2014.04.01 - Fighting Through Molasses

For anyone who might be slipping deeper within the covert layers of the institute hoping to use the Danger Room, they would find it presently occupied; and set at an unbelievably high setting. Is it an entire team working, or something similar? Especially given that nobody is overlooking the occupants within the control booth, either. And the settings are at 'deadly'.
Within it, telekinetically hovering upside-down with legs crossed in the classic Askani meditation pose, Cable's eyes are closed and his focused near it's maximum. It is rare for there to be enough input to truly stress him, but he has never been one to be happy with 'sufficient'. The room is little more than various weaponry attempting to annihilate him, but apparently failing.
Bullets, iron balls, and larger ballistic projectiles are caught from the air and allowed to drop, whereupon they dissolve. Lasers strike out forcefully, but each is intercepted by a perfectly square shield, strengthened just enough to stop it. Dozens and dozens of attacks, whirling around him from all directions, but none are getting through.
Focus. Use the minimum needed to achieve. Never drop your guard. Never forget the demon, the cancer inside you; through it all, it must be suppressed...
Jocelyn had some time scheduled for the Danger Room, but she tended to slip down early, in case it was open and she could get a bit more time in. In some ways, she was like Cable. The young woman wasn't usually satisfied with a sufficient workout. Though what the man was doing seemed far more a powers training session than a combat one. Jocelyn was dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a blue tanktop. She was a little sweaty, having gotten back from a run, but wouldn't appear particularly exhausted at present time.
The woman's energy sight picks up on the large amount of energy immediately as she arrives near the entrance to the Danger Room. She considers heading to the control room to see who it is, as while she couldn't recognize particular individual energy signatures, she could usually tell some people based on how strong their energy output was. The Professor and Jean were in one class, and perhaps Rachel, then you had others with their unique powers that, when used, were like flashing a badge to Jocelyn's sight, even if she couldn't physically see them. Cyclops, for example, with his laser beam eyes, was always an easy target for her to identify.
The first thought in Channel's head, perhaps subconscious, is 'Nate'. The flow of power is the exact same signature as his. But immediately it's apparent that it's not. For one thing, amazingly, the output is actually much higher. Only... repressed. Purposefully drawn in. While Nate is having issues with controlling his powers and what it may do to his body, Cable is much older, and well past the point of full potential so that it's full manifestation would destroy his brain. And also, there's abnormal currents. The left arm. Left side of the body. Left eye. And strange leylines and currents. All are biomechanical, little threads interwoven into every fiber of his being. They thrum with a completely different resonance, like some peculiar hybrid of two completely different power sources. That probably makes her all the more curious to see who it is... and an attempt to go into the viewing room, of course, would find it quite empty and his current workout in full view. Depending on how trained Jocelyn is, it might be dizzying trying to keep track of the energy beams. The cannons keep shifting and firing, shifting and firing, some occasions firing a continuous beam that rotates sustained before shutting down, always a good dozen harassing Cable at the same time. Yet however way he's sensing them, each has that tiny square of telekinetic power intercept and follow.
Jocelyn has had to become quite good at filtering and focusing her vision. She spent several days when her power first manifested wandering around Detroit like she was stoned out of her mind. It was quite impressive, in a certain way, that she didn't get shot during that first bit of time. The woman has her absorption ability on standby in case anything goes wrong, however. There was a lot of power being flung about there.
Curiosity getting the better of the young woman, Jocelyn makes her way to the viewing room. Hmm. Older than Nate, but similar. This guy might actually be taller than Jocelyn, and that was something of a rarity in and of itself. A passing thought goes to him being some relative of Nate's from another timeline. They certainly had enough Summers and Greys running around for it to be possible! Though that thought gets dismissed quickly. It wasn't good to make that assumption.
Still, Jocelyn doesn't interrupt. You didn't interrupt another's training session. You waited for them to acknowledge you, if they wanted to. She was perfectly content to sit, watch, and learn based on observation, and the woman could observe a lot of energy interaction here. There hadn't been a sign anywhere saying to keep out, so Jocelyn figures there isn't an issue. Besides, Cable would mention if there was an issue, Jocelyn suspected. She sets her bag down and takes a seat, content to be patient.
