Chapter 3: The Danger Room
Down in the Danger Room Jean, Scott, Kitty, Kurt, Bobby and Gambit were finishing their stretches when Logan walked in. "Ok, I know you are all wondering the same question, where is Rogue? Well she is not feeling so hot right now so she ain't here, end of story. Now today is simple, tag, no powers."
There were some groans and Jean muttered something under her breath. "What was that Red?" Logan asked.
"Nothing/" Jean replied. Logan stared her down. "Fine, I just wanted to know why we can't use our powers and why we are playing a child's game."
Logan grunted. "First of all with all the junk the FOH are making along with private scientists you might not always have use of your powers. Secondly some of your team mates' powers don't help them in a battle. Both this team and the new recruits."
They looked around at one another and eventually Scott said, "Who?"
Logan let out a small growl and said, "Rogue and Jamie."
The group looked blank as if they had no idea what he was talking about. He sighed and said, "After the game you will either understand, or I will explain it. If I have to explain it, it will tell me how little you know of your team. Now rules for the game. If you are tagged you are out, if you use your powers you are out. Do you understand?" The team nodded and Logan said, "Ok, the last man or woman standing is the winner. Ready?" The team nodded again and entered the Danger Room. Logan pushed a few buttons in the control room and the space became New York City. There were tall buildings, alleyways, creepy shadows cast by lamp posts, dumpsters and horns honking.
Bobby looked around and hid against the side of a building. He glanced once more. "Cake" he said. Bobby headed towards two tall buildings deciding to cut through an alley. SPLAT! Bobby left the room muttering how unfair it was that he was out and wasn't allowed to ice up.
"Oh man, Bobby's been hit and we've only been in here thirty seconds! Watch your backs people!" Scott was calling out to his team wherever they were in the simulation.
Kurt saw a drone and leapt to a lamp post, did some swinging with his tail, hopped off the sides of buildings and then panicked when he saw two drones in front of him. He ported.
"Elf, you're out!" Logan called. Kurt left the room heading to the control room where Logan and Bobby were.
"Man!" was all Kurt managed to say
Bobby looked at him. "Well at least you lasted two minutes," Bobby grumbled.
Next out were Kitty and Scott. Kitty had been surprised when all three drones targeted her and she accidently phased though a building. Scott on the other hand fired at one of the drones. The two headed to the control room leaving gambit and Jean.
"Scott you are like so stupid! You could still like be in the game but you had to fire and play like Mr. Macho Leader!" Kitty was mad.
"Oh, sorry. I guess a simple thank you isn't something you do." Scott was hurt but Kitty was worse.
"Scott there is like a total difference! I freaked and phased by accident out of surprise, not like on purpose. You forgot the no powers rule for this game. You threw yourself out!"
Logan was enjoying this little cat fight. 'About time someone put shades in his place' he thought.
Next out was Gambit. He was trying to use all his thieving skills. He was hiding, ducking, using his ears to listen for the smallest sound of the drone and as he went to jump a dumpster with his bow staff he was hit. SPLAT! Four minutes and twenty seconds. He headed up to the control room muttering "Why Remy not 'ear da drone? Why Remy only las' four an' half minutes? No' even! Four minutes twenty secon's! Remy better den dat!"
That left Jean all by herself. 'I won.' She looked around but the simulation was still in play. She sprinted behind a building avoiding a drone. Then she stepped out to look up at Logan. She started calling to him. "Logan, I am the only…" SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!
Scott turned on Logan. "What was that for? She won didn't she?"
Jean headed to the control room not pleased at all. 'Control your emotions girl, though I am quite angry. What's he playing at?' Jean entered. Logan, I was the last one standing. The simulation should have ended. What was that all about?"
Logan just gave a small smile and growl. "Method of surprise Red. You all can't think that you have won a battle and not expect to have any surprises. Think about the brotherhood. You beat them black and blue and thought you won. Then who showed up, oh right, MAGNETO! Or how about at the mall when you all had to retreat when Wanda first showed up? Always expect the unexpected."
They all scowled and then Jean asked, "So why don't Rogue and Jamie's powers help them in battle?" Logan stared at her and then looked around the group to see if any of them had any ideas. Kitty started to say something and then stopped.
"Speak up Half-Pint," Logan ordered.
