nextgenerationmarvel | Training Day

Rachel stood in the center of the Danger Room. She was in the exact center of the cavernous, silvery-walled room. She wore red leather leggings, a silky sleeveless blouse, a black fitted blazer with spike and chain detailing on the shoulders, and a pair of slouchy strappy spiked platform boots. Her calm, green eyes swept over the pair of boys entering.

"Thank you for assisting him in, Mr. Gavrilov," she spoke in a calm, measured tone. "You may wait in the hallway outside for your session following this one."

She looked directly at the dark-haired Brit. "Come forward, Mr. Night."

Ilya was trying not to be the gaping newbie, but it showed. He did a double-take at the Headmistress' outfit, not because he found it indecent or shocking but just because it was so different from the clothes he was used to. He also tried to hide his discomfort at the salute. Was that Dolemeck being cheeky, or was that an actual requirement? Between that and the outfits Ilya wasn't liking the implications. It was a touch too Soviet for him.

"I would like to observe his session, ma'am. If that's okay by you - I would just like to know what these things entail so I don't do something excessive or dangerous during my own session."

So far he didn't see anything he could throw wildly, but he remembered well yanking chunks out of the wall in a panic in the mines. Ilya wasn't sure if this was honestly a safe idea for him and wanted a look at what was involved.

Dolemeck could see the look of confusion on Ilya's face and gave him a bit of a soft smile.

"We do not have to salute Headmistress Ramsey, Ilya. I was just being a bit of an imp. Relax." He then turned to Rachel, looking a bit confused as to why their sessions were going to be one on one, today. But if that is what she planned, he could not go against it now, could he?

He tried his best to remain relaxed. He heard tales of the training room, and it made him somewhat intimidated in a way. What if something went wrong? What if he failed? Do you get booted out of school for failing to be a mutant?

Rachel didn't care if her sartorial decisions caused a double-take. She was considerably more dressed than most X-Men running around in unstable molecules at this point. She was also the headmaster of this school and needed to look it in her own way. Rachel looked back at Ilya.

"No, you'll need to wait for your session. I need to assess what you know of your own powers so I can figure out what training routine to put together. Furthermore, Dolemeck's telekinesis is at a different level so training for him will be different than yours. As I explained when you arrived, the caution for what if any danger your powers possess will be my concern and mine alone in your training session. Now, please step outside and wait."

She looked back at Dolemeck and quirked an eyebrow. She could easily pick up his thoughts. "Power training sessions that are not part of classes are always one-on-one. And you cannot fail being a mutant. You are a mutant, that's a fact of genetics."

"Um. Right. I'll just - be outside, then." Not nervous or filling up with anxiety about not knowing what to do at all. Nope. Not Ilya. The fleeting look of 'I'm doomed' followed by 'oh crap what if Dolemeck needs me, we're both doomed' are honestly as close to calm as he can manage to look. He really wants to object and it's written all over him in his face and body language, but... at the end of the day Ilya survived life by taking orders and backing down, so he didn't even have it in him to whine 'oh, come on' like a normal teenager.

Still, he bites his lip hard enough to draw blood as he steps outside, and he leans against the wall by the door, telepathically listening in. He's terrible at transmitting any messages but he can pick things up well enough. And he really doesn't want anything bad to happen to the nicest person he's met since he's gotten here.

It crosses his mind he could blow the doors off their hinges if something went awry, and that's kind of comforting until he realizes it means he'd be endangering Dolemeck, too. Why, he wonders, is he so explosive with his powers? A grimmer thought crosses his mind: maybe that is why he's not allowed to watch in-person. No telling what the dumb-muscle Chukchi could do in close quarters. That was what she really meant when she said 'caution' and 'dangers', that he was a bomb with a lit fuse being thrown into the fray.

Thankfully he doesn't have any self-esteem left or that would hurt. He doesn't, so he just sighs and focuses on listening in.