Depending on the area one is in, walking around stoned is probably not likely to draw attention; Detroit being a much better haven than Gotham. Yet it doesn't seem like there's any sort of timer or the like, which brings to question how, exactly, Cable intended to stop when he was done. After about ten minutes of observation, it becomes clear. A flash of telekinetic energy within the viewing room presses down the 'Stop Simulation'. In a haze, the manifested training regiment vanishes. Cable exhales slowly, turning around before gently stepping back on both feet. If Jocelyn had a watch handy, she'd see it was to the second when her turn was supposed to come up. And then, a wash of telepathic energy falls over a rather large area. Suddenly he blinks, glancing up towards the viewing room. The two-way communication within the observation room and main Danger Room thrums on. "Sorry. Didn't mean to run long." He doesn't sound physically out of breath or remotely affected in that capacity. Only mentally; without his powers being stressed, he can keep such up for hours and hours.
Eh. There'd be a way. And there it is. Telekinetics. This was the second telekinetic Jocelyn had interacted with today, actually. The woman shrugs easily. "You didn't. Don't worry about it. I always show up early, just in case the room is open. I'm Jocelyn, by the way. Don't think we've met". Jocelyn was sure this wasn't anyone she'd met yet. "Impressive display. Hope you don't mind my watching it while I waited". Not that there was anything to do about it now, of course.
The woman stands up now. "Are you new here, or someone who has come back after being gone for awhile?" Jocelyn had seen it both ways, and so the twenty year old felt it a question worth asking.
"That's good. As long as you know when to stop training, you should put in as many hours as you can." Cable readily agrees. If she glanced at the log, it would seem he had been in here four hours. With the same constant bombardment at lethal levels? Definitely an impressive focus and multi-tasking. "Cable." he offers, having not left the now barren football field-sized square room. "No. Didn't distract me any." His tone's somewhat humble. Nonchalant. "...The latter. I was gone almost three years in a dangerous timestream, trying to stop something from leaking over. About a month passed here." After a moment, "Failed. But I'm hoping to get it fixed." Apocalypse burns bright in his mind. "I'll get out of your way now." He begins idly thumping towards the distant door.
The log was effectively right in front of Jocelyn, so it was easy for the woman to have noticed that bit of information. "Yeah. Did the sports thing in my life prior to my mutation. I know the deal about limits," Jocelyn responds casually to the man. "I'd offer you a spar, but I see you've been here quite awhile". There's no hint of challenge in her voice, but the offer is there, if Cable wants to take it. "I know a bit about time travel. Been flung forward and back a few times, but I've got no control over it myself". She certainly doesn't seem shocked by the man's explanation of where he'd been.
"As to whatever it is you're trying to fix? Good luck with it, and I'm sure you know where the X-Men stand". She smiles a little. "Especially if you've been time traveling". That tended to give a man insights others didn't have. She starts making her way down to the danger room itself.
"Do you?" This once more has the tone closest to pleased that Cable's able to manage. "That's good. I've seen too many impudent mutants since coming back here. Overconfident. Think having powers is enough. Not understanding that you have two limits. Output, and technique." A glance with his crimson cyborg eye returns to the booth. "I don't need telepathy to get the sense you aren't in that group." As for the mention of a spar, it seems to make Cable curious. "I'm still at peak condition. If it'll help your training, I don't mind." A lazy crack of the neck follows. "But I'm not gentle. Holding back... never really been my thing." Time travel. Could there be a more convoluted subject out there? Probably not. "It's no secret. Apocalypse. En Sabah Nur. Imagine a weaker Darkseid, but if he won, it would be much worse." Knowing where they stand... he's trying to work that part out.
"Was training to go MMA since I was a kid. I've actually got a friend who I only do physical, non-power based training with. Something out there, somewhere, might be a perfect counter to your powers. Then you're hosed if that's all you have to fall back on". She pauses, as if realizing something. "MMA stands for Mixed Martial Arts. It's a combat sport in our timeline," Jocelyn explains as she arrives. "I wouldn't expect you to hold back, nor would I expect to hold back against you. I saw what you're capable of. I learn technique from teaching those who aren't as skilled as I am. Makes me remember the fundamentals. I learn new skills and new limits when I spar those of my equal or greater". It's not said with ego, but more as a matter of fact.
