The next day a group of students were called to meet with their headmaster.
Professor Xavier frequently engaged with his pupils.   He had an open-door policy as well.  But after the events that transpired in Manhattan the other day, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that this wasn’t going to be anything like one of his regular classes.  And sure enough, it wasn’t.

The sunlit classroom they were ushered to would have normally been occupied this time of the morning if it wasn’t for the summer vacation.  Like every other part of the mansion, it too was lavishly furnished: solid mahogany school desks, a giant blackboard covering the entirety of the wall, and cool teaching aids like the giant, man sized globe, or the projector that could descend from the trap door at the ceiling.

Inside, the aging Professor was already waiting for them, together with a few of his teachers, and … others.

Mr. Summers, smartly dressed in a brown jacket, a pair of jeans, and his ever-present fashion accessory: a pair of ruby tinted sunglasses, was standing next to a breathtaking woman in a yellow summer dress.   Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you couldn’t not recognize Jean Grey, whose face graced every top fashion magazine in the last couple of years.

Another young woman, the one going by the alias of ‘Rogue’, didn’t need to dress as provocatively as she did to get noticed – but she did so anyways.  Her little black tube dress and knee-high boots were hardly appropriate attire to be wearing around teenage boys, so it was probably a good thing she wasn’t a member of the staff.  With so much skin showing, she still bothered with the pair of gloves that went up to her elbows.

But if there was one man who outdid all the others in the ‘notice me!!’ category, it was sure to be the one leaning against the wall at the far end of the room.  His outfit was so patently ridiculous that it was cool by virtue that if someone did wear it, it meant he gave exactly zero fucks about what other people thought about him.  The black, face-open Zentai spandex suit, the short sleeved pink muscle shirt, the leather gloves with some of the fingers cut off, and the knee-length brown trench coat were all individually cringeworthy. Doubly so put together.   The crooked smile he wore was the only thing that tied it all together, giving it all an ‘don’t take things too seriously, because I sure don’t’ vibe.

Once all the students followed her in, Miss Munroe closed the door behind them.  The regal woman swept past them and took her place to the right of the Professor, laying her hand over the back of his wheelchair.

Also present with the rest of the PCs is Barnell
Keep in mind that the only teacher known to be a member of the X-Men is Hank McCoy (who is still debilitated). Scot Summers being Cyclops, or Munroe being Storm, is only something your character could suspect if they've been watching bootlegged videos of the X-Men in action.

This message was last edited by the GM at 21:23, Tue 08 Dec 2020.

Kate had been herded in along with the rest, grumbling silently yet leaking some or all of her thoughts to those sensitive or who might brush near her.  This is stupid, what is the point of summer break if you have special classes for it anyway, even if it is a school living here shouldn't mean everyday is for classes.

However once inside she is quick to pick a desk that is currently fully illuminated by the sun.  Those who are particularly clever or calculating will notice it is also the desk situated such that it will continue to get the most sun even as the day passes.  This more than anything else is how the young teen inexplicably ends up in the front row despite her apparent disregard for the classroom environment.

She's also still wearing, or wearing again the cloths she had from yesterday afternoon.  The nice blouse, fashionable skit, and tights combination, completed with a continuing lack of shoes.

Zoey, too, looked as though she might not have changed out of last night's clothes. There were two exceptions: she had ditched her work boots for flip-flops, and (less obviously) changed her bra. The Manhattan Mutant was responsible for both of these changes. The steel toes of her boots had been liquefied and Zoey only noticed the day after when she noticed they didn't fit her anymore. And her bra, well... removing what was left of that was certainly an... experience. She was glad Kate had shown herself out when she had because that had taken a long time and Zoey's composure had broken more than a few times. Even after a night of accelerated healing the red, raw flesh chafed uncomfortably against her t-shirt.

Go to the doctor? *Her?* It had seemed nonsense to pass up an opportunity to practice self-treatment at the time. Plus she secretly enjoyed the pain. She was regretting it now, though. Ow.

Zoey had no particular thoughts about the morning's meeting, wishing only that it would be over quick so she could finish rationing the day's energy. She was at her strongest in the morning, before the contrivances of the day had worn down her reserves, but it wasn't standard procedure to leave her room before she had finished crossing her Is and dotting her... Ts... dammit.

