2013-03-04 XMN: Survival Training 1

Survival Class.
Open enrollment for the students of the Xavier Institute, with heavy marks available for those who make it through the class without failing. For those who are not students but are members of the X-Men, the class also counts toward their required training regimen.
Instructions were simple. Bring only what personal effects you would normally have with you on a standard mission with the X-Men. As attendants arrive, Shift walks throughout the Danger Room, looking to see who shows up on the roster. When finally those who have registered show, Shift begins issuing their instructions.
"De X-Men are on a mission, and de Blackbird has crash landed somewhere in South America. During an attack on de Blackbird, all of her systems have been disabled, along with any electronics dat we have brought along with us. It may only be a mattah of time before de Professah locates and sends for us. Until dat time, we will be forced to survive using our mutant powers in tandem with survival knowledge that many of you have learned in my classes."
He continues to pace amongst the small ranks, looking over each student and X-Man present in the eye as he goes. "Rankings will be made based on which of you survive de longest, based on your current level of training. Beginners will be asked to survive twenty four hours. Those with first year educational ranks will be required to survive forty eight hours. Those with advanced training will be asked to survive for four whole days. Those with injuries who have registered will be required to act as if dey retained dose injuries during the crash landing."
He begins to issue small monitoring devices to everyone. "Dese will monitor your progress. If you are endangered to de point of compromise, de device will sound an alarm, and you will have failed dis class and be asked to leave. All of your schedules have been cleared accordingly, with one full day's recovery time and mandatory medical examination following dis session."
Shift stops, looking around at those gathered, studying them all closely. "Any questions?"
Normal gear that Jocelyn has on her. Lockpicking equipment (don't ask) stuffed in a jacket pocket. A multi-tool. Hair bands, clips, and ties. Her phone. A jacket and hat. The girl was getting her first real taste of the Danger Room, so she was curious as to what this place was like. Of course, she's had minimal amount of exposure in class, though she did have that fun little adventure in Limbo. This can't be worse than that, right? Right. So, the girl had signed up figuring that this would be something that might come in useful one day. How long she'll last...she has no idea, honestly.
She takes the device and looks it over. It seemed simple enough to her. Powers were fair use. So far, so simple. The teen just nods and doesn't say anything, waiting for further instruction.
'Required training regimen.' Really? It seems rather degrading that she can't just be here 'as is,' Domino runs through her own training enough as it stands. But, it has been a while since she's done the survivalist thing. Living in a big ol' city is good for a lot of things, survival generally not being one of them.
Of course, the fun part comes with the instruction. 'Only what you would normally have with you in a standard mission.' Okay, she can do that. One heavy trench hides a collection of tools, including the usual assortment of blades, explosives, and firearms, because a girl's always gotta be prepared. Hopefully it won't be an issue with anyone else joining the class.
'Required to act out injuries.' No problem there, either. It's not been that long since she's let herself out of the medlab, her armor concealing a whole collection of unsightly injuries in various states of mend.
When one of the monitoring devices is passed her way she takes it with a sarcastic smirk, quietly pointing out "Looks like some of the electronics survived, anyway."
There was a fair bit of internal debate within Risque as to whether to come to this training session or not. While she was, indeed, an associate of the schools and part of the 'team', she didn't live on the grounds and wasn't really here on a daily basis. She was curious about those she found herself suddenly working with if she were asked to and there was no better way to assess someone than in a setting such as this unless it were in the actual event. That backup knowledge that they really are safe tends to lessen instinct and will to survive after all.
Her own injuries are healing nicely, the stitches about ready to come out. She's even started her own training again. All but her runs anyhow. Her own standard equipment is probably a little different. She has a single dagger tucked away in her boot, yes, as well as her lockpick kit but she also carried her cell phone, a credit card, a compact glass cutter, several pins and elastic bands of various sizes.
The device is handed to her, a brow arches and Glo smirks but says nothing, instead opting to give a nod of her head.
"Yeah, except -dese- aren't real," quips Shift to Domino as he passes one to her. He attaches the monitoring device to the belt of his X-Men uniform in demonstration, then instructs the class. "Clip de monitoring device to your person like so."
"Now, de first rule of survival is to keep your wits about you," advises Shift with a warning tone. "Your eyes will see things dat may be disturbing to you. Remain calm and act accordingly. Any initial disorientation you experience will properly simulate something you may experience following a violent crash landing." That said, he looks upward and speaks a single command. "Computah, initiate program KO-ST175."