She moves to step into the Danger Room. "You prefer having a setting or not? I'm fine either way". She didn't need things to throw at Cable. "Apocalypse. Haven't run into him, to my knowledge. I worked with the JLA during the recent Darkseid matter though, so I have an idea of what level of problem you're talking about".
"MMA, huh? Spent a few decades on martial combat myself. Instructed a few notables still in the business in this timeline. Who's your trainer? Anyone I might know?" Although there's another approving smirk that follows. "Which is precisely why I learned it, myself. You should never be defenseless. Mutant powers are an asset, a tool. No reason not to make your body one, also." Although he does smirk at the definition. "I know what MMA is. Don't worry. I'm not that new here." It feels wrong for him to say that. It's a lie. Everything here is new, since only... what, a few weeks ago? But the memories, the echoes, are of someone fully acclimated to the majority of life on this planet. "Wish I could say I had something power based to learn from you. Might be something else..." Not stated as a braggart. Genuine thought and regret, really, scratching at his five o'clock shadow. "Ladies' choice." is stated in regards to the setting. "A cancer. Genocidal tyrant. Omega-mutants only ones allowed to live. You don't want to hear his methodology after 2,000 years in practice." No sign of joking there. "I plan to make his threat more well-known when I can." Once she actually enters, he idly comments. "Jocelyn Stream. Omega energy manipulator, at heart. And a very highly skilled one, from the rather glowing reports." It seems whoever Cable is, it's high enough on the tier to have complete access to her powers. "If we went all-out, I don't think you'd win, because I know how you work. Not very fair. So. How about you can use everything you got. And I just go unarmed. If you can make me use my powers... I'll be impressed."
There's an easy smile from Jocelyn. "Channel Sparring Simulation Folder. Randomize". The Danger Room shifts and pulls up an abandoned warehouse. No civilians or foes to fight. Just a setting with a variety of crates, equipment, etc... to mess around with. "Figured I'd check and see. Enough time travelers have no idea of certain things in this world. Didn't want to take it for granted". She shrugs. Though now that she knew he was reasonably grounded in certain things in this time, she wouldn't explain every little thing.
A nod is given regarding Apocalypse as she files it away. "Seems like someone who needs to be dealt with swiftly, though that's going to be easier said than done". Which was obvious. The woman shifts into a stance and nods to him. "Alright. We'll see how hard I can push you". He'd set her a minimum goal. Make him bust out his powers. The woman absorbs a bit of energy and enhances her physical capabilities. She suspected he also might have a way to hack into the system, if nothing else. "Ready when you are". She shifts into a neutral stance as she states this, as to not give away if she plans to be the aggressor or the defender at first.
"I waged war on him for those three odd years I mentioned before he finally fell. With what was left of Earth's defenders. He was entrenched, though. That's why I plan to cut his head off for good before he manages it again..." Although his attempt to defeat En Sabah Nur personally proved that he can't manage the brute strength alone. Not with his limiters up... and indeed, Jocelyn might sense that. Within his head are massive, well-crafted blocks. They look to be layered up over countless times, but still seem to have difficulty keeping that dormant ability at bay. Is it intentional? Or did someone do it to him? Why on earth would someone want to NOT tap into that level of power?
The stance looks good. Better than he expected. The one Cable shifts to is also what might not be expected. Flowing, based on a perfect center of balance. But aggressive. Kicking forward, he moves with a speed that belies his mass. Twice as fast as a peek human, he whirls out a low kick towards Channel's knee. The force behind it is easily a few tons. Although it was mostly a feint; whirling his entire body around with a grunt, a silver fist is heading towards the side of her body. That one clocks in closer to 25 tons. He's a full, solid step above her in martial capability, as well.
He did say he wouldn't be holding back.
Jocelyn figured there was a reason. But she'd ask, perhaps, after the fight. You learned the measure of a person during a fight, and a good spar said a lot. The woman's ability to read energy was useful, and she could tell how much force was behind a strike. The feint is evaded with a minor shift of her leg, the woman's reflexes easily twenty times as quick as that of a peak human. That fist's kinetic energy is determined, and the woman's toughness could easily withstand that blow, and so she lets it strike her in the side.
As she's being struck, the woman lets out sharp jab of her right elbow at Cable's chest. She didn't have raw speed, but she did follow through with the strike, regardless of if it struck or not, by slamming her right arm forward towards Cable's right shoulder. Both of her strikes are equal to about fifty tons of force.
