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Close to fifty years later, two brothers will create a movie that revitalizes the way that movies and storytelling were made..
Perhaps this incident caused that moment..
NOW:
Nurse Anna mans the console of the danger room on high, keeping vitals of Jean while Jean herself wore her X-Men suit. The scene was set as such: A desolate street filled with cars and high rise buildings, much like the financial district here in New York. Off to the side, the main area of which the cars were cleared from by some unseen force, all bunched and crushed together, fire flames licking from the hoods which causes the smoke to billow high into the air.
There were screams in the distance to provide atmosphere, fire hydrants blasting fire into the air. It was a grisly scene no doubt, and Jean remained in the middle..
That wasn't troubling at all.
What was troubling was what was in front of her. A sea of men and women, all armed to the teeth with various handheld weapons. Some were probably dressed in black, others in suits with fedora's tilted to the side. Some wore leather brown jackets and smacked their bats against their hands, barbed wire laced around the top for maximum effect. They were all waiting for someone to make a move, as Nurse Anna programmed them to, but they were still jumping at the bit for a piece of the fiery redhead who stood among the rubble.
"Anna. Set the difficulty to ten."
The dial clicks, loud enough for Jean to hear, and all the while her hands were affixed with a band that is laced within her fingers, stretched.. tugged and pulled over hair that was swiped out of her vision. And then the unthinkable happens, Jean starts off with a few stretches of her legs and a bit of jumping jacks to get ready!
"Okay big brother.. from start to finish, what happened with Logan?"
Yes. She was going to fight. Yes, she was going to do this right in the middle of the danger room. Yes, Jean was the Queen of multitasking who had enough hidden agression to take the crowd of fifty or more simulated villains down.
The Professor stands in his X-Men jumpsuit as well, looking at the ruffians as he stands near Jean. Even the Prof needs to work off some aggression now and again, as his only acknowledgement of the scene is the fact that he's actually wearing… sunglasses? Well, there is a bit of glare from the scenario lighting, and that's what he'll say to justify it if anyone asks. Because Charles would never think of looking cool.
Charles then says, as he adopts a ready stance, looking calmly at the horde ready to make their move, "Well, sis, it seems that a team of some… things out of a Lovecraft story came to attack him at his cabin. Emma and Scott filled me in when I arrived, and I don't know if he was actually captured or went off hunting them solo. Lorna thought it might be Weapon X, but that seems a little… beyond what they normally are capable of, I think. I tried tracking him via Cerebro, but no luck with that." And with that, he establishes a mindlink with those present in the Danger Room, to better coordinate thoughts and movements considering the numbers are slightly against them.
The odds? That's another story.
Lorna stepped into the room, a blip in the back ground until she finally entered properly and the door shut behind her. She was in her own jumpsuit, with a bit of a modified addition, she was wearing the magnetized armor her father had made her. It was an effort in concentration, because she had to keep her own magnetic field up and running constantly as she wore it. Better to practice while she wore it after all.
"Sorry I'm late. I was trying a new strap and it was getting tangled with the shoulder parts." She colored faintly as she peered inside and around.
Julie is following along inside, for whatever reason, she's caught a bit flat-footed by what she's seeing, for the moment it's the fact that the holographic technology may as well be a doorway to another universe for all she knows, then she ahs when she sees Xavier there… Must be one of those psychic head-trips, she's thinking for the moment. She's thrown one of her jackets over the rest, and decides to follow the Professor's lead about glasses, pulling out a pair. Both cause of brightness and the fact stuff could be about to fly. She whistles. "Well, there's a real big bill for the wreckers," she says, eyeing the scene. She glances to Lorna for cues or clues, tentatively reaching out with her powers to see if she can turn any of what she's seeing.
"I only saw part of it before Emma ejected me. At the time I was well indisposed with my own issues." Her own issues being a street level hero on the prowl. Someone attacked a woman and stole her purse, Jean caught the robber and gave him a very good lecture and a promise of him to do good. She was sure though, that the promise itself would hold up. She needed to change her tactic.
With Lorna's emergence behind her, Jean lifts her hand into the air, four fingers spread out, curling into a fist which was brought down as if she were pulling a lever. To Nurse Anna, that always meant 'go'.
A wire that was affixed to Jean's temple popped out, which was soon popped back in as the horde of men and women began to advance, Jean dropping into a stance mimicking Charles as she curls her fingers into a fist. "Weapon X is out." Jean states. "That program was destroyed when Stryker was brought to light. Destroyed… no, wrong word. I'm sure they're still functional but they don't have the manpower like they used to. Still worth checking ou—.."
A brick was thrown towards Jean as she clearly ducks. The first blow was thrown, and she dashes into the fray with intent. There was no power usage here, only straight ass kicking from the front lines, her boot planted into the stomach of one, and her hand out to grab another by a collar to hurl him towards a nearby damaged car.
It was -on-.
Charles moves forward, saying to Jean, "Emma ejected you?" He sounds a little surprised by that, but files it away for later as he just uses his telepathy to coordinate. After all, these are automated attackers, so he can't exactly read the moves beforehand, putting him at a slight disadvantage.