The holographic emitters of the Danger Room begin knitting together the scene. A dense rainforest appears, with lush vegetation nearly blocking out any view of the sky, save for a swath where the Blackbird presumably made its crash landing. In that space, the dim light of dusk can be seen, with the pinpricks of stars overhead lighting the advancing darkness. The Blackbird's fuselage has been split open along its starboard hull, and sits perched precariously at the crash site. Jocelyn is positioned inside of the hull, while Risque and Domino appear to have been deposited somewhere outside. One of its engines revs and whines as if its control functions were out of whack, and some jet fuel burns upon its casing. An explosion seems to have already racked the other engine, scathing the rainforest and burning small fires here and there.
As for the attendants, the holographic portrayal has introduced simulations of two X-Men who are not actually present. Storm lies with her back split upon the large roots of a tree, with blood flowing around her. Cyclops sits at the helm, but his head has smashed into the windshield, and though his visor has been split, his eyes stare lifelessly into the heavens, with no life force with which to create his optic blasts.
Both simulations of their comrades appear to be dead, with enough detail to make it hauntingly convincing.
As for Shift, he has a role to play. He sits down and leans up against a log, pretending to be shell shocked. In doing so, he is able to monitor how the students first react.
When at last the holographic session is in full effect, the monitoring devices upon each student begin to disappear, cloaked by the training program until they should sound their alert, indicating a failing move.
Bzzzt. Bzzzzzt. BZZZZT. When Jocelyn clips that monitoring device, there's a nasty spark of electricity that shoots out of it. But, it appears Danger Room Tech is stronger than her natural static charge, and the device continues to work for the time being, even if there was a lovely series of sparks from the device when she put it on.
The girl then finds herself inside the Blackbird, looking around. She gets up and starts looking about with her energy sight to try and get a sense of where everyone was. She's moving slowly, perhaps in part due to the sheer amount of energy the Danger Room's holograms are putting out. She also goes to see if she can find the medical kits on the Blackbird while she's looking about. Those would undoubtably be useful things to have.
Grand, it -had- to be a rainforest. Dom just loves sharing her personal space with hand-sized spiders, it never gets old. The simulation is, as usual, proving to seem unnervingly real. The stifling humidity, the heat from the day and the ignition of jet fuel, the noxious fumes filling the air, it's not real but still real enough to trigger something within the brain.
That one jet engine's still trying to cycle. Wait, she's seen this on the first episode of Lost. The Blackbird doesn't pack insignificant engines, it's an unpredictable hazard all of its own. Draining the fuel just means there's more to burn. Destroying the intake means there's going to be shrapnel and, more likely than not, an explosion. It still needs to be shut down before it sucks in a would-be survivor.
The jet already blew up. What's a little more? There might be a better way to do it but Dom doesn't want better, she wants an immediate solution! A good sized rock or clipped branch should do the trick, all she has to do is throw it into the fan and stand clear. And perhaps hope a little.
Jocelyn manages to find the medical kits, which are conveniently positioned next to a set of environment-proof canteens, already filled with water. However, she will quickly notice a trickle of jet fuel that is leaking down from one of the walls. Apparently, not -all- of the Blackbird has blown up yet.
There are no shortgage of rocks or branches to be found. Domino will have ease in locating one of them. However, the engine keeps whining harder and harder, suggesting that it may be only a matter of time before it blows itself.
As for Risque? She is nowhere to be seen. The forced perspective of the room's holographic emitters seems to have deposited her some distance away, though the roar of a damaged jet engine is easy to hear through the dense jungle, along with the light of burning fire.
Meanwhile, Shift pretends to stir. He leans forward just so, but chooses to give them yet another round with which to make their initial decisions. His eyes narrow slightly as he watches Jocelyn through the hole in the fuselage, and Domino as she presumably rummages. Still, he offers nothing for the time being, effectively still 'shell shocked'.
Jocelyn peers around, letting her sight focus. Okay. There was a lot of...yeah. Time to move. Jocelyn peeks over at the helm, spotting the dead Cyclops, and decides there isn't anything to do for him. She quickly makes her way out of the Blackbird, pulling in some extra energy to make herself lighter on her feet and a bit tougher, just so she can get around a little more easily and push past anything sharp and pokey without risk of damage to herself.
Once she gets through that hold in the fuselage, Jocelyn spots Domino. "Nobody else in there," she says to the woman as she hops out and moves quickly away from the jet. "But the Blackbird isn't stable. It's going to go, unless we've got some way of keeping jet engine from exploding". She's carrying the medical equipment as she speaks. She certainly has no training in how to operate the Blackbird, so she can't exactly make any suggestions for how to shut it down.