Dolemeck felt a bit worried about Ilya, as he wheeled himself towards Rachel. The way he left, his body language, made him hurt. He knew he felt rejected or feared, and that was not true. He lowered his head, unsure if Ilya could hear him telepathically or not.

~It is okay, Ilya. I promise, things will be okay. We will finish up our lessons and go back to working on that quilt after this, okay? Just you and me. ~

Dolemeck then looked up at Rachel, he was a bit wide eyed and nervous, himself. Despite being told that he could not fail for being a mutant, it was still scary to work on his powers before someone like Rachel Ramsey.

~Everything will be okay...~

Rachel's eyes narrowed slightly for a moment. She broadcast so both teenage boys could mentally hear her. Xavier's frowns on cheating. In a regular course, it is grounds for automatic failure. When I said one-on-one, I meant it.

Then she telepathically blocked off the room to the students. Considering Dolemeck's telekinetic strength level, she could be slightly distracted using her telepathy and be in no danger. She was in no danger to begin with considering the safeties engaged whenever there was a student in the Danger Room. Stronger telepaths like Emma, Betsy, or Monet could still get through and contact Rachel, but the redhead was not allowing any student to interrupt this session or the one following.

"Danger Room, begin program DN-001." Silvery boxes rose out of the floor around her. The separated from the floor and settled back on the floor. "These are all different weights. Pick a box up, hold it up for thirty seconds, and then gently set it back down. Then move onto the next. Start with the smallest one and work your way up."

Dolemeck suddenly found his telepathic connection to Ilya severed. He panicked slightly, before looking at the task he was given. Weight training for the mind... now he was uncomfortable, and he could not voice that to Ilya.

The first box was easy to lift, and gently put down after 30 seconds. The second was a bit heavier and somewhat of a struggle for him. He could not place it back in the same exact position as it was in. The third? It felt near impossible to lift!

Dolemeck was determined though. He desperately wanted to be stronger... he wanted to be able to be more helpful around the mansion and not so weak. He kept forcing himself to try and lift that last block up, getting it an inch off the ground before he began to develop a nosebleed.

His head was hurting, badly... but he managed to get it another two inches in the air. The box was shaking violently, and his nose bleed was getting worse, along with the pain in his head. He was pushing himself far too hard, but was too stubborn to stop.

Ilya is a terrible sender of telepathic messages, but he's a remarkable receiver, and he can tell something's wrong, just not if he should intervene or if it's just stressful. He tries so hard to listen in he picks up stray thoughts as faint background noise from people almost out of his maximum reach, and yet whatever the Headmistress is doing makes it impossible for him to get Dolemeck's thoughts out of him so he can figure out what to do. Worse, if it takes everything he has, one door away, to even know things are stressful, it means he has less than no chance of transmitting a damn thing, and given the blistering headache he's giving himself trying to listen in, even that won't last much more than a few minutes. His healing factor tries to keep up with the strain, but it's no good, and his estimate of 'a few minutes' suddenly dwindles to seconds.

And then, he can't even force his way into sensing anything. It never felt that way, even in the wilderness - there was always an animal, a bug, something to pick up on the radar.

Except in the ice. But he was unconscious then. He leans against the wall and slowly slides down to sit against it for the remainder of the session, repeating that to himself. I was unconscious in the ice. I was asleep. I was asleep. Nothing happened. I was asleep. He doesn't question why this is comforting to him.

Rachel watched impassively with one her hands resting lightly on a hip. Her eyes were on Dolemeck and not the metal boxes he was moving around her. She was noting plenty of things right up to her trainee being down-right foolish.

"Dolemeck, stop." She gave him a chance to stop on his own. Before she would reach in with her telepathy to momentarily shut off his telekinesis if he did not comply. Keeping up the telepathic barrier and doing that would not tax her abilities any.

When asked to stop, he did, dropping the large box down with a loud thud. He gave out a gasp in relief, as the weight was gone, along with the pain and dizziness he had started to feel. His gloved hand went to hold his head, as he continued to breath heavily.

