I have returned from oblivion! I know I do these disappearing acts; I'm working on managing my time better in the future so I don't disappear on y'all! I had help on this chapter too cause I was having major writers block, but thanks to a dedicated reader that won't happen again anytime soon! … Hopefully at least. But, I would like to give special thanks to Agent-G! Who totally rocks and has awesome plots for RLS. I would also like to thank him for e-mailing me whenever I take long disappearances; that reminds me to get back on track.
Lets not forget my other readers though!
Dark Devotions: Thanks for the review! I'm diggin' all the compliments!
AnimeSiren: merci beaucoup! J'espère que vous aimez ce chapitre aussi bien!
Fudje: Thanks a lot Fudje! I guess the chapter wasn't so bad after all, I mean, she does need a codename!
DreamSprite: Yes! I got a good work compliment. That so totally roxxors XD!
Fireinu: Thanks for the compliments! I'm trying to stay on schedule and write more now.
SickmindedSucker: Maybe Amy and her parents could visit sometime in the future! I'm thinking of trying to work that in somehow. I'm a Romy fan myself, and I'm totally glad that you love the story despite the lack of Romyness!
Brandy Lebeau: I wrote more! And I'm glad you thought it was funnyI guess it coulda been considered the most pointless chapter… but it at least provided some comic relief.
Devil's lil imp: Well it took me a little longer to get the chapter up, but it's finally here!
Agent-G: Ok, Rogue can put her hair into a ponytail, but it's a low ponytail. Not like Kitty's! It would be kinda stubby too. But its possible, and I think she would do it to get the hair outta her face. Oh well hehe.
Chapter 10
The next day, Mary was convinced to survey the Danger Room sessions so she would be able to see the obstacles she would be put through. She stared on in awe from the control panel as the X-Men fought in the Danger Room. Their skills individually were remarkable, but when they worked at a team they were amazing. It was obvious they were in tune with each other, it seemed as if they could anticipate each other's every move.
"Exciting isn't it?" Hank chuckled as he typed in a code on the keyboard as to raise the strength of the beam fired from lasers on the walls.
Mary snapped to attention at the comment; she had forgotten he was there. "Umm… yeah." She agreed meekly as she watched her sister duck behind a wall to avoid being hit. The session today was simple, seeing how it was the weekend. But to Mary, it was one of the most grueling things she had ever seen. "Oh… ouch." She winced as Kurt was slammed into the wall trying to disarm a laser.
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Rogue squeezed her eyes shut as Kurt made impact with the wall. He hung there for a moment before sliding to the ground in a heap. "Kurt?" She called, but there was no movement. She glanced around and saw the other X-Men occupied with disabling the guns, or in Kitty's case unconscious. Fortunately, Rogue had dragged her roommate to safety behind the wall where she was presently. The two-tone turned looked to the unconscious girl and back to Kurt. "Well…" She sighed as she pulled off her glove. The only reason Rogue was behind the wall was because she didn't have much of an active power… at least not one that could battle lasers.
Her pale hand caressed Kitty's face, and began to absorb her. Both girl's inhaled sharply, and Rogue removed her hand and replaced her glove. She placed her hand against the wall she was behind and pushed, happy to see it disappear into the steel. Glancing once more at her teammates, she charged through the wall and to her brother.
"Kurt! Get your ass up!" She called as she dropped down next to him and shook him. There was still no response from the elf. She heard the faint high-pitched whine of the gun revving up to charge and she looked around to spy a laser targeting her and Kurt. Thinking quickly, she phased them both as the beam rocketed for them. It shot through their bodies as though they were ghosts, and Rogue shook Kurt again. "Come on Elf!" She yelled. There was still no response, but his tail did flip a bit.
"Sorry Kurt." She sighed once more as she ripped off her glove and grabbed his tail. Rogue heard the whine again of the gun and quickly teleported the two back behind the wall. "Ok… are y'all comfy? Good." Rogue muttered as she laid Kurt next to Kitty and teleported up to Scott, who was desperately trying to hit vital wires on a nearby shooter.
"How many more after this one?" Rogue demanded as she appeared in a puff of smoke. Scott didn't flinch, and his face was set in determination.
"Jean's handling the other one, this will be the last if we can just disarm it!" He replied as the two rolled to avoid getting hit. By the time Scott had gotten back to his feet, Rogue had teleported up to the giant gun. She located a loose panel after a moment and yanked it away to reveal many multicolored wires. She reached in and grabbed a handful and jerked them out of the machine, causing it to flail about wildly. Rogue tried to hold on, but when the gun made a 360-degree turn she was flung off and thrown towards the ground at an incredible speed.
She didn't have time to teleport, not that it would have mattered. Rogue had learned that you kept the momentum you had while teleporting. All she could do was curl into a ball and hope the impact wasn't as horrible as she thought it would be.
Thud.
The impact was cushioned by something, and Rogue peeked open her eyes to see what. "Heh, nice catch Scott." She thanked the older teen.
