4970/Danger Room Evaluation

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Danger Room Evaluation
Date of Scene: 21 July 2018
Location: Xavier's School
Synopsis: Scott meets with Andrea in the Danger Room for a brief assessment of her abilities as well as the control she wields over Rage.
Cast of Characters: Cyclops, Rage




Cyclops has posed:
Upon meeting Andrea, Scott immediately noticed her potential. Both as a capable student as well as a leader amongst her peers. Having received a thorough team report from the young woman on her teammates that was able to provide Scott with some background information prior to meeting the team himself, he had decided to work with Andrea to get to know her abilities a little more and learn more about her ability to deal with pressure. Given her admission to struggling with her inner powers, Scott wants to put them to the test in a safe environment. Hopefully she will be able to overcome her struggles so she can step up and set a positive example.

Scott stands just inside the danger room about 15 minutes prior to their arranged meeting time. He's rarely ever on time as he prefers to get to meetings much earlier. He stands at a control panel, tapping a few of the buttons and skimming over the display, his brows furrowed and his jaws clenched in concentration as he focuses on setting up a subroutine for today's session. Right now the danger room is in its normal state. Dull metallic walls, floors, and ceilings with a control booth suspended from the ceiling on one side and the remote terminal Scott is using not far from the entrance.

Rage has posed:
The doors swish open to reveal Andrea, seven minutes early to their arranged meeting. Being that this is the second time she will have stepped foot into this room, the memories of last time has her incredibly on edge. The images of killing Mason in a berserker rage still haunts her at night, though it served as a considerable lesson of trying to take the reins from the monster that has dug her claws into her soul. Having finally been fitted with a suit that won't shred itself upon shifting, she is dressed in the traditional black and yellow, complete with an X belt about her waist. The spandexy material still feels odd to her as she can feel it shifting with each step she takes. Like flexible denim, just way softer, easier to breathe.

Clearing her throat, she offers the Professor a half guarded and nervous smile as she lifts a hand up towards him. "I'm here, sir." She says in a shaky breath as she rings her hands together a bit, then smooths them out at her hips with a practiced, deep breath, built to combat nerves and put on a professional face for the cameras.

Cyclops has posed:
The sound of the doors swooshing open draws Scott's attention from the panel he's using to see Andrea stepping in. He's seen her probably more often than anyone else since arriving back in the area and this is the first time he has not seen a crowd of fans swarming around behind her. It's also the first time he's seen her looking somewhat reluctant.

Watching her demeanor for a moment, Scott considers it silently for a moment before he turns back to the panel and taps a few more buttons. Finally he pulls away from the panel and turns to greet Andrea, "Good morning, Miss Jackson." He offers her a smile and a nod as she appears to gather herself for the upcoming session. He glances down at his watch and notes that she's early, "We can begin when you're ready." He turns back towards the panel and checks a few more things, speaking over his shoulder, "You are welcome to stretch to get warmed up if you wish." He knows that he prefers to get primed before getting into any action. Minimizes soreness and downtime between missions, of course.

Rage has posed:
"Good morning. I'm ready. I had my morning routines earlier today." Andrea says as she gives another glance over, then heads for the center of the Danger Room as she gives a few swivels of her left arm back and forth to at least loosen up her rotator cuff. She gives a few hops on her booted feet, psyching herself up as she gives a few swats to the side of her head. "What is the objective for today?"

Cyclops has posed:
Scott nods and presses a few more buttons as Andrea makes her way into the center of the room.

Suddenly the room dims and everything turns completely black, although the room is still well-lit. After a moment, things begin to change and buildings slowly fade into existence. Streets, cars, shops. But something else does as well. Large stalks that appear to be plant-like. For anyone not living under a rock for the past few weeks, it would look a lot like the objects that have been seen in the area recently.

Scott looks up to survey the scene before glancing over at Andrea, "Just do what comes naturally."

For a few more moments nothing happens. The streets are empty of people or animals. Only parked cars, street lights, and the buildings in the area. That is until a muffled 'splat' sound emerges from behind Andrea. A single black gelatinous squid-like creature begins to crawl its way towards her.

