Max entered the locker room and changed into his training gear. He was wearing his combat boots, army green tactical pants, and a black t-shirt with the Haven symbol on the front. His fanny pack was packed and on him. He had filled it with bandages? His yo-yos, a few rolls of change, and some snacks.

He had woken up that morning to find a letter slipped under his door. Apparently he was to meet in CLASS to work on training with a fellow Haven member. Apparently even though the group was comprised of a lot of solo operatives they also likes to ensure that teamwork could be built between members in case pairing were required to achieve an objective.

Max was nervous. He was still pretty new to Haven. When he had been let in and told the truth about the organization he had felt a rush of excitement. He had the opportunity to help his fellow mutants, to fight for the equality he knew they deserved.

He was the new guy now. His first official training session, and he didn't want to mess it up. Devon had placed his faith in Max, Max didn't want to let him down. He left the locker room and entered CLASS

The place was amazing. The room he found himself was massive and he saw that almost every inch of the floor, walls, and ceiling had seams running across them. He had read the packet documenting the secret training facility. Apparently the room could make just about anything you could imagine inside it's four walls. It meant you never knew what you would be up against.

He took a seat on the floor and waited. His nerves had prompted him to arrive early. Who would he be training with?

Although Agnes liked everything she heard and seen with Haven, she was actually still not as well-versed in its amenities as she should be. Odd considering that the young woman had already done several things for them, including helping to set up the Unity of Arts gala and breaking a much used and abused mutant from her cruel family in Las Vegas. She didn’t talk much about either incident, and she wasn’t looking for any Thank You’s or anything like that, but she was doing a lot for Haven without actually investigating it much herself.

First and foremost was the fact that they offered from truly amazing living arrangements. Sadly, as nice as they were, Agnes still preferred her apartment that she was still, somewhat, sharing with her wayward fiancée, River. After all, she couldn’t just up and move without telling the young woman and Haven was not something she wanted to risk discovery, not yet. Besides, they were supposed to work both in the light and in the shadows, she didn’t want either of those balances being upturned because she wasn’t careful.

Next, though, and her favorite, was the fact that Haven had training facilities, a place where mutant could learn to control their powers. It reminded her very much of the Danger Room back at the Mansion. She used to work out there all the time so it was good to see that Haven had thought of that as well. If they wanted to help mutants, offering them a place where they could work and test the limits and peaks of their strengths was very necessary. Agnes could surely use services like that.

Now, while Agnes was getting more acquainted with Haven, she also knew that she didn’t want it to be like the Mansion situation. She wanted to be involved, she wanted to help people, including her fellow Haven members, more. That was why she had decided to do something that Agnes had never done before – she would meet with them. Ugh. It partially made her skin crawl but Agnes was really a friendly person and if she was going to be working with these people, it was best she got to know them a little more.

Maxwell Rosewood was a recent member. She recalled meeting him once at the Unity of Arts gala but nothing else after that. Since he was still a new inductee, she figured that maybe they could meet. Without wanting it to be weird or anything, Agnes left a memo under his door, one offering him the chance to train and practice his abilities. It wasn’t weird, in Agnes’ eyes, though maybe she should have signed her name to the note or something. Oh well, if there were any problems, she was sure that she could answer them when she met up.

---

Upon entering the CLASS room, Agnes was dressed in her own training gear. It was standard for all Haven members to work out in: sheer black yoga pants that were lined with green and a matching black top that adhered to her body, displaying the same symbol for Haven that was on all their products. The only difference between her uniform and others was the fact that there were slits in the back of hers that allowed her iridescent insect wings to poke through.

Stepping into the massive room, Agnes smirked as she looked over to see that Max was already here, sitting on the ground and awaiting his training partner. It was good to see that he was eager to get into the mix of things. Though he was only a few years younger than herself, it was probably true to say that Agnes had more experience with these kinds of training rooms. At least she hoped. As she approached, she gave him a friendly smile. Her wings fluttered briefly as she approached, her crystalline eyes glinting with kindness. She pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail as she greeted him.

”Max,” she said as she extended her hand out to him. ”Great to see you again. Sorry if I didn’t say before, but, welcome to Haven.”

He didn't have to wait long. The doors slid open and he saw Agnes enter the room dressed for exercise. He tried not to stare as he noticed the wings fluttering behind her, insect like.

"That's cool" He thought to himself.

He assumed she was the one who had contacted him and grinned. He had met her at the gala and seen her perform. The woman was a virtuoso on a violin. He had made it a point to say hello. He didn't know she was a true member of Haven, most of the people he had run into that night had been front members or guests.

-
-”Max,”

She extended her hand out to him and he shook it in return.