It was a little bit of an odd sensation for Jocelyn. Usually she was the one with more skill. She sparred with one of her teammates when he used his powers and she didn't use her's. It was an interesting turn of the tables, and a different challenge for Jocelyn to handle. Cable might be a full click above her on the martial scale, but she wasn't at all bad for her age, compared to him, and she had youth on her side. So far, she hadn't used any energy absorbing or blasting powers. This was, in many ways, still the 'feeling out' stage of things.
Interesting. So Jocelyn's abilities are able to observe the kinetic spectrum, as well. But he can sense that -- observation. She has to see it, doesn't she? That his strongest physical blow was insufficient to hurt her is a surprise. Didn't expect that. He'd be lucky to get a bruise. But what's life without a challenge? He's not someone who wants to be on the top looking down. Like Jocelyn herself, he is always seeking to improve himself by finding his limits. And he's certainly going to in this battle.
The input from his left eye lags behind the other girl's movements significantly. It's only instinct and training at this point. A slight twist puts his chest at an angle. She thumps hard, but the majority slides off. Still, was a partial diminish. He just took a few tens of tons of force, and it only caused a grunt of discomfort. A confirmation shows he's not using any of his psionic abilities right now -- this is him turned 'off'. "You move well. Have a good instinct for fighting."
Attempting to circle, he evaluates his options. Left arm's his only chance to do anything to her. She'd notice a shift, a rerouting, within his biomechanical arm, but nothing is visually different, and it was just a shuffle of the energy already present. His right jabs out a few times towards her face, which are harmless, before twisting into a blow with his left. Trying to guess how she'd duck and weave. She's trained... but how much of her training is technical, and how much of it is raw battle experience? The intent is right before the blow would connect, he'd aim to grasp Channel by the face. And then there'd be a massive eruption of plasma energy.
The blast wouldn't hurt her, but that's not the intent. He's going to aim the palm projector at her either way. The true goal... grasping for her right arm with his left thereafter, shifting to kick the back of an angle, and take her down with a twist. She's proven herself to be incredibly strong to direct blows. But this is a brutal, focused attack on the joints, which would violently dislocate both elbow and shoulder if he succeeded...
It wasn't a well-known fact, and Jocelyn liked having it as an option. It wasn't a true extra sense, but it certainly came in handy in judging if she should dodge a blow or let it strike. If a blow wasn't going to hurt you, then why bother defending against it, unless there would be several in a row that would wear her down? The woman didn't have the raw speed that Cable did. He'd be able to pick that up. But her reflexes were extremely fast. She was tall and large for a woman, though she lacked the sheer mass that Cable had. Like him, she moved far more gracefully than one would expect.
"Thank you," is all Jocelyn says as the man reroutes his energy. She notices this, of course. She varies if she blocks or lets the weak strikes hit her face, countering with a number of fast jabs of her own at Cable's face. She moves to evade the left arm, however, but Cable will be able to get hold of her face with it.
She spots the massive burst of plasma coming at her, the formation spotted just miliseconds before the man is trying to melt her face with it. It gets absorbed by the woman, who practically glows with the energy charge. Oh, it hurts, but the woman isn't giving Cable the satisfaction of seeing her cringe in pain. Besides, her face is covered by his hand, so he wouldn't see it anyway. She recognizes that he's going for a takedown once he grabs at her arm and he begins the twist. With anybody else, he'd drop her down and wrench her joints out of place badly. But, Jocelyn has an option. She can fly.
She kicks in her flying ability to launch them both towards one of the walls. She attempts to, at the last minute, flip ninety degrees and slam Cable against that wall at full speed to try and knock him off her. If she's successful, she'll flip back onto her feet and launch a blast of plasma energy at the man herself, the very plasma he shot at her, except in a more focused, beam form.
Two fists slam home into Cable's face, although he shifts himself once more. Perfect bracing and twisting; they slam home hard, and he feels his brain rattling around a little, but wasn't as clean as it would have been on most people. It's a strange thing. Although Cable moves twice as fast as Jocelyn, her reflexes are twice as much. Both of them are going in slow motion. It's almost zen-like to him, although any observers would have just observed an incredibly intense high-level exchange. The ability to fly catches him off guard. Mistake. He hates those. The takedown doesn't work when your opponent can go airborne. Instinct can be a detriment, at times.
