Chapter 6: The Danger Room An Hour Late
By the time everyone had finished eating their diner it was 8:00. Logan wasn't happy and the students were a little worried. Their DR Session was supposed to of happened an hour ago. Bobby kept sending angry glares at Jamie, Rogue and Remy. He knew Logan was going to work them extra hard now being an hour late. Hell the kids all knew two minutes was bad enough, but a whole hour. They all wished they could blame it on Scott's bad cooking and clumsy hands, but they all knew there was plenty of blame to go around.
They quickly cleared their plates and ran down the hall to the elevator to suit up for their game of Tag. Jamie came a long and everyone looked at him. Rogue bent down to talk to him, "Ya know Jamie, ya don't have ta come if ya don' wanna. Logan isn't too happy an' he ain't gonna go easy on us. Ah have no idea what level he's got in mind tonight."
Jamie shook his head, "No Rogue. I said I wanted to come and besides, it's mostly my fault that dinner was ruined and late." He smiled putting on a brave face. Rogue returned it and nodded.
"Ok runts, lets get started. Tonight we are playing the same game as this morning, tag with no powers." Logan looked around and spotted Jamie. "Kid I think you should sit this one out. I don't plan on this one being easy."
Jamie looked at Logan and shook his head. "No Mr. Logan. I already talked to Rogue. I am mostly at fault for diner being so late and I already said I would come to night for practice. Besides Mr. Logan, this will test my skill level." He gave Logan a weak smile and then turned it into s stern face. 'As stern as a ten year old can make his face.'
Logan sighed. "Kid don't beat yourself up about dinner. This ain't gonna be easy and I don't want ya hurt."
"I'm going," Jamie stated.
Logan looked at Rogue for a little back-up. She shrugged and said, "Let's see how long he lasts. Worst thing to happen is that he gets tagged before us."
Logan knew he was defeated. If his Stripes agreed with the kid and gave a good logical explanation why he should be allowed to partake in the simulation, and she had, he decided to claim defeat. "Fine, but don't come crying to me when ya get tagged out or hit something hard. I've already warned ya more than once that this is not going to be as easy as the one ya did with Rogue this morning."
Jamie nodded and the seven senior X-Men and Jamie entered the danger Room. Logan hit some buttons in the control room and the room turned into the desert. Pyramids, Sand, and The Sphinx were all they saw on the surface. Rogue groaned. "Egypt, really Logan! Ah hate Egypt!"
Jamie and Rogue kept their eyes up and hid behind the sphinx. Jamie looked at Rogue. "Rogue, we aren't going to be attacked from above are we?"
Rogue didn't know. This was her first time in this simulation. She shrugged. "Ah don' know Jamie," she answered honestly.
Scott and Bobby looked at one another. "Scott we are live targets. We have nothing to hide behind or in."
Scott looked around and then blasted a pyramid. "Now we have somewhere to hide." Just then one of the drones' apeard out of the pyramid.
"Like way to go Scott. Now it is like open season," Kitty yelled.
The drone targeted Gambit but he skillfully dodged it and landed behind the pyramid that had not been blown open by Scotts' optic beams.
Then it turned to fire at Kurt who muttered, "Oh please let me remember my circus moves." He flipped, ran in a circle, ran on all fours, flipped into the air behind the drone and landed by Rogue and Jamie. They had been there for two minutes before Kurt's arrival.
So far there was only one drone. 'This is too easy, way too easy' Rogue thought. Just then the sphinx opened up to reveal a staircase. "Run!" Rogue yelled. Two more drones emerged from the sphinx.
Jean saw them scatter and watched as Bobby was hit. 'That boy never learns' she thought.
One drone was chasing Rogue, the second one was after Kitty and the third was after Scott. The first one fired and Rogue dodged right and ran as fast as she could until she came to the busted pyramid and rounded the corner of it. She looked up to see the drone retreating to locate another target.
Kitty was running so fast that she was causing sand to fly up in her face. She slipped on something and fell. SPLAT! She was hit.
Scott looked at Kitty and announced, "People don't trip over any snakes!"
Rogue, Jean, Kurt, Gambit and Jamie all yelled out, "Snakes!"
A drone target Scott from behind and Jean mentally threw Scott away from it without thinking. "Crap! Stupid no powers rule." She left the room.
"Rogue, there is nowhere to hide!" Jamie called to her.
"Ah know sugah. Just keep on doin' all of them fancy tricks we been workin' on, 'k?"
Gambit saw two drones approching and grabbed Rogue why grabbed Jamie. They started to run and then split up. The drones fired but only hit the sphinx and pyramid. Jamie circled round and dashed down the stairs of the sphinx.
"Vat iz he doing?" Kurt called from the other side of the desert.
"Ah don't know, but I'm taking these stairs," Rogue said as she pushed the symbol on the pyramid to gain entry and ran down the emerging staircase. Kurt wanted cover so he ran as fast as he could before all three drones targeted him. He dashed left, then right, flipped and, SPLAT! Kurt left somewhat satisfied. He had made it to five minutes and hadn't ported.
"Not too shabby Elf," Logan said. Kurt grinned and watched the rest of the team run, dodge, flip and take various forms of shelter.
Gambit looked at Scott. One drone was weaving between them as the other two drones had targeted the sphinx and the whole pyramid where Jamie and Rogue had taken shelter. Gambit did two back flips, a right side flip and ran towards Scott. If he could only get the attention of the one drone, then one of them could try to get the other drones away from the entrance of the Sphinx and the pyramid.
