Re-Evolution: Episode 2: In the Blood

There was a fancy lock on the door to the danger-room. It seemed it needed a recognized palm-print to enter.  When Scott put his hand on it, a robotic voice spoke. 

"Training Session currently in progress. Session will terminate in approximately 5 minute and 25 seconds."

"Looks like someone's busy in there. Why don't we go up to the observation room to watch, and *then* we'll tour the inside?" Scott said "Might be fun to see , huh?"

"You know what" Morgan said "yeah, why the fuck not."

"Sweet." Greg grinned excitedly. "Lead the way, Scott."

"Yo, I am pretty curious...," Todd admitted. ‘Probably safer to see it second hand, to’, he thought, as he shared a glance with Morgan.

Morgan gave Todd a weak smile in silent agreement, before they followed Scott into a nearby door that led to an elevator. 

Stepping inside, the doors closed behind the group and brought them up and into a large circular room with bay windows all along the front curve, as well as several computer banks. 

And below, through the windows, there was a scene of chaos. It looked like a burned out city, crushed cars and broken buildings littering the streets of what was once a bustling metropolis--in theory. Fire hydrants lay snapped, water spraying in the air, even gas lines ruptured, spraying flame as sparks from wires caught the escaping gas...

And in the center of it all, a man covered in steel plates faced down a  man in a great, billowing red and purple cape, dressed from head to toe in metal armor and a knightlike helm that cast his face in shadow. His hands raised, and steel girders raised alongside him, floating in thin air before with a flick of his hand, they shot towards the figure Morgan knew as Piotr at with deadly speed and accuracy.

"Hot damn, yo," Todd exclaimed, hopping into one of the chairs in front of the control panel and windows. "That's in a room? That's like some next level shit."

"You're not wrong," Greg mumbled, watching. "Looks like a movie."

Morgan stared out the window, leaning on the console bank with a look of quiet, shocked wonder 

"Holy fuck...this...this is insane. I didn't think there even *was* this kind of tech…” She paused. "who...who's he fighting?"

"That's Magneto,” Scott explained. “Or...a projection of him by the room, with the room's physical mechanics giving him physical feedback. It's a wonder of technology isn't it?"

"Man yo, imagine using this shit for Pokemon GO," Todd said with a note of awe.

"Who's Magneto?" Greg asked, his gaze fixed on the action. "Some boss character for the sim?"

The girders slammed on either side of Piotr down below, and twisted inwards in the attempt to crush him. 

"Maybe I'd actually play Pokemon GO if it was like this..." Morgan muttered "...but yeah..who's Magneto?"

Scott grimaced as he pushed his glasses up firmly on his face. 

"...Magneto's ...an old friend of the Professor's. They used to work together in the past, but...things...changed. He's a mutant too, but he doesn't believe that humans and mutants can ever find peace and common ground."

"Yo, if he a friend I’d hate to see an enemy. He usually throwin’ around girders or is that a uh- embellishment?" Todd asked with a grimace. 

They watched as Piotr took his metallic form just long enough to rip one of the girders in half, throw it at Magneto, and change back.Magneto stopped the girder with a wave of his hand, and lifted three of the cars in the attempt to catch Piotr in a pincer. 

Scott nodded.

"That's something he can do, yeah.Trust me. It's not fun to face off against. He's...one of the most powerful mutants we know, aside from the Professor." He glanced off to the side "...and Jean."

"So you've like, had fights like this, is what I'm hearin'," Todd mumbled, watching as the battle played out below.

"We have." Scott said, shaking his head "a few times. But it's not something the students have to deal with typically." 

"Sounds like a tough customer," Greg mused. "ButJean, huh? The one we met earlier? What’s she do?"

He glanced over at Greg. 

"Jean's a telepath, just like the Professor. They're both incredibly powerful, too. Mind reading, telepathy, telekinesis, bubbles of force protection...they're real versatile." 

"Wow, uh, remind me not to piss Mom Jeans off." Morgan said absentmindedly, her brow furrowing as she watched the fight.

"Yeeeah," Todd agreed, nodding at Morgan as he fidgeted in the chair.

The simulated Magneto had Piotr pinned under a girder, as the robotic voice announced:  "Simulation complete."

Morgan watched as the AR simulation flickered to a halt almost instantly, the machinery shut down. Magneto vanished, as did the city, leaving a large dome of a room filled with jutting hexagons that slowly began retreating back into their proper place, floors and texture dropping away until it was just a big empty room once more. 

