Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men or any of the characters. Only a few people
here and there are mine. And the excerpts from the books Jane Eyre and
Moby Dick don't belong to me, they belong to their perspective authors.
Chapter Three
Theo's Testing
Somewhere on an island east of Nova Scotia, three mutants were awaiting the arrival of their boss. Their headquarters were in a large building built over a waterfall.
"Why the hell couldn't he have picked somewhere warmer?" John, whose code name was Pyro, muttered. He was rubbing his arms through his coat, cheeks red with cold.
"Because Pyro," Magneto said, walking into the room. "The cold will strengthen you for what is to come."
"What's that sir?" a man next to Magneto said. His name was Zach, his code name Mesmero.
"Has the new teacher arrived at the school?" Magneto asked the woman next to him.
"She has," Mystique, a blue skinned mutant, answered.
Magneto smiled and then said, "For the first part, we shall be bringing the new teacher here for a little visit."
"When?" Mesmero asked.
"Soon," Magneto answered grinning.
~~~
"Today we'll be reading chapter thirty of Moby Dick today," Theo said to her class. It was Friday afternoon, three weeks after she had arrived, and Theo was trying to keep the students from acting unruly in her class, as they did in their other classes on Fridays. She found however, that when the students actually where sitting in front of her, they paid attention and treated her with respect. "Since this chapter is short, we will be having a discussion about what we've read so far," she said, smiling down at the class.
"'When Stubb had departed, Ahab stood for a while leaning over the bulwark; and then, as had been usual of him of late, calling a sailor of the watch, he sent him below for his ivory stool, and also his pipe. Lighting the pipe at the binnacle lamp and planting the stool on the weather side of the deck, he sat and smoked.'"
When the chapter had been finished, Theo allowed the students to close up their books and take out some paper. "Now, do any of you know what symbolism there is in Ahab throwing his pipe over into the sea?" she asked.
A few students raised their hands a little hesitantly.
"What do you think Rogue," Theo said to the girl sitting at the table near the window.
"Well..." the girl began to say. "Ah think that by throwin' the pipe into the ocean, Ahab's gettin' rid of all his things that he holds deah to him. Like he's givin' up on his life just so he can catch that whale."
"An excellent observation Rogue," Xavier said, coming into the class room.
"Good afternoon Professor," Theo said, a little curious as to why he was here. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"There is," Xavier answered. "I need to speak with you privately."
"Very well," Theo said. She turned to her students. "You're all dismissed early today. And I'd like you to write a paragraph on what you think will happen to Captain Ahab. Turn it in to me by Tuesday."
The students all got up and left hurriedly. Some of the boys were yelling since they got to leave class early and it was the weekend.
Theo watched the last student leave and smiled. "They seem to enjoy the class, but once they step out into that hallway," she said. "They haven't a care in the world."
"Such is the role of children," Xavier answered, smiling at Theo. "Anyhow, the reason I came is that you must take a series of tests to become one of the X-Men."
Theo nodded and looked a little apprehensive. "When do the tests begin?"
Xavier gave her a reassuring smile and said, "Right now."
~~~
The first test that Theo took was one that tested her telepathic abilities. To do this, Theo sat at the table in the kitchen while Jean sat at the table in the dinning room. They both had a pile of cards with pictures of various items on them. First, Theo sent Jean the images of what were on the cards she had through her mind.
Jean had a pad of paper in front of her and a pencil. She called out to Theo to start and then she opened her mind so she could hear what the young woman would say.
Theo looked down at the first card, it was a cow. "Cow," she said in her mind. Then she looked at the second card, a house, and said it in her mind. For the rest of the first part of this test, she would look at the card and tell Jean what was on it through her mind.
"Dog, sun, book, apple, glass, river, trees," Theo said inside her head. Then she stopped as she had run out of cards.
"The second part of this is that you must listen to Jean say what's on her cards," Xavier said from the kitchen doorway.
Theo nodded and picked up the pencil near her hand. She opened her mind and heard Jean's voice telling her what she saw on her cards. She wrote them all down on a piece of paper and then handed the paper to Xavier.
"They're all correct," he said. "And Jean was able to hear you clearly during the first part. Now onto the second test. Follow me please." He turned and left the kitchen, Theo behind him. He went outside to a small walled off courtyard where Ororo was standing next to a stack of weights. "This will test your telekinetic abilities," he explained. "You will lift up each weight and place them in a row from lightest to heaviest, halfway across the grass."