Rogue wove her way through the pyramid. She knew there was another exit; she just had to find it. 'Gawd, I shoulda paid more attention to Mr. McCoy when we were fighting Apocalypse. Ah don't know the out symbol.' She scolded herself.
Jamie looked at all the symbols as he traveled underground. Being stuck at home having to help Mr. McCoy was paying off. He recognized some of the symbols and found the back door. He listened and heard "Scott! Mon dieu!"
Scott had been hit as he had his back to the drone that had been chasing Gambit. He had been trying to get the drone where Jamie was to move and had stopped paying attention to his full surroundings. He left feeling a little stupid. 'What kind of leader stops paying attention?' was his thought.
Jamie took this opportunity to exit the sphinx and ran to the pyramid where Rogue was attempting to find the back door. He called to her but dashed back to the sphinx as two of the drones spotted him. He grabbed a snake and chucked it at one of the drones causing it to follow the flying snake.
He then dashed back over to the now clear area against the pyramid. "Rogue!" he called.
Rogue felt a little stupid but called back, "Jamie, Ah can't find the way out. Can Ah make it out the front?"
Jamie glanced towards the other end. There was no way she could find her way back to the front, exit and not get hit. "No. Rogue, look for a symbol of a sun. It is a circle with triangles around it."
Rogue looked and found it. "Ah see it. Ah'm..."
"No, wait!" Jamie called back. He glanced around, the area was still clear. "Rogue, turn it to the left to nine o'clock, then turn it right to three o'clock, and then left to twelve o'clock, then push!"
Rogue did as Jamie said. 'Man ah'm Ah glad he paid attention. Ah would a been trapped down here.'
She exited to see all three drones target her and Jamie. Jamie threw some sand and they spun in circles firing in all directions and they both got hit. Rogue glared at him. Jamie looked sheepish. "It worked with the snake," he told her.
She looked at him questions in her face as they left the room. Jamie explained, "I picked up a snake and threw it and a drone chased it giving me time to get to you," he explained.
Rogue shot back a little harder than she intended, "That was one, Ah repeat one object, not a handful o' sand!"
Jamie blushed as they entered the control room.
"Ten and a half minutes. That's impressive you two. Interesting improvising with the snake kido, but I don't recommend it with the sand. Oh, and Dr. McCoy would be proud of ya both knowing your Egyptian symbols."
They smiled and Rogue told Logan that it was Jamie who knew the symbol and method on how to get her out. Jamie then apologized to Rogue again for the sand.
Gambit was flying left and right, weaving in and out between the sphinx and pyramids. Ducking, jumping and taking up Jamie's idea of throwing a snake. He leaned against the broken pyramid to catch his breath when he finally was caught, one drone on each side of the pyramid. SPLAT! Gambit left and the room returned to normal. 'Hmm, wonder why I din' see dat comin?' He entered to control room.
"Twelve minutes Gumbo, pretty good. Nice weaving, but I don't recommend resting on an object with three sides when there are three drones. You practically gave yourself up."
Logan continued to hand out advice and criticism. "Red, you used your powers. This morning you didn't. What happened?"
"Well Scott was going to get hit and wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. Logan before you say anything else I want to know something. Isn't hiding in the Sphinx and Pyramid cheating? Scott and Gambit were out fighting while Rogue and Jamie hid."
Logan shook his head. "Listen Red, first of all the drones came out of those two places. For all Stripes and Jamie knew they could of followed them down there. Second it provided your other team mates with some cover by only having to deal with one drone. If anything they should be thankful. Does that make any sense?"
Jean looked around at her team. Scott had a small smile on his face while Remy was practically beaming. She sighed. "I guess so." She looked at Jamie and Rogue. "How did you know it would work?"
They looked at her and Jamie said, "We didn't. I just needed to catch my breath." Rogue nodded in agreement.
Jean looked shocked but didn't say anything. Rogue and Jamie were thankful for that. Rogue didn't want to have to deal with Jean's attitude. As long as Scott was happy, Jean would keep her cool. 'At least until we get ta the girls hall. Then Ah'm toast unless…'
"Hey Kitty, Ah, um, need ya help when we get upstairs."
Kitty looked at her and saw Rogues eyes. She was giving her the 'Please, Ah need some excuse to keep Jean away' "Oh sure Rogue, I'll like be right there."
"Thanks Kit."
They all parted their separate ways. Jamie went to bed, Kurt and Bobby changed into their PJ's and went to watch TV in the Rec. Room, and Gambit went somewhere. Rogue figured he'd pop up either in the kitchen or at her window. Scott headed to the kitchen and then upstairs to his room, Logan headed to the garage and Kitty went to shower and change. Rogue started to head to her room when Jean caught her.
"I know what you're thinking..."
"Well that's a shocker! You're a telepath Jean! Oh, and Ah don't recall givin' ya permission to go inta mah head!" Rogue fumed. She had been trying to avoid Jean and now here she was, face to face with her.
"Rogue, I'm not in your mind. It was a figure of speech. Listen, I know that I have no reason to be angry at you. I just thought it was unfair that you and Jamie took cover underground as others were fighting." Rogue glared at her. "Listen Rogue, I guess that I was well maybe jealous." Rogue was shocked. Did Jean jus' say she was jealous of me?' "You not only have great skills and instincts, but you are using them to train the youngest member of this household. That's more than Scott or I have done. Keep it up; you probably will make a better leader than us one day."
Jean left Rogue standing in the hallway in shock. Kitty who had been snooping around the corner came over to the shocked girl. "Rogue? Rogue are you like there?" When she got no answer Kitty took her friends arm and led her to her room.