A/N: To everyone still reading, thanks for being patient. October was a rough month for me, and by November I had developed the sort of legendary writer's block that results in you drafting two other stories before you can get through the chapter you were working on. But we're back on schedule now. Expect a double update this week or next weekend to make up for the long hiatus, and enjoy the chapter!
"So, she doesn't have anything?"
"No. She's a psychic blank spot," Rachel explained.
Chris looked confused. "So, do you think that's her mutant power? She's telepathy proof?"
The two were in the school's dining hall, waiting for the others to join them.
Rachel shook her head.
"Well, I mean, I suppose. There's lots of mutants. I've seen weird, wild colors, and changing colors. But I've never seen anyone with no colors. I'm not sure what I'm actually seeing when I look at the colors. It's like, the animus of their thoughts. Their heart, or their soul. Something like that. So how could someone be missing it?"
Laura and Cecily now joined them.
"Hisako will be a little late," Cecily told the others.
"She's really lost it for that angel guy in Class A," Laura snickered.
"You think so?" Chris certainly hadn't noticed anything different.
"Look who else decided to join her," the dark haired girl cocked her head towards the table where Warren and some of his friends were sitting, along with Hisako and Jubilee.
"So how did you learn to fly? It must have been super interesting," Jubilee leaned over the table at the winged student.
"Yikes," Chris turned back to the other X-Men.
"Rachel was in the middle of telling me how the new girl Kitty put in Class C sketches her out."
"Hisako started telling us about it in the lunch line," Cecily nodded.
"If I could just… look in her mind," Rachel said slowly. She shook her head again. "But it's not a good habit, and she's Miss Pryde's friend."
Hisako returned to the table, and a chorus of pregnant glances from her classmates.
"What?" She shrugged. "He's cute, he's got wings, he's got boatloads of money. You can't blame a girl for trying."
"He must use more conditioner than I do to keep his hair that straight," Laura teased.
"Regardless of his hair care plans," Hisako said somewhat irritatedly, "you can hardly get a word in edgewise with Jubilee in the conversation. But enough about that. I was interrupting something?"
"Not really," Rachel conceded.
An idea played across Laura's mind.
"You could always… talk to your dad about it. Have you gotten a chance to really sit down with him since Sinistra?"
"Have I had chances? Sure. Have I taken them? No… not sure how."
"Well, maybe Cecily could help you. You were the one to first try to get those two to connect, eh, Cess?"
"Yeah, I did say that," Cecily pushed some carrots around her plate. "That was a few months ago."
"And now?"
"Now? I don't really think I'm up for family drama right now," she said more quietly than usual.
"Right," Laura sulked. Back to the drawing boards.
Anna was eating lunch with Sam and Roberto. The two boys were older than her by a few years, but they didn't exactly act it.
"So you and Nightcrawler are related?" Bobby asked.
"But he's also your teacher?" Replied Sam.
"Yup. I was 'Mom's happy little accident.' Came much later than Kurt. So, he's been my guardian ever since we came to the States. Including here."
"Well, sorry if you don't get much sympathy from me," Sam said. "You have one brother, I have four. And six sisters."
"Who are all somewhere else for the next four months," Anna argued.
"Ah, to have had a family to bicker with," a voice came from behind them. "Alas, I grew up in the streets."
The voice came from the scruffy boy from Class B, who joined Anna and the boys at the table.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Rogue squinted at the boy.
"Of course, where are may manners?" The boy snapped his fingers. "Remy LeBeau. Pleasure to meet you, cherie."
"Uh... huh," the girl said, unconvinced by his accent.
"You two are X-Men to be, no?" Remy took a seat across from Sam and Bobby. "What's that like?"
"Well, our teachers are… intense," Sam looked at Roberto.
"One of them can read our minds," Roberto looked back at him.
"We get in trouble… occasionally."
"You're Cajun, right?" Sam decided to change the subject. "How are you liking this part of the country?"
"Hm. Well the food doesn't hold a candle."
"Sounds about right," Sam shrugged.
"But the ladies! I would never speak ill of the fine women of New Orleans," Remy said half-seriously. "But I have a class with identical blonde triplets. Truly New York is a promised land."
"I guess they're okay," Sam muttered. "But they remind me of Miss Frost."
"You don't think Miss Frost is kinda hot?" Bobby asked, surprised.
"I think she's kinda mean."
"Which is kinda hot!" Bobby argued.
"You guys are gross," Anna rolled her eyes.