"Huh." Morgan whispered. "You guys really do train for war, huh?"

"I wouldn't say that." Scott answered. "We train to defend ourselves in case the worst should happen.”

"It's intense," Greg agreed. "But it seems like kind of a practical concern...."

"Practical, yeah." Todd looked a little pale. 

Morgan ran her hand through her hair, looking out at the Danger Room, shut down and safe now.

“Is this Magneto guy really that bad?" she asked. "that you gotta like...have combat scenarios specifically about fighting him?"

"I mean, if he was friends with the Professor I'd imagine he's in the program because his capabilities are a known quantity, if nothing else?" Greg shrugged, looking at Scott for confirmation.

Scott nodded to him. 

"That's one factor, yeah. We know his capabilities well enough that we can properly replicate them in a scenario. We've got programs of ourselves in there too, for the same reason."

"Hm. Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

Morgan still had that look, the one Greg knew well. That quiet, pensive frown from the vehicle bay. 

Greg nodded to Scott, but frowned a little, catching Morgan's eye. He shook it off.

 "Ever go head to head with yourself?" he asked, thinking of the possibility. "Sounds like an interesting work out."

"I have, actually " Scott nodded, looking amused."It's...got a bit of cognitive dissonance to it, but it is one hell of a workout." 

Morgan leaned on the console, murmuring softly to herself...too softly for anyone else to really hear. 

Down below, the danger room door finally opened. 

"Oh, let's go down and see Piotr, huh?" Scott gestured “Come on."

Greg was out the door practically before Scott was, motioning for the others to follow. 

Todd lingered, glancing at Morgan.

"Ya'lright, Morg?"

Morgan shook her head. 

"I don't know. I'm just getting a weird vibe." she whispered. She looked out at the danger room below with a frown. "...like, everyone's nice and all...but they've got all these paramilitary vehicles...a jet I guess, too...and like, this training room. And...Magneto, whoever he is...I...what's he done to get put into their situations as some kind of ultra-powered villain? I......I don't know. I just don't know."

Todd glanced at the door where Scott and Greg had already left the room. He put his hand on Morgan's shoulder.

"Yo, I'm hearin' ya. Its all pretty uh, shady for a school, ya know?" he murmured. "Like some navy seal shit, yo."

"Yeah." Morgan murmured. "It feels like some navy seal shit...which is one thing, but hiding it behind some school for gifted kids is kinda ..I dunno. Real sus."

"Definitely not poggers, yo," he agreed with a long nod. "We prolly better catch up tho..."

Morgan nodded, and started for the elevator. 

"Before Greg has a fit and thinks you're making out with me." she drawled with a shake of her head.  "...anyway, it might all be fine...maybe they've got a real good mission or like...goal, but I dunno so far."

She hit the button, and let the elevator come up for them, before stepping in with Todd, and hitting down.

Greg was worriedly standing by the elevator when they arrived downstairs. 

"I was just about to come back up for you. You didn't have another dizzy spell, did you?"

Morgan held her hands up. 

"No, no. I just wanted to take another look at the danger room. That's all, Greg. I'm fine....right Todd?"

Todd gave the thumbs up to Greg. "Yeah, its all good, yo."

Scott was talking to Piotr, nearby "so I was thinking you could show them around the inside a little with me."

Greg gave a not too trusting look to Morgan and Todd, but nodded at Scott when he spoke.

"Yeah, lets see it. I'd love to."

Scott put his hand on the pad. 

"Not *too* much to see when it's not active, but I figured you might want to see the space. Come on in! I'll give you the tour, such as it is"

Piotr gave them a wave on his way out. 

"I see that you did come for a tour, Morgan," he smiled.

"yeah. I'm taking a peek around." She smiled. "It's good to see you again, big guy. Impressive showing in the Death Zone." 

"Danger Room," Scott corrected as he stepped inside.

"The guillotine garage!" Todd piped up, heading inside after Scott and Greg.

"I see.”Piotr chuckled. “Well, please, enjoy the tour. I am going to go take a much needed shower."

"Enjoy, Piotr!" Morgan laughed into her hand. "See you at school, alright?"

She sauntered into the danger room to look around. 

"So, as you can see." Scott began, gesturing around the room, "it's made up of small 'hex's' which combine to form platforms and shapes that then get an AR overlay to give them the appearance of different locations and threats. There's a number of other mechanics that deploy during simulations to continue the immersive atmosphere."