(OOC: Preceeded by "Bedrooms -> Guest Room - Rayne")

Rayne made her way back downstairs to look for what Tricity had called the Danger Room. She wandered about aimlessly at first, drawing several stares as she went, probably because of the guest badge, visible on the vest she’d changed into. She asked around, smiling shyly and avoiding eye contact out of lifelong habit. She found it slightly humourous that, like most native New Yorkers, most gave her conflicting directions. Still, she was grateful for the help, and managed, eventually, to find the right area.

The walls of the hallway looked to be made of metal. She didn’t see a door at first, but the hallway seemed to dead end. So she assumed there must be one somewhere. As she began looking around, she wondered if perhaps she should go looking for Tricity first, or one of the X-men, to help her first. Surely such a room would have restricted access, and she certainly didn’t want to barge in where she didn’t belong. Not to mention she didn’t have any idea how such a room worked, or how to start up the programs.

She paused in her search, considering what she should do.

Rayne decided to go looking for help. She searched and asked around until she found someone that knew how to run the Danger Room programs. The kid, a thirteen-year-old boy named Chip, had an uncanny knowledge of the computers. Rayne had never been much of a computer person, but fortunately this one was voice operated, so that cut out a good chunk of her worry. After he left, she set the right level, then moved down into the actual simulation room, where she paused.

Rayne closed her eyes, and pictured the aquamarine. As always, her back began to burn, just below her right shoulder blade. A chill swept up her spine, and she shivered. But she wasn’t cold; it was just a reflex. Had someone been watching, they would have seen her hair shimmer, as if someone had wiped all of the blond away, and dyed it an icy blue. Even her skin seemed to frost over with an icy sheen. You could see her breath, as if the air around her was as cold as she was. She opened her now cold blue eyes. Rayne was gone, and Iris was here.

Iris’ eyes darted around the room. Whereas Rayne had only felt shy, Iris was feeling very self-conscious. She could almost imagine fingers pointing at her, telling her that she was going to fail. She shook her head.

<Get it together Iris. You’re testing your limits, not taking an exam. Just keep pushing ahead.> She gulped, not believing herself. She tried to focus on what she was doing.

She held out her hand, and blew onto it. An multi-pointed ice crystal formed out of her breath. Using both hands she stretched it out, willing it into the form of a pike, sharp at one end and hooked at the other. Although made of ice, the staff was as strong as steel, reinforced by the gem. True it wouldn’t do much good against anything heavy duty, but it would be able to cut as easily as a metal blade, and punch a hole through a wall. Maybe, if she applied enough force, she could get her ice to even more damage

Maybe. Or maybe she was just dreaming. It was just ice after all, not titanium. Ice shatters, like glass. And melts. What if one of the sim robots had a flamethrower? That would destroy any weapon she could create. Or any defense as well. Maybe she wasn’t up to this after all.....

<Great,> she thought to herself. <The program hasn’t even started, and I’m already failing.> Aloud, she said, “Start battle simulation, level one.” She skipped the target sims; she’d come to learn control, not aim. Besides, her aim was near perfect already anyway. She waited in the darkness, wondering just what she’d gotten herself into.

A tall form seemed to emerge from the darkness behind Iris. The ice improved her hearing slightly, and she heard it before she saw it. She shifted her weight to her left foot, and whirled around, swinging the pike as she went. The hooked end caught the robot at the neck, and sent the head rolling off into the darkness. The robot vanished.

“Target destroyed,” a hollow computer voice announced.

Another shape came at her from the left, and she shifted her weight again in the same movement, only to the right. The spear end of the pike sliced down the front of the robot, sending sparks into the air.

“Target destroyed,” the voice repeated again.

Three more robots followed one at a time, and she dispatched each one with ease, hardly changing her position in the center of the room. The exercise continued until the computer reported ten targets destroyed, and the simulation complete. Iris frowned.

<"Only ten targets? And slow ones, too? That was too easy even for me,"> she thought. Aloud she requested an increase in difficulty. This time the robots came in pairs, but she still had no difficulty in dispatching them all. Her frown deepened. <"This definitely isn’t what I expected. Maybe I’m doing something wrong.">

“Level 2 complete. Do you wish to continue?” the computer asked.

