ArchivedLogs:Students Vs Predator
| Students Vs Predator | |
|---|---|
| Dramatis Personae | 2013-03-23 Two students engage the danger room during someone else's training to secure further training |
| Location
<XS> Danger Room - B2 | |
The room is large and circular, a geodesic hemisphere of hexagonal ceramic panels. It is the Danger Room, and is thus often full of danger, but is presently not in use and is thus remarkably danger-free. Safest room in the school, probably. "In the jungle, the quiet jungle, the lion sleeps tonight..." "In the jungle, the quiet jungle, the lion sleeps tonight..." As the music begins to play, there is the barest hint of movement in the thick foliage surrounding a grizzled man with backswept hair and dressed in only a singlet and track-pants - and the two students who are with him (both in X-Men combat uniforms). The students are both males - one has oversized arms like a gorilla's whilst the rest of him resembles a hockeypuck with limbs (so compact of build is he). The other student appears to have the ability to turn into a puddle and keeps... well, wetting himself (morphing, in other words). "Aww, Prof - what's with the music?" the gorilla-guy complains. "And the trees? Honestly, a jungle-scenario??? What is this sh--" "Shut up!" Logan snaps, cutting the student off. "It's here! Now--" Three points of light zero in on the chest of Gorilla-Guy, and a figure with some sort of stealth-technology fires a plasma bolt at him. The young mutant leaps out of the way just in time, and climbs up into the trees, heading for the figure with a battle-shout on his lips. Logan groans. "Knew the Predator scenario was a mistake..."
A shadow moves again, higher up in the trees - and it is not really a shadow; the light seems to just //bend// around it somehow. There is another high-pitched whine as a barrage of plasma-bolts lance out seemingly from nowhere, firing at Logan, Gorilla, Aquakid and the newcomer: Rasa. Each bolt originates from somewhere different - so either the Predator is bloody fast, or there's more than one. Logan /slashes/ at the bolts, and they ricochet off his claws. The man is growling. "Ape - whatever your name is! Draw its fire! Splash - get off the f--get off the ground! Do your thing when you get a clean shot! And--" he pauses as another bolt nearly singes his hair. "Rasa? What the f--hell are you doing here? This isn't your session!" Gorilla leaps for a vine and swings around in a wide arc to get closer to the Predator (hopefully). Splash on the other hand, moves along the ground like a watery snake, spouting here and there to get height and close the gap toward the alien. For now, Logan watches whilst deflecting more bolts. "I have a bad feeling about this." "Don't have a session. So I can come to any, right?" Bold, brassy, and a bit scared for hir life, Rasa keeps ducking to a different side of hir tree as ze avoids getting shot during this training exercise. Ze keeps trying to figure out where the alien is coming from, but only manages to duck well. Good job, Rasa! Six more bolts cut through the air, filling the jungle-scene with the acrid scent of ozone and singed hair. Maybe one of those bolts really did get Logan's hairdo? No, wait - it's Gorilla. Two bolts leave faint burn-marks on the simian mutant's behind, whilst also cutting through his vine. He falls. Fortunately, the Danger Room is set to prevent death and the boy is not badly injured. He is, however, out of the fight for now. There is no sigh of Splash, although a brief announcement via the computer confirms that there are still 3 mutants in the game: Logan, Splash and Rasa. "Fine! Fine!" Logan growls at Rasa. "Do more than just hide - it can track HEAT. I don't wanna have to take the thing out myself - that's--" he cuts off to deflect more shots coming his way. "--APPARENTLY cheating. What else can ya do?" Three more bolts lance out in Rasa's direction. "I.. Uh. I can be you for a little while." Rasa dodges once more looks scared. Ze just wanted to talk, serious, maybe learn how to dodge, not - well, no matter. Ze slips off a glove and holds a hand up as an offering. "If you think about good tactics, I can try'm after I touch you?" Ze is running over regardless of Logan's answer. "Do it." That's all Logan has to say to Rasa - the man's in 'kick-ass' mode now, and has little time for chit-chat. An elbow is practically shoved at the newcomer as Logan keeps his claws up to deflect more attacks. "Soon as you're me, go on the offensive. Get its attention. Splash should--" "Mutant down," says the computer, and a cloud of vapour rises from a tree only a handful of feet away from the blur of light that must be the Predator (well, it's where all the plasma-bolts are coming from, so it must be the Predator). The steam coalesces into a cloud that hangs over the trees (blending in rather well, given the tropical scenery), and then wafts its way toward the exit. At the door, it morphs into a young fellow (maybe 16 years old), looking very sheepish. "I leapt too soon, Sir," he says (all the while, more shots are being fired by the Predator). "It got me." "Me