Theo nodded and then walked over to the weights and studied them for a few moments. Then she stepped back to stand next to Ororo. She lifted her right hand, the palm facing the sky, and the first weight lifted up and floated over to the halfway point of the courtyard. There were ten weights and the last one was at least three hundred pounds. Theo had no problem in lifting that weight using her power and setting it next to the other weights.
"That was very good," Xavier said, smiling.
"Impressive," Ororo said. "It took Jean years to be able to lift the last weight and move it without it wobbling."
"The second part of this test will be that you must place the weights back the way they were," Xavier then said. "And to really challenge you, Storm will create a wind storm to make it more difficult."
He nodded to Ororo, and her eyes turned white and the wind began to pick up.
Theo thanked herself for putting her hair up in a bun that day so it would not impede her in this test. She then concentrated on the weights and they all lifted up at once. They flew over to where Ororo was standing and one by one they were stacked on top of each other from heaviest to lightest.
Ororo's eyes returned to their blue color and the wind died down.
"Excellent," Xavier said. "There is one more test and then you will be able to join the X-Men."
~~~
"Been waitin' to get ya down here Thee," Logan drawled as she and Xavier exited the elevator.
Theo was wearing a sleek black cat suit with light blue trim that had a belt with a silver X on the buckle. Her hair was in a ponytail, held by a silver ribbon.
"And it looks like ya got one of the better training suits," Logan said grinning.
"Your last test will be inside the Danger Room," Xavier said going into a small room with various keyboards and computer screens. "This room," he said motioning out the window in front of him, "Is what the X-Men use to train. Using these computers, I am able to have the X-Men practice in different situations and environments."
"And for ya Theo, you'll be in a 'special' sequence that I designed myself to meet your abilities," Logan said, smirking. He walked over to a keyboard and typed out a few numbers, and then he went over to another and then typed out: Level 1. "Just go down those stairs and then I'll start the simulation for ya," he said as a metal staircase appeared behind an open door by the window.
Theo nodded and took a deep breath to brace herself.
"Good luck Eleanor," Xavier said as Theo walked to the stairs.
She glanced back and smiled weakly at the Professor before going down.
"Eleanor?" Logan asked.
"Her middle name," Xavier answered. "I hope that this 'sequence' you created, Logan, isn't too hard on her."
Logan grinned and drawled, "Don't worry Chuck, your darlin' Eleanor won't get hurt."
Xavier gave Logan a sharp glance and then rolled his chair over to the window so he could watch.
Theo reached the bottom of the stairs and walked to the middle of the room where a single light was shinning down. The metal staircase disappeared behind her and Logan's voice permeated into the large silver room.
"In this sequence you'll need to make it to the finish line. If your blood pressure, which is read by your suit, drops below fifty, it means you've been 'killed.' If ya get 'killed' twice by any of the objects, the simulation will end," Logan said. "Any questions Thee?" When she shook her head no, he pressed a green button. "Then get ready."
Theo breathed in and out and then closed her eyes. She heard the whining screech of a saw and then did a back flip and opened her eyes. She was inside what looked to be a large field near a castle in Ireland.
Up in the control room, Xavier looked over at Logan. "Ireland?" he asked.
"Just wanted to see how she would react to this," he answered.
Back inside the danger room, Theo ran towards the castle, which she assumed was the finish line. She had only run a few steps when two huge rottwilers ran towards her. Without even flinching, she ran faster towards the dogs and they suddenly stopped in their tracks. The dogs then floated up into the air and were thrown by an unseen force.
The next thing that came up to impede Theo were four metal claws. Seeing them just before they caught her, she wasn't able to think of a way to get past them. The claws clamped tightly on her arms and legs and lifted her high up into the air. Theo struggled but the claws wouldn't move. She suddenly relaxed and the claws let her go.
Theo fell rapidly and curled up into a ball. Just before she hit the ground, she stretched out her body and managed to roll on the field until she was able to stop. She jumped up and ran on towards the castle again, oblivious to the large gash on her forehead and the bruise forming on her right cheek.
"Did she die from the fall?" Xavier asked.
Logan looked over at a computer screen. On it was Theo's blood pressure, it read: 100/120. "Blood Pressure's normal," he answered, his eyes narrowed in confusion.
Back on the field, Theo had come up against her next obstacle. A heavy fog had filled the field and surrounded her. She lifted her arms and opened them wide, and a large path appeared before her. She started to run again and she was near the castle when the last part of the test jumped in front of her.
