11441/Nightmare Session

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Nightmare Session
Date of Scene: 07 May 2020
Location: Danger Room - X-Men Base
Synopsis: Megan's new powers are analyzed. A dark presence is detected.
Cast of Characters: Pixie, Cyclops, Phoenix
Tinyplot: Gremlins!


Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn was a little nervous about testing out her new abilities given her current...Situation. But she was also eager to figure out how and what changed besides the obvious. She was ever thankful for the flying sessions she had had with Shannon and Josiah, but Megan couldn't help but wonder if other things were different too. Jean May have noticed a few dark thoughts lurking in her mind lately, and while she had checked out okay mentally so far, who knows how long that will last?

So here she is, up bright and early, reporting to the danger room which seems large and empty and imposing when she's standing here alone, dressed in her familiar gold and blue uniform, Grey bat wings curled about her lithe form.

Cyclops has posed:
Waiting in the Danger Room is Cyclops, not Scott. When he is in his X-Men blue and gold uniform, he is Cyclops. As the doors swish open to reveal the student, he watches her through the red ruby lens of his visor. "Hello, Miss Gwynn." He says as he gives her a subtle glance over.

"How are you feeling today? I hope you are not nervous. You shouldn't be with all the hours you have logged in here." He says as he tilts his head upwards, then gives a brief smile. "I hope you do not mind if the Headmaster joins us as well. Phoenix may be able to offer some insight that I would easily miss."

Phoenix has posed:
Said Phoenix is present already, permission granted or no. Suited in bronzed green and gilded boots and gloves, she cuts a metallic and elegant counterpart to that of Cyclop's crisp work blues. "The fine points of combat I leave to him." She says with a glance aside to the man and then back to Megan. "I'm here, however, to watch your progress here."

There's a tap of her finger to the side of her own temple before gesturing around. "While you two work, I want to monitor you for any changes mentally. Your state of thought and emotions are every bit as crucial as your body's condition, so it'll be good to know if there's anything off sorts."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn glances towards Cyclops and Phoenix, biting her lip and clenching her hands. She wasn't expecting them both to be here and in spite of the hours she has logged here, Megan still feels a bit nervous under their combined scrutiny perhaps. Still she clenches her jaw, allowing a small smile and nod to them both. "Mr. Summers. Ms. Grey. Hello. Um, good morning. I'm okay, I've been practicing with my new wings." she stretches her arms, cranking her neck. "I...I will do my best!" it may be just an assessment but either way it feels like she's being tested..

Cyclops has posed:
"I know you will." Cyclops says in regards to her doing her best. "Just don't be worried. This isn't about how well you do or not. It's just about what is happening, your level of control and how you are dealing with it. Our goal first and foremost is to get you back to normal, or at least a state of normal that you are happy with. Even if it means you are still in your new .. form." He says with a motion of his hand.

Heading to the wall, he swipes his hand along it to reveal the control manner, then taps his gloved fingers against the lights as he puts in a code.

As the room grows dark for a brief second, it lights back up with a simple city block filled with numerous people walking around and going about their days. "Here we go. Each of these people have been programmed to respond and act just like any other normal person on the street. We used several profiles of human behavior that Doctor McCoy created so that they all respond to stimuli in different ways." He says with a motion of his hand. "I want you to use your powers on them. See what happens. Don't be afraid of hurting them, for they are not real."

Phoenix has posed:
"Relax. It's as he says, we're here just to see what opportunities there are to get you back to form. Take it from me, better to practice and learn what new things may have popped up or changed before you need to use it." Jean moves off to the side of the room as the program launches, finding a spot out of the main field of action where she can stand and observe. "You shouldn't even notice I'm there, but if anything I do causes a distraction than just let me know. Your focus comes first."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks slowly peering around. Okaay, this isn't exactly what she was expecting. It's...Just a normal city block, full of normal people. Her eyes widen uncertainly, hesitating, glancing at Cyclops. "Ummm, but...They're civilians...Is it really okay..?" she walks through the crowds, alert, perhaps a bit more paranoid than usual, as she keeps an eye out for anything unusual. She's still in 'this is a trick' mode. But...He did say they're nit real and it's okay so...

"Alright, here goes nothing.." she flaps her wings, slowly at first, and quickens her pace, taking a running start and leaping into the air to get some leverage. Her wings are bigger and a bit more awkward, trying to hover is harder but she adjusts well enough, gliding, circling around the crowd til she is right above them.

