Locknane: *squeal* THANK YOU! I SHALL TRY NOT FAIL YOU! XD
Sophi: Its a secret... shhh... XD
Blueblanket121: Thank you! he's one of my favorites :)
TO THE OBLIGATORY DANGER ROOM SESSION! :D
It had taken a couple days, but eventually both the professor and Lorelei both got some things straightened out.
Professor X had realized the only reason Lorelei had stopped scratching his desk was because she was done writing – not because he had controlled her mind. He was left with a bad taste in his mouth when he realized that she was literally invisible to him in her stone form, but that problem was easily bypassed if he looked through someone else's mind who could sense her. What really bothered him was that he would never be able to know what she was doing if she ever went back to her parents.
Lorelei soon found out that the professor was not pretending to read her mind, he really could; but only if she was human-looking. Not only that, but he could control her too. That was scary, how could anyone trust another person who could control them on a whim…how would they even know… if they did trust the other person, that it was them trusting the controlling guy and not the controlling guy making them trust them.
What?
She'd given up on that brain teaser a week ago, it made her head cave in on itself. The X men had given her a week to reorientate herself, and toured her around the mansion (minus the basement). She'd met the people (lame) seen the classrooms (are you fucking kidding me) looked through the library (I don't do books) watched kids swim laps in the massive pool (no thanks, I'm allergic) and even got to touch the jet (the only good part of this place). But the fact that she was a prisoner in the mansion was not the end of it. It got worse.
Not only was she expected to socialize and go to school, but she'd been given a guardian too; Storm followed her everywhere during the dawn and dusk hours – the bathroom, the hallways, and sometimes even her bedroom.
"Don't you trust me?!" Lorelei cried out when Storm wouldn't leave the bathroom.
"Trust is something you earn," Storm had replied, "and I have been given orders to keep an eye on you."
Thankfully, Storm usually had a class to teach for the rest of the day – so during that time Lorelei was left with her daytime warden; who had been assigned to her side for no other reason than the fact that they were both German.
~~~~~~~~One Week Earlier~~~~~~~~~
"Cerebro doesn't work?"
"Cerebro works fine," Professor X sighed, "But it's no use amplifying your powers to get into someone's mind when that mind doesn't even exist."
"Can't you just… force her to behave?"
"Like I said before Kurt, it doesn't work."
"Vat if you did it before she turned into a griffin? Control her mind when she's a human to behave while she's in her other form?"
"That idea would work if both the griffin and human shared the same mind, but they don't because stone Lorelei doesn't have a brain. Any mind altering or general brain fiddling I do to her is instantly reversed once she changes; paralysis, memory alterations, mind control – everything."
"How can she overcome paralysis? She's paralyzed."
Professor X massaged his brow. It was getting hard to retell this story to everyone; maybe he should just call a meeting and explain it once and for all.
"Because stones don't have muscles to paralyze, and when Lorelei switches from flesh and blood to rock she doesn't use her muscles. She just thinks about it."
"So… put a wall around that part of her brain."
"You want me to shut down her powers? Kurt, we're supposed to be giving her a second chance – not convicting her."
"Well there's always that option if she ever gets out of hand…"
Professor X looked at Kurt incredulously; he was still recovering from his head wound. The first few days he'd acted like a complete idiot, after that he was depressed, and now he just wanted to kill everyone – or at least make them suffer for something.
"Perhaps you should go talk to Hank again…"
"Nein. I'm as fit as a fizzle."
Professor X just shook his head and turned to his now fixed window. "Kurt, I know you're still recovering, but I have a job that I think only you can handle."
"Vat is it?"
"I'd like you to keep an eye on Lorelei. I doubt she wants to make friends here, but she might settle down a bit easier if she had a German mentor. Similar countries aside, if she makes a break for it you can teleport her back."
Kurt grinned. Finally, he'd get his revenge on the rocky one.
~~~~~~~~Present~~~~~~~~~
Kurt sulked. He'd never get his revenge on the rocky one.
She was currently swinging from a light fixture, and causing mass pandemonium everywhere. Her sheets were in the corridor, there were huge gashes in the walls, vases broken, floors scorched, doors falling off their hinges, windows shattered and people with injuries ranging from bruises to broken noses. He ran a tired hand through his blue hair. Father, give me strength.
Lorelei was terrified. What's with these people!? All I said was that her name sounded weird!
She was currently hiding in one of the chandeliers, and Jubilee was running around the house trying to find her and wring her stony neck. She was mostly just trying to get back at Lorelei for pushing Wolverine off a cliff, but when she had told Jubilee her name sounded odd, it pushed her over the edge.