Rage has posed:
As she turns around a few times in circles, Andrea's eyes widen as the images shoot up and start to take place around her. She takes in another breath, flexing her fingers a bit as she eyes the large stalks that shoot upwards to the sky. "They burn you at the touch. Only weakness is being frozen I think. I'm no good against those."

At the sound of the loud plop behind her, Andrea turns and takes a few steps backwards quickly on her heels. "Stay back." She says to the goopy creature. "Stay back, I don't want to hurt you." Though as she speaks, the hair along her arms start to prick.

Cyclops has posed:
When Andrea steps back from the squid creature, it stops moving. It simply 'sits' there, its body rippling alowly and its tentacles idly flopping over one another.

Seemingly from out of nowhere, a man comes running from down the street. He's dressed in casual attire, bearded with glasses, and overall looks like a random civilian. He looks from Andrea to the black squid and points at it, "What... the hell is.." Suddenly the squid leaps up at the gentleman and wraps its tentacles around the back of his head and squeezes itself against his face. The man's hands begin flailing wildly and muffled screams can be heard from beneath the squid as it drowns out the sound for the most part.

Scott looks up from the control panel, his lips pressed together tightly as he observes, his eyes shifting from the man being assaulted over to Andrea.

Rage has posed:
"No, wait, stay back!" Andrea calls over to the man as she holds out a hand to him. As the squid leaps up and attacks, she pushes off one foot and charges forward. As she moves, her body buckles violently as she screams out in pain. The sound of bones snapping can be heard as she begins to jerk with each step, growing in size as black fur begins to shoot out from her body. There is a snap of the spine as she straightens up, her face contorting to grow a muzzle below glowing gold eyes. She rises from five foot and some change to toppling eight feet of rippling muscle and ebon pelt.

<<It's about time, pup.>>

Razor sharp claws snatch into the back of the squid like creature, looking to yank it backwards and off the man. If successful, she will twist her body to the side and slam it into the ground.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott stands behind the panel, his eyes remaining on Andrea as her body begins to shift and morph, the sounds of bones popping and snapping not doing much to change his expression.

When Andrea's claws sink into the back of the squid creature, its gelatinous body tears out fairly easily and its grip on the young man weakens and he is able to pull free from it. He whimpers and staggers back a few feet, tripping and collapsing to the ground. His face has a few lacerations but overall he looks more terrified than anything.

The man reaches down to pick up his glasses that had fallen to the street when he was attacked and begins to glance up at Andrea, "Th.. thank you." When his glasses are replaced, he sees what Andrea has turned into and his eyes grow wide. He begins backing up using his hands and feet to crawl backwards as quickly as possible, "Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod." He repeatedly chants this as he backs away from her.

In the meantime the sound of squishing can be heard from all directions as more of the squid-like creatures begin to crawl up over parked vehicles and roll their way out of surrounding buildings. The stalk in the background hisses and a cloud of what appears to be a greenish fog drifts off into the sky.

Rage has posed:
As the monster beneath her claws appear to have been defeated, Rage lets out a loud roar down into the black mess of goo beneath her, rising up to her full height as she gives a few pounds of her chest with her fists, as if looking to egg the rest of the creatures on. The large, dangerous jaws part, revealing gleaming teeth and spittle drooling over her chin. The man crawling away is all but ignored as the lumbering beast turns to the rest of the enemy.

<<You /dare/ challenge me! All you have done is bring me a feast!>>

~Control. Control. I'm in control. Stop. You're scaring that man.~

<<He should be scared. We are ancient! This is /war/. You need to understand this, pup.>>

~STOP IT.~

The large beast gives a jolt, eyes shrinking for a moment before she shakes her head, followed by another slam of the palm against her skull. With a deep breath, she takes a few steps forward to put herself between the man and the rest of the monsters, reaching out to yank the door of a car off and holding it upwards as a shield.~Stay behind me. I will be your shield.~ She knows he can't understand her. No one can. They're just snarls and growls, but regardless, she is determined to protect this man.