too," says Gorilla, stepping into view near the exit, looking equally sheepish. "Oh, ya think?" Logan barks. Then he snarls at Rasa. "All on you, now, kid. Do your thing." The moment that Rasa's hand touches Logan, hir messed up brain chemistry takes over, taking all the surface thoughts that Logan has on tactics and fighting - and his brawny exterior and launches hir -- Him forward with a trademark growl. There are several differences between New!Logan and Real!Logan. Real!Logan has an adamantium skeleton augmented with retractable claws. He also has tremendous strength, agility, keen senses, and mutant healing ability. New!Logan? Well, he just looks like him. If one were paying attention and could see, all of the thoughts that Rasa gleaned from hir teacher are now written all over his body, scrolling by as he tries to figure out what to do. Hands close into fists as he crouches, sniffing the air and coming away with much less information than the other man has. Instead, he listens, hears something and throws himself at it, fists first, again, lacking adamantium to back it up. Oops? "Never gettin' used to that," Logan mutters after Rasa completes his... doppelganger thing. A series of shots spear their way like arrows of light through the thick jungle scene, aimed at both Logan and... Logan 2.0. The REAL Logan deflects the bolts and then makes a break for one of the nearest trees with lower branches. Keeping the tree between him and the quasi-invisible Predator, he starts to climb. The air is thick with the scent of hot, humid jungle as well as the acrid after-scent of ozone (from a plasma blaster) and just a hint of burnt hair. There are no animal noises, and nothing moves in the trees but for Logan, and a blur of light and shadow (the alien). Two other mutants - both boys, one looking like a Gorilla with a singed butt, and the other looking like a weedy kid with steam rising from his entire body - trigger the exit and start to leave. Logan 2.0 doesn't stay Logan shaped for very long. Soon enough, he starts losing muscle mass and hairiness, still working hard to follow the thoughts absorbed a few minutes ago. He spies where the real Logan is and starts moving in another direction, but on a similar trajectory, climbing a tree and moving quickly parallel, to the teacher Logan, working to set up an ambush of the creature they are tracking. New!Logan keeps an eye on the real thing and waits for his signal to pounce. And then, just in case the two of them were thinking about doing this all /sneaky/ like... "OH MY GOD! YOU HAVE A /HOLODECK/!" Peter smells like fresh wrappings, cheap deoderant, vinegar, and teenage failure. He's also standing, suddenly, at the far end of the jungle -- wide-eyed at the sight before him. Head /sweeping/ left and right. Briefly, framed by the glow of the hallway he just exited -- a cut-out of impossible space behind him -- but then the door is closing with a soft 'hsssst', clunking at his back. He doesn't even /notice/. "YOU. HAVE. A. /HOLODECK/!" he shouts, throwing his arms into the air. He's clad in a red hoodie, jeans, sneakers, and wearing unusual-looking watches. Also, his Buddy Holly glasses. Also? He has absolutely /zero/ clue what the hell he just wandered into. Someone groans. That someone is Logan. And that Logan is high in one of the trees only meters from a certain humanoid-shaped blur of light - that keeps shooting at him, and Rasa... ...and now at Peter too. "Look out!" Logan shouts. "Or you're gonna get sh--" The invisible Predator fires five times - and five more bolts of plasma (well, it's a stun-discharge) head straight for the annoying spider-kid-thing. Logan (the real one) spots Rasa and hisses: "Watch out for its blade. I'm almost in position. Wait for--" The branch he was standing on... snaps. "Oh fuck--" When real!Logan's branch snaps, Rasa!Logan launches himself at the creature - being utterly unfamiliar with it and where its blade might be, he aims for the legs, attempting a sweeping kick. "YOU HAVE A /HOLODECK/ I MEAN HOLY CRAP YOU HAVE--" Pew pew pew pew pew! Peter's words are promptly cut off by the sound of /plasma/ bolts stabbing out through the trees towards the utterly oblivious, completely flabbergasted teenager. Or at least, that's where they /were/ heading. Now, they're just heading toward an empty space -- managing to chew up the soil and foliage with loud *FWOOSHES*, sending bursts of dirt skyward. Peter, meanwhile, is now crouched 30 feet in the air -- clinging to the /side/ of a tree. Like a gecko -- knees shoved out, palms squeezing bark. "OhGod," he says, and then: "OhGOD what is HAPPENING how did I end up in that movie with the Governor of California oh CRAP!" *CRASH* That was Logan hitting the ground. "FUCK!" That was Logan swearing. "That's it, Bub; you're goin' down--" he stops growling when he spots Rasa leaping for the invisible Predator. The young mutant collides with the Predator's legs, causing them to buckle. Its form shimmering for a moment, revealing a large humanoid creature with what looks like tentacles for hair, a mask on its face and a shoulder-cannon on