Ever Been to the Ice Age? (Mirror)

Jorge was surprised, and it did take a lot to surprise the experienced detective. Just as he was about to lean against the wall and start his waiting, suddenly someone actually stepped out from the mirror that was sitting on the opposite wall. At first Jorge was not sure what to think, but just as he was about to decide, he saw the look on the boy’s face. It was a look of optimism and seeking adventure for fun. Ironically, to Jorge, the kid reminded him a little of Tom Sawyer, except, obviously, a teenager.

But still, what was he doing here?

>> "Hey…They tell me I'm gonna be training with you today. Good to see you again. I've been looking forward to this."

He arched a brow. So he was an X-Boy errr, Man, the one that was supposed to be training him. But Jorge did not recognize him in the least. He had a vague idea of a number of the higher ranking X-men, such as Shin, Kealey, Sam, and Ghost, but this boy was not a person whom he had met before. Yet, judging by the tone of his voice, it was obvious that he had at least some working knowledge of him.

Then a duffle bag was handed to him.

>> "You're gonna need this. The training program for today is... well, you'll see…Gonna be a lot of fun."

Again he arched his brow. Training program and fun? What was this going to be all about? He opened the duffle and was actually surprised by the amount of warm clothing that he found inside. A large jacket, boots, all stuff designed to keep in the heat and to keep the body from freezing to death. What exactly did this kid have planned for him today?

Jorge raised his eyes as he pulled out the coat and began to look it over before he turned his gaze back to the boy that had just appeared from the mirror. Interesting power, unfortunately not one that he could really attribute to the face. That left him with an impulse, a need to ask a question, that he simply could not ignore anymore.

>> "Suit up…We're goin' hunting."

“Who the hell are you?” he finally asked. “Um, not meaning to be rude, that is,” he said as he stripped off his own jacket and began to pull on the heavier coat. “Have we met before? You do….kind of look familiar...”

>> "Oh. Damn…I'm sorry. Name's Gawain. You know me as Maya. We were on the Hawaii mission together. I'm a gender shifter. Sorry about the confusion.”

Jorge smirked as the hand was extended out to him. The detective took it firmly and shook it. Gawain, interesting name. He about to comment on how it was nice to meet him, but as the kid continued, Jorge soon realized he DID know this person from before. He worked with this kid back in Hawaii, but back then, he was girl. That…was an interesting mutation. Not only could he/she walk through mirrors but apparently shifted genders as well?

Very interesting, to say the least.

He smiled warmly as he shook the boy’s hand firmly and released the grip before turning back to the mass of stuff that had been handed to him from the duffle bag. He could really only wonder what the boy had planned for this danger room session. That was another thing, the boy seemed just a tad bit young to be a senior member of the team, then again, Jorge knew better than to judge him in any way.

>> "I am also a team leader on the X-team. I design training programs for the kids and the trainees. I have... um, I have seen footage of what you did on Hawaii. Very impressive. Can't wait to see what else you can do."

Jorge smirked and nodded.

“I’ll do my best to be prepared,” he responded. “Besides, after the last mission I was on with the team, I’m going to definitely need some more practice.”

It was a little tough to admit that he needed the help. Jorge had spent years working with his fellow officers, but Jorge was always one that tended to tackle issues on his own. That was why he didn’t like working with a partner, 1) he would rather risk himself than another else, 2) he had some problems trusting other people. But Jorge was doing better and he had every confidence that with practice, those were issues he could actually get around.

Once he had finished pulling on the rest of clothes, and tucked the old ones into the duffle bag, he nodded to Gawain.

“Alright Gawain, lead the way,” he said with a nod.

>> "All right, so this is a higher lever training session…It won't stop until we have beaten the game, or passed out. Stuff in here does real damage, but there are safeties built in. That doesn't mean it won't hurt a lot if we mess up"

“Greeeeat,” Jorge responded.

The boy grinned from ear to ear. Maybe he really got something out of all these adventures. It would be a surprise considering the boy’s age and the fact that he was an X-Man. Jorge would have to trust him but considering the fact that they were basically stepping into a large video game with only moderate safety procedures on, he was going to have to make sure to stay on his toes. The last thing he wanted was for this kid to run laps around him.

God he hoped he didn’t get too beat up. Not that he couldn’t take it, mind you; simply because he did not want Gemma to come down here and worry and make the young X-Man pee himself with her glare. It seemed that no matter how tough Jorge was, Gemma was always the one to really instill the fear into the hearts of people.

But, he would remain optimistic. In reality Jorge was actually really curious to see what this kid had managed to concoct.

Jorge strolled into the large Danger Room and it was just as he remembered it; large, empty, and incredibly beyond his understanding. The last time that he was here, he was here with Ghost and they had played out a scenario of stealing from a simulated mansion and fought off guards and all sorts of technology that he had only read about in books or seen in TV shows. It was truly an awe-inspiring experience.

And now he was back. He could only wonder what would be held in store for him now.

>> "Computer: start simulation: Ice Age. Training level."

The detective arched a brow. Suddenly the lights went off and Jorge was plunged into darkness. For a second he wondered if maybe the power went out or something. But just as he was thinking this, he felt the first lick of icy cold wind as he brushed across his cheek. The temperature in the room dropped and suddenly Jorge was very glad for the coat and boots that he was wearing. Everything around him was just absolutely cold!

Then, as he shifted his feet, he felt what he was sure was the sensation of ice and heard the crunch of snow. He peered through the dark closer and suddenly the “room” was filled with a brilliant white light. They were now no longer in a room, but instead were standing in an open field of ice and snow and blistering cold.

Jorge marveled at it.

>> "Welcome to the Ice Age."