Cyclops has posed:
The man's reaction to the beast seems to be both terror and confusion. It's clear the thing is monstrous and could easily tear him apart, but at the same time despite its growling and roaring it does appear to be protecting him. That doesn't particularly help with the fear, though. Andrea may be able to catch the scent of urine, as the man has clearly soiled his pants as he continues to back away from her and the other squid until he finally rests against a parked car. At this point he's basically unable to move purely out of fear.

A dozen or so squid creatures slink their way across the pavement towards Andrea and a couple more begin to curve off and head towards the unsuspecting man quivering beside the vehicle. One of the squid approaching Andrea seems to make a squezling sound as it closes in on her a little more quickly.

Scott remains at his post, tapping a few buttons here and there, but he mostly seems to be silently watching the action. He remains focused on the transformed Andrea as he measures up her ability to deal with the danger at hand.

Rage has posed:
~I need you to work with me.~

<<You need to let me kill these things!>>

~We have to protect the man. That is the goal. We have to save him.~

<<He is scared of us! He is /weak/.>>

As the one who starts to speed up grows closer, Rage wheels the car door around and slams it into the creature, looking to send it back as she continues to back peddle towards the man. Whipping her head towards the man, she grunts out in English, even if it hurts her throat to do so.

"Climb. On. Back."

She hunkers down before him, holding the shield out in front of her as she continues to watch the creatures approach. "Save. You." She huffs out again in a throaty manner.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott's eyebrows arch slightly as he watches Andrea struggle to control the beast. He can almost see the inner struggle as Rage growls and roars seemingly at itself. The struggle of speaking English obviously surprises him a bit.

The young man looks up from holding his head in his hands, tears streaming down his face. He just hesitates for a few moments and then slowly pushes himself up and cautiously reaches out to grab onto the fur on her back and climbs up.

The whole time the squid keep closing in, although dur to their speed they can't quite reach the young man before he climbs on Rage's back. However, the quicker one heading towards Rage manages to close in and leap up from the street, aiming to wrap its tentacles around her massive head and slam into her face.

Rage has posed:
<< Hang tight little man, do not piss on my fur! >>

Rage meets the leaping squid head on as she whips her car door around and slices through it with a whip of accelerated reflexes, then charges forward on two legs away from the battle as she holds the shield in front of her. She keeps herself slightly bent so the man can settle himself upon her, so not to boot him off like a bull. She will look to run away from the creatures, aiming for a tall building with many stories where they can seek refuge and have many doors or obstacles they can put between them. One ear remains twisted back to listen, the other remains perked forward.

Cyclops has posed:
The man just hangs on to her fur and trembles. Fortunately for her, his bladder is already empty so she shouldn't feel any wet warmth. Hopefully.

When she swings the car door around, it connects with the squid and sends it flying back with a loud squealing sound. When it hits the pavement, it tumbles over itself and leaves a slimy black residue in its wake. When she begins to run away from the creatures, a few of them make a last ditch effort to leap at her but they fall short as her speed is much too great for them to keep up.

There is no shortage of buildings in the area that she would be able to take refuge in. From behind her she can hear the steady squealing of the creatures as they move to follow, albeit slowly, behind. Ahead, there's nothing unusual so it would appear to be a relatively safe route to take.

Rage has posed:
As her large paws pick out a building, Rage slides in front and lowers herself down for the man. She points at the doors for him to enter. Point. Point. Her sharp claw gleams with each jab before she turns about to get a good gauge on the situation. She sniffs the air a few times, nostrils flaring. "Go." She says to the man before she spots a small car. Lumbering towards it, she looks to grab the front of it, then drag it backwards to the doors to block the entrance from monsters to gain entry.

Cyclops has posed:
The man slowly climbs down from Rage's back and wastes no time disappearing into the building and slamming the door behind him. The car easily slides across the ground and lurches against the building's doors, effectively blocking them for the man inside who is scrambling through the hallways looking for the safest room to cower in until the whole thing ends.

