Author's Note:  Hey, a nice big chapter to make up for the last short one!  Now I'm not familiar with the comics so I don't know much about the "Danger Room" so the design and way it works is totally out of my own head (oh, God help us  :-).  Let me know if I'm close to right.  If not, I'll deal with it. 

***

            A few levels below the mansion's first floor, a small group of people stood before several large windows, which overlooked a massive chamber nearly three stories in height.  Its walls shone a dull silver, the same as the underground hallways, and in the center was a tri-leveled platform, circular in shape, and crowned with a spherical black machine. 

            At the center machine, Rogue stood with Bobby 'Iceman' Drake making final preparations for their 'training demonstration.'  They were programming in Bobby's regular training routine, though Rogue thought he looked nervous at the idea of having an audience.

            "Ok," Bobby said with an audible sigh, "We're all set..."

            Rogue put a reassuring hand on his arm, noticing how frequently Bobby kept glancing over at the large windows.

            "Don't worry," Rogue said, "You've done this dozens of times..."

            "Twenty-seven," Bobby said, and then added with a somber grin, "Well...twenty-eight if you count that first session when I nearly froze my own hand off."

            "You'll be fine," she said, leaning forward to brush her lips gently against his cheek.  The touch was brief, not enough to drain any of his powers, but enough to make Bobby grin and blush.  Rogue gave his hand one last squeeze of reassurance with her gloved fingers and headed out of the chamber.

            By the time she reached the observation room, Bobby had taken his place to begin the training sequence.  The group welcomed her quietly as she entered, but mostly kept their attention on Bobby.

            Aside from herself, there were seven others present for the demonstration.  Storm and Cyclops were monitoring the computer systems, while the Professor took his customary place by the central window.  He was the only one facing away from Bobby at this moment, as he gave a brief introduction of the systems to their guests.

            "As you can see on the monitors," the Professor was saying, "The Danger Room has been designed to adapt itself to the unique needs of each mutant's powers.  Since our gifts vary so greatly, it was essential to have a training facility that was equally as varied..."
            Rogue walked around the back to the room and sat next to Kurt, who was crouched in one corner, paying close attention to Xavier's every word, his tail waving back and forth thoughtfully. 

            "There are programs for both physical and mental training, to help focus the body and mind in the most intense situations..."

            As the Professor continued, Rogue glance around at the others curiously.

            At one end of the room, Henry McCoy stood next to a tall table, scribbling notes in a large binder.  His large teeth were biting on his bottom lip as he concentrated on Xavier's introduction.  Rogue noticed that he wore a pair of thick wire spectacles, which were barely visible under the long blue hair of his face.  The glasses, along with his white laboratory coat, reminded her of her ninth grade natural science teacher, and she chuckled inwardly when she thought of how much more interesting that class would have been with Henry as the teacher.

            Next to him sat Peter Rasputin, also known as Colossus, who was one of the oldest students in Xavier's school and who, along with Rogue and Bobby, had been interested in continuing his work with the X-Men.  Aside from his art, the world of Xavier's school was his whole life and he had been interested in training more with his powers.

             Finally, leaning up against a far window, stood Remy LeBeau, who was handling a deck of cards but not shuffling as before out of deference to the Professor as he spoke.  He glanced slowly between Xavier and the room below, his face dark and still.  Rogue thought he looked anxious, and she wondered why the Professor had been so insistent on his presence.  She knew his powers had to do with energy surges, much like Cyclops, but she had never seen him use them. 

            It took her a moment to realize that he was staring back at her.

            Rogue blinked and looked away, a little embarrassed.  The intensity she saw in his face had caught her off guard.  There had been almost a questioning in his eyes, a cautious wondering that made her strangely uncomfortable.  Gambit must have recognized her uncertainty because when she looked back he was looking out the windows again.

            "Now," the Professor said, concluding his speech and turning to face the Danger Room, "Why don't we get started?"

            Cyclops nodded to Storm, who radioed to Bobby to prepare.

            The lights in the observation room went dark, and Rogue stood and moved closer to the windows.