He smirked a little as he looked down and indeed saw ice and snow below his feet. On top of that his powers were triggered, he could sense. It was cold water and it was hidden underneath layers of ice, but it was there none of the less. At least he didn’t feel completely without his powers now.

Attentioned turned back to Gawain he smirked a little.

“Impressive,” he said with a nod of his head. “So, where too now, maestro?”

Jorge was still in awe of this environment. He really could not believe that all of this was simply a simulation, a trick of the eyes brought on my some technologies that he just didn’t understand. It was all beautiful, mind you, but it really boggled his senses how all this was possible. The first time he saw this happen he had tried to figure it out, but now he realized that he was just as lost as ever. Maybe he would never figure it out. He’d just have to live with the fact that some things were beyond his knowledge in this world.

The cold breeze lashed across his features one more time and Jorge had to squint his eyes as he looked across the scene. It was all looking pretty barren to the point that he had to wonder exactly what this whole test was going to be.

Maybe just natural survival?

>> "Now, we hunt…There should be plenty of prey around here. The catch is... well, some of them might be hunting us. We are in the time when we have not made it to the top of the food chain yet. So, keep an eye out."

Apparently not.

Jorge wracked his brain as he tried to remember what sorts of animals (especially predatory ones) existed during the ice age. Unfortunately such knowledge did not really hold a permanent place in his head. He had vaguer ideas of wolves or big cats, but this was a programmed simulation! There could just as easily be wolves or dinosaurs! Whatever this kid imagined could probably be made reality. Jorge would only hope that he was prepared to meet whatever it was.

>> "Can you work with snow at all?"

Jorge shook his head as he lifted the scarf to cover his mouth and nose. His responses were muffled but at least they were not completely covered up.

“So far I can only manipulate liquid water,” he explained. He sighed as he attempted to feel out with his senses. “I can feel the water below our feet,” he lowered his palm and attempted to summon the water he felt. Either it was too far, or far too encased. “I’ll need to find a crack in the ice, or something in order to access it. I can still shift to water, but I’m not sure how long I’d last out here before freezing over. Guess I’ll just have to make do…” the man said.

>> "Yeah. I wouldn't wanna be water in this weather."

Jorge shook his head. That was definitely not the most ideal situation for him. If he had done something like that, in this weather, Jorge would probably end up a popsicle. Unfortunately the detective has had yet to test his abilities in such conditions (really, how many times did he find himself out in the middle of the arctic?). So Jorge was not sure what the effect would be. Either he would freeze up and stay like that forever, or he wouldn’t be able to shift at all because it is simply too cold to concentrate.

But even though they were supposed to be in a safe environment, Jorge was not going to start testing his luck now. Instead, he decided to take a breath and just deal with the situation at hand. He could feel the water, below his feet, they just needed to find a crack or something in the ice so that he could have access to it.

Until they did, though, he was going to have to keep on his guard.

>> "Well, ya'll need a weapon…Let's go find a crack in the ice. You lead, look for wherever it's the thinnest. I'll keep an eye out."

Jorge nodded. It sounded like a plan to him. The second that he could get control on some type of water, the better. The detective took the lead, as he was asked, and made his way across the ice, boots crunching underneath each of his foot falls. As he walked he tried to keep his eyes up and survey the land around him, but the blistering cold breeze was making that more than difficult.

But he did not complain or stop. Instead he trudged on while the bow and arrow wielding X-Man followed behind him. His sensed worked almost like a homing beacon, he was following to where he felt to most access to the water, where it felt closest to the surface. He continued to follow, eyes locked on getting to some source of water, when suddenly he paused as the sound pierced the air…

Hoooowwwwwwwwlllllllll!!![/b]

This cry into the wilderness was soon followed by another…and another…and another in response. He sighed. Of course the kid had programmed wolves into this scenario. On the off chance though, he peered over his shoulder to Gawain…

“Please tell me that was you,” he muttered.

>> "That was not me…Keep looking."

Jorge sighed. Of course it was not the boy. He really was not looking forward to taking on a pack of wolves right now, but he found that he had little to no choice. The kid had told him that the simulation would not stop unless they were beaten unconscious or that they had defeated the game. Some twisted game this was. This was absolutely madness; but the detective would deal with the situation. He faced down some pretty gnarly experiences in his life and he was not going to succumb to computerized pack of dogs!

The first and most important thing was that he needed a weapon. He didn’t bother to bring his gun with him to the school (for obvious reasons) so that meant his next most natural weapons were his fists and water. While the detective did not know how he would fair out in fisticuffs against a pack of wolves, he was not really going to risk it now.

He needed to find water.

He continued to lead, letting his sense guide him to where he felt the water closest to the surface of the ice. Trudging on, he tried to keep focused, tried to keep in mind that he was fighting for his life and did not want to give in. With every step ice crunched underfoot but Jorge felt the pull of nearby water all that much more. But just as he felt he was felt he was near, suddenly he heard the sounds of more howling.

A feeling of being watched and eyed crept over his person…

>> "Have you seen Ice Age? With the silly sloth and the cuddly mammoth and the nice fuzzy sabertooth? This is exactly... the opposite of that…At least we can hear the wolves. Tigers don't howl."

“Heh,’” Jorge smirked. “So I guess I shouldn’t expect any jaunty musical numbers?”

Just as he finished talking he paused. He felt the water, so close! He peered ahead and spotted that there indeed was a rather deep fissure into the ice. The call of the icy water was magnetic and felt almost like a lifesaver. Of course, though, as he took the first step towards it, that was when he heard the growling.

Spun back around to look in the same direction that Gawain was looking and groaned. There, of course, was the pack of wolves, snowy and white and blended nearly perfectly with their environment. Their bright, yellow eyes glared at them, menacingly, as if daring them to move. They looked…slightly bigger than the average wolf.

Great.