This will do just fine...She grits her teeth, spreading her arms and her wings, flapping them faster and faster, relying more on the sheer size and drag of the wings more than their slower speed as she gathers up glittery pink dust, marred this time with black..And releases it upon the crowd of people below.

This is her first attempt at using her faerie dust since her transformation. And the effects are markedly different. Rather than experiencing something fluffy, relaxing, sometimes even comical, these people will experience something darker, something more...Frightening..

Its their worst fears come to life..

Cyclops has posed:
As he watches, Cyclops gives a nod of his head. "It's perfectly alright. Whatever happens, it's just a simulation." Once she takes to the sky, he montiors her movements, tapping on the front of a datapad in his hands as he records her speed, trajectory, strength.

When her pixie dust floats over the heads of the people, a reaction definitely happens. A couple people of 'lower willpower' begin to shriek and scream, falling to their knees and clutching their heads. One woman is hollering about 'snakes', while another is clawing at his face, whimpering about 'spiders'. More and more people begin to react, running for their lives, breaking into sobs, or trying to push through each other to simply get away.

"Huh." He taps along his pad again with his finger as he jots down a few notes. He gives a glance to Jean as well, then back to Pixie, simply watching her with a calm expression on his face.

Phoenix has posed:
Jean Grey leans herself against the steel of a streetlamp as she watches Pixie take flight. There's no datapad in front of her, not even a pen and notepad. Just her, arms loose and only lightly overlapped in front of her midsection in a casual posture. Her calm observations don't last long. As the holographic people begin to react in a very visceral manner, she stands up straighter and stares after one person that rushes past her in full hysterics.

Back to the flying Megan her eyes then return, and with her posture in a much more businesslike pose, the redhead takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. It's a visual and psychological blotting out of their surroundings as she focuses directly upon Megan.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks slowly, wings relaxing as she glides back to the ground. There's a bit of a stumble but for the most part, she is slowly getting used to the mechanics if her new wings. But what's this? Glancing this way and that, Megan realizes with horror, that her pixie dust is having a surprisingly different effect on people. "What? What's going on..?" she's a bit surprised, worried even, this is horrifying, this is frightening, this is...A small smile creeps up on her face. "Hmmm, not bad at all.." her smile turns into an almost snide smirk.

Oh. Oh yes. She likes this new power. Somehow, seeing people fleeing in fear makes her feel...Well, good. She laughs. Cackles even, as if revelling in their glee. So. This is why they wanted to harvest her pixie dust. Bastards. If they tried now....

No no no. No! What a horrible thought, why is she thinking this way? Why is she revelling in their pain? Why! "Ugh! Get outta my head!" she shrieks, clutching her head. Jean May have noticed just a brief hint of someone having been in her head, though it's subtle..

Cyclops has posed:
Tapping a finger on the wall, the simulation ends instantly, leaving them in the cold, metal open room of the Danger Room. He noticed the changes in her behavior, immediately looking over towards Jean. "Take a deep breath, Pixie. It's alright. It's just the three of us in the room."

"Jean.." He trails off, relying on her to do her thing and relay the information back to him. << What's going on? What do you see? Is someone controlling or influencing her remotely? >>

He makes his way over to Pixie, resting a hand on her shoulder gently, giving it a comforting squeeze.

Phoenix has posed:
As things settle, Jean slowly opens her eyes and watches as the people run and hide, leaving the street quickly an empty place full of the echo of a city wind and the rustle of discarded trash before those too die into an empty metal room and the dull hum of electronic equipment. Her face is a multitude of emotions, sorrow and pity foremost, but something colder like recognition below it. It's the look of a woman reliving some of her own memories.

All is quiet, at least until the winged girl cries out. "Megan, take a deep breath, we're here with you." Jean says as she approaches the pair, her mouth pulled into a thin line. "Ground yourself. Focus on where you are right now, shut out the rest." She stays close, but she doesn't touch Megan and gives her some space.

She looks to Scott then, silently explaining, << It was too brief to get much, something is well buried. Whatever changed her left... something. A suggestion, a whisper; I can't tell if it's an actual presence or just the impression left behind, but something is influencing her. >>

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn is panting slightly now, nit from the exertion so much as the mental....Whatever that was. She looks scared but nods, taking a few deep breaths, hands clenched in to fists, shaking slightly. "I'm...I'm sorry, I dunno what came over me, it was so scary...That feeling.." she sighs, hanging her head, "What's happening to me? Am I gonna be...Okay..?"