"No problem," Scott wheezed. "But can you get off me please?" He asked. Rogue hopped up and grabbed his arm to help him. Scott stood and wondered what the odds were that Rogue would have landed on top of him when she fell. He knew they were astronomical… but of course it's logical it would have happened then.
"Are you Ok?" Rogue asked.
"I'm fine." Scott assured as he looked at the gun, whose flailing had now subsided. Its fierce beams were now reduced to low frequency, and looked quite pathetic. Cyclops sighed in relief and set his visor to full blast, and thereby nearly knocked the gun off the wall.
"Well, that like made my Saturday perfect." Rogue perked up very Kitty-like as Jean landed next to them, her face glistening with sweat.
"At least it's over." Jean smiled as the blockades around them disappeared into the Danger Room floor, exposing a somewhat conscious Kitty and Kurt. "You two Ok?" Jean called. The two looked over and nodded meekly before standing slowly.
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"See? Now that wasn't so hard was it?" Hank chuckled as he typed in a command and shut down the simulation.
"Is he kidding me?" Mary thought. After what she just witnessed, she highly doubted she would be any good for missions. Sure, she was known to get into fights, but this required actual skill in battle. These weren't high school scuffles. "Yeah, right." She muttered as she saw the team file out of the Danger Room. Moments later, the elevator door pinged and Rogue entered the control room alone.
"Tha others wanted to head for the showers." She explained as she walked over to where Hank and Mary stood. "How were we today, Mr. McCoy?" The southerner questioned as she rubbed her sore back.
"Aside from Kurt being thrown around and Kitty being knocked unconscious, I say you did quite well." The older man praised with a sly grin before turning to Mary. "My dear, would you like to try a test run before you begin training with the younger recruits?" He asked suddenly, hoping to catch her off guard enough so she might comply.
Mary was indeed caught off guard, and stumbled over her words for a moment. "I… Danger Room?" She began, stopping herself before she started babbling. "I don't think I can… I mean… I'm not used to fighting really." She explained.
"No one really was before they came here." Rogue countered. "Sides, Ah'm telling yah right now its better tah start off alone than for your first session tah be with Bobby and the others." She warned.
Mary exhaled deeply. She knew she would have to train sometimes. The Institute wasn't a free ride. Rogue was probably right. It would be better to do it now and get a feel for fighting before she was thrown in over her head with the New Recruits. "It's not going to be anything like…that. Is it?" She asked nervously as she looked down at the remains of the previous Danger Room session.
"Heavens no. You won't be at that level for a while. Since you are beginning, I suppose we could have a simple run. How would you feel about running a gauntlet? You would start here," Hank began as he pulled up a screen on a nearby monitor. His fuzzy, blue finger pointed at one end of the maze, and traced its way throughout the labyrinth to the end. "And end here." He explained as he tapped the screen. "Of course there will be obstacles, but it won't be anything that you shouldn't be able to handle." He assured, tearing his eyes away from the glowing display and peering at her above the rim of his glasses.
Mary looked at the screen futilely and nodded. "Ok then!" Hank smiled, his pointed teeth flashing. "Rogue, could you show Mary to the locker rooms for a uniform? By the time you return the session will be ready." The older man explained as Rogue grabbed the crook of Mary's elbow and led her out of the control room.
"Ready Mary?" Rogue's voice called from the headset in Mary's ear. The new recruit nodded and gulped as she stared at the walls looming in front of her. "Relax… it's not gonna kill yah. Just keep focused." Her sister comforted as a buzzer sounded, signaling the start of the run.
Mary began slowly into the maze, keeping her eyes out for anything suspicious. Moments later, she rounded a corner to be nearly electrocuted by bolts of lighting shooting from one side of the maze to another. She was about to backtrack when she realized she had already dashed past one of the beams of electricity, which had now solidified into one solid wall of lightning. She turned around and felt her skin prickling from the nearness of the current. "Nothing I can't handle?" She muttered into her headset, her voice higher pitched than usual. There was no response, probably because of the electrical interference. She waited a few moments, trying to calculate the pause between the bolts fired. "Ok, I've got a 2 second interval to get my tail through this." She muttered. She waited for one more shot, and then took off.
She made it to a clear space between two bolts, and then repeated her run 3 more times before clearing the trap entirely. Her headset fizzled, and came to life. "Good job, my dear! I told you it wouldn't be anything you couldn't handle." Hank congratulated shortly as he watched her cut around another corner of the maze.
"Ok, so this isn't that hard!" Mary cheered to herself. She continued along her path at a steady clip for a few moments until she ran into her next obstacle. In front of her stood a team of two extremely unpleasant looking men. They weren't hulking monsters, but they looked as if they had spent a bit of time in the gym. The first one looked over and smiled to his gang before he slowly advanced.
"Mary, don't be afraid of these two, they're simulations. Don't take that lightly though, because they can still do damage." Rogue's voice called over the headset. The two-tone nodded and gulped as the man loomed over her, and then grabbed for her. She ducked under his hands and he spun around, a scowl plastered on his face. His hands balled into fists and he swung, missing Mary by mere inches. He continued his advance, and backed Mary into the nearby wall.