Haha. Edge.
But seriously, the mansions falling apart.
~~~~~~~~OoO~~~~~~~~~
Jubilee broke through her fourth wall (on accident this time) and finally caught a glimpse of a stony tail dangling from one of the lights. You're mine.
Lorelei thought she was safe. The crazy yellow-jacketed girl seemed mostly harmless with her gum snapping and little firecrackers, but Lorelei refused to lose another part of her body. My ear, she griped inwardly. And that's when a firecracker hit her in the ass.
"MOTHER OF GOD!" Again, no pain, but it's so weird feeling an impact… without feeling an impact. Lorelei crashed down to the hardwood floor and hit the ground running. These people are mad! She took off running without really thinking about where she was going. Was the kitchen left or right after the Washington bust? Right. Let's go right.
Wrong.
BOYS ROOMS THAT'S THE BOYS WING! She tried to shut her eyes and shook her head to get rid of Iceman in his angry Frosty the Snowman boxers. When I get home, those will be the first things I get Papa to destroy. But now Lorelei was trapped, and with Jubilee barreling towards her and another wall in front of her, she was a rock stuck between a soft and a semi-hard place. I feel like those idioms don't' work anymore.
Lorelei skidded to a halt and looked over her shoulder to the angry kid about five seconds away from kicking her ass. Vat is this. I'm a Stillman… I DESTROY MY FOES! She spun around to face her adversary, stood on her back legs, and leapt at Jubilee with her talons out.
"Nope." Kurt intervened and teleported Lorelei away just before she could scratch Jubilees face.
"AH! VAT?!" Lorelei suddenly dropped onto the roof. "Vat vas that?!"
"Me." Kurt dropped down in front of her.
Lorelei looked at Blue-y. She hadn't seen him since she'd rearranged his face in Germany. He looked better now. "You're still blue though. You should work on that."
"Ja. I'll try."
They scrutinized each other, each one trying to figure out if the other was going to make any sudden movements. Kurt was the first to act. "Professor wants to see you."
Lorelei watched him. "Nein."
"Vat do you mean nein? He said so."
"Professor is a clown."
"Professor X is not a clown!"
"Is."
"Is no- gah, we're talking to Professor X!" Kurt grabbed the cat sized griffin before it could attack him or run away and poofed into the professors' office where he deposited her unceremoniously on her ass.
"Lorelei!" Xavier exclaimed, "I was hoping you'd drop in!"
"JA YOU'RE ALL REAL FUNNY VITH YOUR PUNS!"
Professor X grinned. "Ignoring the fact that you've broken a good portion of the mans-"
"That crazy yellow dummkopf did it too!"
"Lorelei I understand that you're unhappy, but breaking things and hurting people is unacceptable."
"She really does have a dumb name." Lorelei mumbled.
"That aside," he continued, "we need to find you a hobby. You've been stuck inside the mansion for over a week now – maybe that's why you're so on edge?"
Lorelei picked angrily at a loose string in the carpet. "You could just let me go home."
"Lorelei – I will certainly release you, but I won't give you transportation back. You'll have to find your own way back to Germany."
"Dummkopf." She mumbled.
"Pardon?"
Lorelei looked up at him and grinned. "Read my mind and figure it out," she goaded.
Professor X sighed. Lorelei was not happy in the mansion – she made a point of letting everyone know that each and every day. Sometimes she'd even straight up tell people she didn't like it. Like yesterday when she and Piotr were sharing a couch watching reruns of Supernanny. They were just sitting there tolerating each other when she'd suddenly looked over at him, stated she hated him and the mansion, flipped over the popcorn bowl and left. Colossus had been very distraught.
"I don't even know what I did wrong!" he'd lamented.
She needs a hobby.
Professor X looked down upon the small griffin. "Lorelei," he started, "I'll make you a deal."
Lorelei snorted. "Vat?"
"If you can find a way to get along even slightly with the rest of the inhabitants of this house…"
Lorelei rolled her eyes. Yeah right.
"…I will find a way to get you back to your original size."
Lorelei stared at him. How did he know I can't figure out how to get bigger?
"Naturally, I figured you weren't able to do it yourself because you haven't done it yet."
"…I thought you couldn't read my mind."
Professor X was surprised; he was hoping she wouldn't figure out that bit for a little while longer. "Yes, well… How's that deal sound?"
"You can't seriously expect me to spontaneously like everyone. How about…" Lorelei thought a bit harder, "I don't break things on purpose and punch people?"