Cyclops has posed:
"You are going to be fine." Scott says in that assuring, fatherly tone of voice as he offers her a smile. "The X-Men has faced situations like this in the past."

<< Find it, and destroy it. >> He says through his mental link. << Now that you know what it feels like, it should be easy for you. From there, you may want to see about putting Megan back together so that she she feels like her normal self. Lock up the part of her mind that is being penetrated by whatever that is. >>

He taps a few more times on the panel, then gives another pat to Pixie's shoulder. Pat-Pat.

Phoenix has posed:
"Nothing will hurt you so long as we're around." Jean assures with full confidence in her voice. "And we're also here to make sure all of you learn how to protect one another the same. You have nothing to apologize for. Here..." She stretches out a hand towards the console, and with the whir of mechanics a soft set of opposing couches materializes where they stand. "Sit, rest for a minute."

Jean takes a seat upon one of the couches, resting her hands in her lap as she tips her head in Scott's direction, listening. When she replies, it's out loud. "Megan, when you're ready, I'll need to go back in and see what's influencing you - and your powers. I need to learn more about this to know what can be safely done. Mind work can never be taken lightly. Even if it's not something that we can ultimately remove," And the perceptive could feel the very faintest uptick in temperature in the room. Maybe its just nerves. "Such as if it's ingrained within your new powers, I can see if I can at least remove this from your mind."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn smiles faintly, reassured by the presence of the Headmaster and Head mistress. "Thank you, I know I'll be okay, in fact, I already feel better.." her breathing relaxes visible as she pulls herself together. Until Jean tells her to go back, and she blinks. "Back in the danger room? But..." she bites her, glancing g over her shoulder uncertainly. But hey, they know best right? "Umm okay, what do you need me to do this time?"

Cyclops has posed:
"No, Jean is going to go into your head and take a look around and see if we can seal the entrance to whatever is trying to possess you. Then she will see if there is anything else damaged." Scott assures her with another pat before he heads back to to stand at Jean's side. "It will take as long as it takes to blink. Remind me to tell you the story about the Shadow King and how we dealt with him."

Phoenix has posed:
"Now, I will do what I can now, but this may not all go in one sitting." Jean is careful to warn. "I wouln't be nearly so subtle. I'll know if something hurts you and I wouln't do anything I don't need to in order to make sure that you're safe. I know it goes against everything we teach when it comes to someone in your mind, but try not to push back at me. It's a reflex, I get it. It'll just make it harder."

She doesn't even need to look towards Scott to say the next part, though only he can hear it. << If things go sideways, just close us in here and get the Professor. No heroics. This shouldn't go badly, but you know the drill. >>

"Alright, Megan. You can sit or lay down, whichever is easier for you to relax." Jean says to her then, "I'll have my hands near your head, but that's all. So when you're ready, we'll get started."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn swallows a bit but nods, trusting they will do what is best. "Um, okay.." and she does sit down, taking a couple of deep breaths, closing her eyes. There's a part of her that is nervous of someone peeking at her private thoughts but she's more afraid of what else is lurking in her head. "I'm...I'm ready.."

Phoenix has posed:
Once Megan is settled and as comfortable as she's going to get, Jean moves around behind the couch and then behind Megan. She takes in a slow, deep breath as she brings up her hands as if to cup either side of the girl's head, though she never quite makes contact. "Just remember, I will never mean you harm." And with that, in she goes.

There's a soft ping of her presence, one conscious thought to another that Jean is there in a mental doorbell ring. It's a slow entrance, like someone carefully opening a door and stepping into a house when they don't know if someone is home. Her presence is a slowly spreading warmth like the sun through a window, though it is touched with the perception of smoke. Jean moves with the equivalent of soft steps so as not to disrupt much. The many doors of the mind are passes one by one, a quick peek in each in a meticulous but professional search. If there's no sense of what she felt before, she doesn't linger to eavesdrop on things that are private.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn nods wordlessly and closes her eyes, trying to relax. Her mind is...An interesting place, full of a lot of color and light and nature. There are many doors to the house of her mind, and while many are full of happy, innocent memories, there is sadness there too. The death of her father hit her hard, getting caught in a closet once is a major thing too. Apparently she's a bit claustrophobic. But those aren't the memories Jean is looking for. Fast forward a few years, Pixie has grown and learned, and bonded with many students. Then there's the experience with Illyana tearing a hole in her soul..