-”Great to see you again. Sorry if I didn’t say before, but, welcome to Haven.”

"You too. It's no big I didn't even know you were one of the functioning members. I'm glad to be here. Thanks for the invitation I've been dying to get to come down here, I've been missing the Danger room." He replied.

He took a few steps back and took a wide stance, stretching his legs and warming them up after sitting. He didn't know what Agnes could do, and he felt a pang of curiosity. Her wings were interesting, what other neat tricks did she have up her sleeve?

"So did you have something particular in mind you wanted to work on?" He asked as he raised his arms up and popped his back, "Do you know about my ability? Maybe a quick briefing for each other before we get into anything." He suggested.

For the most part this was a little awkward for Agnes. She was used to awkward but this wasn’t the soul-sucking, crushing awkward that she sometimes had to deal with whenever she was alone with a particular redhead. Instead, this was more of an awkwardness that was tinged with the excitement of meeting someone new. It helped matters, as well, that Max was not someone entirely new to her. They had met, though only briefly, before and this was just a chance for the two of them to get to know one another a bit better. They were going to be co-workers, after all, so it was only fitting.

After she walked in and greeted him, she quickly apologized for her lack of accepting him into Haven earlier. Truth was that Devon was moving so quickly, pulling in all sorts of people whom she didn’t even know about. Sveta took her by surprise, but she was happy to see that the organization was gaining momentum. Mutants everywhere needed help and, if they could provide it, she was more than willing to participate.

Max seemed nonplussed by not being greeted more formally and merely waved it off. Apparently he too didn’t realize just how far down the rabbit hole Agnes had been situated. There were a lot of individuals who worked on the outskirts of Haven but very few of them were aware of the inner workings. Even Agnes herself didn’t know a lot but she hoped that, eventually, her contributions would earn her more notice so that she could really start making a difference.

She tilted her head and gave him a smirk. He mentioned “Danger Room” so casually that she could only assume that he had been a student of Xavier’s Sister School at some point. The Danger Room was utilized many times to help mutants gain control over their abilities. It was a safe place to practice and to test limits. If Max had knowledge of it then he must have been there before. Clearly he was a young man of mysteries.

Agnes was shaken from her musings when he had asked if there was anything specific in mind that she had wanted to work on and if she had known about his abilities. To be fair Agnes had an inkling that it had to do with gravity but the details were lost upon her. That was why she preferred these one-on-ones so that she could get a real idea of what someone could do.

Walking over to a nearby wall, Agnes flipped a discreetly hidden panel to reveal a state of the art keyboard but a small monitor protected by bulletproof glass. As she started to type away commands on it, a hum could be heard in the room. She had to get it prepped for their training session.

”Oh I just had a light workout in mind. Nothing big. But as for your powers,” she turned around, her arms crossed over her chest. ”I would love a demonstration so that I could get a better sense of what you can do.”

Tapping the enter key behind her, she stepped away and flipped the panel back over. At that point several opens appeared in the floor as spheres, cubes, and other geometric shapes of sizes varying from small to large were deposited on the floor near them. Agnes returned to Max, casually scooping up a basketball-sized sphere and moving it from hand to hand as she stepped a few feet from him.

”Unless you’re shy?” she said with a teasing grin. She was starting to relax.

Agnes seemed quite pleasant, Max was glad for the company. He hadn't gotten to know very many people since joining Haven and having a fun workout session seemed like a great way to spend an afternoon.

Agnes walked over to the console and activated the room. Max saw the shapes appear, some the size of softballs, others as large as cars. He had only ever really messed with solid light holotech at the mansion, this seemed pretty impressive.

She picked up a ball and asked for a drmonstration and joked with him. She seemed playful and Max grinned.

"Me shy? You got a lot to learn my friend." He smiled.

He took a few steps and approached a cube that was roughly a foot taller than him and just as wide. He reached out and touched it, layering his power over it and nullifying the gravity. With one hand he pulled the cube up and held it above his head.

"I've got super strength." He said his expression serious.

He lowered his hand from the cube and it floated above him.

"Just kidding," He laughed, " I have gravitation manipulation.

He places his hand under the cube again and used his other hand to spin it like a basketball. The cube spun round and round balances on his fingertips.

"I have a personal field of gravity that I can control on myself and anything I touch. I can nullify gravity and make object or myself float or..." He explained.

He pulled his arm back and threw a punch up at the cube. As his fist met the object he changes the field of gravity around it, changing the pull of gravity to double that of Earth's and augmenting the direction straight up. The cube blasted upward, it's mass and weight propelling it. It smashed Into the ceiling high above and shattered into a number of pieces. His field of gravity dispersed as the cube broke and shards fell harmless down around him.