"Okay… but I think you can do better. Let's make it that you're at least neutral to everyone and don't punch people."
"How about I just hate everyone but don't break anything at all?"
"How about ve put her and Wolverine in a cage and hold a death match – the vinner gets to live. Because let's face it because both of them hate everything but Logan breaks thi-"
"Kurt there will be no death matches."
"Mansion population contro-"
"No, Kurt."
"We could lock her in the danger room."
Professor X glared at Kurt, but then let up. "Actually, that's a very good idea Mr. Wagner."
"Uh… it is?"
"Danger room?" Lorelei's lone ear perked up, "That sounds dangerous."
"Oh, it can be." Professor X turned to the little griffin. "But you're much too small to go inside."
"Oh good," Lorelei sighed. "I'm allergic to danger you know, and wat-" She stopped before she blurted out her water weakness.
"Pardon?"
"And… vatever!" She huffed and pretended to be annoyed.
Professor X smiled. "Would you like to see it?"
"No."
"I think you'd like it; you can vent your anger in a controlled environment. I'm told it relieves stress very well," He grinned. "One out of one Wolverine's like it… so that's saying something."
Lorelei turned her head away and looked over the old grandfather clock in the corner of the room. It had stopped ticking. She looked back at the professor out the corner of her eye and scrutinized his face. What's the old one playing at? Is this some type of passive aggressive way of getting back at me for ruining the house? What's a danger room? Will it get me back home?
Eventually, Lorelei's curiosity won. "Alright… I vant to see vat the danger room is."
"Wonderful," Professor X wheeled his chair around his table to her side. "You may use it on one condition."
Here it comes, Lorelei thought.
"You are not allowed to hit anyone outside of the danger room, unless it hits first – and even then you must not injure them greatly."
"Vat about the getting me back to my normal size part?"
"We'll do this one step at a time. Maybe you'll come to like us on your own, hmm?"
Doubt it. "Can I still break things?"
Professor X sighed. "No, Lorelei, you cannot."
~~~~~~~~OoO~~~~~~~~~
Professor X and Lorelei stopped in front of a large window in the basement.
"So… vere is this danger room?"
"On the other side of that window… It's currently in use – would you like to see what's going on inside?"
"Uh… sure?"
Professor X tapped at a random button on the console below the window and the glass became transparent. "We use that part for privacy – because sometimes people really do just use this place for life size replicas of certain people. Like I said, Logan says it relieves stress, and I'd rather him hit a robot of Scott than the real Scott."
Lorelei didn't know the two hated each other so much, but she stored that bit of information away in case she ever needed to use it.
Professor X leaned into the microphone to talk to the people inside. "Hank, Logan… are you two leading this session?"
There was a slight pause and a couple of explosions until Lorelei and the professor heard Hanks voice. "Yes- OUCH! Cover me someone! Why? *grunt* is there something you need?"
"No, no. Finish up your-"
"NO!" Iceman screamed, slammed into the window and slowly squealed down. "Let me out…"
"Drake? What on earth-?"
"Logan won't let us out. He says…" He shuddered "it's …bonding time. BONDING TIME! WE'VE BEEN IN HERE FOR TWO HOURS!"
Lorelei watched in horror as Iceman was dragged back into the fray kicking and screaming by a long metallic arm. "Oh…"
"Don't worry," the professor soothed, "We'll put you on the beginner levels."
"Oh…?" Lorelei couldn't even form any rational thought while looking at the mayhem before her. They do this for FUN?!
They stayed there for another five minutes until Colossus accidentally threw a chunk of rock through the window. Iceman then tried to make a break for it through the shattered opening, but was once again dragged back by the robotic arm. Dirt and debris constantly settled on the other side of that wall thanks to the gap, and once a laser beam even made it through. Kitty was actually thrown right through it, and in that short space of time it seemed the only thing that didn't fly through the window was another window.
"I take it back. I don't vant to go inside the danger room."
"You'll enjoy it once you're inside, beginner levels are quite easy. Usually you only have one to three opponents, or you can hove one to three robotic opponents."
"Isn't everything a robot?"
"Yes, but we also have robots that display certain mutants powers. You can choose to go up against Scott or Storm or anyone else in a safe, controlled environment."
"Safe? Controlled? PEOPLE ARE FLYING OUT THE WINDOW!"
"Yes," Professor X peered down the hallway at the window in question. "That hasn't happened before…"
Eventually Hank and Logan called it a day, and all the mayhem that had happened inside disappeared. The downtown area they'd been fighting in just disappeared and all the broken robots and smashed cannons were pulled underground.