At least Kate's still looking cute today. Zoey takes her seat beside the tarted-up teen and offers a shy aside smile. "Unless I very much miss my estimate," she says, "I should still have my old wedges that would look charming with that outfit. Little pastel stripes on the heels." Zoey did not think for a second Kate would be caught dead in four-inch wedges. If one had asked a younger Zoey she herself might have said the same, but The Cute is a powerful compulsion...
This message was last edited by the player at 01:57, Wed 09 Dec 2020.

Frank entered the room and took a seat somewhere in the middle of the class. He didn't want to seem to eager by sitting right up front, nor did he want to seem too noncommittal by planting himself in the back.

It looked to him that the class was going to be made up of the older students, such as those who'd been chaperones to the ill-fated field trip. Except Barnell, who he thought was younger than the others. Either way, Frank didn't want to be too disparaging of the guy, but he didn't seem like superhero material. It wasn't any judgement against him as a person; he just barely had any powers. He could fly a little bit, and that was apparently it. But if the Professor thought otherwise, who was he to second-guess?

He looked at the faculty members, and suppressed a smile. Knowing that the X-Men had a connection to the school, it was pretty easy to guess who might be whom on that team. Ms. Munroe's white hair, for example, was a dead giveaway for Storm.

He settled in. Today was definitely going to be an interesting day.

In reply to Zoey Fujino (msg # 3):

Seeing the wedges in Zoey's mind brings a slightly distasteful expression across Kates face.  "No, I'll keep my wiggly free toes thank you very much."  The words said help, but the image said tripping hazard, though the accompanying thoughts made Kate blush and look away.  How could she be cute?  Though she couldn't really argue the thought seeing as she was the one who had picked it up.

Zoey chuckles, her emotions running the gamut of playful-tease-friendly-helpful. She decides not to mention her six-inch stiletto Pleasers buried in the back of her closet. "Maybe some flippy flops then," she ventures. Zoey had the misfortune of having wide feet *and* the right foot being half a size larger than the left, so she knew all about the difficulty of finding shoes that fit. "I need to order some new boots anyways. Sketchers usually has a variety of unusual shoe sizes, if we order together we could save a few dollars' shipping."

One student who could never be described as 'cute' was Barnell.  His huge beak and feathered body had him on the receiving end of an endless string of jokes and ridicule - even by fellow mutants.  Despite it all, he never allowed it to get to him, the petty insults rolling off him like water off a duck's back.

Being the last student in, he stopped at the doorway, his beak cracking wide as he looked upon the teachers and the rest of the students.  He too, was wondering what the hell he was called for that morning, but once he noticed one of his classmates sitting at one the table by the window held his head up high and parked himself right next to her:

"Hi Kate!!" reading Barnell was difficult as his facial expressions were rather limited, but judging by the creases forming around the corners of his eyes and the small crack of his beak, she could assume he was offering her a smile.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:58, Wed 09 Dec 2020.

Ana Sofía doesn't say anything as she walks in the room, carrying her coffee mug closely like it's the most precious thing in the world. She is dressed casually: only socks on her feet, tights showing off her legs, and a thin sweater with a wide neck draping over her body without looking like a big sack. She doesn't look anyone in the eyes, glancing more around their feet to find a spot. She walks past the wall that is Frank and plops down in the seat behind him, her short body mostly disappearing from view behind him. Once there she stares into her mug and sips at it regularly.

Zoey flinches as Barnell practically chirps the announcement of his presence. He was one of the few other students Zoey actually knew a little bit about, precisely because his somewhat (okay, very) strange appearance undermined a lot of the assumptions about mutants that Zoey had been taking for granted. Mutants were generally significantly stronger, smarter, more capable, and just prettier than their genetypical peers, but here comes Barnell to wreck that hypothesis. She didn't know him very well personally but knew he was subject of a lot of discrimination and ridicule even by his fellows. Because of that, Zoey was willing to go a little further out of her way to give him a fair shake than she would for most people.

Also, Tabby-cat's real name was apparently Kate. Zoey would have to try and remember that. Had she ever shared her name? What did her catlike friend call Zoey in the privacy of her own thoughts?