A tall dark haired man dressed in a black suit was standing in front of Theo. He raised the cane in his hand and it floated out of his hand and flew towards Theo.
Theo threw herself down on the ground before the cane could hit and looked up at the man. She tried to lift the man with her mind, but found she was unable to. She pushed herself off of the ground and ran to the man. When she reached him, she hit him with a high kick.
That started the fight between Theo and the dark haired man. Both used martial arts to fight, and after a few minutes, Theo was able to kick the man to the ground and he disappeared. She ran to the castle and as soon as she reached the gate, the whole field and castle disappeared and she was back inside the Danger Room. Theo looked up at Xavier in the Control Room and swayed slightly on her feet, blood trickling down her face from the gash on her forehead, her hair loose around her shoulders because she lost the silver ribbon.
Inside the control room, Logan hurriedly made the stairs to the control room re-appear and clattered down it to Theo. "You okay?" he asked her.
"Fine," Theo murmured.
"C'mon," Logan said gruffly, taking her arm and leading her to the staircase.
"Are you all right Eleanor?" Xavier asked worriedly when she and Logan entered the Control Room.
"I'm fine," Theo said softly.
"Logan, take her to the medical room," Xavier said, looking at the gash on Theo's forehead. "Jean will patch that up for you."
~~~
Inside the medical room, Theo was laying on a table, waiting for Jean to sew up the gash on her forehead.
Jean walked back to where Theo was laying and injected an anesthetic to numb the wound. As she started to sew, she said to Logan who was standing near the table, "Why did you give her such a hard sequence?"
"It wasn't hard," Logan said, raising an eyebrow. "She was able to finish it-"
"That's not what I meant," Jean interrupted. "I've never had to give anyone stitches after their session in the Danger Room."
"That's not my fault Red," Logan said angrily. Then he turned and left the room as quickly as he could.
Jean stopped stitching for a moment and watched Logan leave. She sighed and shook her head slightly. She then started to sew up the wound again, waiting for Theo to ask questions. Theo remained quiet and as Jean finished, she asked the woman on the table, "Are you all right?"
Theo smiled and said, "You are wondering why I'm not asking you about Logan."
Jean glanced down at her, surprised at the knowing smile on the woman's face. "Were you reading my mind?" Jean asked.
"Do not worry," Theo said softly. "I did not enter your mind and read it. Sometimes when a person is very emotional about something, their mind screams it out loud and I am able to hear it. So I know all about the situation with Logan."
Jean put down the needle and got some gauze to cover the wound. As she taped the gauze on, she said, "The professor was right, your powers are very strong."
"Have you ever doubted the Professor?" Theo asked incredulously.
Before Jean could answer the question, the door opened and Xavier entered with Scott and Ororo behind him.
"Will she be all right Jean?" Xavier asked.
Jean stepped back from the table as Theo sat up. "She'll be fine, but she should rest for the rest of today and tomorrow," she said.
Xavier nodded and then turned to Theo. "After talking with the others, I've decided that you are very much qualified to join the X-Men," he said.
Theo blushed slightly and smiled saying, "Thank you," softly then she shook Xavier's outstretched hand. When she let go of his hand, she looked over at Scott and nodded to him.
Scott shook his head and left the room.
"Sorry Theo," Jean said. "Make sure she goes up to her room to rest, Storm," she then called as she hurried to catch up to Scott.
"You heard the doctor Thee," Logan drawled, walking into the room. "You'd better get your rest."
Theo smiled and got down from the table.
"Logan," Ororo said as he followed Theo out the door. "I need to speak with you now, privately."
"Yeah, sure thing 'Ro," Logan answered. Then he turned to Xavier, "I don't think Thee should head back to her room alone Chuck."
Xavier nodded and then followed Theo out of the Medical Room.
"What's all this about?" Logan asked once the two were gone.
"Jean wants us to meet her in my greenhouse to discuss something," Ororo said.
"Let's go then," Logan said.
~~~
"Is everything alright Jean?" Ororo asked when she and Logan stepped into the greenhouse.
"I just wanted to talk about what's going on with Theo," Jean said
"What about her?" Logan asked, glancing over at Scott.
"Do you mean the way she acts around the Professor?" Ororo asked.
"So you noticed it too?" Jean asked.
"It's not like she's hiding it," Logan said. "The way she acts around him."
"What does it matter how she acts around Professor?" Scott said angrily.
The others looked over at Scott in surprise.