"Well looks like I can't go in, all the guns are gone." Lorelei turned to leave, but the door was blocked by Blue Bear.
Dr. McCoy laughed. "Oh no, dear Lorelei, we have plenty more where those came from. All the broken bits are being repaired by Forge right now. And there are backups. We have enough guns to keep going for at least fifty beginner levels, or thirty intermediate levels. Or ten difficult levels, or two Logan levels… or eighty nine adventure levels… or sixty two nature walks… or…"
Lorelei faded out the crazy bear with his ramblings and tried to look for the most discreet place to hide. There was none. And all the people that were in the danger room had now spilled out into the hallway (minus Bobby) who had taken off running and screaming that he was never coming back.
"Well Lorelei," Professor X motioned towards the door. "The rooms all cleaned up. Just step inside and we'll take it from there."
"Uh… I don't think I want to anymore."
"You are sending little bird into danger room?" Colossus asked.
"Yes Piotr. I think she'll do quite well."
"Nein."
"Kid'll get ripped to shreds." Logan crossed his arms and smiled. He seemed happy with the notion.
"Nein."
"Don't worry," Hank took a break from counting all the different danger room levels he could use before it ran out of firepower. "We'll be watching you from here. If anything goes wrong we'll stop the program."
"Neiiiinnn!"
"I will show the way." Colossus picked Lorelei up by the waist and set her gently down on the other side of the door. "Is good character builder," He said before the door sealed itself.
"I don't vant to die!" Lorelei banged on the window that had been fixed from the last session.
"You won't," Professor X said over the microphone. "We'll be watching from here. Just pay attention to what's going on and stay upright for five minutes. Then the door will open and you can come out." He fiddled with one of the buttons on the console and looked back to her. "We'll put you on a beginner level. You'll have one ceiling turret, one X man and one floor turret."
"Vat is a turret?!"
"Like a cannon."
"A vat?"
Professor X projected a picture of a turret into her mind, and watched as Lorelei tried to break the window with renewed vigor.
"YOU GUYS VANT TO KILL ME!"
"Lorelei pay atten-"
Lorelei felt the air around her become heavy and managed to fall onto her ass just before a laser almost took her head clean off.
"HOLY SHI-"
"MOVE, Lorelei! Take out the turrets first!"
Lorelei screamed like a maniac and ran in the opposite direction of the floor turret.
"Why hasn't she changed into her griffin form?" Bobby asked.
"Hey you came back!" Kitty punched him playfully on the shoulder.
"Yeah. I wanted to see how quickly she could smoke this course."
Colossus turned to the window then back to Bobby. "Ah… smoke?"
"Yeah. She took out the X men; this should be a piece of caaa…" He trailed off when he saw Wolverines death glare.
"Oh, she's smoking it all right." He grinned.
They turned back to the window right as Lorelei tripped over her own two feet for the second time.
She slammed back down to the ground just as the turret fired at her again. She covered her head and curled into a little ball. Happy thoughts… happy thoughts… Her happy thoughts weren't helping. The turret nicked her sneaker and the smell of burning rubber invaded her nostrils.
Get up! Professor X shouted in her mind.
'Kay. She stayed in her ball.
Lorelei you need to move.
The Griffin King says it's hazardous to my health.
You won't even have a life if you don't get up and go.
I thought you said you wouldn't kill me!
Professor X sighed. "I should end this course."
"Oh come on!" Bobby whined. "You never stopped it my first time! I still have the scar!"
"Yes well… look at her."
Lorelei was currently running in circles and tripping trying to put the fire out on her sneaker.
"It's just because she doesn't know what to do."
"I've told her. She refuses to listen."
Hank took a hold of the microphone. "Lorelei, listen to me. I'm a doctor."
Lorelei threw the offending sneaker across the room and screamed at it.
"Listen Lorelei, you have to take out that turret on the floor. If you don't, you'll soon have two to deal with. And if you don't take out that one you'll have two turrets and an X man to deal with."
Lorelei looked up at the window. Blue Bear was yelling about turrets and X men. Is he still going on about how many sessions he can get through?
"Take it out fast."
Lorelei looked over at the creepy looking turret. It was aiming for her again. She groaned. But I'm allergic to danger. There was a whirring noise above her and she saw a second turret coming out of the ceiling and slowly taking aim as well. And now I'm screwed. She ran away from the ceiling turret and it followed her fleeing form. There was nowhere else to run, she'd hit a wall. The only other way to go was back at the floor turret. Somewhere, in her unhinged mind she formed an unstable and stupid plan. She spun and got the floor turret in the middle of her vision. I shall destroy you… USING YOUR METALLIC BROTHER!