Well, Kate's thoughts weren't as private as most...

In any event, Zoey directs her attentions elsewhere in the classroom while Barnell and Kate talk. She wondered at the significance of these particular instructors, and took in the appearances of the other students as they arrived, trying to divine some significance from their presence here. The students so far were all those who had played a major role in the Melting of Manhattan... and Professor McCoy was a known X-Man... it wasn't a lot to go on, but some sensible hypotheses could be drawn.

Zoey tried to imagine herself as an X-Man. What would her persona's name be? Reaper? Heartbreak? Deathstroke? No, no, less 'edgy teen' than that... Shinigami? Really, brain; that's what you think of when we ask for less edgy? You're fired! Okay then, how about... Peach... Lemon... Bread. Lemon Bread; because she's bitter.

It's no good. She just really likes being called Zoey. It's cute, even if it is a bit common.

  Victor had slipped in just behind Ana Sofia.  He looked around the room blowing into his re-used tall paper cup of coffee.  Black and steaming hot, he squeaked the plastic lid down over the morning beverage as he found a desk to lean against instead of sitting in.
  It didn't take a genius to figure why everyone was gathered in the room.  Everyone here was either at ground zero for 'the incident' yesterday or a faculty member of the school.  That generally meant a lecture, and interrogation or a...what had his public defender called it?...a deposition.  All the school's heavy-hitters were there including the head of the school himself, Charles Xavier.  He wasn't familiar with the pair that weren't teachers and he had to admit he wasn't too familiar with the ones that were.

  He leaned back on a desk off to the side, out of the shadow of Frank's shielding bulk, as he drank an exploratory sip of the nearly scalding drink.  His dark eyes counted the other students assembled, wondering what was about to happen.

In reply to Zoey Fujino (msg # 6):

"Ah.. I don't really have money for that sort of thing." Kate told Zoey, even as she wondered, 'How would you know if they even fit without trying them on?  Online shoes seems sketchy.' Though that came through with a bit of confusion before she just gave a little shrug.  At which point Barnell blew in.

The boy had so far been in the one and only class Kate had grudgingly shown up for.  Her quest to avoid schooling thus far aided both by her very recent arrival combined with the summer break.  This looked to her like it was going to be another lesson during what was supposed to be school free time.  Still she guessed it was the price for living in a warm school building to have classes.  Oh, right, "Hi ah Barnell" She answered, it took a moment to figure out his name.  She obviously remembered him, who wouldn't but even she wasn't going to call him bird boy out loud.  That would just have been mean.

She looked from him to the Professor trying to read from his thoughts if class was about to start or not, but like the few other occasions she just couldn't tell a thing, but since he wasn't immediately opening his mouth she guessed talking was still okay.  Turning back she asked him, "So what have you been doing since orienteering?"  She meant Orientation where she and everyone else in her class year had been introduced after she arrived, but the word had escaped her.

Barnell opened his beak to answer Kate, but closed it quickly under Miss Munroe's stern gaze.  The Professor might have been patiently waiting on them to finish their ideal chatter before he would start talking, but she would make sure he wouldn’t be waiting long
This message was last updated by the player at 19:55, Thu 10 Dec 2020.

“I wanted to talk with all of you about what happened in Manhattan the other day”

The Professor started his speech without any cordial greeting, mostly because he didn’t feel like it was a ‘good morning’ considering how many have been left homeless, or still trapped in the wreckage.

“ - Fiona McKenna, a Mutant, manifested her powers for the very first time.  The results were catastrophic; half of Manhattan leveled.  Nearly a dozen dead” he closed his eyes for a brief second, a momentary lapse of his usual stoicism as he reflected on the loss of life  “As terrible as it was, had you not been there to intervene a far greater tragedy would have occurred, the long-term consequences of which would have been the stuff nightmares are made of”


He waited for a moment, allowing them to think for themselves about the chain of events which would have followed. Not only the huge loss of life, but the riots in the streets.  The martial law.  Government action, and the resulting conflagration

“If something like this happens again, humanity may very well reach the conclusion that their fears of us are justified.  Some, as you may know, already have” and he wasn’t referring only to Senator Kelly.  The man was the leader of a much wider political movement, one that gained traction with every footage of a rampaging mutant on CNN.