"I think that this O'Malley woman is really working for Magneto and he's put her up to seduce the Professor," Scott spat. "That way he'll be so focused on her that he'll forget that Magneto has planned something until it's too late."
"I can assure you that I am not a part of Magneto's group," a soft came from behind Scott and Jean. Theo was standing in the doorway, the Professor next to her, and Atar on the other side of the Professor. "And also that I have no intention of distracting you from stopping whatever he will do next." Her face was pale and her eyes were filled with unshed tears.
"I want to speak with you in my study Scott," Xavier said angrily.
Theo turned to leave the greenhouse, but Xavier stopped her.
"I will speak with you later in your room," he said to her telepathically.
Theo nodded slightly and then left as fast as she could, Atar following her.
Logan shook his head and said, "Nice goin' Laser." Then he walked out of the greenhouse towards the mansion.
Ororo just shook her head and went back into her second greenhouse.
"I guess I'll see you later," Jean said to Scott quietly.
"No, come along Jean, after all, you are his fiancée," Xavier said then he turned and went up to the mansion.
~~~
"Scott," Xavier began calmly when they had entered his study. "I would like to hear why you are so opposed to Eleanor joining the X-Men."
Scott shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "I guess it's because you can't get into her mind."
"Ah, and you believe that because of this, she must be hiding something like her being a part of Magneto's group?" Xavier asked.
"Well, yeah," Scott answered.
"Then would it make you feel better Scott, if I spoke to her about her past and where she came from?" Xavier asked.
Scott shook his head. "I'd like it better if Jean or Storm talked to her. Not you," he said firmly.
"Why?" Jean asked, confused.
"Yes Scott," Xavier asked. "Why on earth would you object to me talking to Eleanor?"
"How do you feel about her sir?" Scott retorted.
"I believe that she can be trusted-" Xavier started to say.
"No, not whether or not you think she can be trusted," Scott said. "Do you love her?"
"Scott!" Jean gasped.
Xavier's jaw clenched in anger. "That is a very personal question to ask me Scott," he said in a low voice. "And I cannot answer it. Now if you will excuse me, I shall go to Eleanor and speak with her about her past." With that he left the study, leaving Scott and Jean behind.
"I can't believe you asked him that Scott," Jean said.
"He is in love with her," Scott said, ignoring her.
"So? What's the matter with that?" Jean asked him.
"If they get too close, the Professor might lose sight of his mission," Scott pointed out.
Jean gave a small snort of laughter. "Scott, you and I are engaged and we work together," she said. "And the Professor has said nothing to us about losing sight of the X-Men's goals."
Scott shook his head at that and left the study, Jean following him.
~~~
Xavier stopped in front of Theo's door and he knocked on it softly.
Behind the door, Theo asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me Eleanor, I would like to speak with you," Xavier said.
The door opened and Theo said, "Please come in Professor." She closed the door behind him and then walked over to an armchair, sitting down.
"I have talked to Scott," Xavier began, stopping his wheelchair a few feet in front of Theo. "He would like me to talk with you about your past, that way he can be sure that you were not a part of Magneto's group."
Theo looked down at her hands and then back at Xavier. "I-I-I can't sir," she stammered.
"Why not?" Xavier asked softly.
"I-I, it hurts to talk of my past," Theo said softly, tears welling in her eyes. "Please don't ask me to do so."
"Well, maybe if you talked about it, you would feel better Eleanor," Xavier said softly.
"No!" Theo cried, standing up and walking to the window. "I have tried to do so before, and I only felt worse." Then she buried her face in her hands and the sounds of her harsh sobbing filled the room.
"Eleanor?" Xavier said worriedly. He went over to her and touched her back softly. "Eleanor, please. I want to help you; I would like to take that pain away."
Theo looked at Xavier, moving her hands from her face and then sitting on the window seat. "Maybe... one day, I shall tell you Professor," she said softly, tears still streaming down her face.
Xavier studied her for a few moments, then lifted his hand and placed it on her cheek. He wiped the tears away with his thumb softly.
Theo stopped crying and started at Xavier, surprise in her eyes. Then she leaned forward as Xavier did the same.
Their lips were only a couple inches away, when a knock at the door stopped them.
"Who is it?" Theo asked, pulling back, her cheeks red.
"It's Ororo, Theo," a voice said from the other side of the door. "It's our turn to watch the kids out back."
"I'll be right there," Theo called out. She looked over at Xavier and said, "I have to go."
"Will you play a game of chess with me tonight?" he asked as she stood.