“What other battle options are there?”

“One-on-one combat, both armed and unarmed. Target destruction, both timed and numbered. Obstacle course, timed.” The computer listed several other options, but the obstacle course caught Iris’ attention.

“Activate obstacle course, if you wouldn’t mind.” As if the computer would mind.

“Select difficulty setting, level one through ten.”

“Level three.” Hopefully it would be at least a challenge.

“Select obstacle setting, Amazon, Everglades, New York City,-”

“Amazon.” She felt at home in the trees.

“Simulation set. Ready to activate on command.”

“Activate,” she said, wondering what an Amazon obstacle course would be like.

Raphael came down the hallway; he wanted one more good practice before heading back into New York. He rolled his shoulders in a shrug and waved in front of the sensor that made the door open to the Danger Room.

He stepped inside and immediately noticed that the room he typically claimed for himself was occupied. Feeling ever so slightly social able, and wanting a bit of real competition. He was getting good, a frenzy of fists, feet, and the occasional elbow blade. He doubted his ‘final fight’ would be much of a spectacle, unless Benny had found someone who was truly a master of the unarmed art, and even then he would have to go easy on them.

He went up to the observation room and dropped his towel onto one chair while he dropped into another and watched the occupant run through the Amazon obstacle course. Instead of interrupting the woman spring through a fabricated jungle, dipping around log traps, and over pits, he merely reclined and kicked his bare feet up onto the console and waited for her to finish before nudging the ‘ON’ switch of ‘god mic’.

“Mornin’,” he said into the microphone while waving at the occupant. “Care for company, or prefer to remain solo?”

Iris leaned against a tree, breathing heavily. “Okay,” she murmured to herself. “This is a challenge.” Part of her mind marveled how the room seemed to actually turn into a forest. She wasn’t sure how, but the course seemed to be miles wide. “This Xavier guy must really have been a genius to come up with a place like this.”

Her arm burned a bit, and she examined the wound made by one of the robots. When the sim first started, she’d been so enthralled with the scenery, she’d forgotten that she was in a battle sim. A robot made to look like a jaguar had pounced on her out of the blue, scaring the daylights out her. She’d rolled aside, but not quickly enough to avoid a claw across her upper arm. Without really thinking, she uncurled, crouching on one knee, and hurled the pike at the black cat. She wasn’t sure if her will or her fear had given it force, but the ice pierced its side like a needle. Iris didn’t stick around to see what happened, but she heard the explosion. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” she exclaimed as she ran. In her mind she knew it was a side effect of using her ice gem, but she felt the need to apologize, even though the thing had tried to kill her.

Iris touched the bleeding wound. A layer of frost appeared, and encircled her arm, thickening into a band of ice. The cold both stopped the bleeding and numbed the pain. She then blew onto her hands, forming two foot-long ice blades. She continued on through the course, apologizing to every robot and obstacle she destroyed, and feeling sillier and sillier for doing so.

<“I sure hope no one is hearing this,”> she thought.

Finally, the computer announced, “Simulation complete.” Iris dropped to her hands and knees, breathing heavily. She didn’t even hear how many targets she destroyed. Her mind kept focusing on how silly she must have looked and sounded. It was the side effect of the ice gem. She’d been using it for nearly half an hour, and the longer she did, the more self-conscious she became. By the time the gem went dead in another half hour, she’d be ready to crawl into a corner and die from imagined embarrassment.

“Mornin’. Care for company, or prefer to remain solo?”

Iris nearly jumped out of her skin, and rolled away expecting another robot. An ice dagger formed in one hand, ready to throw. Because of the ice, the voice seemed to echo in her ears, and it took a moment to realize where it came from. She glanced up, and saw a man waving from the observation room.

“Um, sure. Company’s good.” She waved back, hoping she didn’t look as embarrassed as she felt. As he came down, she found herself apologizing yet again. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m just visiting for the day. Ms. Tricity said I could use the Danger Room to practice. I couldn’t find her or an X-man to show me how to use it, so I asked around instead.” She stopped, realizing she was babbling. She bowed politely, trying to regain her composure. “I’m sorry. My-my name is Iris. Or Rayne. Either one works. Nice to meet you, sir.”

