11396/Summer School: Danger Room File 4.27.2028

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Summer School: Danger Room File 4.27.2028
Date of Scene: 27 April 2020
Location: Danger Room - X-Men Base
Synopsis: Scott leads a floor is hot lava parkour class for extra credit.
Cast of Characters: Cyclops, Nightingale, Shadowcat, Wolverine




Cyclops has posed:
It's a Monday morning and Scott Summers is dressed in his blue and gold uniform, complete with his tactical visor. Any time that he is using the Danger Room, he will be in uniform for safety precautions. They are reinforced just in case something unexpected happens. Though he knows this particular room like the back of his hand, stranger things have happened. As the doors swish open, he heads inside and gives a long stretch of his body, then goes about with his usual mental inspection of the large metallic room.

Once he feels confident that it is up to standards and nothing faulty appears out of order, he gives a glance down at his tatical wrist band which shows the time. He put out an email blast to the students and faculty this morning that he was running an exercise this morning and any are welcome. This was non-mandatory and those who wish to sleep in are still allowed. They are on break after all.

"Please load Training Routine Alpha Fourteen Zeta Blue." His voice rumbles out of his throat as he gives a light tug at his sleeve. From all around, the world begins to shift, that into a miserable rain soaked evening in New York City. Mutant town. Tall buildings surround him, filled with fire escapes, discarded cars and garbage drums on fire. He's alone, feeling the rain pour down upon him from above. Cold. Wet.

The entire time, he wears the same face. Stoic. Patient. Just waiting.

Nightingale has posed:
     Sleeping in? When one has had idleness enforced for a few days, sleeping in is /not/ an option. With the e-mail blast sent out to students and staff alike, it took Shannon only a few minutes to change into her 'bumblebees', tie her hair back in a bun to get it out of the way, and head on down to the Danger Room. A little exercise, now that she was cleared for it, would be a healthy thing. It would also be the first time she could remember having taken on one of these sessions with Scott in attendance, so it might prove to be an interesting experience. She'd had little occasion previously for such things.

     The rain pelted her in the face the moment the doors swooshed open in front of her, prompting her to squint a bit and bring up her wings to shield her face till her eyes could adjust. One might expect feathers to become waterlogged, but oddly enough, hers do not. Hmm. "Good morning," she calls out, waving to Scott, and whoever else had decided training would be better than sleep.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's here too. Okay, here's a misnomer. She's up on a fire escape in costume, and has one hand clenched into a fist, the other shielding herr eyes from the rain as she pulls her hood tighter over her face, and already hates her costume getting soaked through. This is not one of her favored exercises, and she gives Scott a questioning look from her vantage point up high. Kitty looks around for a moment and then begins phasing down toward ground level. If all else fails, she'll just start her Kitty Superdep Borehole in the Danger Room. Hey, i she can phase, why not?

She's aware of the rain, the cold, nasty, wet rain.... Nope. Kittty doesn't like it. Lockheed's silently giving Shannon looks like 'do we have to be in the rain?'

Wolverine has posed:
It's too damn early for training, Summers. He mentally grumbles to himself as he takes the lift to the surgically clean floor of the base. Especially after a nice Sunday of sports. And as much as Logan loves the idea of joining the others for a nice sweat spilling Summers-a-thon. He decides on something a bit different, starting with a quick pit stop in the control booth.

Cyclops has posed:
A few more students pile in as well, dressed in their 'uniforms' or 'costumes', or whatever the kids are calling it these days. Scott takes a minute to be assured that everyone has gathered, then gives a sharp nod of his head. "Right. Good morning, class. Thank you for attending. I know that it is an early Monday and even though you are enjoying a break from classes, your presence here is meaningful. You will all receive two hours extra credit that will be applied to your portfolios. You cannot use those two hours to get out of exams."

"As you see, we are here in Mutant Town. I chose this particular neighborhood because of the various buildings that has a perfect set of highs and lows. Today is about training your body and mind to move as one, without your powers. I suppose Doctor McCoy or Mister Wagner would call this parkour, but I call it tactical muscle memory development."