"I can increase the strength and direction of gravity to throw things or pin them to other things." He concluded.

He collected a few smaller shapes; a sphere, a pyramid, and a cylinder. Each was about the size of a softball. He used his power on them and they floated in place around him. With his dancers grace he spun in the center, doing a triple spin and watched as the momentum carried the objects into a circular orbit around him, each one propelled by the momentum of the others.

"My power layers over things, so mass and weight aren't a factor only surface area. I can effect a bunch of small object or one big one. My maximum I've ever tried was a car." He continued.

He reached out and touched the sphere, returning gravity to normal. The sphere fell. He did the same to the others.

"I have to touch the objects to effect their fields, that or wait for my power to wear off. I can use it in bursts as much as I want but can only keep a constant field going for about three minutes." He concluded.

He took a small bow and grinned at Agnes.

"So what do you think?"

Normally when meeting strangers, Agnes was quiet and withdrawn. It was just her way. She was a bit of a wallflower and much of that came from her old days when keeping your mouth shut and not drawing attention to yourself was the only way to survive. Often times she could easily be overlooked, people not realizing she was in the same room as they glazed over her practically invisible posture. But, that was only one side of Agnes Nicholas. When she was comfortable, when she felt like she could trust someone, she was more open, more talkative, and definitely more teasing. It was a glimpse of the real young woman, a window into who she could have been if life and family had not stomped down on her at such a young age.

Standing off to the side, she bounced the sphere between her hands as she gestured for Max to give her a small taste of what he could do. She had glanced over his dossier and knew that his powers centered around manipulating gravity, but the degree of it she wasn’t sure about. Either way, it sounded like it could be a powerful force for him to manipulate and she wanted to know just how much control he already possessed. Surely if he were too strong, Devon would have put warnings on his file but since she didn’t see any, she could only assume

A smirk pulled at her lips as the younger man announced that he was not shy. She watched, amazed, as he licked an extreme large cube as easily as if it were filled with helium. At first he stated that he had super strength, but he was quick to denounce that as he explained his gifts in better detail.

Agnes watched, amazed, as the young man easily manipulated each object he came in touch with, sending them floating into the air, or directing them with such intense force and pressure that they shattered against the ceiling before the particles floated down and around her. It really was an impressive display, something that actually took Agnes’ breath away. Suddenly she was very glad that they were on the same side.

>> "So what do you think?"

After he had finished and bowed out, Agnes chuckled and clapped her hands after she nodded. ”Impressed. I’m very impressed,” she said with a smile.

To be honest Agnes wasn’t always fond of her abilities. She accepted them as part of who she was, but much the same as people with brown eyes who wanted blue or those with straight hair who wanted natural curls, the ex-runaway sometimes wished that her abilities weren’t so…problematic. Not many people could take actually witnessing her mutation and vaguely she wondered what Max’s reaction would be. She was sorry it couldn’t be as cool as his own power, but she would demonstrate nonetheless.

”As for myself,” she started. ”It’s okay if it creep you out, okay? Just…don’t make any sudden moves…” She was something she said to most people who didn’t know what she could do.

Taking a breath, Agnes dipped her head down and closed her eyes. She had been practicing for years now. Before they would only come when she was threatened or in danger, but now she practically had them at her beck and call. The sound would come first. A deep and throbbing buzzing that would fill the room. Steadily it grew louder, almost deafening, and it was as it reached the apex of the sound that one would notice that her mouth was open.

There was nothing at first except for the buzzing but as that sound heightened, one could see small dark shapes forming around the inside of her mouth. These shapes were small and moved in odd patterns, and it would only be after a few seconds of staring that someone would notice that they were bugs. Flies, roaches, ants, they started crawling around her mouth in minimal numbers before a torrent of the various bug fell from her lips. Roaches crawled along her body, falling onto the ground and forming a defensive circle while wasps and flies protectively flew in a dome around her body. But the horrors wouldn’t end there.

Unseen slits on her legs and forearms split open. From her legs there fell what looked like a shadow sweeping across her skin. Upon closer inspection, it would be shown that ants, hundreds, were falling from those openings, crawling protectively over her body and massing on the ground around her. Lastly, from the slits of her arms, there came the most horrid sight. Two, extremely large Amazonian centipedes, the size of the length of her forearms, crawled out of the slits and curled around her limb; Agnes was a true nightmare to behold.

With her army unleashed, Agnes’ wings beat hard, lighting her upwards, just a few feet off the ground but it was evident that she was more agile in the air than she let on. Hovering there, she gave Max a simple smile.