            Bobby stood solidly below, any trace of anxiety gone from his face.  He waited, patiently, for the computer to make the first move.

***

            Ducking skillfully to the left, Bobby dodged the first barrage of simulated gunfire that came from the far wall. 

            From the machine in the center, a long metallic arm stretched upward, and began to fire small spherical balls toward Iceman's location. 

            Iceman narrowed his eyes and raised one arm protectively.  From his outstretched fingers, tendrils of ice intercepted the attack, knocking each "bullet" away from him.

            He ran to the right, leaping to evade several small rolling machines meant to trip him as he moved.  There was a noise behind him, as a torrent of water began to flow from one wall.  Iceman paused and focused on the tide until it was frozen in place.

            He completed several more maneuvers, utilizing his physical agility as much as his ice powers to escape the simulated attacks.  Bobby thought back on previous sessions and recognized how quickly he had improved.

            A giant machine on wheels materialized before him, and he stopped it with a wall of ice before it had barely touched the ground. 

            Bobby glanced quickly at the darkened windows and grinned, knowing Rogue was behind one of them.  All the months they had been dating and he still loved to impress her.

            Suddenly, another mechanical arm spun towards him.  Bobby ducked in surprise as a plume of fire grazed past him.  He stumbled, breathing heavily, and got quickly to his feet as the arm came around for a second pass.

            Bobby felt a quiet panic rising in his chest. 

            Fire... he thought, Damn it, it had to be fire...

            Out of all the elements the Danger Room had exposed him to, fire had always been the most difficult for him.  He figured that was why Cyclops and Storm were always including it in his training, but inwardly he wished they had skipped this part today.

            As the machine swung toward him, Bobby focused his power on the mechanical arm, instead of the fire itself.  Layers of ice formed quickly over the joints and the machine screamed in protest as it was frozen to a stop.  The fire stopped short of where Bobby stood.  The machine groaned and then fell still.

            He could feel the heat all around him and took a few steps backward.  He was breathing quickly, and realized all the other machines had halted also.  Bobby waited, wondering if the simulation was ending, when the arm wielding the fire lurched forward.

            Bobby jumped back quickly, as the heat from the torch melted his defense.  The arm jerked forward again and Bobby reached out to fortify the shell of ice.

            The flame grew filling the room with suffocating heat and rendering Bobby's trail of ice useless, the frozen stream melting before it found its mark.

            Bobby turned his face away from the fire, and instead of attempting to freeze the machine again, he quickly created a shell of ice around himself.  The fire made the ice glow red as it passed and Bobby used all of his strength to keep the protective shield intact.

            Suddenly, the chamber fell silent, and the lights outside of the shell of ice grew brighter.  Bobby blinked and exhaled a breath he did not know he was holding.

            A voice echoed in the Danger Room, though it was muffled by the ice surrounding him. 

            "Simulation ended..." Storm's voice spoke loudly, and then she added, "Good job, Bobby."

            From inside his shield, Bobby stood for a moment and clenched his fists in anger.  Why did they have to end it with the fire, after he had been doing so well?  Especially when so many others were watching.

            Bobby glanced up at the windows and the ice around him shattered.  Again, he was alone in an empty chamber, all traces of the mechanical attackers were gone.

            From one window, Bobby could now see Rogue, who smiled down at him, one gloved hand pressed against the glass.  Her presence held more warmth for him than anything, and his icy anger faded away. 

Bobby sighed and smiled back, knowing he was not the only one who still needed to learn more about their powers.  He glanced around the training room one more time and realized he could not wait to begin the exercise again.  There were no limits to what he could do in this room, and he hope to push his powers as far as they could go.

***

            The observation room was silent as the lights returned to normal.  Xavier turned his chair to once again face the others.

            "Remarkable...just remarkable..." Henry McCoy was muttering to himself.  He had a strangely pleased grin on his face as he continued to scribble in his notebook.

            "An excellent demonstration, Professor," he continued, glancing quickly at Xavier, "And you say the room can adapt to each mutant's specific gifts?  Yes, quiet remarkable..."          