"There has been numerous times that the X-Men has faced enemies in which they could cancel our powers out, and all that was left was our mind and our muscles to either fight or gamble our way out of a situation. It is not always easy, as mutants, we come to rely on our special gifts. But we can never forget that we were brought into this world naked, human, powerless, and thus we should always strive to improve ourselves as if we are still human."

As he speaks, he moves towards the students through the dark, wet street, hearing the sounds of the city around him in the form of honking cars, people shouting, fires crackling. It smells real. The stench of a sewer, the sight of trash litering the gutters, the thick pregnant moon hanging in the sky.

"So, today, we're just going to have some fun. I have safety locks on so that if anyone falls off a roof, you won't feel any pain. But the simulation of fear of falling should still be there. You need to be scared. Falling off a building without the use of wings, telekinetics, jet propulsion .. is scary. In the real world you will die."

"Any questions so far?"

Nightingale has posed:
     Oh, great. Without wings. If there are any telepaths present, the oaths that bubble up from the depths of Shannon's mind are crystal-clear, and would either earn her a slap on the wrist, or a commendation for creative use of various languages, to call into question one's ancestry and varied habits. Still, she mused to herself, it was a valid point he made--even if she wasn't entirely fond of the way it was done.

     But it also put her in mind of another training exercise in here, some months prior, that made her smile a little bit. Bean had managed well enough. Both had, actually, each relying on the other. This would be no different, even if the faces around her were not those she usually trained down here with. "Right, so we stick together and there's our best chance, unpowered." Fingers crossed, let's hope this was the right way to go.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty steps up to Scott and nods. "I know you're all not happy about no powers. But. Listen to what you're told. There's two X-Men giving you life lessons. If you want to whine and moan, put it on my desk and sit down with me once we're done" Kitty says, fully intending to take the load off of Scott having any possible students cry foul bout no powers.

"Now, if you're all listening, and ready to begin, shall we? And no. I have no questions. Except what's the payment rate for trash collections, with regards to our enemies?" Kitty asks with a totally straight face, then she grins. "I'm good on questions. Ready when you re"

Wolverine has posed:
Logan listens to Slim?s little speil over the intercom and cracks a smirk. No powers? This should be a fun one to watch. As he watches he pulls out a cigar, preps it and lights it up. As he takes a draw from the stogie he thinks to himself. Should he join? Nah, the kids need to learn that life tends to hand out shit in different sizes. Besides a lot of the kids have a specific, and well known, outlook on how Logan plays in the Danger Room. No need for them to go wetting themselves more than they are now.

Cyclops has posed:
"There will be no enemies. This is just a work out. You can work as a team or you can work on your own. It's mostly just navigating through the city in a linear manner. You start from this building and you head towards that green floating exclamation mark in the sky." Scott says as he turns and points in the distance about two miles out, where a glowing ! can be seen bobbing up and down.

"The buildings are spaced far apart enough for anyone to be able to makst the jumps, but just be careful for the terrain is wet and slippery. Once you make your way through it the first time, we will reset and I will up the difficulty. I'll increase the width, increase the rain and the wind. Learning to deal with the elements is important."

Cracking his neck to the side, he says, "Now, try and keep up if you can."

With that, Scott is off, leaping upwards to grab the rails of the first fire escape in front of him, then hauls himself upwards quickly. He may have a stiff back when it comes to public speaking, or being a face amongst the school, but out here? He's like a cat. He can really move.

"Come on kids!"

Nightingale has posed:
     Okay. This was going to be an interesting experience, going through the course sans wings. Keeping them tucked in as tightly behind her as she can, Shannon heads on up the fire escape. There's a surprising parallel between the muscles used for dance class, playing musical instruments, and general heavy-duty chores around the mansion. Raw strength to pull one's self up the fire escape from chores and otherwise working out, agility from dance to keep from slipping, and the strength of one's grip plus dexterity fostered by long hours playing musical instruments. Getting them to work in sync? Yeah, that's like a dance, too. It takes her a few near-misses, but Shannon soon catches up to Scott, her expression set with a determined smile.