At this point, Cable feels like he's watching something awful happening while someone's got the VCR going at one frame per second. The wall's behind him. Channel is sending him towards it. And there's literally nothing he can do about it, outside attempt to hammer a single knuckle into her ribs. Condensing the force quite a lot more into that single area, right between two ribs. Still, painful or not, he's knocked free and slams into the wall with a horrible *CRASH*, metal denting around him.
Ow.
Beginning to fall towards the ground, he actually twists to take the shot dead center in the chest, of all places. It once more slams him backwards, creating a second dent. If this simulation was not relegated to the warehouse exclusively, he'd have been sent out the building in the first place. His black shirt is peeled away, and obscenely high-tech armor beneath at the thickest part was damaged by Channel, revealing the bright red of highly irritated skin. But he's durable. Probably more durable than she anticipated. "I've always been good at chess..." he offers, beckoning Jocelyn forward.
If Jocelyn didn't think Cable could handle a blast from her, then she would have toned it down a little. Jocelyn takes the shot to the ribs, and there's a grimace from her. That hurt, but she had maintained the flying maneuver, and it paid off. Though the armor absorbed most of the blow. "Hope you know a good smithy," Jocelyn quips. It was a little bit like fighting in slow motion. It was honestly not that different from when her friend Zenith busted out his superspeed in their spars. Freaking Kryptonians and their superspeed. Of course, Cable couldn't know Jocelyn had practice against that. That little bit wasn't anywhere in her file.
The woman takes a step forward. She lets off a powerful blast of energy behind Cable. If the blast strikes him, it should send him flying towards Channel, who will, at the last possible second, try to step aside and clothesline Cable as he flies forward. It was, at it's core, a simple move, but the addition of an energy blast hopefully catching Cable off-guard would be enough to tip the balance in her favor.
Even if Jocelyn lost this fight in the technical sense, she'd already achieved her first goal, which was to make Cable bring out his powers. Now she was just seeing how well she could perform in general against a more skilled opponent.
"You kidding? I can make toys that Tony would be jealous of. This thing's hand-crafted." Cable grunts, good natured despite it all. Pain is not something that remotely affects him. Not even in the freezing cold, Lady Deathstrike herself trying to rip his head off amidst the Purifiers, having to protect a newborn baby... no. Not the time to be sidetracked. He doesn't even know if all that was real. Of course, that reverie removed any potential to avoid the explosion of force that just came from behind. But his palm strikes out, a blast of plasma hitting the ground. In FRONT of Jocelyn. A great, blinding flash, that might even flood her energy signatures, outside the waft of dust and debris. Attempting to orient himself -- infravision with glare filters isn't cheating, it's TECHNICALLY innate -- to turn the attempt against her, two extended knuckles from his left arm aiming to put every ounce of force he has right in her solar plexus. Okay. So he's using gifts he wasn't born with. But to him, he's fighting no different than if he was wearing a Power Nullifier on his head. It's clear to Channel, too; Cable has experience in fighting people tougher than he can hit, and is far from needing to resort to brute power. What will the outcome be to THIS gambit...?!
Ohh, Jocelyn hated it when people pulled out the blinding trick. She's, for a brief, few miliseconds, blinded as she temporarily shifts her vision to filter out that plasma energy until it fades away. Of course, a milisecond in this fight is an eternity, and she's only able to twist a little to the side, but takes most of the force behind those strikes. It hurts, but the woman keeps moving, dropping down into a simple leg sweep more to clear the space around her than anything else.
"I'm sure Mr. Stark would love to pick your brain then, now that he's back". Which the world was grateful for. She then darts forward, attempting to feint with a punch to Cable's face. There's no immediate follow up within the second that passes, however, possibly leaving Jocelyn open to some form of attack from Cable, if he took the opening.
The exchange takes place quickly, Cable forced to hurl himself backwards and land in a crouch. He's not feeling even the slightest bit of fatigue, however. Mentally, this is child's play to the four hour session he had just completed. "Yeah. I heard he died for awhile. ...Most of the time that's questionable, but the more I read about that Darkseid, the more permanent it sounded." Not to mention the horrific mental damage to take place, really. Dancing forward, he weaves to the side. The feint works, but he was already committed to a left counter-punch towards the face. Damnit. Now he's the open one. His chess-game imagined Jocelyn doing more than one of those jabs in a row, and now he's in damage control. "How long... can you last?"