”I’m a living nest.” she explained. ”They hide in my body and when I’m threatened or upon my call, they jump out to protect me. Also,” she turned in mid-air, revealing her back where her wings were sprouted. ”Depending on when stage I’m in in my molting cycling, I gain a bug attribute. Right now, I have fly wings. The next time, I could have an insect carapace, or stingers on my hands or antennae on my head.” She set herself back down on the ground and smiled at him. ”It’s why they call me Swarm.”

Agnes complimented Max's demonstration and he gave a pleased smile. He wasn't used to compliments, especially about his mutation. Most of his life he had made it a point to keep it hidden. Letting loose without fear of judgement felt good.

She gave him a warning about her ability and Max stood and watched her. The tension held in the air as Max watched her and waited. There was something amazing about the moment between when you knew someone was a mutant and when they displayed their power. It was a moment of endless possibility where for just a fleeting second you allowed yourself to truly believe anything was possible.

The buzzing started. At first Max thought it was just hie ears until it continued to grow louder and louder. The sounded resched its crescendo and Max started to see what was going on. His stomach turned as waves of bugs expelled from Agnes' body. They spewed from her mouth and her limbs split open revealing more and more of them. His head swam for a moment when the giant centipedes rolled out.

It was terrifying and for a moment all Mac could do was stand in shock and horror as the plague of insects buzzed and hissed. As she floated upward Max could see the majesty of it though.

He had been mocked, insulted, even beat up for being a mutant back in his home town. Labeled a freak and an outcast. It had given him an appreciation for those that were different. Everyone had worth, everyone had merit, and as he looked at Agnes he saw her for what she was. A Queen. She was the host and leader of this swarm and as strange as it was it was something to behold.

She explained her power and Max applauded slowly.

"Absolutly incredible. Don't get me wrong it makes my skin crawl a little bit to be honest but I've never seen anything like it," He smiled, "Do you feel them while their inside you?"

The idea of feeling millions of bugs crawling under his skin made Max feel itchy but he ignored the psycho somatic sensation. He didn't want to be on the receiving end of the swarms hostility but tool a step forward. The insects hissed in protest and Max stopped.

It was with bated breath that Agnes awaited whatever Max’s reaction would be to her abilities. She’d seen a variety of types over the years, including her parents who thought she was some demon / horsewoman of the apocalypse and ex-lovers who accepted her mutation with all of its bells and whistles. Hovering before the young man, she could see that he was partially shocked by her abilities, maybe his stomach even turned a little, but he didn’t run in fear of her. He didn’t vomit up his breakfast, and he certainly wasn’t looking for the nearest thing he could use to squash her. Those were all good signs.

Setting herself down she casually explained her powers: she was a living nest. She housed a variety of insects who protected her whenever her life was in danger. In a way Agnes was indeed a queen, royalty who had a bevy of worshippers who protected her with their lives. Many times in the past they had been the deciding factor on whether she lived or died. Other people may have been creeped out but Agnes herself, well, she had come to care for them in a strange way.

Setting herself down, she watched as Max continued to process everything that he had just seen. As she waited for his reaction, she turned around so he didn’t fully see this part. Arms outstretched and mouth opened, her swarm returned to her. Ants and centipedes crawled back into the slits on her limbs and the large swarm of flies, wasps, and roaches returned to her mouth, slipping back down into her body and into the sacs safely hidden away in her chest. Once the insects had vanished from sight, Agnes turned back around to face her fellow Haven member.

His applause was not expected. Standing back, the young violinist blushed a little when he started to praise her abilities. Of course he was a little frightened of her but it was a sight to behold nonetheless. Agnes nodded her head, thankful that he was as trusting and accepting as all Haven members were supposed to be. With an appreciative smile on her lips she replied to his follow up question.

”Only when I’m threatened,” she said with a nod. ”They react to my fear. Other than that, they stay in a state of suspended animation. I feel normal, just like everyone else,” she said with a shrug. ”Though it took some getting used to for me, of course, but I’ve learned to trust them. They’ve saved my life enough times to earn that.”

Gently she patted her arm and the invisible slip where her centipedes Tiny and Bitey currently resided. They were the most lively and, at times, required more attention of her. There was no need to tell Max that, though, as it wasn’t important. What was important was that they had some training to do. So, with a firm look in her eyes she took a breath and called out.

”CLASS,” she said, speaking to the computer. ”Initiate program Training Grade 1.”

”Initiating…” a mechanized voice uttered.