At her answer he rose from his seat, grabbed his towel, and headed out of the observation room and down to the Danger Room floor. He dropped his towel once more right before stepping into the room, and drew a slow breath of the humid jungle air.

“Brilliant man,” Raphael stated, and then took notice of Iris’ timidness.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m just visiting for the day. Ms. Tricity said I could use the Danger Room to practice. I couldn’t find her or an X-man to show me how to use it, so I asked around instead,” She stopped, realizing she was babbling. She bowed politely, trying to regain her composure. “I’m sorry. My-my name is Iris. Or Rayne. Either one works. Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Raphael Sevresch, not sir. And I apologize for not being available earlier, though it would seem that you found good instructions anyways,” he said, and then looked ‘skyward’ and addressed the computer. “Obstacle course is over, computer. End the jungle please, no need for this fetid heat.”

Raphael rolled his shoulders in a shrug, “Which name would you prefer?”

He began doing his stretches and warming up exercises. “Given that you’re the new one on the block, what activity would you like to engage in; co-op, a sparring Sim, or another obstacle course?”

He retook a standing position and smiled while waiting her answer.

How about co-op??... deathstar says as she stands behind raph, in the doorway, he didn't notice she followed him down the hall, if going to go to new york, you gotta be a little more aware of yourself ...she says as she takes off her jacket... hope you don't mind company do ya!!.. she as walks towards him and looks out of the viewing glass who's the new chick ? ..she asks while her arms are crossed as usual, waiting for raph reply.....

“Nice to meet you Raphael. Iris works fine,” she reply quietly. He was smiling, and didn’t seem critical, so she calmed down a little. She shrugged at his question. Whichever works for you, but you’ll have to coach me through it. If that’s okay, I mean. I have no clue what I’m doing as it is. And my power control is....well....not so great.” In spite of the frost that gave her skin a slight blueish tint, she flushed red in embarrassment.

“How about co-op?”

Iris started in surprise as another girl entered the room. She was several inches shorter than Iris and looked to be a bit younger, yet because of the ice gem Iris felt a bit intimidated by her stare and stance. The girl looked at Raphael.

“Who’s the new chick?”

Iris gulped, and bowed. “I’m Iris. I’m just visiting. Nice to meet you, miss.” For a brief second she considered switching to her liquid gem. The side effect of the purple stone was the exact opposite of the ice gem, making her calm and easy-going. Unfortunately, it also made her lazy, not a good thing to be in battle, even practice battle. Better to be overly timid with faster reflexes. If nothing else, she’d make a good moving target. It was amazing how fast you can be when running for your life.

Iris took a deep breath, attempting to calm her nerves. “Um, what’s co-op?”

Deathstar looks at the girl, and smirks... I like her already!!...but you don't have to call me miss, I'm Layla but you can call me Deathstar, I see you made yourself at home I see Deathstar looks back at raph and looks back a Iris.. Co-Op is basically working as a team to complete a mission, But its better to show you than tell you!... Deathstar notice the gems on her body..and begin to stare at them... umm!!, unique body jewelry I see... she says not knowing what to call them

Iris glanced down at her right hand, and the icy blue stone that glittered in her palm. She closed her fist and hid her hand behind her back nervously. “Um, thank you, miss. I mean, Layla....um, I-I mean, Deathstar.” She held out her left hand, and blew onto it, creating two tennis ball-sized crystals. They began to change shape, until they became two perfect miniature ice sculptures of Layla and Raphael. “I guess unique is a good word.”

In a rare moment of confidence, Iris tossed the two statues into the air, morphing them into two thin daggers. She caught both daggers with one hand, then tossed them up again, this time changing them into pointed throwing stars. A third toss, and they became a pair of frosted apples. Suddenly realizing she was showing off, she flushed again. She tossed them upwards again. While in the air, she snapped her fingers. Both crystals shattered into tiny bits, melting before they hit the floor.

Raphael shrugged to Deathstar’s comment, and then watched the women converse and Iris show off. While the entire time he contemplated the best co-op program for the three of them. He guessed Iris’ mutation had something to do with the stones in her back, and with the one she was currently using, was more apt to being a melee artist. He had yet to inquire to Deathstar’s mutation, or seen her in action, making the decision of what kind of program to tell the computer to run that much more difficult to decide.