But only slight, as he blocks one baseball bat swing, then headbutts the attacker and strips the baseball bat for his own use, twirling it as he makes a "Come on" gesture with his hand at the nearest group. Glancing over his shoulder, he says to Jean, "If it is mystical… well, I'm not sure what they would want with Logan, but Illyana would be the best person to ask." Charles sounds a bit uneasy, but then… he's a scientist. Magic always makes him a little uneasy, unless it's confined to the basis of Middle-Earth.
With a Vrrr sound, hard to hear under the din, but about to get louder, a leaf-spring nut pops off a rather unfortunate Hudson, or half of one, that comes to be joined by three more, as the rear wheels of the wreck begin turning up to speed. Sea of opponents, …well, she's going to try and slow them down in the middle. Out pops a rear axle, which falls to the ground as shocks are undone, rolling with increasing speed towards, and likely through, the midst of the massed attackers, dragging driveshaft sparking along the pavement.
'Ms. Grey, your vitals are reading off the charts. Keep it cool!' Comes the voice from the intercom. 'Adjusting some of the simulations to match skill level. Ms. Bottero, be careful, I don't have your vitals here on screen. Professor Xavier, watch those headbutts!'
Nurse Anna, forever the coach.
"Mentally. Which is understandable. I don't know if she.." Jean pauses, ducking a swing of the bat, placing a palm hit right in the middle of the chest of the attacker. Another grabs her from behind and lifts her as Jean kicks, which soon drags her into the crowd with a twisting throw of the redhead to the ground. She rolls, coming to a stop with a hard left to dodge a crowbar smack to the head. Quick dodge, for her hand strikes out to try to rip it from the hand of the attacker, who unexpectedly helps her to her feet!
With Julie's crowd broken up, it seems a little bit more to handle. Now it was time for the gearhead to get to work.
".. was in diamond form or not!" Jean finishes. With the crowbar yanked and tossed towards Diz for her to use as she would, she ducks her head and rushes towards her attacker, but was clipped from the side and brought to the ground.
"DO WE NEED TO GO TO LIMBO TO FIND ILLY?!" Jean screams during her struggle, this is what level ten looks like!
Charles swings his purloined baseball bat around, clearing a path around him as he shouts, "Noted, Anna, but I would hate to think you kids thought I could only use my head for one thing!" He actually smiles a bit, enjoying the physical exertion of cutting loose a bit. He says back, "I believe she was initially, though she reverted by the time I arrived." His bat whirls around him, buying some distance as he keeps the group facing him at bay. Though one intrepid attacker grabs him from the side once the bat is swinging away from them…
Charles stumbles a bit, kicking out at the knee of the would-be tackler. While they fall, the distraction was enough for a horde to swarm at him, his bat getting knocked aside as he resorts to his fists, trying to fight his way through to Jean, "I DON'T KNOW. IT'S EITHER HER OR WANDA THOUGH, AND THAT'S ALL I CAN THINK OF FOR MAGICAL TYPES." He shouts back, flashes of the War creeping a bit from his memories into the link, even as he uppercuts one assailant, twisting to try and keep from being a clear target in the throng of people.
Julie reaches into a pocket for a set of her bolas, this one of her medium-sized ones with three shiny rod bearings welded to cable, glancing up a moment at the intercom, distractedly. Her axle and flailing shaft, she turns it to turn it around and send it spinning among the crowds, unpredictably, to all appearance, with enough speed to be a hazard to bones and big disruption, but nothing exactly-lethal. "Right, nobody got me by the vitals," she mutters, whirling the bolas at an actually-fairly-ordinary speed: she lets it fly at the legs of any bunch that might be trying to catch the Professor from behind or whatever flank she can catch. The axle ends up rolling on unattended for a moment, on momentum.
Jean immediately throws her hands up as she was attacked by a bat. Funny thing about simulators, while the threat is real, the hits feel like punches from a strong kid. They sting, but they don't leave a lingering effect. Level ten. She curls up for just a moment, waiting for an opening to scramble beneath a car to regain her bearings, hearing Charles and..
..seeing those flashbacks through the mental link..
..draws about her own with a burst of power that causes the old'timey truck that she hides underneath to blast off into the air. Here's to hoping Dizzy can do something with that automobile!
A slow rolling smoke begins to draw from her shoulders, Nurse Anna frantically pressing buttons up in the console to immediately turn things down on Jean's end.
'Jean! CALM DOWN!'
"IT ISN'T ME! IT'S CHARLES!" With her voice discordant, the overprotective nature of Jean and the Phoenix both were intending to come to his rescue. Another flash of the war hits, which causes her hands to sink into her hair, her body bending as she tries to shield herself, that little opening allows for a dogpile to come upon her quiet -literally-! All of those bodies, all atop of Jean, and the rest of them heading wildly towards Charles and Julie!
And boy, do they look angry!
