2014.01.04 - Danger Room Doug

It began simply enough as an ambush, a fort of cushion and pillows. 
But Doug being Doug, it quickly built up. A chance encounter with a college-style prank, a bucket over Lorna's door. 
Waking up pinned to the ceiling via magnetic clamps. 
Now, at the least, given the one-upmanship, it was Lorna's turn to take her lumps. And the current instrument of Doug's revenge: The Danger Room, where Lorna was undertaking her usual exercise.
The first hint that something might be -just- a little off came when the Danger Room reset its usual obstacle course of metallic objects in favor of ... wood. Pointy wood objects. With platforms of wood, and walls of wood. 
If Lorna were at all familiar with video games, she might well think of a Megaman level. Only 3-D. 
Frowning at the wooden training room Lorna crosses her arms calling out to the machine "Danger Room: Training exercise three, Polaris.". She tosses her green hair looking around for the machine to reset back to her metal track.
The answer is short and sweet: PRESENT OVERRIDE CODE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE OVERRIDE CODE, COMPLETE LEVEL. IF YOU PLAN TO MAGNET CYPHER TO THE CEILING, YOU WILL NOT GET THE OVERRIDE. 
"Ugh, Danger Room-Doug! Is that you up there?!" Lorna looks up backing towards the first platform. "Danger Room, override Doug's stupid wood course. Training Exercise Three Polaris." She says each word carefully in case it wasn't listening before.
"THERE IS NO DOUG. THERE IS ONLY ZUUL," intones the Danger Room computer. 
The actual Doug, having been altered that Lorna had summoned up the training exercise, considers whether to show up in the Danger Room control room or not. But considering the full range of Lorna's magnetic abilities, Doug wasn't certain whether it would be a good idea to be around if she ever tried to disassemble the danger room with her powers rather than try the event. No, better to wait till he saw if she was actually willing to try the level or not. 
Grumbling, Lorna turns and observes the first platform. Zipping her jacket up so it fits tighter Lorna sprints before jumping off the surface she's standing on for the next one up hoisting herself up with her arms. "Did anyone tell you you've got some power issues Doug." Lorna asks with a wry grin as she considers how best to next advance.
That Lorna has actually seemed to start playing the level and not ripped apart the room has Doug sufficiently hopeful that he won't end up halfway through the metallic ceiling, and so as he approaches the Danger Room War Room, there's a bit of laughter coming in over the intercom. "Says the woman who left me magneted to the ceiling. At least you get to zip around on the Leafman level for a bit of variety. You up for the task?" 
"It wasn't like I left you there for a long time!" She calls running at a wall and pushing with her foot to get some lift on the wall catching it with her fingers and begining the process of hoisting herself up. "Bucket. Door. In winter." She huffs out the words climbing.
The fun begins, then, when the platform begins to tilt, trembling precarious as though it were ready to fall. Of course, Lorna -could- fly, presumably, but who knew what the game system would do to her? 
"Oh psh, it wasn't -that- cold. At least you got your shower in early," Doug retorts, as he slides into a seat to take a peek at Lorna making like Mario and climbing platforms. 
The tilting platform makes Lorna move faster her eyes already locked on her next target. Instead she hand springs off the end of the platform landing with a roll onto a lower one. It's too warm for all this nonsense so Lorna slips the jacket off running in pants and a tank top to the edge of the platform with out deciding how to hit the next one.
Tsk, Lorna was more acrobatic than he gave her credit for. He had half expected her to try flying to the end goal. Not that it wouldn't work, given the wooden falcons that were flapping around and starting to approach, but at least she'd have fun trying to dodge and jump while avoiding. Although it -might- be fun to see what happened when wood started lighting on fire... but he wasn't that mean. Yet. 
Skidding to a halt at the end of the platform Lorna looks up seeing the birds. Panting a little she reaches out ripping the metal screws and joints from the birds into a small ball that she flattens into a disk. Looking at the next platform Lorna hops onto the disc with a smug grin. "Thanks Doug! In the Christmas spirit?" She teases stepping onto the next platform and gathering the metal into a ball in her fist.