“Unique is a very good word to describe many in this building,” he said, running off the end of the women’s conversation. He again directed his gaze ‘skyward’ and spoke to the computer. “Open field training combat Sim. Six combatants, five melee, three of those armed, one archer. Crossbowman please. Difficulty…” he paused for a moment looking at the pair of women.

Deathstar he figured would most likely be able to hold her own, and Iris had mopped the floor with level one and two robots. He knew he could take on level twelve without breaking a sweat and level fourteen without much trouble, even when he bumped the opponents up to two or three. “Difficulty seventeen. Danger level, painful.”

Raphael looked to the women and chose to explain what exactly was ‘bout to occur. “Okay, difficulties go upwards of 20, I personally work around level fourteen or so for a workout, and higher for group combat and specific training missions. The one I’m about to initiate will have six opponents, two for each of us. One will be using a crossbow, and likely sneaking around. Three will be armed with some sort of melee weapon, the computer’s discretion, anything from a tonfa to a twelve-foot anti-cavalry pike. The other two will be unarmed and masters of some sort of martial art. They’re smart and will learn from you, especially at the difficulty level I’ve set ‘em at. Now, the danger level… you don’t need to worry about dying, or even serious injury, but that doesn’t mean don’t worry ‘bout getting hit. It’s still gonna hurt. We’ll work together, watch eachother’s backs. If you feel it’s too much, shout out to the computer to stop, and the Sim’ll stop. Questions?”

As Raphael gave his speech on the simulation the room was changing. The blank walls of the room dropped away and were replaced by an open horizon, and a golden grass grew up at their feet. The setting grew out to be an idyllic grassy plain, something right out of an anime complete with setting sun. The sort of place you expect the final fight between the protagonist and the antagonist to occur, with one slinking into the grass after the dramatic pause. A gentle breeze also rustled the grass as the computer put in the opponents, five in plain sight at equal distances in a circle around the trio of mutants. One was in full samurai regalia, a yari (Japanese long spear) in hand, one stood with only a skirt of armor and bare from the waist up with a no-dachi balanced on his shoulder. The last armed opponent stood in a comfortable combat gi with a katana and wakizashi at his hip. The two unarmed opponents looked distinctly like Ken and Ryu from Street Fighter.

“If there’s questions, ask ‘em now. If not, just say so and we’ll begin the Sim.”

Iris raised her eyebrows in surprise as she listened to the instructions. This guy was a serious fighter. As she listened, she admired the scenery changes. It reminded her of one of her favorite shows as a teen. When the opponents appeared, her eyes widened. Even without the ice gem’s effect, the group looked threatening.

<“That’s a lot of steel,”> she thought nervously. She hoped she could give her ice enough strength to stand up to the metal. She’d never actually trained in any martial arts, but she recognized three of the different blades from reading. She’d never seen the one the second man wielded. It looked like a curved, spear-length sword, and looked awkward to use. But Raphael had requested masters in their arts, so she decided to steer clear of that blade if she could help it. And the two unarmed.....Iris gulped. Better steer clear of them, too. As for the archer......

Iris touched the back of her ears. Two thin disks formed, molding themselves to her ears and extending outward slightly. She shivered reflexively as the cold numbed the sides of her face and neck. It was an odd feeling, but the disk worked like satellite dish, allowing her to pick up on more sound vibrations than normal. Hopefully it would be enough to hear someone sneaking up on her. Or an arrow sneaking up on her. She flushed a bit, thinking how silly she must have looked.

Pain? That was nothing new to Iris. You couldn’t work with animals without getting bit or clawed. She had high pain tolerance, and stamina. Now, as long as her gem held out.....Even if it didn’t, she’d switch over to the liquid gem. Side effect or not, Iris was not one to back away from a challenge, and was determined not to be the one to tell the sim to stop.

Questions?

<“How about, “What have I gotten myself into?’”> Aloud, she said nothing, merely shook her head.