Her backup plan, if it does blow, is to effectively try and suck in some of the explosion to at least prevent them all from being hit with it. How much of it she can suck in, well, she has no idea, but it seems like the best 'if all else fails' plan to her.
The shows always had it backwards. People clustering around other people while danger still looms. Here, as with most of Domino's real-world dealings, one has to focus on themselves before anyone else. The engine might be ready to go on its own, but it's still a hazard. Possibly a bigger one if left unchecked. Priority says to make sure the jet is clear of survivors first, since it's kind of on fire. She's not about to risk getting closer until the engine's out. Eliminate the threat, then proceed.
Then there's Jocelyn. No one else inside? Well, that simplifies things! Still, a threat exists that could affect any one of them. "Can you draw the power out of that engine?" she calls out over the whining drone.
Hell, the simulation's doing nothing to hinder her power, right? Dom takes aim and launches the rock. There's some running away involved, too. She's crazy, not stupid.
"I'll try". Jocelyn focuses her energy and tries to pull the energy OUT of the engine. She's still moving though. Just in case it doesn't work.
The rock strikes those whirring blades, rattling around for a moment before the engine jams shut. There is a wrenching sound of steel ripping itself apart, then somewhere within that engine, a spark ignites the leaking fuel.
The result? Blackbird goes up in a roar of flame, ripping it to pieces. (Sorry about your luck, holographic Cyclops). A couple of the other students who have been running and hiding while Jocelyn and Domino get to work are 'struck' by fake pieces of shrapnel and flame. While those holographic representations disappear upon impact, leaving no pain or injury, those two students are suddenly greeted by a flashing red light on their belts, and the sound of an alarm.
Dutifully, they follow the rules and walk back toward the circular X-hatch, which appears nearby to permit them departure. Once they are gone, however, the door closes and disappears.
Domino's luck strikes well, and she is able to avoid any damage from the explosion.
Shift is struck by a piece of shrapnel, but his body poofs into black smoke, leaving him 'in the game' when he reforms nearby.
Jocelyn, however, encounters a fireball that heads right for her. Fortunately, her energy absorption power leaps into effect, forming a force field around her as it absorbs the full weight of the fire, permitting her freedom to escape from the blast zone.
When the carnage dies down, the fuselage is left torn to pieces and burning impossibly hot. Those left over, which include one more student named Robert who wields telekinetic abilities, may be able to return to the fuselage to salvage its wreckage, but not for some time.
'Stirring' from his shell shock, Shift makes for Domino, while motioning for Robert to join them. "Where are Gloria and Jocelyn?" he asks.
Jocelyn is exploded upon! She winces, as she's never actually had to absorb an actual explosion before! However, her power sucks up the explosion around her, and she is able to walk out of the holographic wreckage unscathed. "I'm alright," the teenager says to the group. "I couldn't pull the energy out quickly enough from the engines. Too much of it to absorb," Jocelyn explains to the group as she turns to look at the wreckage. "Mr. Summers was in there, but he was already dead," Jocelyn explains, keeping her composure as well as she can after being exploded upon. Either way, she wouldn't have been able to get to him and get out in time.
So, that point at which someone realizes what seemed like a good idea is, in reality, not all that good of an idea after all, has just come to pass. Maybe Dom's alright. Maybe Jocelyn's alright. The question still remains, did she just 'kill' some of the other would-be survivors, or would it have been better to walk away and do nothing at all?
Now's not the time to reflect upon the weight of her decision. "I really hate this room," she mutters under her breath.
At least Shift is coming back into the picture. "Only counting us three," she offers, glad that Jocelyn managed to pull through, at the very least. What remains of Storm can be found not too far away, though it's not looking too good for her. Still, it pays to be sure. She's 'cleared her path' as well as she could, now's the time to do some searching.
At least they won't have to worry about building a fire..!
It was Shift's job to watch their first reaction to the situation, and it's a good thing Domino is not being graded, or she'd have just gotten a big F.
Shift crosses the way toward the holographic representation of Storm, and checks her pulse. He looks up and shakes his head, then returns to the others. "We should take cover," he advises. "But not stray too far from de crash site. Dat is where Risque and any oddah's will likely go to find us."
He looks up at the dusk sky. "Based on de seasons here and de angle of the light's decay, we have twenty five minutes until nightfall. It will then become very difficult to see. We must forage the surrounding area for materials dat can be used. Look for sturdy objects and large leaves with moisture beaded upon dem." Then he looks toward Robert, smiling slightly. "Robert, you remembah how to make a torch from foliage in South America?"