"No, I kinda forgot about the joints in the birds, but..." Fingers dance over the console, as newer models are replaced with wooden joints. Still, at least, Lorna had enough metal to play with for whatever she wanted. It'd be interesting watching her husbandry with the metal, at least, as wooden horses clomp their way towards her on the next platform. Not that it meant much if she just flew over them... 
She holds her ground on the platform and chucks the metal ball forward sending it hurtling at the delicate joints in the horses legs aiming to break them. She splits the metal ball into two so she can wrok twice as fast trashing Doug's little ponies. "That'll happen Doug, people need metal, love it even. It's so useful."
"I'm afraid to ask what happens if you need more metal... you going to yank them out of people's fillings or something?" Doug replies, wincing at the mental image. The ponies shattered like so many splinters, only to start reassembling as toothpick constructs, and coming flying back. 
"Don't be crass Doug. There's more iron in the body, why drivel with fillings?" Lorna jokes calling back her metal orbs and resolving to fly over the wooden horses. "Tell your ponies to stay dead Doug!" She calls pushing herself up into the air.
"So you'll just give people anemia?" Doug replies, settling back as the toothpick constructs start zooming in like homing missiles. "C'mon, I thought you were in the mood for challenges. Don't wood have any metal in them, or are is the Mistress of Magnetism having trouble?" 
"If I tried really hard Doug, I /might/ be able to mess with the wood. I've heard Magneto can use non-metals in a pinch." But flying is clearly more fun and Ms. Dane smiles sailing over the wood horses. "Challenging is tossing a car two states over or stopping fighter jet collisions. That might be hard." She touches down away from the ponies and shakes her ponytail out smiling.
Flying brooms come her way, pausing long enough to sweep the business end at Lorna. And if Lorna looked ahead far enough, she might well see a cauldron with broomsticks dancing around it. Somehow, one got the impression Doug had seen -way- too many Disney videos. 
"Well you should be more careful what you do with the wood, then!" 
Gritting her teeth Lorna flattens the metal into a thin sheild holding it up to deflect the brooms that sweep at her. Out of curiosity she puts out her hand targetting one broom. A green energry gathers around her hand and the broom trembles a little. So terrifying.
... well, if -Lorna- could start affecting non-metallic objects, it might be good. Or might be very very bad. Doug considers briefly aborting it all, but if he did, it would mean showing tail to Lorna. 
The brooms are all deflected by the thin metal shield, save the one caught in her spell. And a good thing, too, considering Doug had forgotten the cauldron was made of metal. 
Metal? Iron, sweet, sweet iron. Lorna calls to that caldron a little too eagerly letting the gathered energy blast at the broom she was trying to control. She winces and collapses the cauldron on itself drawing it to her. This is something the metal-kinetic can use.
The broom shatters into splinters. But this time, at least, more brooms grow out of the splinters, humming 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' song. Lorna knows what's coming next, right? More flying brooms. Tsk. This was going to be troublesome. 
You aren't carrying anything.
You have 6082 coins.
More brooms. Awesome. Lorna buckles down and divides the metal she has into little Xs. She sends the metal Xs to pin the brooms to the walls squeezing them tight enough to dig into the wood. It's a lot to handle so she goes for the closest ones first before targeting others. She lifts her shield arm to wipe sweat from her face catching her breath briefly.
Well that was one way to whittle down Lorna's metallic source. 
As more and more brooms get stuck to the wooden platform, the smaller the metal ball gets... at least until all the wooden brooms were nailed down. 
And then, dun dun dun...! The music cue should be enough to tip off Lorna that something is up. 
And sure enough, a swirl of leaf and a metal man shows up. 
"I AM LEAFNETO!" 
"Leafneto? Are we really doing this?" Lorna asks and collapses her shield. She isn't much of a heavy hitter, but she also isn't above cheating. The metal coats her hands making metal gloves so she can "punch" harder at the wooden man. Two strips of metal slide under her shoes as Lorna slides towards Leafneto faster than she could run pulling a fist back to swing at the wood man.
"Well admit it, it's more interesting than your usual exercise program!" Doug calls out, as Leafneto's wooden fists form into similar gloves, a leaf shield forming and cutting sharply as it whips around with great force. Still, something about the patterns implies wind, and wind could be disrupted easily enough. 