     A cat she was not. But, at least she wasn't an albatross, either!

Wolverine has posed:
With a shake of his head, Logan can only watch as Scott takes off and leaves the kids behind. Sure some kids learn by doing, but others need guidance. But what the hell does he know? He's not a teacher. However he does know how to spot slackers, as he looks down into the room he sees two of them and they're wait... are they making out? Oh yeah they are.

With a chuckle he mumbles to himself "Sorry kids, but I have t' be Mr. Buzzkill." Reaching over to the intercom he presses the button and opens his end up. "Not t' sound like a jerk up here Summers, but just wanna let ya know two of your kids decided t' stop playing keep away and started playing tonsil hockey." he pushes the button again to turn off the com and waits. Oh this?ll be fun.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's offf and litereally running. Well, runnning when her feet find solid ground. Hands grip on fire escapes. She's hauling herself up, then running. Okay. Fine. Leap the gap? Sure.

Kitty pauses, steadies herself and sprints, leaping and lunging for the gap, arms outstretched for the building, as she lakes it and keeeps on running.

Cyclops has posed:
As he pulls himself up to the roof, Scott gives a glance over towards the two kids who just got caught by Logan making noise with their lips. He tilts his head upwards, then says, "Computer, the floor is hot lava." Welp.

There is a low rumble on the ground as it begins to split and crack widely, releasing a hiss of steam upwards, followed by the sounds of bubbling. "I suggest you all get up here as quick as you can!"

There is a bit of panic in the kid's faces as suddenly they all bolt for the fire escapes, scrambling and leaping upwards to try and haul upwards. On the ground? Bright red and orange flames spark, followed by the sight of oozing, bubbling lava that begins to rise and melt all that it touches.

There is a moment of amusement across his face before he is off once more, leaping over the first roof to the next, hitting it with his feet and tucking forward in a sommersault before springing up once more. "MOVE IT KIDS!" He hollers over his shoulder with authority in his voice. You too, Kitty. Move it.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon just gets a big ol' grin on her face as the two kids are caught out. That is, until the floor becomes a lava obstacle course. It takes effort on her part to /not/ spread out her wings and take off. No, she continues the climb to the top of the building, reaching down to help one of the two stragglers behind her. "Come on!"

     You don't leave a teammate behind. That lesson had been drummed into her.

     But then came the first leap across the rooftops. She blanched, hesitating at the edge. Taking a few steps back, she takes a running start and leaps across the chasm between the buildings....

     ...and miscalculates her landing. There's a yelp behind Scott, and she's hanging on to the edge, working to pull herself back up again. This was not only a bit nerve-wracking, it was bloody embarrassing!

Wolverine has posed:
As he takes another drag at his cigar, Logan watches for any more horny teens. Its only when he blows the smoke up into the air does the program change. As he looks down he can only stare as the room glows and becomes.. Hot lava? Really Summers, hot lava. Whats next? Cushion forts? Doing each others nails? Knowing him it will be pillow fights. Shaking the thought of that, which is just too much, out of his head Logan simply puts his cigar in between his teeth and says "Yeah this ain't right. I'm going back t' my cabin." before leaving the control room leaving behind a trail of smoke like an old train.

Shadowcat has posed:
Like Kitty needs to be told twice. She's not on or near the floor, na. Sprinting for the next building she leaps, landing on her feet in a roll, then skitters to a halt for a moment to offer Shannon a hand to help her up. Never leave a teammate behind. Even if they are regular students. Oh she'll pull the horny pair in to discuss things with them, but for now...

"Keep running" Kitty calls over already runnning more. Sure, Kitty's nott a gymnast, but she's good at doing her thing. Which is being a tenured X-Man, and doing what Scott tells her to.

