6:03 AM
Her alarm clock was painfully bright in Emma's dark room. She squinted at it and wondered why she'd woken up. Her alarm wasn't set to go off for another seven minutes. Sighing, she reached out and turned it off.
She sighed again and went to have a shower. Training started in half an hour.
As she was getting into her uniform, Emma looked outside.
"Oh great."
It had snowed overnight. It had snowed *heavily* overnight. She turned her alarm clock onto the radio and listened for a while. Snow Day.
She stopped. "Whoa, Deja Vu..." Then she shrugged and left her room, heading down to the danger room. Since she did the same thing most mornings, she could easily dismiss the first sense that she'd done this before. But the training session was a different case.
Each simulation was different, with a large list of variables, so that even if the same program were to be run, the outcome wouldn't be the same. The sophisticated system monitored the human movements and adapted to them.
Emma couldn't spare the energy it would take to raise her hand and wipe the sweat away from her forehead. She was running as fast as she could, swerving to avoid some obstacles and blasting the others she couldn't avoid.
She didn't know how, but every aspect of the session was familiar to her.
Later, after another shower, Emma wandered into the kitchen for her morning coffee. She warmed her hands on the cup, frowning slightly. As part of her routine, she turned on the television and listened with half an ear. A phrase caught her attention. "...here in Buchanan County, Virginia, tragedy has struck..."
Emma quickly looked at the television, and heard the whirr of her Uncle's wheelchair. She looked at him as he entered the kitchen.
"Charles - "
"Yes, that's what I came about, I'm sending a team out to help. Be in the hanger in five minutes."
Emma shook her head. "That's not what I - " But he was already gone.
*************
"I've done this before."
They'd landed the jet and Scott had handed out communicators and torches. He looked at her. Emma was staring at the torch in her hand.
"What do you mean?"
"I've done this before. This is all... I remember doing it before."
"Maybe you had a dream or something. We don't have time to waste out here though."
Emma nodded and they proceeded to enter the dark shaft. She was gripped by a deep sense of foreboding.
Some way down the mine, Scott called them to a halt. He looked at the plans he held. "It should be here. Shadowcat, go through and have a look."
Kitty walked through the wall. Soon after, her voice cracked over the communicator. "Yeah, we found 'em all right."
"Good, get them away from the wall." He stepped back and turned to Jean. "Try to hold up as much of it as you can, the rest of us will get them out."
Then he unleashed his optic blast at the rock, blowing it away. Emma shielded her eyes from the bright beam and the flying rock shards. One sharp fragment nicked the skin on her forehead, making a small cut. She clapped a hand to it, somehow knowing that she had received it before.
Scott took a step forward through the hole he had carved and the rest followed.
There were fourteen men in the tunnel, three badly injured, whom Kurt teleported to the surface. As they were helping the last few out, the ground lurched beneath them. Emma stumbled, already burdened by the burly mean that was leaning on her for support. The feeling jumped up, even stronger. Something was wrong, something very bad was going to happen, and it was going to happen right now.
Rocks began to tumble to the ground.
Emma made quickly for the exit, followed by the last two men, as Jean cried out, "I can't hold it!"
"Jean, come on!" Scott was ahead of Emma, making for the exit as quickly as she was.
"But - " Emma's protest was cut off. There were still more people in the tunnel. As they came into the light, there was a great boom and the entrance closed behind them. Some one - probably Kurt - had brought an ambulance around. Emma left the man in their hands and stared at the entrance.
Jean looked at her. They were both numb. The two men behind them hadn't come out.
"Hey, are you guys all right?" Kitty approached them, concern in her eyes.
"There were two others behind us." Emma sounded as tired as she felt.
"They didn't..." Jean was likewise affected.
**************************
5:00 AM
Emma woke, for no apparent reason. She squinted at her alarm clock, groaned and went back to sleep.
Her alarm clock was painfully bright in Emma's dark room. She squinted at it and wondered why she'd woken up. Her alarm wasn't set to go off for another seven minutes. Sighing, she reached out and turned it off.
She sighed again and went to have a shower. Training started in half an hour.
As she was getting into her uniform, Emma looked outside.
"Oh great."
It had snowed overnight. It had snowed *heavily* overnight. She turned her alarm clock onto the radio and listened for a while. Snow Day.
She stopped. "Whoa, Deja Vu..." Then she shrugged and left her room, heading down to the danger room. Since she did the same thing most mornings, she could easily dismiss the first sense that she'd done this before. But the training session was a different case.
Each simulation was different, with a large list of variables, so that even if the same program were to be run, the outcome wouldn't be the same. The sophisticated system monitored the human movements and adapted to them.
Emma couldn't spare the energy it would take to raise her hand and wipe the sweat away from her forehead. She was running as fast as she could, swerving to avoid some obstacles and blasting the others she couldn't avoid.
She didn't know how, but every aspect of the session was familiar to her.
Later, after another shower, Emma wandered into the kitchen for her morning coffee. She warmed her hands on the cup, frowning slightly. As part of her routine, she turned on the television and listened with half an ear. A phrase caught her attention. "...here in Buchanan County, Virginia, tragedy has struck..."
Emma quickly looked at the television, and heard the whirr of her Uncle's wheelchair. She looked at him as he entered the kitchen.
"Charles - "
"Yes, that's what I came about, I'm sending a team out to help. Be in the hanger in five minutes."
Emma shook her head. "That's not what I - " But he was already gone.
*************
"I've done this before."
They'd landed the jet and Scott had handed out communicators and torches. He looked at her. Emma was staring at the torch in her hand.
"What do you mean?"
"I've done this before. This is all... I remember doing it before."
"Maybe you had a dream or something. We don't have time to waste out here though."
Emma nodded and they proceeded to enter the dark shaft. She was gripped by a deep sense of foreboding.
Some way down the mine, Scott called them to a halt. He looked at the plans he held. "It should be here. Shadowcat, go through and have a look."
Kitty walked through the wall. Soon after, her voice cracked over the communicator. "Yeah, we found 'em all right."
"Good, get them away from the wall." He stepped back and turned to Jean. "Try to hold up as much of it as you can, the rest of us will get them out."
Then he unleashed his optic blast at the rock, blowing it away. Emma shielded her eyes from the bright beam and the flying rock shards. One sharp fragment nicked the skin on her forehead, making a small cut. She clapped a hand to it, somehow knowing that she had received it before.
Scott took a step forward through the hole he had carved and the rest followed.
There were fourteen men in the tunnel, three badly injured, whom Kurt teleported to the surface. As they were helping the last few out, the ground lurched beneath them. Emma stumbled, already burdened by the burly mean that was leaning on her for support. The feeling jumped up, even stronger. Something was wrong, something very bad was going to happen, and it was going to happen right now.
Rocks began to tumble to the ground.
Emma made quickly for the exit, followed by the last two men, as Jean cried out, "I can't hold it!"
"Jean, come on!" Scott was ahead of Emma, making for the exit as quickly as she was.
"But - " Emma's protest was cut off. There were still more people in the tunnel. As they came into the light, there was a great boom and the entrance closed behind them. Some one - probably Kurt - had brought an ambulance around. Emma left the man in their hands and stared at the entrance.
Jean looked at her. They were both numb. The two men behind them hadn't come out.
"Hey, are you guys all right?" Kitty approached them, concern in her eyes.
"There were two others behind us." Emma sounded as tired as she felt.
"They didn't..." Jean was likewise affected.
**************************
5:00 AM
Emma woke, for no apparent reason. She squinted at her alarm clock, groaned and went back to sleep.