Instantly the room began to shift. It felt almost as if the entire floor were rotating as it started to reconfigure. The shapes that had popped up earlier started to reform, shifting into more recognizable outsides of cars, debris, and various other items that were strewn about. Hardlight with a mixture of other technology innovations that couldn’t be properly explained altered the landscape around them. As Agnes walked up and joined Max at his side, she gave him a smirk. Where once they were in a blank room, they were now in a darkened, liter strewn alley with a seedy looking bar sitting across the street, flickering neon lights and all.

”Welcome to CLASS. We’ll start you out easy, okay? This is more just to get a gauge on what you can do. There is no pass fail here.” She gestured towards the bar. ”Why don’t you lead the way? But...be on your toes, okay? Even at Level 1, these things can hurt.”

As Max listened to Agnes explain her ability he had to admit it was quite remarkable. Walking into a fight with a swarm of insects having your back seemed like a pretty solid battle plan. Max let out a sigh of relief as Agnes turned around and reabsorbed the insects back into herself. He appreciated her looking away, seeing the bugs come out had been intense but seeing them go back in? Max gave a little shudder at the thought.

She called out to the CLASS system and the room began to shift around them. Max had gotten acclimated to the process from his experiences with the Danger Room but he always felt a sense of wonder as the area around him morphed and changed. He found himself in a dirty alley, looking forward at a run down bar. He'd done urban before in the Danger Room, but this felt more real somehow.

-”Welcome to CLASS. We’ll start you out easy, okay? This is more just to get a gauge on what you can do. There is no pass fail here.” She gestured towards the bar. ”Why don’t you lead the way? But...be on your toes, okay? Even at Level 1, these things can hurt.”

Max felt a wave of nerves run through him. Playful demonstration was fun, but now he was looking at the practical exam. Sometimes it drove Max crazy trying to find ways to utilize his ability in training scenarios. His ability was adaptable, but very circumstantial. He always had to be aware of what was around him, what he could use to defend him.

"Well here goes nothing." He said giving Agnes a thumbs up.

He lowered gravity on himself to almost nothing, barely letting his feet touch the dirty alley floor. He was wary of traps, being presented such a straight forward path. He cautiously made his way to the door of the bar.

The windows were blacked out and one was covered with wood, making it impossible to see inside. He edged over to the door and pushed it open, clearing the doorway as he did. The door swung open and Max waited pressed against the doorframe. After a moment of silence he peeked.

The place was dusty and run down, it was a decent sized room with table sand chairs scattered about. In the back was the bar with stool in front of it and off to the left was a doorway that Max assumed led into the back.

"Clear." He called out to Agnes.

He took a step inside and felt his foot catch on something. As his shoe touched the wood of the floor he saw a wire snap under his boots. He heard the click of some kind of mechanism trigger. Well damn.

"Wire!" He called out.

He rolled forward, his weightlessness carrying him far into the room. He smacked into a table and pull it down between him and the door.

Agnes had only used the CLASS room a few times but despite her apparent handicap when managing technology, she did seem to get the hang of it pretty quickly. Devon was nice enough to show her how to work it via voice commands so that saved the ex-runaway a lot of frustrations. Now, standing in the middle of the room, watching as the world around her shifted and reformed into something that was already preprogrammed, she had to smile in awe. She may not have fully understood it, but she loved it nonetheless. This room had the ability to make dreams come true and it was the perfect place to hone ones skills.

Once the world had finished shaping itself, Agnes crossed her arms over her chest and gestured for Max to take the lead. She had informed him that this was just more a practical run, to just see what he could do in various scenarios but that he still needed to mind himself. Even if it was a soft run, it was going to hurt if he made too many mistakes. This was supposed to be training and life lessons, not a kindergarten class.

After she gestured for him to begin, Max took the lead and led the way to the bar across the street. It was amazing how real everything looked and felt. There was a scent in the air that could only be created by a neglected and spoiled alleyway, a scent that she was more than familiar with. The authenticity with which this tech was able to recreate things was amazing to her, but now wasn’t the time for awe. Instead she strolled on and let Max stop at the door to the bar before pushing his way inside.

”Good,” Agnes started to say, miming teachers she used to work with back at the mansion. It was strange how easy it was to fall into their shoes. ”Mind your corners. Take it slow. There’s no timer going on in here.”

Her hands at her hips, her wings fluttered briefly as she stepped into the room with him. After Max scoped out the inside, he announced that it was clear and started to check things. Agnes nodded, following after, her wings posed and ready to flutter should she need them. Once inside, she stepped back and allowed Max to explore. He didn’t have much direction for this training as it was supposed to be purely reactionary. So whatever happened, it was solely based on Max’s decisions here.