"I would love to," Theo answered, smiling. "Come along Atar." With that, she and the dog left the room.
Chapter Three
Theo's Testing
Somewhere on an island east of Nova Scotia, three mutants were awaiting the arrival of their boss. Their headquarters were in a large building built over a waterfall.
"Why the hell couldn't he have picked somewhere warmer?" John, whose code name was Pyro, muttered. He was rubbing his arms through his coat, cheeks red with cold.
"Because Pyro," Magneto said, walking into the room. "The cold will strengthen you for what is to come."
"What's that sir?" a man next to Magneto said. His name was Zach, his code name Mesmero.
"Has the new teacher arrived at the school?" Magneto asked the woman next to him.
"She has," Mystique, a blue skinned mutant, answered.
Magneto smiled and then said, "For the first part, we shall be bringing the new teacher here for a little visit."
"When?" Mesmero asked.
"Soon," Magneto answered grinning.
~~~
"Today we'll be reading chapter thirty of Moby Dick today," Theo said to her class. It was Friday afternoon, three weeks after she had arrived, and Theo was trying to keep the students from acting unruly in her class, as they did in their other classes on Fridays. She found however, that when the students actually where sitting in front of her, they paid attention and treated her with respect. "Since this chapter is short, we will be having a discussion about what we've read so far," she said, smiling down at the class.
"'When Stubb had departed, Ahab stood for a while leaning over the bulwark; and then, as had been usual of him of late, calling a sailor of the watch, he sent him below for his ivory stool, and also his pipe. Lighting the pipe at the binnacle lamp and planting the stool on the weather side of the deck, he sat and smoked.'"
When the chapter had been finished, Theo allowed the students to close up their books and take out some paper. "Now, do any of you know what symbolism there is in Ahab throwing his pipe over into the sea?" she asked.
A few students raised their hands a little hesitantly.
"What do you think Rogue," Theo said to the girl sitting at the table near the window.
"Well..." the girl began to say. "Ah think that by throwin' the pipe into the ocean, Ahab's gettin' rid of all his things that he holds deah to him. Like he's givin' up on his life just so he can catch that whale."
"An excellent observation Rogue," Xavier said, coming into the class room.
"Good afternoon Professor," Theo said, a little curious as to why he was here. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"There is," Xavier answered. "I need to speak with you privately."
"Very well," Theo said. She turned to her students. "You're all dismissed early today. And I'd like you to write a paragraph on what you think will happen to Captain Ahab. Turn it in to me by Tuesday."
The students all got up and left hurriedly. Some of the boys were yelling since they got to leave class early and it was the weekend.
Theo watched the last student leave and smiled. "They seem to enjoy the class, but once they step out into that hallway," she said. "They haven't a care in the world."
"Such is the role of children," Xavier answered, smiling at Theo. "Anyhow, the reason I came is that you must take a series of tests to become one of the X-Men."
Theo nodded and looked a little apprehensive. "When do the tests begin?"
Xavier gave her a reassuring smile and said, "Right now."
~~~
The first test that Theo took was one that tested her telepathic abilities. To do this, Theo sat at the table in the kitchen while Jean sat at the table in the dinning room. They both had a pile of cards with pictures of various items on them. First, Theo sent Jean the images of what were on the cards she had through her mind.
Jean had a pad of paper in front of her and a pencil. She called out to Theo to start and then she opened her mind so she could hear what the young woman would say.
Theo looked down at the first card, it was a cow. "Cow," she said in her mind. Then she looked at the second card, a house, and said it in her mind. For the rest of the first part of this test, she would look at the card and tell Jean what was on it through her mind.
"Dog, sun, book, apple, glass, river, trees," Theo said inside her head. Then she stopped as she had run out of cards.
"The second part of this is that you must listen to Jean say what's on her cards," Xavier said from the kitchen doorway.
Theo nodded and picked up the pencil near her hand. She opened her mind and heard Jean's voice telling her what she saw on her cards. She wrote them all down on a piece of paper and then handed the paper to Xavier.
"They're all correct," he said. "And Jean was able to hear you clearly during the first part. Now onto the second test. Follow me please." He turned and left the kitchen, Theo behind him. He went outside to a small walled off courtyard where Ororo was standing next to a stack of weights. "This will test your telekinetic abilities," he explained. "You will lift up each weight and place them in a row from lightest to heaviest, halfway across the grass."