Charles doesn't talk about the time in Korea very often. He normally doesn't describe the human wave attacks. Or the bugles that heralded the charge of the Chinese and the North Koreans. He's fighting hard to focus, almost losing himself as the scenario is all too familiar…
Then he hears Jean's scream of anguish, and lunges upwards with a fierce shout of his own, grabbing a piece of rebar from the rubble and swinging it around like a quarterstaff. The blows sting as he barely feels them now, working on adrenaline as his concern for his first student overrides the other concerns. Locking down the memories tightly, he thinks back to Julie, » PLOW THE ROAD! « as he focuses on getting Jean clear of the throng, his concentration now like a laser as he brings his focus back to the here and now.
Julie whoas, suddenly, as the truck Jean's launched into the air goes flying up and she finds a mob coming after *her* directly. She backpedals a few steps, while raising some curled fingers to her lips at the crowd, then points to them, then toward the hurtling airborne truck. There's a sudden 'VRRRRR' sound as the thing's arc turns to a tumbling midair flip… Toward the whole lot of them. "WATCH IT, LOADING ZONE!" This one does seem to be a lot of effort for her, especially throwing the balance off as she is. Sickening crash imminent… Possibly an explodey one. She spares a glance over her shoulder for where to dive next, "Comin up, Prof!"
The men were knocked aside easily at Charles' emergence, setting up the hook for Julie to work her magic with the car that just flew into the air. The sudden 'VROOM' has the attackers alarmed, some even stopping to watch the vehicle with horrified looks as they turn and begin to run. Yes. It was going to be gross. Yes, it was going to be something for the books. Even Nurse Anna up top couldn't bear to look, her hands covering her eyes and her back towards the entire scene..
It was carnage. Carnage in the brain of Jean and Charles, carnage on the field caused by Julie…
..And it was so lovely..
The crowd that dog piled upon Jean seemed to come to life. A bubble forming beneath the bodies that moved and breathed like a chest searching for air. A sudden explosion has the bodies of the simulation flying into the air, yet hung in a suspended state with their limbs twitching.. a glitch or a ghost in the machine. In the middle of that was Jean.. her shoulders set aflame as well as her dark red hair, an ember effigy of herself peering over her shoulder at the entire scene nearly childlike, but very.. very horrifying.
'Look what you made me do, Charles Francis Xavier..' The Phoenix murmurs through the link, a million voices coalesquing all at once as the real Jean? She herself hangs limp. It was as if time had stood still in that very area, as the black, embered effigy cracks a haunting smile of pearly whites. 'Imagine what would happen once we find who took Logan..'
The suddenness of the vehicle whizzing past causes the Phoenix to snap back into position, Jean taking in a shrill breath as bodies start to fall from the sky. They were high up.. the three caused a scene of madness that Nurse Anna had to shut down almost immediately.
'Professor, in my office, stat!' Nurse Anna nearly screams, and steps out of the console room with an angry march.
Jean blinks at the two, then gives a shake of her head as the Danger Room slowly begins to phase out each and every item that was placed, including the bodies and the aftermath of .. well.. Julie. "So. Limbo. I know the Sorcerer Supreme. If we can't find them, he's our last resort."
Did Jean even realized what happened to them all? That place was a mess! Well, was being the operative word..
Charles looks at Jean, since… well, he's never really seen the Phoenix quite like that, and shakes his head back, "Well, yes, the Sorcerer Supreme, if we can't get in touch with Illyana." He takes a deep breath, and glances back towards Julie, "I don't think we can call this a successful test, considering what happened, but…" He smiles a bit, though Jean could tell that he looks a bit shaky from the experience. Korean War flashbacks and an appearance from the Phoenix are a bit much.
Then he looks at Jean, lowering his voice a bit as he simply says, "At some point, Jean, we should talk a bit more about what's lurking in both our heads, don't you think?" Because, well, the Phoenix's implications about vengeance for Logan is more than a little concerning. One thing to annihilate a few dozen holographic mooks in a Danger Room scenario… but to actually murder them in reality is something else entirely. At least to Charles.
Or at least… that's what he tells himself, to keep the demons at bay.
Julie had bolted for cover after calling in an automotive airstrike on, basically about where she was standing herself, and oofs to the floor as the half of a Buick she was tumbling across the hood of…disappears, along with the rest of the scene. Despite that, she seems to have caught herself fairly well, her mutant sense of balance having its advantages, too. Eyes darting around more at whatever that just was coming in via telepathy plus pure disorientation at the scenario disappearing and leaving a cold floor and chamber… Peels down her shades a bit to look over them, eyes Jean, then sees Anna's bunker, perhaps for the first time. "We break something?" Dizzy says aloud, in the sudden relative quiet.
Jean only stares at Charles. There was nothing more for her to say, yet Dizzy's whimsy allows her a moment to straighten and smile towards the young woman. "No, well.. yes. We broke Anna's brain. Let's go to the kitchen and introduce ourselves while we make her a bit of lunch to say sorry." As Jean head towards Dizzy, she then looks back over at her shoulder towards Charles. For the moment, it looks as if she were to say something.. but she just shakes her head and continues on.. heading towards the sliding door to see herself out. Hopefully with Julie in tow.