One of which seemed to consist of setting off a trap wire. Agnes’ eyes went wide as she immediately dashed for a table, upturned it, and hid behind. Max did the same and Agnes braced herself. She knew this training exercise and snorted a bit to herself. His face was going to be priceless.

As soon as Max at set off the trip wire, several panels across the walls slide open reveal barrel after barrel of armaments. They all fired at once, setting off a volley of armor piercing arrows that slammed into the tables that both Max and Agnes hid behind. The arrowheads looked real enough, piercing into the table surfaces and hold them back – just barely. The good thing was that the arrow volleys were only a single shot so they were safe from those – it was what was coming next that would be a nuisance.

As Agnes stood up, peeking over the table, she called out to Max. ”You alright?” she waited for a response before adding. ”Rule number one, check all your surroundings.”

Suddenly the door was kicked open and Agnes rolled her eyes. Standing up, she glanced to Max before returning her gaze to the door – she hated these guys. From the doorway she could see that a tall, shadowy figure filled it before moving inside. Once there, more figures joined him and soon there was a small group of five or so men, all tall with bronze skin, fierce eyes, and a mixture of classical, Greek style haircuts and bears. They were bare chested except for an open leather jacket and torn denim jeans. Atop their heads they wore black metal Corinthian helmet, like the Spartans in that move “300”. And, upon closer inspection, Max would notice that that was exactly what he was looking at, same actors and all from that movie only dressed now like some kind of weird cross between biker and Spartan.

“Who dares!?” Biker!Leonidas shouted! “This. Is. SPARTA…sports bar and grill…”

Agnes sighed and gestured to Max. ”Max. Meet the Spartan Wolves Biker Gan—“ She stopped when Leonidas gave her a hard look and rolled her eyes again. ”Sorry…Spartan Wolves Bike Enthusiast Club…” she made air quotations for that last part. She then smirked at Max. ”You just broke into their club house.”

The room exploded into noise as panels opened and the room was bombarded with arrows. Max dropped his gravity field and ducked, trying to make himself as small a target as possible. Arrows slammed into the table, the thick wooden shafts vibrating from the impact. After a tense moment he heard Agnes' voice from across the room.

-You alright?”

"I'm good." He called, peering over the table.

- ”Rule number one, check all your surroundings.”

He stood up from behind his makeshift barricade and gave her a thumbs up.

The door bursts open and Max felt his jaw drop. The group of men that came in looked like movie stars, probably because they were. Apparently CLASS pulled resources from pop culture for its drills. They looked like a mismatch of time periods with their helmets of bronze and biker gear. The lead Spartan stepped up.

“Who dares!?” Biker!Leonidas shouted! “This. Is. SPARTA…sports bar and grill…”

"Seriosuly?" Max thought.

Agnes intruded Max to the gang and informed him exactly where he was trespassing. For a second his fight or flight instinct told him to charge the men, but a nagging thought held him back.

Agnes had said this was to see what he was capable of, to test how he reacted to different situations. Not every situation needed to be smashed through. Max should play to his strengths, and above all else Max was a performer. Time for some acting.

He lept into the nearest unturned table and in one fluid motion pulled off his shirt with his right hand. He wasn't nearly as built as the group of men before him but years of dance had given Max lean strong muscle.

"Spartans!" Max bellowed to the room.

He looked at the lead spartan and inclined his head slightly.

"I come from the Athens....Barbecue Pitt with a warning. The Persian Diner is plotting against you. I heard them planning a strike on your establishment." He called.

He held the gaze of the bikers and continued his ploy.

"They also said motorcycles are lame and for sissies. I seek safe passage through your establishment so I might gather my forces to aid you." He proclaimed.

He thrust his arm into the air.

"For the Bar, For the Grill."

Agnes has had run-ins with these yahoos before. Sometimes she really had to wonder where the CLASS programs got their information from, at better yet, who programmed it. It seemed that they were fans of action movies because there were hold folders dedicated to training simulations about actions movies and stars from now, all the way back until the 1980s. She still remembered when she was doing a jungle training exercise and Rambo popped in proclaiming that he was the law. It was strange, to say the least, but it was something she was steadily growing used to.

Leonidas and his biker gang were a interesting mashup in her opinion. The first time she had met these holograms she was a little terrified but as she watched the movie they were inspired by and got to run into them a few more times, she realized they were just a gaggle of dumb jocks. Good in a fight but their programming was severely limited in terms of their creativity. No matter what era or scenario they appeared in, they were the same lunk heads that needed to be humored.

A straight up fight would have been the first option for anyone when they stormed into the sports bar and that was half what Agnes was expecting Max to do. He had the abilities to do something offensive, to barrel through them or knock something heavy into the constructs but she was genuinely surprised. Her arms crossed over her chest, she had to smirk as she watched Max suddenly put on an entirely different face.