Theo nodded and then walked over to the weights and studied them for a few moments. Then she stepped back to stand next to Ororo. She lifted her right hand, the palm facing the sky, and the first weight lifted up and floated over to the halfway point of the courtyard. There were ten weights and the last one was at least three hundred pounds. Theo had no problem in lifting that weight using her power and setting it next to the other weights.
"That was very good," Xavier said, smiling.
"Impressive," Ororo said. "It took Jean years to be able to lift the last weight and move it without it wobbling."
"The second part of this test will be that you must place the weights back the way they were," Xavier then said. "And to really challenge you, Storm will create a wind storm to make it more difficult."
He nodded to Ororo, and her eyes turned white and the wind began to pick up.
Theo thanked herself for putting her hair up in a bun that day so it would not impede her in this test. She then concentrated on the weights and they all lifted up at once. They flew over to where Ororo was standing and one by one they were stacked on top of each other from heaviest to lightest.
Ororo's eyes returned to their blue color and the wind died down.
"Excellent," Xavier said. "There is one more test and then you will be able to join the X-Men."
~~~
"Been waitin' to get ya down here Thee," Logan drawled as she and Xavier exited the elevator.
Theo was wearing a sleek black cat suit with light blue trim that had a belt with a silver X on the buckle. Her hair was in a ponytail, held by a silver ribbon.
"And it looks like ya got one of the better training suits," Logan said grinning.
"Your last test will be inside the Danger Room," Xavier said going into a small room with various keyboards and computer screens. "This room," he said motioning out the window in front of him, "Is what the X-Men use to train. Using these computers, I am able to have the X-Men practice in different situations and environments."
"And for ya Theo, you'll be in a 'special' sequence that I designed myself to meet your abilities," Logan said, smirking. He walked over to a keyboard and typed out a few numbers, and then he went over to another and then typed out: Level 1. "Just go down those stairs and then I'll start the simulation for ya," he said as a metal staircase appeared behind an open door by the window.
Theo nodded and took a deep breath to brace herself.
"Good luck Eleanor," Xavier said as Theo walked to the stairs.
She glanced back and smiled weakly at the Professor before going down.
"Eleanor?" Logan asked.
"Her middle name," Xavier answered. "I hope that this 'sequence' you created, Logan, isn't too hard on her."
Logan grinned and drawled, "Don't worry Chuck, your darlin' Eleanor won't get hurt."
Xavier gave Logan a sharp glance and then rolled his chair over to the window so he could watch.
Theo reached the bottom of the stairs and walked to the middle of the room where a single light was shinning down. The metal staircase disappeared behind her and Logan's voice permeated into the large silver room.
"In this sequence you'll need to make it to the finish line. If your blood pressure, which is read by your suit, drops below fifty, it means you've been 'killed.' If ya get 'killed' twice by any of the objects, the simulation will end," Logan said. "Any questions Thee?" When she shook her head no, he pressed a green button. "Then get ready."
Theo breathed in and out and then closed her eyes. She heard the whining screech of a saw and then did a back flip and opened her eyes. She was inside what looked to be a large field near a castle in Ireland.
Up in the control room, Xavier looked over at Logan. "Ireland?" he asked.
"Just wanted to see how she would react to this," he answered.
Back inside the danger room, Theo ran towards the castle, which she assumed was the finish line. She had only run a few steps when two huge rottwilers ran towards her. Without even flinching, she ran faster towards the dogs and they suddenly stopped in their tracks. The dogs then floated up into the air and were thrown by an unseen force.
The next thing that came up to impede Theo were four metal claws. Seeing them just before they caught her, she wasn't able to think of a way to get past them. The claws clamped tightly on her arms and legs and lifted her high up into the air. Theo struggled but the claws wouldn't move. She suddenly relaxed and the claws let her go.
Theo fell rapidly and curled up into a ball. Just before she hit the ground, she stretched out her body and managed to roll on the field until she was able to stop. She jumped up and ran on towards the castle again, oblivious to the large gash on her forehead and the bruise forming on her right cheek.
"Did she die from the fall?" Xavier asked.
Logan looked over at a computer screen. On it was Theo's blood pressure, it read: 100/120. "Blood Pressure's normal," he answered, his eyes narrowed in confusion.
Back on the field, Theo had come up against her next obstacle. A heavy fog had filled the field and surrounded her. She lifted her arms and opened them wide, and a large path appeared before her. She started to run again and she was near the castle when the last part of the test jumped in front of her.
A tall dark haired man dressed in a black suit was standing in front of Theo. He raised the cane in his hand and it floated out of his hand and flew towards Theo.