The boy nods his head dutifully and says, "Yes, Mr. Odame."
"Den I will go with you." He looks to Jocelyn and Domino. "Stay in pairs, and watch for predators. De crash will have scared dem off, but in short time, dey will return. Jocelyn, remebah what I taught you at the zoo. We are in -their- turf now."
"Alright," Jocelyn says to Shift when he advises them of their pairings. She focuses and pulls in some of the thermal energy to boost her strength. "I can pull some of the scrap if we want to use that for shelter," Jocelyn suggests as she looks at Domino. A nod is given about being in their territory. "That we are". She remembers Limbo. This is not her home turf anymore, no sir. "Why don't we start that way, and see if we can find some leaves or something we can use for a roof, or something for a firepit," the teenager suggests. They're going to need a firepit sooner or later, and even if they don't grab the rocks for it now, knowing where they are would be helpful.
In her own little world, where there exists one woman and the rest of the world, Domino would be doing just fine. The fire would provide an easy to spot signal, people would come, and, depending upon who arrives first, she could catch a ride with them or she could -steal- a ride from them and be right back in the game. Things may not be flat-out easier when working alone but it's how she's comfortable, it's what she understands.
It may not be the best option available to her right now, already she can feel her hidden wounds growing tacky with fresh blood.
Great, and now one of the kids is looking to her for guidance. In for a penny. "Only if it's scrap that you can easily reach. And not something you're going to tear yourself apart over." Sigh. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's go scrounging. Rememeber we're parked in the 'E' lot."
"Remembah," Shift advises the others before they depart. "Look for large leaves, about waist high, with water beaded upon it. We will need dat for sheltah from de rain."
Ah yes, they are in a rainforest. There will be rain! He gives them no further advice on what to look for to best start a fire. That will be a measure of their testing.
"We will meet back here in twenty minutes. Do not get lost!"
And then, he's off with Roberto, to help the student find the necessary materials to create some torches.
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about it," Jocelyn assures Domino. It occurs to her that she and Domino haven't really talked about their abilities much. Now was as good of a time. "So, what is it exactly you do in terms of power? I don't think I've ever asked," she questions as they start looking for materials in the twenty minute timeframe.
As she walks, Jocelyn keeps an eye out for two key things. First of all is scrap metal that is large enough to build a reasonable-sized shelter. She knows the Blackbird is insulated so that lightning doesn't fry it, so she's hoping that the hull pieces will protect them from anything of that nature. She can carry quite a bit, due to her enhanced strength and durability, so she shouldn't have a problem with moving it.
Secondly, she's looking for large leaves, either fallen or close to the ground that either she or Domino can somehow get down, either by zapping the stems with a bit of power or with some trick of Domino's.
'Don't get lost.' Domino glances back to the inky black smoke billowing away from the wreckage. "Yeah." She resists the urge to say 'okay, mom' while pressing onward with Jocelyn. The grimace and tightening of her jaw would go unnoticed as she holds a hand against her side, putting pressure upon the hidden wound. If the doc knew what she was up to right now he may well have knocked her out for the rest of the week.
"Don't worry," she tells Jocelyn back. "I don't think anyone here has yet." If they had, she might have a better idea of how to answer her question in a timely manner. "Things just ..have a way of falling into place for me. I've heard it called probability manipulation, but it's just a fancy way of saying I'm a safe bet."
Already they've found metal, and Joce seems content to carry it. Dom's not going to argue! "How about you? Something dealing with energy, that much is obvious."
As far as tricks go, she's got plenty of cutting instruments to hack apart the local flora.
Fortunately, the leaves described by Shift are plentiful, though had he not pointed them out, they could easily be missed. When it comes to surviving in a rain forest, those specific leaves are critical. Their waxy surface will deflect water, and the class will later learn the dangers that mere water can present while surviving in such a climate.
In addition, there is plenty of shrapnel to be found. Domino's actions may (or may not have) resulted in two student's 'deaths', but later, Shift will have to instruct them that if they aren't helping, it is best to take cover. Had they done so, they also would have 'lived', for the program was intelligent enough to monitor for such mistakes and those two were taken out on purpose by the program.
As for Shift and Roberto, finding the materials to create torches is remarkably easy. With Shift's survival knowledge and Roberto's telekinetic abilities, finding and gathering the material is surprisingly easy. What Shift does is create enough wreckage in the forest that, should Risque be truly lost, she may notice their path with much more ease than if he was trying to remain discreet.
To be continued...
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