I.e. running as fast as possible, breathing hard and leaping from building to building, like some demented hurdles race where the whole idea is not to, well, need new pants out of fear.

Costumes do not come cheap to dry clean. Life lesson, kids. Costumes are not easy to clean, either!

Cyclops has posed:
"Come on, Miss Lance! You can do it." Scott says as he turns at the sound of Shannon's loud noise. He looks over the edge of the roof to her, then holds out his hand for her. "Take my hand if you need it, but you got this." He says with confidence in his voice. "I've seen your files. I've watched your Danger Room recaps. Push your feet against the roof, lock your knees and shove yourself upwards. Upperbody strength. You don't need your wings to propel you. Just your biceps."

The bright red visor shines as the street explodes below them in a fiery rumble. At least everyone got up to the roof on time! He did say the safety locks were on, but it's still very much a real feeling to be scared. No one wants to be swallowed up by hot lava.

"Now get your ass over this rooftop, now!" He says firmly to her, staring directly down at the girl. Give her that motivation. Push her.

Nightingale has posed:
     Shannon made a mental note to hit the gym for extra sessions over the next week or two, and work on her upper body strength. For now, she is simply glad for the hand extended to her, which she does reach out and take hold of. Her grip is strong, and it's just the point of stability she needs to get her feet into place, lock her knees, and haul herself up over the edge. "Thanks!" For once, she was actually shaking a little bit. "Any chance on running these courses a little more often?" Yeah, she knew she needed the work.

     She also had a feeling her 'bumblebees' were going to need cleaning when this was all done.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty's more focused on hey, no. Not being a crispy flame grilled Kitty. Flame grilled is for food. Kitty's not food. Lockheed's keeping up with Kitty too as she is secretly pleased with that and narrows her eyes on the next jump. Fine, let's se...let's see...

Keep running. Leap. Land. Roll. Nearly squash Lockheeed. Minor details....

Point is. Kitty's running her ass off, metaphorically.

Cyclops has posed:
"I run them every morning with my team." Scott says with an even tone, straight face. "But I can partner with Mister Guthrie on integrating more of these into the New Mutant curriculum. Now get a move on." He says as he motions her on forward.

There is a loud scream from one of the other students who didn't make it over the roof. "AHHHHHhhhHhhhhhhhhhhhHHhh!" Thud. ".. Ow. I think I broke my butt bone. Oh, hey, this isn't lava, it's like jello!"

There is a long, withering sigh from Scott, followed by a small smile before he takes off again at a jog. "Get back up here Marcos! Try again!" He calls down to the fallen student. At least they know they won't actually become New MutantMcNuggets.

He leaps over the next roof easily, landing, then takes off again. Throughout the course there will be light rumbles of the buildings to shake things up, maze like pipes to climb through and get tangled up in. The flashing ! in the distance is like a glowing green beacon, just waiting for them to complete their course.

Nightingale has posed:
     "Aye, sir!" Shannon takes off for the next rooftop leap. This time, the distance is gauged much more closely, and the worst that happens is she wobbles a little bit on the edge. Lava jello or not, she was still going to treat it as if it were real. And thanks, but no thanks, she had zero wish to become a crispy fried flier.

     Ha. Say that ten times fast. Bet you can't do it.

     The pipes could either become a liability--or an asset. Some were well-placed and served as good hand and foot holds to help with all the climing.

     Behind her, Shannon heard another student in the same predicament she had just been in, and she skidded to a stop, did an about-face, and went back to reach out a helping hand. It was Angela, the same student who she'd sort of taken under her wing during the opening of the school year. The poor girl looked terrified as she scrambled to hold on to the edge.

     "Come on, Angela, you can do this! There's a ledge right there near your feet, get a hold of that and you can push yourself up!"

     Forget high scores for lowest time to finish the course. It was better to bring the whole team home.