its... well, shoulder. With a howl, it topples backwards-- --at the same instant as it fires another blast of energy that was intended for Spider-teen. Two shots zip outward in Peter's direction, whilst the a third energy blast strikes a thick branch directly overhead, which then starts to fall toward both Rasa and the alien. Logan, meanwhile, lies there on the jungle floor. Grinning. "Nice move, kid," is all he says. Rasa, who is looking like a burley version of hirself is unfortunately all tangled up in Predator legs and finds it hard to get out of the way when tree limbs come crashing down atop of hir. Ze keeps wiggling though, even when a heavy branch knocks the wind out of hir lugs with an unexpected thump across hir back. Ze starts scrambling away. "Now what do I do?" Ze asks Logan. "OH Shit. Peter. What are you doing out of the med lab?" PEW PEW AGH. Peter's danger-sense /explodes/ -- he scrambles -- he's still getting the hang of this whole 'stick-to-stuff' thing his hands and skin have started doing. So when the next few shots come after Peter, he twists just a little too late; the first shot misses (scantily scorching an ear), but the second hits -- glancing off his shoulder with a loud *BZZT*. Peter tumbles with a yelp, hitting the ground somewhere below. A few seconds pass, before Peter responds with a pained mumble: "Doc... Doctor McCoy said I was good to... walk around... did I just get shot by a photoshop filter effect?" Logan snarls, now on his feet. Claws out, he breaks into a run, but he is too far from the Predator to reach it before it attacks Rasa. The creature is already chopping away at the branches with its own version of claws - a pair of retractable blades that snap out of a wrist-gauntlet and cut almost as easily as adamantium through the tree-limbs... ...and its attention is on Rasa. "Webs!" Logan bellows. "Take out its gun! Take out its gun!" He points with a claw at the alien's shoulder-cannon, that is trying to get a lock on Rasa (it can't yet; the thing is still more or less on its back). "Rasa - get out of there. Good job." The alien, now surrounded by three assailants, and without stealth - starts trying to hit a button on its gauntlet for some reason... Rasa is doing hir level best to get out, but it is hard to move when one cannot breathe. Ze scrambles though, getting out and kicking dirt in the creature's face as ze skedaddles. Ze has been shot at one too many times today to try any more heroics. There is a sudden THWP as a gray zipline hits a tree branch somewhere above Rasa; then, like some sort of mad TARZAN, Peter's swinging forward -- gripping the line in one arm, his other held out -- a scorch mark on his hoodie where the first bolt managed to scorch a line across his shoulder. THWP THWP THWP -- three quick, successive web-bursts -- each aimed at the thing's shoulder cannon. Each with the intent of gluing said cannon to the ground... and/or thoroughly gumming up the mechanism. As Peter swoops in -- intent on landing on one of the tree's upper branches -- his eyes pop open wide at the sight of the creature tapping at its wrist. "OH /MAN/! I SAW THIS PART! I SAW THIS PART!" Peter yells. "THIS IS THE PART WHERE IT /EXPLODES/!" Logan's eyes go wide. Really wide. "WHAT???" he bellows at the Spider-Tarzan guy. "It's not allowed to do that! No one said anything about exploding!!!" The man makes a leap at the alien, twisting his torso and raising his arm all in the same instant to slash downward just milliseconds before the creature hits the 'Bye-Bye Baby' button. There's a scream, a gout of fluorescent green blood, and a severed arm lands on the ground, rolling to the side and coming to a halt at Rasa's feet. Yay! With the shoulder cannon all webbed up, and the self-destruct now... dismembered, the threat is over. Logan rolls onto his back, breathing heavily (with more relief than exhaustion), and turning his head to look at Rasa. "Nice leap, kid." "I. Uh." Oh sweet fuck, is that a severed limb directly at Rasa's feet, bleeding green ooze?!? Rasa is turning green again, but this time, not with camouflage. Ze is staring at it. "Thanks." Ze swallows hard and looks up at Logan and then at Peter. "Wow. That was cool." And then... Peter descends. Like, just /drops/. Rolling off the branch and plunging head-first toward Rasa and Logan and bloody PREDATOR. Except, just about three feet away from impact, there's a THWP sound, and suddenly... he's /dangling/ over them, upside down, glasses barely hanging onto his face -- his knees are bent and poking out, ankles crossed, with his fists gripping the web-strand somewhere just above his crotch. "Oh hey it's even /glowy/ like in the movie. Can you do the second movie?" he asks. Then: "Wait. I am dangling from --" He looks back up at the tree branch. Back down at Rasa, and the Predator. "HOW IS ANY OF THIS EVEN POSSIBLE?!" Logan merely smirks at Peter. "Computer: end program." And just like that, the Predator, the blood, the broken branches, the fallen branches, the trees and plants, oh and the branches up above... all vanish in a blink of light. In a moment, the three of them find themselves