"We've fought for like a minute, tops," Jocelyn points out. Yeah, they'd thrown some seriously hard blows at each other, but she's withstood professional fights that lasted far longer than this. It just might feel like longer, given their relative speeds. Jocelyn decides to try something she's never done before, and that was always interesting. Mostly because she didn't know many people who could withstand what she was going to try, and that's if it worked.
As Cable is going with the counter-punch, she reaches out with all her energy absorption powers to try and drain Cable's kinetic energy as soon as he used it. Effectively, she was trying to prevent him from moving by immediately draining all kinetic energy around the man. It was one of those moves that would take most of her concentration and wouldn't necessarily work. Even so, she could only do it for a few seconds.
Of course, if it worked, a few seconds would be plenty, and she'd launch a number of punches and kicks on the man before releasing the kinetic energy 'hold' with one of those punches, intending to send the man flying backwards. It wouldn't be enough to kill, of course, but if it worked? It'd likely really, really hurt. Of course, this could utterly fail, given Cable's own powers. Usually there were a number of reasons not to try this trick, but Jocelyn was feeling gutsy today.
Oops. Complete kinetic nullification? That's... not good. And more than most anyone, Cable can understand the kind of finesse this requires. Like constantly shuffling a deck and picking out the precise right card at the right time. "...Shit..." he manages to get out. A hail of undefended blows rain down upon him, but his only defense is to literally explode his fist, firing the plasma blast into his fingers. Resulting in a violent eruption within a good meter, if somewhat muted. If it makes the other girl flinch or otherwise back down, all the better. But no. Nothing. It won't hurt her, and it barely even singed his own fingers. Crack. Crack. Crack. His left arm and chest he could take, but she's not striking him in the head with a gentle touch. It's with intent to knock him out.
"..."
And then, halfway through her barrage, a massive crash of telekinetic force erupts down from straight above her, potent enough to crush Channel into the floor in a considerable crater. It's all kinetic energy, nothing her innate toughness will be overly bothered by, but she won. If bio-plasma wasn't considered a power, THAT was. "Damnit..."
And then he's sent staggering backwards. Stars and stripes in his eyes. All-American. Deep bruises blooming from chest and arm, where her relentless onslaught was focused, and his nose is heavily bleeding. He crashes down to a knee, heavily disoriented. "Didn't know... you could do that..."
Wham! Wham! Wham! The trick was working, if only for a few seconds. The blast was annoying, but she knew right where to strike right now, so it didn't stop her. It just bruised her up a little bit more. And then there's the TK strike coming down upon her. She's unable to drop enough energy to absorb it, and so she aborts the strikes and ends up taking the full force of it, slamming her into the ground. The kinetic hold is stopped upon impact, and the woman pushes herself up onto her hands and knees, her face bloodied from the impact and from some of the jagged parts of the floor scrapping across her face at an astounding speed. Her body is pretty well bruised, battered, and she's bleeding in more than a few spots.
"Neither did I. First time trying it. Someone once told me that the most potent power you have is creativity with your powers. Thought I'd heed that advice".
A smile is given to Cable. "You'd have won outright with use of your powers, or if I stuck to augmenting my physical abilities to match your's evenly. You're the better hand to hand fighter". Jocelyn could, in fact do that. "Well fought. We'll have to do this again sometime". Despite the fact she was beaten up, it was a satisfying fight, and she hoped Cable thought the same.
"...Yeah. 'The key to victory is surprise'. Not something I take for granted. Underestimated your power control. Bravo." Cable's only real hope in this fight was that he could go a good eight more hours being bruised up before actually getting tired. His intent was to play the chess game, make sure nothing critical happened, and slowly wear her down. But he lost. Regardless of the ultimate outcome, her abilities and technique got the best of him. She might not know it, but it's something that's bragworthy; hard to pull the wool over the eyes of the elder Nathan like that and put him in a true, genuine corner.