Her head tilted, she had to cover her mouth to keep from snickering or laughing too loud when Max leapt onto the nearest table and pulled his shirt off. His physique, well, it wasn’t anyone on par with what the bikers brought, but he more than made up for his lacking muscles with his big mouth. Agnes winced when the younger man started to yell, announcing that he was from a neighboring restaurant and had come to warn the Spartans of the invading Persian restauranteurs.

She had to admit that that was a good one. Nodding her head in an impressed manner, she looked between both Max and the small legion of Spartan Bikers who were standing in bar, looking ready for war to begin. As Max shouted that this was for the Bar and the Grill, she jumped when suddenly the Spartans shouted in unison along with him.

“FOR THE BAR! FOR THE GRILL!!!”

Leonidas chuckled heartily as he strolled up to the younger man and held out his arm for him to shake. When he did, he would chuckle and pull him into a tight bear hug. For a combination training droid / hard light construct, he managed a surprisingly strong hug, even Agnes had to wince at the sound of vertebrae popping. Quietly she stepped out from behind the table and smirked.

”I think you made a friend, Max,” she teased.

Leonidas jumped in, dropping Max as he gestured to the bar. “Come! We shall drink before engaging the enemy! FOR TONIGHT. WE DINE. IN HELL’s kitchen!”

Agnes stepped aside as the legion of bikers cheered and stormed into the bar. Immediately they went behind the counter and started to pull out bottles of alcohol to consume before battle. Agnes just placed her face in her hand and sighed. Great.

The silence hung in the air for a moment after Max shouted at the legion. He didn't dare look over at Agnes for fear of breaking chracter.

"FOR THE BAR! FOR THE GRILL!" The Spartans shouted.

Max had never in his life had a chance to give a cliche move speech. He was half startled and half amused as he got down from the table and shook Leonidas' arm. The man embraced him and Max had to flex every muscle in his body to stop himself from letting out a cry of pain. The bear hug ended and Max couldn't help but tube thankful that he hasn't decided to fight.

Agnes approached looking like she was doing her best to keep a straight face. Max avoided making eye contact as he fought to stay in character.

-”I think you made a friend, Max,”

Max looked up at her and smiled as Leonidas called his brothers to drink and prepare for war. They moved about paying Max and Agnes. O mind as they began to gather for their pre war feast.

"First rule of performance- know your audience." He smiled, "Come on."

He lead her past the bikers who as he walked into the back clamped him on the shoulder, or extended am arm for a shake. They treated Max as a brother in arms. He reached the back door of the clubhouse and exited, waiting for Agnes. He shut the door to the place and looked over into the new alley they were in. He grabbed a pipe laying in the trash and slid it through the door handle just to be safe.

He started laughing as he put his shirt on. Earnest whimsical laughter.

"I can't believe that actually worked. I was like 90 percent sure he was about to smack me across the face with a baseball bat." He was having a bit of trouble breathing.

He heard a loud smash ring out from the street the alley was connected to, a voice rang out.

"Help!" It cried.

Max looked at Agnes, his laughter fading.

"Man busy day, CLASS doesn't give you much down time huh?" He said as he walked towards the noise to see what was causing the commotion.

There was little else for Agnes to do other than to stand back, keep a straight face, and just watch as the younger Havenite won over the ground of computer generated Spartans. Her arms cross over her chest, she tilted her head a bit as she watched everyone cheer and scream in unison. To be fair these drills could be completed in a number of ways. Max could have easily jumped in for a fight and still received a passing grade (not that he was being graded) as these drills were more just to test how he reacts to any kind of scenario. Some will call for talking, others for fighting, and some for doing absolutely nothing. This was to create a framework picture of Max’s abilities and thought processes, nothing more.

As the computerized Spartans announced that drink was to be had, she watched as Max walked over and began to lead her through the crowd as he cheered and jeered with them. The Spartans shouted that they would drink hearty and that the Persian restaurant was going to face its downfall. Agnes didn’t need to say anything in agreement as she wasn’t the focus of this test. She was more just the proctor for an exam. However she would intervene if it was required.

Led out through one of the backdoors, Agnes smirked a bit as Max started laughing and barred the door behind them. He pointed out that he couldn’t believe it worked as he had been expecting to be killed back there. Agnes just smirked in response as she uncrossed her arms and placed them firmly upon her hips.

”You did good. Not every fight needs to be fought with your fists – or powers, per say. Somethings actually require you to use your head.” She nodded in appreciation of the young man’s skills and abilities when handling this situation. The training seemed to be doing good so far. Now they just had to get through the rest of it.