There is darkness there, there has always been, even since then, but it's more of a magical influence, thanks to the black magic that Illy put in her. There are a few trace shadows here and there, a bit of mischievous, even dangerous laughter. Not true evilness but she definitely became sassier at that time...

And that brings them to today, now. There's even more of that black magic, a desire to be strong, to taunt, to play, show off...And to sometimes revel in the pain of others. Like today. There are occasional shadows here and there...And more importantly, a dark, suave silky voice whispering in the air, a fleeting shadow lurking behind a couple doors, rapidly retreating. It's more of an echo than an active influence, like a hypnotic suggestion was left lingering in several rooms of her mind, although it's quick and fleeting..

Phoenix has posed:
There's a lot to go through. Human minds are big and complex and haphazard in nearly everyone, with a jumble of thoughts and memories. And what's worse, not all memories are real, some are just figments influenced by things one was told or saw in a photograph and built stories around. It's a miraculous thing, but sometimes a bit derp too.

Jean's a pro, but this is still tough work and in a mind she doesn't know. She pokes towards every dark corner, driving it back with her own golden glow of light. Mischief is fairly easy to spook, like a misbehaving child faced with the glower of their parent. But that voice... that is what Jean turns for.

Where the voice is, Jean goes. Her mere presence isn't enough to drive it back, and when she starts to push then it pushes back. It resists, like a sticky tar that doesn't want to wash off. Scott could see the faint grit of Jean's teeth as she focuses. When Jean tries to pass through some of the doors it lurks behind, she finds them shut, or even without their figurative handles entirely. When she pushes against them, there is a feeling of pressure, like the starts of a headache that promises to be a doozy if it keeps going.

Cyclops has posed:
As he watches, Scott is calm in his demeanor. He knows that as the Phoenix, Jean can handle herself in any psychic situation. He quietly lends his strength to her through their shared mental link, while he continues to tap away at his datapad in his hands.

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn bites her lip but remains mostly quiet, trying not to panic. She doesn't want to interrupt Jean's work or her own thought processes, but it's a strange sensation, having someone poke around in your mind. She's a powerful telepath though, and she does manage to drive many of the shadows away. But indeed, some of them wrap around and linger..And still others flit just out of visual range, popping in and out, as if taunting her, playing with her, whatever force this us, it's string but moreso, it's cunning, quick, experienced with chicanery, sleight of hand...And then it's not long before this presence senses what she is up to, and Jean is greeted with a sudden powerful blast of force and a loud grating voice: GET OUT!!!

Phoenix has posed:
Well that took Jean a bit by surprise. She'd expected something to be mucking about - and so it was - but a very tangible and apparently sentient force? Not so much. There's a brief moment where the temperature ticks up a few more notches, and Megan would become distinctly aware that it's not just Jean in her head but something Else staring out through the Headmistress' eyes. Something that is not amused by being toyed with or ordered around. No sooner does something ugly rear its head than Jean abruptly ends the venture. Her own mental defenses snap down like blast shields and she backs right on out of Megan's head and a sharp inhale and several steps back.

<< Scott, she's not alone in there. I need to go talk to the Professor. For now, I think it's best that Megan stays here at the school and under the watch of one of the X-Men till we can figure out what this is. No power usage unless it's life or death. I don't know what it is or what it can do, so until we can figure out more I don't want to risk hurting her trying to excise this. I don't want to terrify her either. >>

Jean scrubs her hands across her face as she lets out the breathe she was holding and then looks down to Megan on the couch. "Megan, are you okay?" She asks of her, her expressions drawn and clouded with concern. "Sorry, that was... harder than I anticipated it was going to be."

Cyclops has posed:
There is a frown upon Scott's face as he listens to Jean, then gives a nod of his head. << Understood. I'll get Cannonball on it. >> He say as he taps away at his datapad to send a message to the younger X-Man. << Good job, Jean. >> As he crosses over towards the pair, he gives Pixie a thump on the shoulder. "Megan, until we tell you to, no using your powers, got it? You will report to Cannonball from here out. Also means you're gonna be stuck at the school for a bit until Jean and The Professor figures this out. Don't worry, you're not in trouble, but we will get this resolved so that you can have a normal life again."

Pixie has posed:
Megan Gwynn blinks slowly and opens her eyes, stretching as if waking from a dream. "Um..Yes I think so. What did you see?" she frowns a bit, peering at Scott thoughtfully but sighs and nods. "Oh, I..I u sweat and. I hope this can be resolved soon."