Deathstar stood to the left of raph, she nodded her head to him, ready for anything that may come her way, she unfolded her arms and cracked her knuckles I've been waiting for a little release, ...you have to do better than this if your going to take me down.... she said tothe other two while awaiting for the simulation to begin...

as she was talking she can see sumarai coming in formation, she knew that this will be a hard battle to fight but she was ready for anything..Deathstar have no fear of anything she begin to march forward towards the men and her eyes begin to change black, in the corner of her eye she see an archer aiming his bow at raph, she begin to charge towards him.....

”Right, no questions,” Raphael said with a smile and turned away from the pair of women to face roughly two of the melee combatants. “Well then. Computer, begin simulation.”

As soon as he spoke those words the simulated combatants began to move. One samurai drew his katana and began advancing while another leveled his yari at them and began tightening the circle. Raphael noticed the glint of steel in the swaying grass as the crossbowman sighted him in and was about to turn to make the crossbowman his first target as Deathstar moved into his field of vision, obviously already on the war path to do what he had previously considered.

He gave a nod for her choice, and then settled his gaze on the dark haired man in a white karate gi and the samurai with a nodachi. If he knew the simulation as he thought he did, the computer would control everyone but the crossbowman with honor, no more than two on a single opponent. Though, just in case, he shifted his stance and placement as the pair of men approached to a position where he could better watch Iris’ back. He would move again, provided he had the flexibility of choosing where he was fighting, when Deathstar returned from dealing with the crossbowman.

He rolled his shoulders and settled into a defensive stance as the pair of men parted ways to split up his attention. He drew a breath, waiting for the attack, not moving a muscle as the dark haired opponent closed ranks quickly with him and initiated the attack.

Raphael shifted lightly on his feet, his body, after weeks of rehabilitation training, was finally back to where he had honed it before his untimely trip to the research facility. He danced gingerly around sweeps, dipping expertly under higher kicks, and dodged deftly around punches, backpedaling towards the nodachi samurai.

The soft click of the metal weapon as the samurai hoisted it into position alerted Raphael to just how close to danger he was. He ducked just as the tempered blade heavily clove through air where his head used to be. From his ducked position he caught the next fist thrust at him by the dark haired man and pivoted, dragging the man off balance, and into an arm-lock. He pivoted again, and broke the arm with a sickening, realistic ‘kerrrrack’, and released his opponent with a shove just in time to throw up an arm to block the reverse swing from the nodachi.

The blade swiped through the air and collided with Raphael’s left forearm with the ‘clang!’ of metal on metal. He grimaced slightly at the cut the other samurai left in his forearm, for ever so brief a moment before it healed over; once again hiding the adamantium laced bone it had collided with. Raphael’s grimace turned into a grin as he shifted positions and stances, putting both opponents before him, as well as Iris and Deathstar, so he could observe them all before launching his own series of attacks.

A very enormous man about the size of a sumo wrestler, about 7" ft tall, 340 pds, wearing a all white and sliver sumarai suit and was approaching deathstar from the side, she was still on her fighting stance, with her back leg holding her weight , and her arms up in a boxing position, she is used to fighting guys three times her size, Raph!!...I'm about to take him down...you got my back right!!.. she asks while running full speed ahead to the huge fighter, she threw a powerful punch but she was knocked back on the grass, the huge guy lifted his leg as if he was going to stomp on her, she rolled out the way, hoped back on her legs, and gave a powerful swift kick to the groin area, as he bent down in agony of pain she roundhouse kicked to the back of the head... these things aren't playing, I better take him out for good.. she says while breathing heavy, she threw another chop to his throat as he rose but caught her arm in the process, he begin to twist and bend Deathstar arm, she begin to panic and scream under her breathe, he then picked her up and grabbed her by the throat, lifitng her 7 feet off the grond and slamming her on the ground, Deathstar thought to herself maybe she bit off more than she can chew, but she wasn't going to ask for help, she had too much pride for that, the huge fighter walks over top of her thinkng she was dead, Deathstar quickly open her eyes and jumps to her feet and grab his arm, she begins to use her powers, absorbing everything the fighter had to offer including his super strength, she held on to his arm, as the guy slowly fell to ground screaming in pain until she finished him ending his life, deathstar backed up slowly a trying to catch her breathe and glad she took this bastard down all by herself, but she didn't notice another archer aiming for her........