Dinah standing there in pajama pants and t- shirt. She didn't look happy.
"What's your problem?!" she yelled. "You could have died! Pip wakes me up to tell me he's worried about you, and this is what you are doing? What were you thinking?"
Touch began to regain his composure, but lost his balance and nearly fell to the ground before Dinah caught him. "Come on. let's go," she whispered. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and walked back to her room with her. Rebecca was sitting on Dinah's bed, curled into a ball. "I woke up and you weren't here." She looked at Touch. "Is he okay?" She stood up and tried to guide him towards a chair, but Touch just snapped his arm away. He had bumps, bruises, maybe even a cracked rib, but it was his pride that hurt the most. Rebecca backed away and sat down on her bed, a look of hurt combined with fear spreading over her face.
"She was just trying to help." Dinah began. "We all are. But we can't if you keep hiding from us! What was that about?" Touch didn't say anything. He wanted to be alone, but at the same time, he wanted them to be here. He turned to Rebecca.
"I'm. sorry." Touch turned his back to them. Had he been facing them, he would have seen the look of surprise on their faces. Touch hadn't been one for words, and those he had spoken lacked any sort of compassion. Dinah put her hand on his shoulder and guided him towards a chair to sit down. She placed herself next to Rebecca on her bed and they both looked towards him. "How do you feel?" they asked at the same time.
Despite his words not 30 seconds ago, he reverted back to his silent ways. this time, however, the scowl on his face was replaced with a look they couldn't put their fingers on. "I feel hungry." A smile crept across his face.
Dinah looked delighted. "Finally! A good idea!" She jumped up, threw on a sweater and tossed another to Rebecca who quickly followed suit. As she reached for the door handle, it swung open before her. Jack stood in the doorway. He didn't wait for an invitation before walking up to Touch.
"I don't think you're completely sure of the rules, are you?" he started, not letting anyone interject for a second. "Just because you are new, doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want." Rebecca quickly stood up to tell Jack what had happened, but he interrupted anything she started to say. "You don't belong here. don't you get that? I don't want you around. no one does." Dinah tossed Jack against the wall.
"Shut up Jack! This isn't what we are about. We are supposed to be helping our kind, all of them. That's what you aren't getting!"
"He's right," Touch said. "He's right. I don't belong anywhere." Touch took off out of the room. By the time Dinah reached the door, he was out of sight, with the sound of boots heading towards the front door.