"Don't want to take it to the end and see what I can really do, huh? Well, that's fine. I enjoyed it." He cracks his neck, spitting blood to the floor. "Whoever taught you was superb, to be as good as you are at your age." Cable was comparable, but he had the full attention of Askani masters and other martial artists giving him complete attention for years. Jocelyn had a normal life, working hard at a side-hobby. Not a talent to be dismissed.
"Well, I think we'd both like to leave a few surprises for the other next time. Besides, I do have the rest of my workout to do at some point," Jocelyn says. Truthfully, she could probably go another hour or two, but another eight was out of the question, and she knew it. So she knew she had to try and swing big. "And thanks," she adds.
Jocelyn drops her physical augmentations, and then starts channeling her life energy to heal herself. The wounds start to close up fairly quickly as she does so. "My teacher was a fairly humble person. I'm afraid he died though. When my powers manifested, I overloaded". A classic energy absorber's flaw. "The building pretty much disintegrated". The outcome, of course, was obvious. "Then I came here, and I got some more training, and given this city, there are a half dozen opportunities to see some live battle around every corner it seems," the redhead offers.
"If you've got more surprises beyond that, I was in more trouble than I thought." Cable grumbles. But it's clear that his wounds are regenerating of their own accord. Bruises slowly recessing, distorted nose stretching back out, rolling his jaw a few times. His shirt weaves back together over his armor, although the latter is too complex to put back together with telekinesis immediately. He'll have to worry at it, like a tongue poking an empty tooth socket, for a couple hours. "...I see. I'm sorry to hear that. Losing people close to you is never easy. Nor does it get any easier." He's back to his former glory now, beyond his precious ruined 40th century body armor. "Mind if I watch your routine?" he wonders. "I've been training people a couple decades. Might help. Who're you assigned to for power control and martial training since your last burst of potential?" Two years. Lot can happen in two years on the field of battle. And he knows that this Earth is one every bit as the nightmare he came from... if less consistent.
"Didn't have anyone assigned to me. Full member of the team and everything," Jocelyn says. "I know a lot of people in the caped crowd though, and I tend to pick things up from them as I can. For awhile, when I first came here, Captain Marvel, the female one, hung out here and I did a lot of training with her, as our power sets are similar, even if they come from a different source. I like to think my network of contacts is more valuable than most of my powers". Which would explain how she moved so quickly through her training. She'd found a mentor with a very, very specific power set similar to her own. "After Genosha, I spent a lot of time working on control on my own. I had help from some people on the team, but nobody that was specifically assigned to me".
There's a smile when he mentions her mentor. "Thanks. He'd be glad how I'm using the ability though, so there is that". Jocelyn didn't like to dwell too much though. There wasn't a lot of point to it. She'd moved past the grief, for the most part.
Jocelyn does notice his wounds regenerating, and so she doesn't ask if he needs healing. "I don't mind. I tend to do running and a non-powered gym routine with Rachel in the mornings, along with some combat training with and without powers. Then I do some more running, a powered gym routine with different body parts, and Danger Room session later in the day around now. Way I see it, if you push your powers, they'll develop faster and stronger, and I get used to how to use them more easily".
Cable sheaths himself in telekinetic energy once more, floating cross-legged with his arms crossed. Although not currently upside-down; going into deep meditation in the midst of conversation is generally considered rude. "So you've spent the majority of the time just working on it bits and pieces, huh? I see." The elder Nathan seems curious. "There's three sides to developing powers, in my experience. One, technique. You can never have too much of that. Even if you go from catching 203 individual tennis balls to 204 with hard work, I consider that meaningful over time. Two, power output. There's countless ways to be more efficient or use what you have more effectively, even if your growth is static. Your greatest potential probably lies there at the immediate moment." 
And then he holds up a third finger. "Three... your limit. Not everyone has this flaw. But some do. A point where the mutation coursing through your body will kill you. Seeing what I have from you, I think your body will have a criticality. Learning how to stay at the right spot, never going over even if you can... is just as much work as the others." Then he's stroking his chin in further thought. "The best teacher is practical experience. You need to make sure your technique and instincts are growing in synch. If you do them separate, you suffer. There's a reason fancy people in a dojo can be taken down by a street fighter. In Japan, they would do nothing but spar under mentors. Many of them would be injured too badly to become masters. But it resulted in incredible results in a very short period of time..."