"The humidity is also much better here," Remy admitted.
On the other side of the dining hall, Illyana entered with her food. Remy tilted his head as he watched her cross the room.
"What do you suppose she does?"
Anna looked at him, then at the blonde. "Illyana? What do you mean?"
"Well, she isn't scaley, and she hasn't shot electricity from her wrists. She hasn't used her power at all. Even that Amara girl flicks a flame between her fingers sometimes. What sort of mutant do you suppose she is?"
"I don't use my powers either," Anna shrugged.
"And I don't know what sort of mutant you are, either. You claiming to be some sort of dangerous weapon only heightens my interest."
"Well, you'll just have to stay curious," Anna squinted at him.
"And as for Illyana," she pointed to the clock.
"Our class is going in for our first Danger Room sesh this afternoon," Anna said. "We'll find out soon."
It was to be a joint training session between the basic and intermediate classes.
"Good morning," Danielle greeted the students as they arrived. "My name is Mirage. I'm the Danger Room coordinator, I'll be working with your teachers throughout your training."
"But we won't be going into full simulation just yet. Today we will be sparring with each other. With the help of your instructors, you'll be divided into small groups."
Dazzler and Rahne both waved.
"Our physical education adviser Blink will be on hand as well."
Clarice nodded at the students.
"Hi there, Elixir here," Joshua called out from the edge of the Danger Room he was leaning on. He gave the students a scout salute and stood upright.
"I'll be standing by, in case of emergency. Keep in mind that unchecked power can have unintended consequences."
Mirage clapped her hands. "Perfect. Let's get to it. Ms. Sinclair, if you would?"
"My pleasure," the Scottish mutant gave a quick stretch.
Rahne arched her back and bared her teeth. Then at once her whole body collapsed into the shape of a wolf.
"Ready when you are," Wolf-Rahne said.
Mirage willed a spear made of blue light into existence, gave it a toss in the air, and faced off with Rahne.
"The purpose of this exercise is not about knowing how to fight. It is about understanding how best to use the power you were given in any situation. I can generate a psionic object, anything one most desires."
Rahne lunged at her, only for the image of Mirage to dissolve. As the spear left its hand, the real Dani suddenly appeared, caught it, and then rapped the wolf on the tail with its blunt end.
"But I typically prefer the spear."
The students formed their groups. N'Ezhno wordlessly nodded to Mindee Cuckoo. Celeste attempted to pair with Phoebe, but Rahne made the two sisters choose other partners. The girls detested being apart. It interfered with their psychic rapport.
Dazzler was working personally with Amara.
"Okay Amara," she said to her young charge, "you've got fire problems."
"That's an understatement," the girl grumbled.
"The worst thing you can do with a power like yours is bottle it up. Fire under pressure can become an explosion. That's probably what happened in Boston, but you couldn't have realized it at the time."
Alison traced a circle of light around Amara.
"Try to make a little bit of fire. Just as small as you can.'
Amara rolled up her sleeves, and a few tiny embers formed between her fingers.
"Good," Alison smiled. "Now a little bigger. Whole hand, or maybe a forearm."
"Okay…" Amara took a breath and allowed the fire to spread. The roaring flames mad with difficult to move her arms, as if they were caught in some kind of current.
"It's hard to control," Amara strained. Familiar red cracks began forming in her arms. The edges of her Danger Room uniform began to smoke.
"Don't push yourself, this is day one," Dazzler said firmly.
Amara dropped the flames, but a rush of heat continued to pour out of her arms. The light circle around her rose to form a protective barrier, channeling the heat up. A red hot slurry formed in the cracks of her arms, which then cooled and flaked off.
"Interesting," Dazzler observed.
"Not fire. Magma."
"Hey, kid. It's Rogue, right?"
Anna turned in surprise to see Blink behind her.
"Hello, Ms. Ferguson. Miss Blaire says we aren't really doing names yet."
"It's cool with me. Dazzler tells me you're nervous about using your power?"
"It's more that I can't use it. It's too dangerous."
"Well, maybe I like to live dangerously. Try it on me."
"Wh-what?"
"Hit me with your best shot. We've got the most powerful healer - maybe in the world - over there. As long as you don't have a Death Touch I think I'll be good. I've been doing this a bit longer than you."
"Well, it's funny you mention touch. Because… that's where it comes from." She held up her arm.
"When I touch someone, they go numb. Sometimes they even lose consciousness. It's only bare skin, so these gloves keep everyone safe."