Shadowcat has posed:
Tell that to Kitty. Tell that one to Kitty, though to be fair the pipes slow her down and she's scrambling up them, with Lockheed clinging to her shoulder as if he's just as worried of the lava. Which, hey, is a good thing.

Looking down from atop the pipes, at least for a moment, Kitty books it. Hey, Kitty's moving fluidly now, she's in a groove and running. So, after lava...and buildings shaking, she wonders what's next...

Yeah, knock on wood, Kitty, Knock on wood...

Or whatever the equivalent is for the DR...see, see. Kitty's pausing to look up toward the beacon as if drawing a path with her eyes.

Cyclops has posed:
Good thing there is no scores, high or low, in this simulation. It's just fun, hard work, and hopefully something to be learned from it. Scott takes his time through the course, at times stepping in to help a student who is overly struggling, but for the most part he keeps hands off outside of trying to push them harder, to give them some sense of confidence. Some obstacles in life you have to get over yourself. Mind over matter.

He does take note of Shannon helping others, filing some of that in the back of his head. Everything that anyone does won't escape his visor'd eyes. Though this is not a test technically for Kitty, as she is not a student, he does document her progress as well. As a teammate, she needs to be as elite as any of them, so any mistake she makes he will critically document to himself. Feedback can come later.

As he reaches the end of the course, he taps the green ! that floats, then turns to watch the others, folding his arms over his chest. The hot lava has continued to rise, now only a few feet below the rooftop so any mistake now will be noticeable.

Shadowcat has posed:
Not that Kitty's making many mistakes if at all. She's hit her stirde and vaults the gap now, lunging, leaping for the beacon and presses it. Then like Scott, she turns and watches the students. Though Kitty feels like making things a tiny, tiny bit more challenging and smiles.

"Good course" Kitty nods. "I want to make it more realistic to how it is out in the field however, if you don't mind" she offers with a nod. Kitty's been out in M'town enough to know how things are.

Nightingale has posed:
     While keeping a fairly quick pace on the course, Shannon still keeps an ear out for her fellow students. Thankfully, it seems as if Scott has most of the stragglers well in hand. There were times it was okay to just let others do what they do, and not take on everything yourself.

     Then there were times it was okay to maybe allow one's self a tiny bit of satisfaction at a victory well-earned. As she, too, reaches the end of the course, she taps the glowing green exclamation mark above her head and taps it. But, she takes a step or two back /into/ the course, canting her head and listening for other signs of trouble with her fellow students. Good. No more trouble.

Cyclops has posed:
Once the last student tags the floating !, the simulation ends and everything melts away, revealing just the Danger Room. "Good job, everyone." Scott says as he gives a firm nod of his head, glancing to each of them in turn. "Not bad for a first round of city running this early in the morning. I will have a digital sign up sheet on the school directory if anyone wants to sign up for other sessions. They will vary in degrees of difficulty and some will allow your powers. Most of my workouts require just your heart and your hands though."

There's a glance to Kitty and gives a nod of his head. "We can work on that with our team. With the kids, I want to start them off in chunks. But for us? I don't see why we can't create something a bit more advanced."

Taking out a small data pad off the wall, he taps in a few notes into each student's file, then says, "Class is dismissed. I was told by Jean that breakast is ready if any of you enjoy pancakes and bacon." Obviously, quite a few students barrel for the door, despite being sore and sweaty. He watches them go, lips twitching upwards for a moment, as if he was swept away in a memory of old. A memory of five friends, as young as they.

Shadowcat has posed:
Kitty doesn't /need/ to be told twice. Though she eyes Scott. "Kosher bacon? Because if not, you" she e nods to Shannon, "Can help cook" she says with a wry grin. "Hey, maybe we should start a cooking club, huh? I'll taste test" Kitty nods and barrels for the door too. "Oh, by the way can you drop by my office later?" she asks Scott. "I wanted to catch you and discuss things"

With that,she's finally out the door, heading for the elevator. Because, pancakes. And bacon? And syrup? Hopefully syrup!