She war cried at the doomed floor turret and leapt into her griffin form. Lorelei tore down the length of the room as fast as she could and launched herself at the turret. Oh. It's stronger than it looks. She clung to its metallic body and waited for the ceiling turret to shoot. It didn't.
"Lorelei that's the oldest trick in the book!" Bobby yelled from the observation window.
"I THOUGHT IT VOULD WORK!" She screamed. Fuck.
Plan B then. She grabbed a hold of the turrets support and its wires and ripped them from its gun. In it's now free range, it spun around and took aim right at her head, and fired point blank.
"Oh…" Bobby and Kitty murmured in unison.
"Stop the program!" Professor X called to Hank.
Hank jabbed at a button and the ceiling turret went back into its hole, and the floor turret deactivated.
The group entered the room and circled around the stone griffin.
"She's still standing…" Bobby observed. "Without a… head."
"Lorelei?" Professor X asked. "Can you hear me?"
Piotr poked Lorelei's shoulder. "Is dead?" he asked.
"Lorelei?"
Lorelei stayed where she was. She couldn't see anything, or hear anything for that matter. She tried moving. She couldn't tell if she was or not.
The small group of people huddled around the statue watched in morbid fascination as it moved one of its legs and twitched its tail.
"Well. She's not dead."
"She looks like a chicken with its head cut off!" Bobby died from laughter.
"Stop it you idiot!" Kitty smacked him on the head.
"Hank?" Professor X asked.
"Yes?"
"I think she needs more dirt."
"Hm. It must be special dirt because she hasn't used any from outside."
"Is there any left over from her brown bag?"
"There should be. I'll get an analysis and try to reproduce it."
"Great." Professor X turned to Colossus. "Piotr can you carry her to Hanks lab for me please?"
"I will carry little bird." Colossus picked Lorelei up gently and trailed after Dr. McCoy.
The rest of the group watched as the headless griffin retreated from their sight.
"…I swear that's not the thing we fought." Wolverine said.
"So I've heard." Professor X murmured.
"… That could've gone better." Bobby crossed his arms. "She need's practice. And she needs to stop running and dodging."
"There's nothing wrong with running and dodging!" Kitty shouted.
Iceman turned. "Wait, that's not what I meant Kitty."
"Butt!" She wailed and left the room.
"Smooth." Wolverine offered helpfully.
"Nah what do you know about smooth?" Iceman waved Logan off and left the danger room in search of Kitty.
~~~~~~~~OoO~~~~~~~~~
Lorelei felt herself being set down on something metal. Someone had carried her to wherever she was now. They're going to kill me. She thought back the stupid turret that took off her head. I shouldn't have put four senses in my head. I should have scattered them. Well… sight could stay there. But what if I smelled with my feet? LIKE A BUTTERFLY! Or heard things with my wings? LIKE A… she tried to think of something that picked up noises with its wings. …NOTHING! And tasted things with… ah. My tail? No that's stupid.
She felt something scrape her side and tried to scratch at it. I think I just fell over.
~~~~~~~~OoO~~~~~~~~~
Dr. McCoy tried to take a sample of from Lorelei's wing, but she tried to hit him and fell off the table. Kurt poofed in at that moment.
"Nightcrawler… you need something?"
"Nein. Professor X told me to go to the lab and watch Lorelei to make sure she didn't run away."
"Well, her heads missing, so that's not possible."
"Vat?"
"She's on the other side of that table."
Kurt hopped on top of the metal table and peered over the other side. A headless griffin was tottering around like a drunkard and slamming into cupboards.
"Vat happened? Did she make Wolverine mad?"
"No. She got her head blasted off in the danger room."
"Ouch."
"Mmm. Not one of the most successful danger room sessions."
"I expected her to do vell, seeing as how she can run around quite quickly."
"Well, she did do well in the respect…"
Hank went over to the staggering statue and dumped some sand onto her neck. He and Kurt watched in amazement as absolutely shit-all happened.
"Well. Back to the drawing board then."
"Tell me ven something interesting happens."
"Will do."
Will Lorelei get her head back? Will Bobby ever make Kitty feel better? Will the danger room ever recover from griffins LACK OF EPICOSITY?! find out next... whenever... to... find out. I guess.
Thanks for reading tho!