"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit." Mary winced as her silent opponent raised his fist once more for the final blow. He slammed it down… right against the wall where Mary's head once was. Mary, meanwhile, was crouched on the floor trying to regain her breath. As the man doubled over to cradle his hand against his body, Mary swung up unexpectedly, and connected with the man's jaw. His head snapped back and he hit the ground and lay unmoving.
The last man took his cue from his teammates fall and came at her, fists swinging. Mary blocked and ducked as much as she could, but was finally smashed in the cheek by an undetected swing. She fell to the ground, stars twinkling in her eyes while she tried to regain her sight. The man wasted no time and jerked her up by the scruff of her uniform, his skin precariously close to hers. "Wait… I've got these powers, why not use them!" Mary had gone brain dead and had forgotten completely about her powers. She ripped off her glove and grabbed the man's round face. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and he collapsed, taking Mary with him.
She lay on top of her attacker's limp body, trying to catch her breathe before she started up again. She heard a faint moan from the man who had attacked her first, and decided not to stick around any longer. She picked herself up and sprinted down the hall she was in, only slowing down when she was a good hundred yards away. At last she came to what seemed the end of the maze. In front of her was a pit with a narrow beam across it, and beyond that a staircase that led to a door she assumed to be the exit. Thinking all danger had passed, her spirits lightened and she stepped onto the plank and looked down. Below her, about ten feet down, were large steel spikes. Even in the dim light, she could tell they were needle sharp.
Mary's breathing increased and she made her way quickly but carefully along the slim board and made it across the cavity safely. She took a step up the staircase slowly, in case she had triggered a trap. Satisfied that she had completed the mission successfully, she began to run full speed up the steel stairs. She had almost reached the top when the staircase folded into the ground, leaving Mary trying to run up a metal slide. She slipped, and began to painfully roll backwards down the slope and straight for the pit. Mary no longer felt the ground and knew she was falling, her body aiming straight for those spikes. She screamed, and seconds later hit. She expected herself to be skewered on a spear, but instead found herself on the ground. The spears had disappeared. She hadn't been skewered, but she had landed pretty hard on her shoulder. "Ow." She cried feebly, not wanting to move.
She heard hurried footsteps on the ground moments later, and she curled into a tighter ball, expecting it to be the men she had encountered earlier. "That's the first lesson a being an X-Man." Rogue's voice called out. "Always be on guard, there's surprises everywhere." She explained sympathetically as she jumped into the pit next to her sister. Mary looked so pathetic: her cheek was split, and slowly turning a nice shade of black, her hair was sweaty and matted against her forehead, and she was curled into the fetal position. Rogue hesitantly reached her hand out, unsure of what to do. She gently wiped the hair away from Mary's wound, and rubbed her sister's arm while she typed in a code on a hidden keypad in the wall. The pit suddenly began to rise to ground level, and Mary stood shakily, leaning on Rogue for support.
"I thought you said it wasn't anything I couldn't handle?" Mary muttered as they reached to doors to the Danger Room.
"I didn't say that, Hank did." Rogue pointed out. Mary didn't respond, but snorted instead. Rogue steered herself and her sister towards the med lab to find Hank waiting for them.
"I must say you did particularly well for your first try." Hank commented as Mary set down on a nearby examination table. "You just need to keep an eye out for surprises." He added as he poured iodine on a gauze and applied it to Mary's cheek. Her eyes watered due to the stinging sensation, but she refused to pull away. Hank perked a brow. "So much like Rogue… she refuses to show weakness. And you can tell her pride has been wounded due to the defeat, and she's not too pleased by it." The doctor thought to himself as he pulled the gauze away and applied a liquid bandage to the wound. He opened a nearby drawer and produced a sling for Mary's arm. "I'm assuming its been sprained, if not dislocated. I could try to-." He began, but Mary pulled away as he reached for her arm.
"I don't think it's dislocated. I just landed on it pretty hard." Mary assured him as she extended her arm to prove herself.
"As you wish, but I would like you to wear the sling for at least a day to let your arm heal." Hank prescribed as he slipped it over her head and secured her arm. Mary wiggled her arm to make it more comfortable in the sling, and slid off the table.
"Thanks Dr. McCoy… I guess I'll see you around. Hopefully you'll be at the next Danger Room session? I would really like to beat a session you set up." Mary smiled.
"Certainly, my dear. Now, you're free to go. Have a nice afternoon." He smiled as he held the door open for the two girls. They exited the med lab and headed for the elevator.
"Yah see, it wasn't that bad." Rogue assured as they stepped into the elevator.
"Wasn't that bad? Did you see me fall?" Mary replied in disbelief.
"Ok, it was a little rough for your first session, but yah did pretty well!" The older girl defended herself.
"I fell backwards down a slide and almost got myself impaled." Mary retorted as she tucked her white hair behind her ears.
"It could have been worse." Rogue assured her after a moment.
"Worse? How?" Mary asked, obviously not believing her.
"It could have been Logan dictating the session." Rogue smiled as the doors dinged open and she sauntered out, heading for the patio doors and leaving Mary standing there contemplating that possibility.