Once the door is effectively barricaded, Andrea will notice that all of the squid creatures are beginning to fade away. The plant stalks also slowly disappear from existence and all that is left is a seemingly empty city.

Scott steps out from around the panel and walks across the pavement, glancing around the streets before resting his eyes up at Rage, "Very well done, Ms. Jackson." He wanted to start things off with a relatively straightforward exercise without too much going on.

Rage has posed:
The hulking beast's chest heaves a few times from pulling the car over, then stomps out into the street to face off with the creatures. She barrels out a loud roar of challenge, hunkering forward as she spreads her claws out wide and ready. There is something in her eyes now that is hungry and eager for this fight. As they start to fade away, a loud growl erupts from her throat. With swiveling ears at the sound of Scott's voice, the large monster gives a twitch forward before she is yanked back into place.

Dropping down to one knee, her body begins to quiver again, cracking loudly as she clutches at her head with large paws as she starts to melt back away. Her body jerks about as it decompresses, revealing just the girl again in her new uniform. She takes a few moments to breath, her hands shaky before she pushes up to her feet again. "Thank you, sir." She says, rubbing her hands about each other a few times.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott stops his approach as Rage drops down to one knee and slowly begins her transition back into the young woman he's more accustomed to seeing. His arms fold across his chest as he waits for her to rise to her feet once more. "You demonstrated an impressive amount of control." He wasn't sure what to expect when Rage was unleashed. He wouldn't have been surprised if the young man in the scenario was injured by her own hands, but that's why he introduced him into the situation in the first place. He wanted to see if she had the ability to control the anger and protect who needed to be protected. He also wasn't quite sure how she would react to the program shutting down right at the peak of the adrenaline and rage rush.

The smile crossing his lips should act as a clear sign of his approval of her passing the scenario he had planned for the day. "I know it must be difficult to come down from that, especially so soon." After a moment the city begins to fade away to black once more before the danger room reappears, "I didn't want to go overboard right away. You did well."

Rage has posed:
"It was really hard." Andrea says, her voice trembling on the edge of a sob as she brushes a hand across her cheek. "It hurts sometimes to take control of her. She doesn't listen to common sense at times. Sometimes I just wonder if I'm crazy. I know it's not another voice in my head, that it's just me. It's me who wants to kill and hurt and fight. It's the wrong version of me but it feels so good and I have to just.. tell myself that it's not real, that I'm not a bad person." She gives another shake of her hand. ".. I'm not a bad person." She mumbles to herself again, then glances away from as she chokes out the last words. "It was a good test though. Thank you for pushing me. I need more of those if I'm going to get better."

Cyclops has posed:
Scott's brows furrow as he watches the clear pain she's going through. It concerns him, certainly, that she experiences this level of difficulty handling the self control. He does wonder if things had been more intense during the session if she would've maintained control or if Rage would've just taken over. But that's what today's session was designed to do. Give her enough of a challenge to get her blood pumping and then ease her back down. If she was able to maintain control today, she may be able to maintain control next time when things ramp up a bit.

He reaches out and places his hand on her shoulder to give it a gentle squeeze, "You did great." He smiles again as he folds his arm back over his chest, "You saved a man's life. You may have scared him a little, but you saved him." He turns and begins to walk back over to the control panel, speaking back over his shoulder, "You should be proud."

Rage has posed:
Taking in a deep breath when she feels the weight of his hand upon her shoulder, Andrea gives a few nods of her head. "I look forward to the next one." She says sincerely as she heads for the door, giving a few flexes of her fingers as she glances down at them. "I know deep down I will always strive to do the right thing. I'm going to hit the showers and then prepare myself for an interview with Vogue magazine. I'll catch you later?" She calls over, her mood shifting upwards a bit now that she is breathing normally.

Cyclops has posed:
Scott glances up from the panel as Andrea makes her way to the door. He inclines his head as she looks his way and smiles, "I'll be in touch with the day and time of your next session. I want you to have some time to process today and prepare for next time." He nods in her direction once again before she exits, then glances back down at the console and taps in a few more entries before he shuts it down and turns to make his way out of the danger room himself.