>> ”Help!!”

Agnes turned in the direction of the voice and then glanced to Max. It was time for level two this training session and this one could be a tad bit trickier. Max, geared up and ready, walked down the alley and to the street. Agnes, a few steps back, followed behind him, her wings fluttering a bit in anticipation. She remembered the last time she had done this run and, well, it wasn’t her favorite.

As they exited the alley, towards the street, they would both find a surprising sight waiting for them. There stood a massive looking robot (totally not based and colored off of the popular “Optimu Prime”) and in its grip was a rather familiar looking figure – Agnes herself. Agnes, dressed exactly the same as the Agnes who was standing next to Max, smiled in an unsettling manner at the massive machine and the doppleganger who was being crushed in its grip.

The other Agnes looked at Max and shouted. ”Max! Help! There’s a glitch in the system!!” Her eyes were wide, pleading, and her face was strained with pain. Shakily she looked towards Agnes next to make. ”She’s not real! She’s just a hardlight construct that CLASS created when the room was forming! We got separated when you looked away!”

Agnes (next to Max Agnes) shook her head. She watched the robot crushing the life out of the doppleganger in the machine’s grip. ”Don’t listen to her.” she said to Max. ”CLASS likes to think its clever but sometimes things are blatantly obvious…”

Dying Agnes groaned, blood coating her teeth. Desperately she reached out to Max even though he couldn’t be farther away. ”M-Max…P-Please…I…I don’t want to di—ARGH!!!” The robot squeezed harder.

The doppleganger next to Max just sighed as she walked behind him. ”Come on. System is just having some fun at your expense. It’s not like you’d actually fall for that, right?” As Agnes stepped behind Max, she lunged at him, wrapping her arms tight around his midsection as she opened her mouth. The buzzing started up again as hundreds of insects began to spill down onto his shoulders, wasps and flies covering his face. It was time for round two!

”Max!!” Struggling Agnes shouted. ”S-She isn’t real! Help!”

- ”You did good. Not every fight needs to be fought with your fists – or powers, per say. Somethings actually require you to use your head.”

Her advice was good. Agnes seemed at home in this situation, completely at ease in the role of a teacher. Max smiled at her. It felt good to have someone willing to work with him, to have his back and show him a thing or too.

The cries of help took Max's attention and he ran out to the street to see a giant robot, which he instantly labeled Poptumus, holding a struggling Agnes in his hand. He was massive and Max felt a wave of confusion and fear run down his spine. Agnes Prime as he thought to label her called out to him.

-”Max! Help! There’s a glitch in the system she's not real! She’s just a hardlight construct that CLASS created when the room was forming! We got separated when you looked away!”

-”Don’t listen to her.” Alley Agnes told him ”CLASS likes to think its clever but sometimes things are blatantly obvious…”

It didn't make any sense and Max knew one of them obviously had to be lying. But which one. He felt hands wrap around his waist and looked over his shoulder as the tell tale buzzing rang out around him. He felt the hive inside Agnes burst over him. Their legs sliding on his face, and wasps attacking him. Panic fought to enter his mind, he couldn't take a breath without having insects swarm his mouth.

"Think idiot."

Max heard his own voice shout in his brain. Ever since returning from the dead Max's subconscious seemed to be louder than ever. It was the logical part of his brain, unburdened by emotions that took his self preservation as objective number one. He stopped panicking.

Prioritize. Sorting out who was who could wait, if the real Agnes was attacking him he still needed to get away. Poptumus had another Agnes, that needed to be rectified. He couldn't break Agnes hold on him so he would have to work with it.

Max doubled gravity on himself and the Agnes holding him and launched them straight up into the sky. Some of the insects peeled from his face due to the momentum and he could see again. His arms were free and he dug into his fanny pack and grabbed one of his yo-yos.

He changed the gravity on them again, hurling them at Poptumus at twice Earth's gravity. He hoped the change in direction might throw Agnes off of him. He extended his arm and the yo yo flew out and wrapped around a fire hydrant. With his momentum and added weight he tugged on the hydrant and watched it pop off the sidewalk. Water spewed upward as Max pulled his yoyo back and Max angled himself to go right through it. If cartoons had taught him anything it's that bugs hated water.

He burst through the water and felt the insects being ripped off of him from the pressure. Gravity vaulted him towards Poptumus and he let out a cry of rage and terror. He couldn't hurt the thing, he didn't have the brute force but if he made Agnes think he was dumb enough to try and smash into it she might let go out of self preservation. He was playing chicken against her using the giant robot.