Leafneto gives way to the punch, while the leafs shifts into cutting at Lorna, trying to find ways around.
Looking at the leaf made off wood Lorna grabs it with her metal coated hand squeezing hard. The metal strips on her feet let her slide back a little so she can wipe the sweat away with her free arm. Looking at her position the metal on her free hand slides to coat her elbow as she turns her back to Leafneto slamming her metal elbow back hard at his throat. "Interesting is one word." She puffs tiredly.
"Kooky is another word, right?" Doug grins, judging by the tone Lorna has. The leaf shield splinters, as Leafneto's head shatters, followed by the figure wobbling in place. As leafs fall slowly down, Leafneto remains standing somewhat, before the wooden helmet slips off, floats in the air briefly, and settles onto Lorna's head.
Shaking her head with a grin Lorna lifts a foot and kicks the wooden man off their platform tugging the wood helmet off. It gets settled under her arm as she turns around looking for what's next. She wipes her face again catching her breath.
A banner drops down. "Congratulations!" it reads, followed by confetti and firework, a Doug-touch. "What, you want more?" Doug calls out, as she looks around. "I thought you'd had enough! A bit rough without metal some of the time, was it?" 
Helmet still in hand Lorna trudges for the door. "You should have seen that fight with Sinestro out in Idaho. Potatoe fields. It was miserable." Until Magneto rolled in with a helicarrier anyway. Lorna grabs the door yanking it open looking pretty tired of wood for a long while.
"Potatoes fields? What, no tractors to use?" Doug raises an eyebrow. "I thought you could, like, sense anything metal if you felt around. 
Hopping out of the Danger Room control center, Doug trots down quickly to meet Lorna at her exit. 
"I can, if I'm not say miles out from the nearest shovel. Like, I can feel all the copper wiring in the building and the various metal objects if I reach my senses out. That doesn't mean I can call everything I can feel to me like nothing." Lorna says stooping to grab a water bottle and towel near the door scrubbing her face and arms. She takes a few greedy gulps of water from the bottle as well.
"Well good to know, at least," Doug comments as he comes up, flashing a wry grin. "Though I get the impression you're expanding your range little by little."
"They day we stop trying to grow our ranges is the day someone strong rolls in to pound our charming little faces in." Lorna says shrugging at Doug with a crooked smile. "Leafneto huh?" She teases tossing the wooden helmet to Doug.
Catching the wooden helmet, Doug tosses it back into the room, watching it de-frizz into nothingness. "Well, considering this -was- for you, why not? I should revert the code back to your usual," the linguist replies, as he steps into the Danger Room. "Danger Room, override Polaris exercise program, authorization Ramsey THX-1138."
Watching the helmet fizz she sips more water. "What is that supposed to mean?" She asks sharply looking at Doug as she slings the gym towel over her shoulder. She tries to think back on how much Doug knows hastily.
What Doug knew was pretty much limited to what was in the files, for the most part. Although he and Kitty MIGHT have, perhaps, hacked into more than was appropriate. 
"Oh, it doesn't mean anything," Doug evades. That THX-1138 was George Lucas' first movie was something that Kitty and Doug would know, though not likely others. Not unless they were into -that- stuff.
Lorna narrows her eyes a little but shrugs it off. "Well, neat prank. I might have to tag out with Bobby now." She says switching her bottle to the other hand to straighten out her fingers and look at her knuckles. "Aah, and maybe a shower and some ice." She says tapping a bruise lightly.
Flashing a grin, Doug waggles his eyebrows. "I'm sure he'd like it if you laid hands on him. Just ask him to ice up for you." 
Snorting a laugh Lorna shakes her head. "I don't know. I mean, I know he's a solid friend, but I don't think he'd be interested in being an icepack." She straightens her arm looking at her elbow grinning. "Been a while since that room has left me something to remember it by." She jokes patting the door affectionatly.
"For you, he might," Doug comments, as he starts walking towards the elevator. "C'mon, let's see if we can rustle up something." 
Shaking her head and grinning Lorna follows Doug to the elevator. "You must be seeing things Doug." She tells him rubbing her hand across the back of her neck. Her green hair is likely a knotted mess but it can wait as she twists it up in a hasty bun.
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