A 'hrrm' leaves him. "I wouldn't mind helping you learn, if you wanted. Combat, power control..." And then he asks another question. "So what do you think of the non-human situation? Metahuman, mutant, mutates. How society is fighting so hard to accept them. About what Magneto did in Genosha, in particular... you think he did the right thing?"
"My body has a release valve, of sorts. If I absorb too much energy, it explodes out. Usually knocks me unconscious in the process. But that limit has increased over time. I'm not sure where that limit is going to end up. It's part of what I'm trying to figure out. Could be I'm at my limit now," Jocelyn says. "Though I've been augmented beyond where I am now by a power booster in the past, before my latest mutation adjustment, so I'm not sure if that's true or not. But I do know, at least, what it's like to handle more raw energy".
There is a nod with regards to the rest of what Cable says. "I'd be glad for any assistance you can offer," Jocelyn tells Cable. "As for Magneto. He's a complicated person. By what he did in Genosha, that can be a lot of things. If you mean by how he used Genosha to free mutants in other countries, I'd say his intent is good, but his methods are going to lead to armed conflict sooner rather than later, and a lot of the heroic groups will rise up against him. Everyone loses in that scenario. If by creating a 'safe haven' for mutants, I'd say that it both defends mutants and makes them a target by being isolationist. Gathering that much power in one spot will scare people, and scared people either cower or they lash out".
Jocelyn reaches up, stretching her arms before moving into a little bit of stretching. "I can't say I know exactly what solution is best. I think if the Professor and Magneto could sit down and hash out a plan together, everyone would be better off. I'm smart enough to know there are people far smarter than I am to figure out the best plan of action politically".
"That's a good start. Sounds like absorbing energy until it explodes, and figuring out when that is so you can expel it beforehand, is a good direction. Or managing to survive it without falling unconscious. Both good avenues. And experiment whether that limit feels different, with different types. Whether the feedback of it exploding feels different. Manage a methodology in your mind to instinctually know... learn it so well you no longer have to think about doing it, but just want to." That's how Cable works. He couldn't process hundreds of things at a time like a beehive if each required 100% of his attention. Although not everyone is nearly so capable on the mental front, which can make his lessons somewhat... inapplicable, depending.
He finds himself impressed by Jocelyn's analysis. She's been doing a lot of that, really. More than expected. "You are right. There are people working on the politics. Magneto and Xavier. Neither are wrong. But neither are right." The latter might be something more objectable, depending. "There are some barriers that cannot be broken with diplomacy. Some situations where the act of Ghandi is not efficient. Some cancers that need to be removed. Outside politics. Outside sight. Unknown to all. Obstacles to integration that, if removed in the right way -- or before they even become public -- will make Xavier's dream of unity, and Magneto's need for brute force, diminish. ...What do you think of that idea?" X-Force, of course, is on his mind. Channel is gifted in countless ways, much like himself, and could only grow all the stronger if he was a direct mentor. But the life of Black Ops... she's probably too innocent a soul. No matter her answer, the idle banter is done. He'd watch Jocelyn as she works from a safe location, offering idle pointers where he can. Not major ones; but dozens and dozens of slight errors, any one of which individually means little, but if fixed, would add up to a lot. Perfectionist doesn't begin to describe Nathan Dayspring... but 'Drill Sergeant' does...
A nod is given in understanding about her absorbing energy in different ways. That made sense to Jocelyn. She'd been a student for a long time, and part of how she got to where she was was due to the fact that she knew who and what to listen to regarding training techniques. And she hated making the same mistake more than once.
As the topic of Magneto and Xavier's views comes up, and the idea of X-Force is danced around a little bit, Jocelyn simply nods. "You mean working in the shadows. I'd say it's one of those necessary things that nobody would want to do, but somebody had to make the sacrifice to do". Jocelyn wasn't actually a complete stranger to death. She'd killed before, even if it wasn't intentional. And she'd wrecked people's lives before physically, which was worse than death in some ways, back when she ran the streets of Detroit. That was something she understood. Didn't mean she liked it. Didn't mean she liked being that person. But she had understood it.
Jocelyn has a few hours of training left. Cable would find that once an error was pointed out, that error wasn't repeated again. When she finished her remaining routines, Jocelyn was tired and sweaty, having pushed herself to the limits. "Thanks for the help. See you next time". And the woman would head off to hit the showers.
Category:Log