"So you wear those all the time?" Blink asked.
"Whenever I'm out. I haven't made direct contact with Kurt or my mother since I first discovered what my hands could do."
"Geez. Well, let's figure this out. Take 'em off."
"And you're sure."
"Trust me."
Anna stared at her hand. She wore her gloves so often that the skin beneath looked almost foreign to her. But she felt she could trust Clarice. She removed a glove and nodded at the purple haired woman.
"So, what, do you just poke me, or?"
Rogue thrust her open palm onto Blink's exposed shoulder. The effect was immediate.
Blink gasped silently and fell to her knees. Rogue immediately withdrew her hand and recoiled from the teacher, drawing the attention of the other students.
"What's going on?" Elixir came running.
"It was a test, she asked me to do it!" Anna shouted. She looked different now. The white streak in her hair was a deep purple, and her eyes were solid green, as Blink's were. Her hands crackled with violet energy.
"This isn't what normally happens," she whispered in a panic.
"Not to worry, Clarice, I'll have you up in a jiffy," Joshua murmured to the unmoving woman. "Stay calm, Anna. I'll tend to you after."
"Whoa," Jubilee breathed. "What did you do to her?"
"I told you, my power only hurts people!" Rogue threw up her hands. When she did, a ragged tear in the air above her opened. At the same time, a ring of purple light formed around Jubilee's feet, which immediately opened a hole under the girl.
"Ack!" Jubilee now found herself falling down on top of Rogue through the new portal, the two girls collapsing in a heap together.
"Ugh. Get off of me. Hurry!" Anna shouted.
All around the Danger Room, small portals were beginning to open, linking various parts of the room to one another.
"I feel funny…" Jubilee slurred. Part of her ankle had come in contact with Rogue's hand.
Portals were still opening and shutting at alarming rates, but now as they closed they burst into colorful blasts of fire.
Illyana jumped in front of Amara, a sphere of billowing green smoke in each hand. Making a few small, quick motions with her fingers and mouthing some unheard words, Illyana sent the smoke orbs colliding with the sparklers, dissipating each other with a multi-throated hiss.
"What in God's name..." Wolfsbane whispered as she saw the trails of smoke hanging in the air.
"Hey, look out!" Amara called out to Illyana.
Two portals opened quite close to one another just in front of Illyana. she winced and summoned a silvery barrier over her arm, an attempt to shield herself from the blast. The portals snapped shut before she could do anything else, and the girl was blasted across the Danger Room.
Rogue was too lost in the chaos to see Blink rise from the ground behind her. Extending her arms outwards, the cacophony of portals all closed at once, returning the Danger Room to its original state. Rogue groaned, then collapsed.
The students exhaled with relief. The Cuckoo sisters quickly reformed their tight formation.
Illyana was on the ground on the other side of the Danger Room. Groggy, she noticed an arm extended out towards her. It was Amara, the girl she had rushed to protect earlier.
"Thanks for that," she said quietly. She helped Illyana to her feet.
"Likewise," Illyana said grabbing her wrist.
N'Ezhno and Jubilee stood over Anna. Elixir gave her a cursory glance.
"Will she be alright?" The boy asked.
"Help me get her back to the infirmary, I'll pull Triage out of class and we'll check her over. Miss Lee, are you hurt?"
"I'm okay," Jubilee said, a little more deflated than usual. "A little thirsty."
"Interesting…" Blink said to herself. The teacher was sitting on the ground, recovering. She may have blown this whole problem wide open...
_Cerebro Files [Mirage]
_Civilian Name: Danielle Moonstar
_Mutant Ability: Telempathy, Psionic Conjuration
_I wish that I had had a bit more time to work with young Danielle. Her powers are a sort of telepathy, but they take a much different form than Jean's or my own. She possesses an innate knowledge of what people around her fear and desire, and with time she could hone that into quite a power. She currently uses it to rather limited effect, creating tools and weapons to aid her in simulations.
[ADMN_X/12012010]
_Miss Moonstar is a Cheyenne Native American. She'd been working with her people ever since the school closed, until we sent her the invitation. She recently wrote us back, she'll be joining us in the new year after finishing up her goodbyes.
[ADMN_R/12282023]
_Danielle's Danger Room records show that maintaining the immersion of the simulations proved difficult to the young empath. I suppose being able to create illusions of your own would have that side effect. I'll recommend to Kitty that she be considered to direct our training program there.
[ADMN_F/01052024]