Jorge sighed. Walking into the mansion, dressed in jeans, a seafoam green Miami Dolphins t-shirt, and his favorite brown leather bomber jacket, the detective was thankful that it was his day off. Ever since he joined the X-Men as a trainee, he had been trying to find time for more face time with them. Jorge hoped to ascend the ranks but he needed training in order to do so. Their training simulation room was extremely impressive, but only full members were really allowed down there.

At least today he finally had found time to schedule with a senior ranking X-Man in order to get his training in. He was actually curious as to who he would be working with. Ghost? Probably Sam, again. Their powers seemed to mix nicely. Then again, it would be nice to meet other members of this time he was supposed to be on.

Only time would tell.

Strolling through the mansion, Jorge remembered that the Danger Room was located in the basement level of the school. He moved through the kitchen, the same that he had been into many times before, found the stairs and began his descent into the belly of the school. His sneakered feet barely thumped on the steps as he moved downward, his mind concocting what would be waiting for him.

His last, real face time with the X-men was months ago in that disastrous mission with Kealey and whoever that other kid was. He had seen either of them around lately; he hoped the pair of them were okay. But, ignoring the thoughts and all the mistakes he had made back then (these X-Men were certainly nothing like working with his fellow officers), Jorge continued on. He trusted that whatever training he would undergo today would be a necessity.

As he stepped down onto the bottom level, Jorge moved down the hall towards where he last remembered the Danger Room to be. So far…no sign of who he was supposed to be working with. Jorge crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. Hopefully whoever this person was would remember to show up.

Gawain stepped out of the mirror just when Jorge got there. He was carrying two duffel bags, and his archery gear flung over his shoulder. His arrival might have been a surprise for someone who was not used to people popping out of mirrors all over the Mansion... but a mirror had been put up on the wall opposige from the Danger Room door for that sole purpose.

"Hey" he grinned, dropping the bags and offering a hand in greeting "They tell me I'm gonna be training with you today. Good to see you again. I've been looking forward to this."

Opening the bags he peeked inside, then handed one of them to Jorge.

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

The bag, at closer inspeciton, contained some kind of a cold weather gear that was surprisingly light when held, but surprisingly warm when put on, and only minimally restricting. Complete with gloves, hats, scarves, the whole deal.

"Suit up" Gawain grinned, putting on his own jacket and strapping the archery gear over it "We're goin' hunting."

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...”

There was a look of confusion on the guy's face that was just all too familiar.

>>“Who the hell are you? Um, not meaning to be rude, that is. Have we met before? You do….kind of look familiar...”

Gawain blinked, then facepalmed.

"Oh. Damn." he chuckled, and extended a hand again "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."

Losing track of Maya and Gawain days was a sure sign of how good his life had been lately. No lies, no hiding. Confusion, he could deal with.

"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."

>> "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.

He took the gender-shifting thing pretty well. Then again, he was a cop with MRC, he had probably seen a lot weirder motations than that.

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

"Well, you got a good start" he smirked, referring to what he did on Hawaii. The guy had potential, and a very strong mutation that would possibly qualify him as an alpha mutant. Gawain was curious to see how far he could go. Of course there was no need to tell him that in advance.

>>“Alright Gawain, lead the way,”

Once they were all dressed up and ready, Gawain slif the bags and clothes out of the way, and opened the Danger Room door.

"All right, so this is a higher lever training session" he explained as they walked in and the door closed behind them "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" he grinned at Jorge, before he turned and called out a command.

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

The room wenr completely dark. The cold arrived first; winter cold with a light wind, and the feeling of snowflakes on their face. Then, suddenly, everything was bright white, and they had to blink away tears until the picture cleared up. They were standing knee deep in snow.

"Welcome to the Ice Age."

>> "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?”

The Ice Age. Was freaking cold.
Gawain made a mental note to check the temperature settings next time; even though he was pretty sure they were accurate. Accurate, but freezing.

>>“Impressive. So, where too now, maestro?”

"Now, we hunt" he grinned, pulling the scarf over his nose and mouth "There should be plently of prey around here. The catch is... well, some of them might be hunting us."

They probably were. That was what made this a training program and not a grocery run.

"We are in the time when we have not made it to the top of the food chain yet. So, keep an eye out."

Pulling an arrow from the quiver, he readied his bow, and looked around.

"Can you work with snow at all?"

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.

>>“So far I can only manipulate liquid water. I can feel the water below our feet. 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…”

"Yeah. I wouldn't wanna be water in this weather." Gawain muttered, still looking around. All the white was blinding, but as their eyes started to adjust they could make out the darker spot of trees nearby, and the general topography of their surroundings. Judging from the hills and the trees, and what Jorge said, they must have been standing on a frozen lake.

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

Since the lake was frozen solid, he doubted any animals would come to drink here. Still, it was only a matter of time before something noticed the two humans trampling around in the snow...

>> "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.

Jorge did his thing, looking for water with whatever sixth sense he had, and Gawain follwed without questioning it. They were in this training together, and even though Gawain ranked higher than the cop, he had no doubt Jorge had more experience with real-life situations.
But, right now, they were not here for real life.

Gawain looked up at the howl and turned around, trying to spot the source; it seemed to be coming from everywhere around them.

>>“Please tell me that was you,”

"That was not me" he muttered, holding the arrow ready "Keep looking."

If whatever was going to happen, might as well have Jorge neas water he could use.

"Have you seen Ice Age?" he asked in a conversational tone "With the silly sloth and the cuddly mammoth and the nice fuzzy sabertooth? This is exactly... the opposite of that."

Kids in the Mansion watched that movie to bits.

"At least we can hear the wolves. Tigers don't howl."

>> "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.

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

"Ice Age does not have singing" Gawain pointed out with all the dignity of a well educated five-year-old "But, y'know, I hear screaming is acceptable as music too these days."

Not that he expected screaming. Not at all...

"Oh. Right." he noted, following Jorge's worried glance; the white wolves moved closer, and Gawain readier his bow. "Those, kids, are dire wolves. Useful as mascots for holier-than-thou pseudo-medieval families, top of the food chain around here. You got that water yet?"

He could take most of the ones he could see. The problem was with the ones that were hiding...

>> "Ice Age does not have singing…But, y'know, I hear screaming is acceptable as music too these days."

Jorge smirked a little but said nothing in response. He was just a little too preoccupied with the several larger wolves that were staring him down. The odds were really not in their favor but what was he really supposed to do? As awesome as it would be for him to announce that “Hey! I punched a wolf!” that was obviously not the best option for him at the moment. He needed to get to that water source that he could sense up ahead.

The beasts snarled at snapped in their directions but none of them had made a move towards them. Instead they all seemed to be hanging back, as if waiting for exactly the right moment (or word from their leader). Teeth bared, eyes focused, they looked like truly malevolent beasts that wanted nothing more than to rend their flesh from their bones. It was a horrible course of circumstances but, unfortunately, they needed to adapt.

The boy notched an arrow and Jorge saw the wolves instantly snap to attention and burn their gazes into Gawain’s body…

>> "Oh. Right…Those, kids, are dire wolves. Useful as mascots for holier-than-thou pseudo-medieval families, top of the food chain around here. You got that water yet?"

He shrugged as he turned back around to the water source he felt up ahead. There, of course, was another large, very white wolf that looked particularly mean and snappy. An eyebrow arched as he glanced to Mirror.

“Why, you thirsty?” he smirked. “Keep those busy as long as I can. I’ll be right back!”

With that he man bolted, running straight for the source of water he felt and the snarling albino wolf and snapped and growled at him. This…was going to turn out to be interesting.