Everyone in the group looked at Kitty and she blushed a bit. She hoped she had this right or Mr. Logan might have her head. "Well ok, like Bobby can like freeze stuff and then it can shatter right, Scott can shoot things down with optic beams, Gambit can like totally make things explode with like energy, Kurt can port out of any bad situation, and Jean can like move things with her mind." Kitty looked at Logan. He nodded and asked her to continue. "Ok, I can like walk through things, Rogue can't like do any of that. She lives on gymnastic movements and DR skills"
They all looked at her trying to take this all in. Then Jean said, "She could if she drained one of us." Scott nodded and the others just scowled at the two of them.
"Ya, because that is like her main focus in battle! Let me see what team member I am going to drain so I can lay them out making our team smaller and weaker! Humph!"
Logan looked at the group again and said, "Half-Pint is 100% correct. Red and Shades as leaders you should know your team better. The Half-Pint had to tell you all about each and every one of you and your gifts. Also because three of you used your powers and Half-Pint I saw yours was an accident, you will all be running this simulation again at 7:00 tonight and I don't want to hear any groans. This should have been a simple task. Instead you only lasted five minutes."
Just then Rogue walked in. "This is all your fault!" Bobby yelled at Rogue slamming into her arm hard and bumping into Jamie creating three more Jamie's. Rogue rubbed her arm looking around the group of angry faces except for a sympathetic Kitty.
"SIT DOWN!" Logan growled.
Rogue met Kitty's eyes asking 'What did I miss?' Kitty mouthed back 'No powers' Rogue looked around again both worried and angry.
Logan turned to Rogue, "Kid."
"Yes Logan."
"Stripes we just played tag without powers. Two failed by using them and one used it due to surprise so I blame it on mini loss of control. The last person standing made it to five minutes. Think ya can beat that?"
Rogue looked at the group. This was not how she had anticipated working out today but whatever. She looked down at Jamie. He smiled back with pleading eyes. "Ok, we'll do our best," she said.
Logan looked down at the youngest X-Man and raised his eyebrows and looked at Rogue. Rogue shrugged and gave a little smile. Logan nodded and the two headed to the Danger Room stepping inside.
"Ok armatures, let's see how long these two last, and my bet is longer than Ice Boy and Shades.
The room once again turned into NYC and Jamie and Rogue dashed past buildings sweeping their eyes up, left and right. Rogue rounded a corner and hid beside a building when she saw a drone and made a dash for another building weaving in and out of clubs, alleys and jumping off trucks.
Jamie had spotted two drones and rounded the corner to face the third. He quickly ducked down in front of the dumpster as the drone started to fire. When it stopped he ran around the corner smack into Rogue. All three drones were facing them. Rogue rolled out of the way fast as lightning but Jamie knew he was done for knowing rolling wasn't going to help him with drones on both sides of him as the middle one shot at him. His backwards moves weren't as good as Rogues, though she was teaching him. Jamie had played this game with Rogue before and the other new recruits, just not in NYC.
Jamie left after being hit lasting four and a half minutes. He headed up to the control room so he could watch Rogue. Rogue was still going at seven minutes. She had made a jump from a truck to the bridge and mid jump was hit by a drone just like Gambit.
Rogue entered the control room with everyone staring at her. "Good job Stripes." She nodded.
Then she looked at Jamie. He had a half smile on. She walked over to him. "What's wrong Jamie?" she asked.
"It's my fault I didn't last longer. If I'd used my eyes I wouldn't have run into you Rouge."
Logan cut in, "Kid, you lasted longer than Gumbo by ten seconds and that is really saying something. Rogue, you went down almost the same way as Gumbo." Logan looked at Rogue for an answer. He knew she would give him the answer he wanted to hear.
"So Ah can't alway's relih on jumpin' than." She smiled.
"Bingo Stripes. Good to know some of us learned some things today." He smiled at Kitty, Jamie and Rogue. "We are running the simulation again at 7:00 tonight and for fun if Jamie wants to join us, he can."
Scott and Jean looked shocked, Kitty and Kurt smiled and then
Bobby piped up, "But he's only a kid! He isn't even an X-Man yet!"
Logan turned and growled. "You're a fine one to talk bub. You lasted thirty seconds! This kid beat ya by four whole minutes!
Rogue and Jamie looked at Bobby and then broke out laughing. "Thirty seconds!" they said in unison.
As they walked away Rogue called over her shoulder, "We'll see ya'll at seven than!"