Theo threw herself down on the ground before the cane could hit and looked up at the man. She tried to lift the man with her mind, but found she was unable to. She pushed herself off of the ground and ran to the man. When she reached him, she hit him with a high kick.
That started the fight between Theo and the dark haired man. Both used martial arts to fight, and after a few minutes, Theo was able to kick the man to the ground and he disappeared. She ran to the castle and as soon as she reached the gate, the whole field and castle disappeared and she was back inside the Danger Room. Theo looked up at Xavier in the Control Room and swayed slightly on her feet, blood trickling down her face from the gash on her forehead, her hair loose around her shoulders because she lost the silver ribbon.
Inside the control room, Logan hurriedly made the stairs to the control room re-appear and clattered down it to Theo. "You okay?" he asked her.
"Fine," Theo murmured.
"C'mon," Logan said gruffly, taking her arm and leading her to the staircase.
"Are you all right Eleanor?" Xavier asked worriedly when she and Logan entered the Control Room.
"I'm fine," Theo said softly.
"Logan, take her to the medical room," Xavier said, looking at the gash on Theo's forehead. "Jean will patch that up for you."
~~~
Inside the medical room, Theo was laying on a table, waiting for Jean to sew up the gash on her forehead.
Jean walked back to where Theo was laying and injected an anesthetic to numb the wound. As she started to sew, she said to Logan who was standing near the table, "Why did you give her such a hard sequence?"
"It wasn't hard," Logan said, raising an eyebrow. "She was able to finish it-"
"That's not what I meant," Jean interrupted. "I've never had to give anyone stitches after their session in the Danger Room."
"That's not my fault Red," Logan said angrily. Then he turned and left the room as quickly as he could.
Jean stopped stitching for a moment and watched Logan leave. She sighed and shook her head slightly. She then started to sew up the wound again, waiting for Theo to ask questions. Theo remained quiet and as Jean finished, she asked the woman on the table, "Are you all right?"
Theo smiled and said, "You are wondering why I'm not asking you about Logan."
Jean glanced down at her, surprised at the knowing smile on the woman's face. "Were you reading my mind?" Jean asked.
"Do not worry," Theo said softly. "I did not enter your mind and read it. Sometimes when a person is very emotional about something, their mind screams it out loud and I am able to hear it. So I know all about the situation with Logan."
Jean put down the needle and got some gauze to cover the wound. As she taped the gauze on, she said, "The professor was right, your powers are very strong."
"Have you ever doubted the Professor?" Theo asked incredulously.
Before Jean could answer the question, the door opened and Xavier entered with Scott and Ororo behind him.
"Will she be all right Jean?" Xavier asked.
Jean stepped back from the table as Theo sat up. "She'll be fine, but she should rest for the rest of today and tomorrow," she said.
Xavier nodded and then turned to Theo. "After talking with the others, I've decided that you are very much qualified to join the X-Men," he said.
Theo blushed slightly and smiled saying, "Thank you," softly then she shook Xavier's outstretched hand. When she let go of his hand, she looked over at Scott and nodded to him.
Scott shook his head and left the room.
"Sorry Theo," Jean said. "Make sure she goes up to her room to rest, Storm," she then called as she hurried to catch up to Scott.
"You heard the doctor Thee," Logan drawled, walking into the room. "You'd better get your rest."
Theo smiled and got down from the table.
"Logan," Ororo said as he followed Theo out the door. "I need to speak with you now, privately."
"Yeah, sure thing 'Ro," Logan answered. Then he turned to Xavier, "I don't think Thee should head back to her room alone Chuck."
Xavier nodded and then followed Theo out of the Medical Room.
"What's all this about?" Logan asked once the two were gone.
"Jean wants us to meet her in my greenhouse to discuss something," Ororo said.
"Let's go then," Logan said.
~~~
"Is everything alright Jean?" Ororo asked when she and Logan stepped into the greenhouse.
"I just wanted to talk about what's going on with Theo," Jean said
"What about her?" Logan asked, glancing over at Scott.
"Do you mean the way she acts around the Professor?" Ororo asked.
"So you noticed it too?" Jean asked.
"It's not like she's hiding it," Logan said. "The way she acts around him."
"What does it matter how she acts around Professor?" Scott said angrily.
The others looked over at Scott in surprise.
"I think that this O'Malley woman is really working for Magneto and he's put her up to seduce the Professor," Scott spat. "That way he'll be so focused on her that he'll forget that Magneto has planned something until it's too late."