in a large, dome-like chamber with reflective silver panels on all the walls, no doubt hiding the hard-light holographic projectors that make the Danger Room (or Holodeck) what it is. And of course, Peter is no longer hanging from... anything. Logan grins at Rasa. "Ah.. Um." Now that the Danger Room exercise is over, Rasa's original intent comes back to mind and the teen stiffens up to appear confident and immovable - well as much as one can /appear/ when one is an emotional teenager. "Ah, Professor Logan. I wanted to come here and tell you that your age limits on training are bullshit and you should take students no matter how old they are. My.. my friends are getting hurt, like Peter here, and there's nothing I can do about it without training." This speech has been well rehearsed and it really isn't fair that hir example of teenagers in critical condition are up, walking around and dropping themselves from ceilings like this - or at least that's what hir forehead says, more or less. As if to punctuate Rasa's point, the bit where zhi says 'Peter here' is marked by the sound of Peter going 'OHGOD' followed by a loud *THWUNK* as he hits the ground. Logan tries - he really tries - to consider Rasa's request with a straight face (after all, the kid went to so much trouble to tell him), but Peter's... 'thwunk' has him chuckling uncontrollably. For a while. "Fine," he eventually says whilst picking himself up off the ground and dusting himself (unnecessarily) off. "You handled yourself okay in there - and the bad guys aren't gonna go easy coz yer kids. Fine - we'll lower the age limit a bit unless the Prof says somethin' else. But--" He takes a step closer to Rasa, crossing his arms over his chest and staring pointedly at the student. "I'm still gonna kick anyone out who's more likely to get themselves - and others - killed, rather than learn anythin', got it?" Then he looks at Peter. "How come you showed up here, Webs? Not that you did bad - got some nice shots in there. You come to 'tell me somethin' too?" "I ... I got it," Rasa agrees readily, looking at Logan through wide eyes again, stiff and scared until he turns that serious gaze of his toward Peter. Then, ze's running over to check on him. "Peter. Doctor McCoy probably didn't mean for you to do all this. Are you okay? Do you feel sick? Should I take you /back/ to the infirmary?" Peter is on the ground, on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Perfectly still. But when Rasa approaches -- he twitches, and croaks: "I'm not dead." Then, suddenly, he's on his feet. /Just/ like that; he rolls and twists and *THWUMP*, he's standing like nothing at all happened. Well, he's /swaying/ a little, like he might be a bit dizzy. "I'm okay," he tells hir, before adding -- to Logan -- "Somebody told me you had a Danger Room and I didn't believe them because why would you have a room called the DANGER room that sounds /dumb/ but yeah this room is pretty dangerous," he decides, before looking back to Rasa: "Oh my Gosh! You are getting us TRAINING?" Wide-eyed. "Looks like it," Logan agrees, but... was that a sigh he just uttered? Exasperated, long-suffering, 'I'm such an old man and I want a beer' kind of sigh? Yeah, about right. "The Danger Room - don't look at me like that; I didn't name it - was built for training the X-Men--" Logan pauses in order to smirk at the two students. "You know, not kids. But kids need to learn when to dodge, 'n take orders - like whatsisname... the kid with the gorilla arms... so I'll train ya. Hooray for me. Hooray for you. Now I need a drink. A real one." Rasa reaches out to steady Peter as ze listens to Logan, nodding the entire time, paying so much attention hir eyes might pop out of hir head. "Thank you, Professor Logan. Uh, we'll get going now. Won't we, Peter?" Ze starts tugging on Peter's arm. "Come on. Let's go." Rasa may still be dealing with adrenaline from the training exercise. "Huh-ohright, RIGHT," Peter says, getting tugged by Rasa -- then stage-whispering: "Where are we...?" Then, back to Logan, /way/ louder than he needs to: "It was nice to meet you Professor Logan!" As if this is the first time. Because it /totally/ is. Peter seems to think so, anyway. Again, something of a stage-whisper to Rasa: "You got us /training/ oh my GOSH you got us training on a HOLO-DECK we could fight like an evil ABRAHAM LINCOLN or something--" DRAG DRAG DRAG. "Kids..." Logan snorts as the two students make their way out of the Danger Room and into the corridor beyond. Then he is all alone in the room. He glances up at the ceiling, so high above, and then at the walls that reflect his image - distorted though it is. "What are they teachin' 'em at these schools?" he laments in a growl. *Snikt* "Computer: resume last simulation. Difficulty 10. Override all safety protocols. Commence on my mark." And in a few seconds, the man finds himself standing in a singlet and trackpants, claws brandished, and surrounded by thick South-American jungle. His nostrils flare at the onslaught of scents, and he spots a shadow moving in the trees above. "OK, Bub," he snarls. "Let's dance." | |