Xavier nodded appreciatively to the doctor.  Seeing the Danger Room in action for the first time was typically an intimidating experience and Henry reaction was refreshing.

"Does anyone have any questions before we continue?" Xavier asked, looking around the room.

"A few, Professor, a few," Henry said quickly, tapping his pen against the paper a moment before continuing.  His brow was furrowed in thought as he scanned his notes, and it was obvious he had more than a few questions in mind.

The rear door to the room opened and Bobby entered, looking a little embarrassed as the others met him with a quiet approval.  He was drying his wet hair with a small towel and his uniform was still damp from the water of melting ice

"What type of safety precautions are programmed into those machines?" Henry asked, looking up over his glasses and waggling his pen in an almost scolding fashion, "Many of those maneuvers seemed quiet difficult, and while young Mr. Drake seemed to handle them adeptly, there must be fail safes in place to ensure the safety of the trainees..."

Cyclops and Storm exchanged amused grins.  Henry said this in more of a matter-of-fact tone rather than a question.  He was their head physician now and, despite how eager he was to explore the benefits of the Danger Room, he left no doubt that the well being of his patients was his main priority.

"Indeed," Xavier said, "The computer monitors many attributes of the trainee when inside the Room.  Heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, all are continually checked to ensure that the person using the room is physically able to meet the demands of any simulation.  If a simulation becomes unsafe for the trainee, the computer is equipped with manual and automatic 'fail safes' that will end a session before any harm is done to the participant."

Henry was nodding and scribbling again, and the Professor took the moment to glance around the room at the other 'new trainees.'  His expression became quiet stern, and his voice sounded a bit more commanding.

"And, of course," he continued, "No one is ever to use the Danger Room alone, without at least one other trained person monitoring them from this room.  As of right now, those 'trained' people include Storm, Cyclops or myself.  I must insist that those just learning these systems are quiet clear of the dangers of attempting use of this training facility without proper supervision."

A chuckle broke up the somber atmosphere created by the Professor's firm words.

"Don't want anyone being flambéed in there, oui?" Gambit said with a wry grin.

Cyclops and Storm gave him disapproving frowns, but Xavier smiled with amusement.  Despite the man's casual attitude, the Professor knew Mr. LeBeau was not demeaning the point.  Bobby, however, gave the man a quick glare, obviously not finding amusement in his comment.

"No, indeed not," Xavier replied, and then glanced to the left, "Yes, Peter?"

Peter was raising his hand, nearly forgetting he was not in class.  He lowered it quickly before speaking.

"When can we try it, Professor?" he asked, trying not to sound too eager. 

"We can begin scheduling sessions after classes next week," the Professor answered, "Scott, Storm and I will be leaving for Arizona in the morning so the Danger Room will remain disabled until we return."

Peter looked slightly disappointed but agreed.  Henry glanced up over his glasses again at the young man with a grin.

"And don't think I won't be keeping an eye on things down here while they're gone," he said, waggling his pen again.

He leveled it at Peter, his attempt to be serious broken up by the joking twinkle in his eyes.

"No breaking in..."

He moved the pointing pen to Kurt, who straightened his back and grinned.

"No teleporting..."

He then pointed at Gambit, who had a bemused frown.

"No...um...gambling...there are children around."

            Gambit laughed, enjoying the doctor's strange sense of humor, and gave his cards a quick shuffle, before holding his hands up defensively.

            "Whatever you say, mon ami."

            Henry nodded, "Hmpf...good."

            He closed his binder firmly and stood up, signaling the end of the 'tour.'

Xavier's expression remained neutral, but inwardly he was pleased that all of their new guests seemed to be getting along well.  This made him even more sure that he would be taking the over night trip west with Storm and Cyclops.  Between Rogue, Bobby, Kurt, and now their new doctor, he felt the mansion would be in good hands.

            "Well," he said, "Thank you all for your attention.  We will meet again on Monday to discuss a training schedule."

            That said, the group adjourned, heading out into the main lower hall towards the elevators.