"I can assure you that I am not a part of Magneto's group," a soft came from behind Scott and Jean. Theo was standing in the doorway, the Professor next to her, and Atar on the other side of the Professor. "And also that I have no intention of distracting you from stopping whatever he will do next." Her face was pale and her eyes were filled with unshed tears.
"I want to speak with you in my study Scott," Xavier said angrily.
Theo turned to leave the greenhouse, but Xavier stopped her.
"I will speak with you later in your room," he said to her telepathically.
Theo nodded slightly and then left as fast as she could, Atar following her.
Logan shook his head and said, "Nice goin' Laser." Then he walked out of the greenhouse towards the mansion.
Ororo just shook her head and went back into her second greenhouse.
"I guess I'll see you later," Jean said to Scott quietly.
"No, come along Jean, after all, you are his fiancée," Xavier said then he turned and went up to the mansion.
~~~
"Scott," Xavier began calmly when they had entered his study. "I would like to hear why you are so opposed to Eleanor joining the X-Men."
Scott shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "I guess it's because you can't get into her mind."
"Ah, and you believe that because of this, she must be hiding something like her being a part of Magneto's group?" Xavier asked.
"Well, yeah," Scott answered.
"Then would it make you feel better Scott, if I spoke to her about her past and where she came from?" Xavier asked.
Scott shook his head. "I'd like it better if Jean or Storm talked to her. Not you," he said firmly.
"Why?" Jean asked, confused.
"Yes Scott," Xavier asked. "Why on earth would you object to me talking to Eleanor?"
"How do you feel about her sir?" Scott retorted.
"I believe that she can be trusted-" Xavier started to say.
"No, not whether or not you think she can be trusted," Scott said. "Do you love her?"
"Scott!" Jean gasped.
Xavier's jaw clenched in anger. "That is a very personal question to ask me Scott," he said in a low voice. "And I cannot answer it. Now if you will excuse me, I shall go to Eleanor and speak with her about her past." With that he left the study, leaving Scott and Jean behind.
"I can't believe you asked him that Scott," Jean said.
"He is in love with her," Scott said, ignoring her.
"So? What's the matter with that?" Jean asked him.
"If they get too close, the Professor might lose sight of his mission," Scott pointed out.
Jean gave a small snort of laughter. "Scott, you and I are engaged and we work together," she said. "And the Professor has said nothing to us about losing sight of the X-Men's goals."
Scott shook his head at that and left the study, Jean following him.
~~~
Xavier stopped in front of Theo's door and he knocked on it softly.
Behind the door, Theo asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me Eleanor, I would like to speak with you," Xavier said.
The door opened and Theo said, "Please come in Professor." She closed the door behind him and then walked over to an armchair, sitting down.
"I have talked to Scott," Xavier began, stopping his wheelchair a few feet in front of Theo. "He would like me to talk with you about your past, that way he can be sure that you were not a part of Magneto's group."
Theo looked down at her hands and then back at Xavier. "I-I-I can't sir," she stammered.
"Why not?" Xavier asked softly.
"I-I, it hurts to talk of my past," Theo said softly, tears welling in her eyes. "Please don't ask me to do so."
"Well, maybe if you talked about it, you would feel better Eleanor," Xavier said softly.
"No!" Theo cried, standing up and walking to the window. "I have tried to do so before, and I only felt worse." Then she buried her face in her hands and the sounds of her harsh sobbing filled the room.
"Eleanor?" Xavier said worriedly. He went over to her and touched her back softly. "Eleanor, please. I want to help you; I would like to take that pain away."
Theo looked at Xavier, moving her hands from her face and then sitting on the window seat. "Maybe... one day, I shall tell you Professor," she said softly, tears still streaming down her face.
Xavier studied her for a few moments, then lifted his hand and placed it on her cheek. He wiped the tears away with his thumb softly.
Theo stopped crying and started at Xavier, surprise in her eyes. Then she leaned forward as Xavier did the same.
Their lips were only a couple inches away, when a knock at the door stopped them.
"Who is it?" Theo asked, pulling back, her cheeks red.
"It's Ororo, Theo," a voice said from the other side of the door. "It's our turn to watch the kids out back."
"I'll be right there," Theo called out. She looked over at Xavier and said, "I have to go."
"Will you play a game of chess with me tonight?" he asked as she stood.
"I would love to," Theo answered, smiling. "Come along Atar." With that, she and the dog left the room.