"Why... why could I not?" He asked himself, failing to realize he had a nose bleed. "Headmistress Ramsey?"

Edited 2014-12-15 21:41 (UTC)

While she hadn't meant to use it in this session, Rachel did have a handkerchief in one of her pockets. She fished it out and floated it over to the boy.

"Because it's heavy, Mr. Night. It confirms my assumption. Your telekinesis is built for finesse and not power. You don't use your powers enough properly to build it up. You could be walking around under the power of your own mind if you worked at it, but instead you throw yourself into personal crisis after personal crisis so you don't have to think about it." She quirked an eyebrow.

"If you expect danger and excitement in your Danger Room training sessions, you'll be disappointed until your power level increases. Especially as you push yourself too far with over-sized expectations and likely hinder your power from growing."

He blinked, taking the handkerchief and applying it to his nose. Did he have a booger or something? No... it was blood. He tilted his head back a bit, holding the handkerchief to his nose and hoping the bleeding would stop before he headed out and saw Ilya. He did not want to worry his beloved one.

"I was not expecting excitement. I was hoping by now I could lift something that heavy." He sounded a bit funny because of his nose.

Rachel's words hit a nerve in him, partly because they were somewhat true. He moved his head back to it's normal position and closed his eyes tightly. The boxes started to shake, and then they went flying, slamming into the back wall of the danger room. He had telekineticly pushed them away.

"I... am sorry." He managed to speak, sounding like there was something stuffed up his nose as he continued to wait for the nosebleed to stop. "Headmistress Ramsey, it is easier to pick up light objects. Objects I can hold in my hand, manipulate on my own. Things I know how they feel... I cannot remember how my legs feel, anymore. With the leg braces, there was a slight numbness and I could feel the leg braces. Now? It is like they are there, but they are not at the same time."

He gave out a sigh, finally moving his head back into a more normal position.

"I am frightened that if I try and manipulate my legs with my powers that I could hurt me-self without even knowing it. And then what? I would be scolded for trying too hard, and ending back up in the infirmary, right?"

He lifted the handkerchief off his nose, hoping the bleeding had stopped by now. It was less than what it was, but it was still there. He placed the cloth back up to his nose, unusual green eyes looking up at Rachel.

"My powers are used to help me everyday. I take advantage of them so I do not have to ask people for help with small things and have SOME small fragment of independence left. Ilya chides me on it, saying I am doing this too much, to the point I am exhausted at the end of the day. I am over-using them, Headmistress Ramsey. I need to find a balance."

Edited 2014-12-16 15:04 (UTC)

Rachel turned to look at the boxes that had been surrounding her. She took a deep breath. When she turned back to face Dolemeck, she did not look happy.

"Every day things are not strength building. Building your powers up takes time and not giving yourself an aneurysm lifting something greater than your current level. Telekinetic manipulation is also not feeling an object, it's moving an object." To demonstrate, she moved the metal boxes back to their original positions. She pointed at one of the boxes. "If anyone else but myself had been in this room with that stunt you just pulled, they could have been hurt. This isn't about uncontrollable or even weak powers. This is about you acting without thinking. And as often as you've ended up in the infirmary, it's quite clear you are not learning from your mistakes. You are a clear and present hazard to yourself and others.

"You need to do more than find a balance with your powers. Effective immediately, you are on probation. Further solutions will pend once I have a meeting with your teachers. Danger Room: End Program DN-001."

"What is it I need to do... and what the bloody hell is probation!?" He looked a bit shocked at this. He honestly was confused by this. What did probation at the school mean? "And what kind of solutions!?"

"What it means, Mr. Night, is a lot of things. Some of these will be refined even more once I have the opportunity to talk to your teachers." She was unruffled by his shock and confusion.

"You will not use your powers without a faculty or staff member present. You will be given extra classes, regular meetings with one or more faculty members of my choosing, and have to write a term paper on safe and ethical use of mutant powers. You will be given extra chores. You will be restricted to campus with the only exception being going to your support groups. To which you will go immediately to them and return to campus immediately once they are finished. You will also have an on-campus curfew; you are to be in your dorm room at 11 PM unless otherwise given permission."

