Encounters with an Icy Table
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. Marvel does.
Chapter 8
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One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…eight…nine…ten…
Scott grunted as he pushed his body up and down. His torso was stick straight, his elbows tucked into his side. His black muscle shirt was already soaked with sweat. This was his third set of 50 pushups. He had already done three sets of 50 situps and run 5 miles. He wanted to purge himself of his failure in the mission.
Finishing his third set, Scott stood up and walked over to the chin up bar.
One…two…three…four…five…six…seven…eight…nine…ten…
"What time did you leave this morning?" Jean poked her head around the doorjamb.
"Don't know," Scott grunted, not breaking his rhythm. "Early."
"I was surprised that you didn't wake me up. I'm usually a very light sleeper."
"I tried very hard not to wake you."
"I see."
Jean sat down on the blue mat, gingerly, glad Scott couldn't see. She was sore. Not unbearable, but still uncomfortable. She reached for her toes, pulling herself flat down on her legs, stretching out her tight muscles. After a few seconds she opened her legs to straddle, and reached for each leg in succession. Finally she settled down in the center, her shoulders flat on the mat, with her arms extended out toward her feet. Now this was a comfortable position, Jean decided, having warmed up a bit. She could fall back asleep like this.
Scott released the bar and turned to face Jean. Seeing her laying straddled on the floor he grinned. "That can't be comfortable."
"Oh, but it is," Jean smiled, lifting her head a few inches to rest her chin on the mat facing him.
Scott shook his head. "I could never bend like that."
"My mother made me take dance when I was younger. I guess it sort of stuck, despite the years of disuse while I was in the hospital."
"Can you do a split?" Scott asked, sitting down on the mat beside her.
"I think I still can." Jean sat up and slid her left leg around behind her. Steadying herself with her hands, she squared her hips and pushed herself the rest of the way down.
"I guess so." Scott lay back down on the mat. Jean rolled out of her split. Scott began a series of exercises, swiveling his legs to his sides and switching.
"Is that a new exercise we're going to do?"
"I'm not sure yet…jury's still out." He sat up, breathing heavily. "It's a track exercise. For agility."
"Seems like a pretty good one."
"Maybe."
Scott lay back down to begin another series.
"Why don't you save your energy for in the Danger Room in five minutes."
"This pumps me up."
"Enh. No complaining later then, Mr. Overachiever."
"More like Mr. Working-from-a-defecit."
"You'll do fine. One time thing. Not your fault, Scott."
Scott didn't answer, but continued racing his legs back and forth. Warren, Bobby, and Hank trudged into the prep room.
"It is far too early," Hank grumbled.
"Why did he want us here at 7:00?" Bobby whined. "I haven't gotten up this early since I had to go to real high school."
Warren sat down on a bench on the side of the room, rubbing his eyes.
"What time did you go to bed, War?" Hank grinned.
"Didn't."
"How was Bambi?"
"Bambi?!" questioned Scott and Jean at the same time, cracking up.
"I have to agree, Warren," Hank began. "This is the craziest named one yet."
"She was hot!" Bobby grinned, suddenly more awake. "Warren let me peek at her sleeping naked on his bed."
"Warren!" Jean exclaimed.
"He was already looking, I just let him get a full view."
"It's still wrong."
"No, it wasn't." Bobby protested.
"Good morning, students," the Professor greeted, as he rolled into the room. "Are you ready for the session?"
The students nodded and walked off to the locker room to change into uniform.
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High above the room, the Professor sat in the control booth, observing the work below. So far, twenty minutes into the exercise, his students had been working together superbly. It was not time for his true test. He had isolated Hank, Warren and Bobby in one quadrant of the room, fighting one particularly vicious snaking arm. The professor threw up a slanting wall barrier separating them from Jean and Scott.
Suddenly, three arms shot out of the wall, shooting blue stun beams at the pair. Jean successfully parried the opening shots of the first arm, and with a thrust crashed the head into the wall, disabling it. Scott disabled the second arm by severing it swiftly in two with his blast. A fourth arm shot out from the wall beside Jean, as she hovered, trying to tame the third one, which was flailing rapidly from side to side.
"Scott!" she called, warning him to take it out. He turned quickly, and froze. It was right next to her.
**Scott, please! They're plenty of room**
He focused on it, trying to determine where he could shoot it best.
**Get it**
**I can't**
**I trust you**
Before he got a chance, it shot out at him. Jean quickly caught the shots with her teke, but could not freeze the arm.
**I can't stop it, Scott**
Scott stared at the arm.
**Don't worry, you can do it. I can protect myself**
Scott swallowed hard and fired, easily bisecting the head of the arm. It fell limp to the ground. He turned and fired upon the one that Jean was struggling to hold back with her teke, and it met a similar fate.
**See? No problem**
Scott sighed and nodded. **We might not be done yet.**
But no sooner had he said that then the simulation shut down, and the Professor's voice emanated from the wall. "Nice job, you may leave now."
The door slid open.
"Where are the others?" Jean asked, as the walked toward the door.
"Maybe they beat their goal sooner."
"Or he just wanted to test us."
"With good reason."
"You did just fine. You have nothing to worry about."
"Right."
"Scott!"
Scott didn't answer and turned off toward the men's locker room. Jean followed him.
"Hey! You can't come in here!" Scott protested. He sat on the bench in the middle of the room, between the lockers.
"Tough."
"Can't you read the sign on the door?" He turned away from her. Jean knelt down on the bench behind him, laying her hands on his shoulders.
"I'm not letting you get away with ignoring this, Scott. You did fine. You got the job done. You just need to get your confidence back. You are excellent at what you do, Scott. Don't forget it."
With that, Jean stood up and strode out of the room, leaving Scott to ponder this.