She paused to let those sink in but she wasn't done. "You will not have access to the pool, the Danger Room, or the lake until such time as we can be convinced you consider the consequences of your actions before doing them. All that, Mr. Night, and if you cause harm to yourself or anyone else at Xavier's, you will be expelled. Is that understood?"

"E-expelled?" That was like a hammer coming down on him. Of he was expelled, where would he go? His brother made it clear he could not come back home to England. He felt like he had no control over anything, now.

"But I know not to go swimming by me-self or without a floatation device, now! I know it is not possible for me to do so, and that if I try I could drowned!"

He liked living and NOT being in the infirmary. He had someone to live for, someone special. Someone that if he got hurt, would hurt worse. So he was trying to be extra careful with his powers and taking care of himself.

Now, he and that someone special could not have picnics by the lake until further notice. He had to be in his dorm by eleven, no powers without staff around...

"This... is not fair! How am I to dress myself or take care of things if I am not allowed to use my powers without anyone around!?"

"Yes, you could be expelled if your pattern of behavior does not improve." She raised an eyebrow at the excuses she picked up on. She did not look impressed at his reasoning.

"Plenty of people with similar medical conditions manage to get dressed by themselves without the aid of telekinesis. Our former headmaster and namesake of this school prominent among them."

Dolemeck had nothing more to say, he was frustrated to the point he was shaking. He depended on his powers for certain things, now he was restricted from using them. And because it was a rule... he could not break it.

He felt like all the small bits of control he had were slipping away. He now had more homework, more classes, more chores... and no doubt without his powers. It felt overwhelming, even a little frightening. Okay, a lot frightening.

"It's too much..."

"This is the situation you've put yourself into. It's also the one you can get yourself out of." She nodded toward the exit to the Danger Room.

"Your training session is over. Send Ilya in."

"Aye..." He gave off a sigh, forcing a smile on to his face as he started to wheel himself out of the Danger Room. Once the doors opened, he waved to Ilya.

"It's your turn, Ilya." He tried to sound cheerful and happy. It was better than sounding hurt, exhausted, and scared. There was now some dried blood on his nose, as the handkerchief was removed and just clutched in his hand. "I will wait for you right here."

"Are you okay?" he looks at the blood and then into the Danger Room, frowning slightly. "We'll talk when I'm done, okay?"

He goes into the Danger Room, not sure what to do or what to expect. His eyes stay on the Headmistress, nervous, expecting something to suddenly happen that he'd have to react to. Ilya can't help worrying about Dolemeck. Should they really be pushing someone to the point they bleed? Is he okay? His pride is a delicate thing and Ilya doesn't know how to play 'supportive best bud' when he's never had a friend before.

Then it hits Ilya that he might fail and lose the only real connection he's made here or has in this century, and his focus grows laser-sharp. He will bring down the walls if he has to just to prove he's worthy of a spot here.

Rachel stayed in the center of the room. The metal boxes surrounding her sank back into the floor. She watched Ilya intently, seeing him go from worried to focused.

"Welcome, Mr. Gavrilov," she said only after the Danger Room doors shut behind him. "Ready to do your power assessment?"

It's never going to not be weird to be called Mr. Gavrilov. It implies a level of professionalism and maturity he just doesn't have and it's so... respectful. This is a strange place.

"Yes ma'am." And then, because he's Ilya and he's ever the people-pleaser, he adds, "Um, if it's okay with you."

"I'm not the one being tested. It's more than okay with me," she commented with an enigmatic smile.

"Come forward." She motioned at him with a roll of her fingertips. "Danger Room: begin assessment IG-01."

In response, a large, flat panel rose out of the floor beside her. It slid up soundlessly until it was as tall as her. It appeared to be made of the same material as the walls of the room only more reflective.

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