“I’ve dedicated my life to heal the rift between mutants and humans, to foster peace and understanding.  But now, despite our best efforts, we find ourselves teetering on the brink of open conflict, and I can’t stop what’s to come”

.
.
.
.
He looked at each of the present in the room before adding the last bit, which offered a glimmer of hope to the otherwise pessimistic statement

“-on my own”

Zoey groaned. I knew it, I fucking knew it, Xavier -- presumably the 'X' in X-men -- is asking us to join his superhero troupe. How anime can you get? ... and how anime is it of me that I've been considering what she would say if this moment ever came ever since I was nine?

"Do we have to call ourselves X-men?" Zoey blurts, not raising her hand or anything. She'd always hated the term. Not just because it was mildly sexist, but also because the 'X' made it sound like they considered themselves above genetypicals, even if it really was just Xavier's initial. Their abilities were certainly impressive, but she'd not seen much evidence that they were necessarily better people. They kept themselves pretty secluded from scrutiny. Professor McCoy was pretty awesome, but what of the others? How much did she really know of them?

In reply to Zoey Fujino (msg # 14):

Xavier certainly drew attention when he spoke.  She hadn't quite figured out where he was going with that statement when Zoey's question sort of short circuited the rest of her thought process.  Another one distracting her briefly as her mind wandered, 'isn't X the chromosome for women so are X-men, women men?'  but she pushed that weird idle thought aside more interested in the answer, and just what else he had to say.  She could certainly understand his making some of the people here X-men but she and Barnell didn't really fit, did they?

"There's a lot of history to that name," Frank replied before the Professor had a chance to respond. It was a proud and noble name, and anyone offered the chance should feel honored to wear it. Why wouldn't they? "What's wrong with it?"

Frank had already known that this meeting was to offer him and some of the others a position among the X-Men. He had already agreed, too. For him, this meeting was simply perfunctory. He hadn't imagined that the others might turn the role down, much less would argue over the name itself.

"This isn't a gender thing, is it? X-Persons...?"

While mostly keeping her eyes on her coffee, sometimes with a slightly pained expression hidden, behind Frank's much greater size, Ana Sofía does smile and wince at as some of the funnier unblocked thoughts are broadcast around the room. She isn't really shielding her own thoughts well right now, but she's not broadcasting thoughts so much feelings of mild pain like headache, sensitivity to light, sound, and loud thoughts, etc.

For the Professor, how they should call themselves was inconsequential. More important was to clarify what he had in mind:
"Joining the X-Men is something we will discuss when the time comes; I can not in good conscious put you in harm's way until you have properly trained in the use of your powers"

"I just never liked it," Zoey replies to Frank. "Numerous reasons." She didn't want to elaborate, not with an entire room full of people waiting on them to be quiet so they could think about it themselves.

Instead, she simply says without hesitation that "As long as I don't have to wear the label, I'll do all that I can to help."

Ok, that made a lot more sense Kate thought.  It even went along with what Jean had said when she was picked up, brought in, whatever.  Besides if fish giving girl would be there then, "I'm in too." She said with a grin.  The X thing didn't really matter to her though.  Maybe they would be the Y-men, or if it took too long to train the Z-men.

"Well, you know my answer, Professor," Frank said resolutely. He had already wanted to be an X-Man, even before the incident. Now it felt more like an imperative. "I'm in."

“Good.  Summer vacation would be an ideal time to start your training.  Both you, and your teachers, are not occupied with your regular classes”

He hinted with his head at Scott, and Ororo

“Scot – once they are briefed bring them all down to the Danger Room.
Jean – You’re running the simulation today; I have other matters to attend to which cannot be delayed”

The somber teacher waited for Professor Xavier to leave the room before stepping forward to stand at the center of class. Mr. Summers was always known to be deadpan serious; it would not be too hard to imagine him as a marine drill sergeant, if it wasn’t for the fact that he never used profanities

”Alright.  We are going to start your first training exercise today in the Danger Room.  It is a holographic virtual reality facility; holo-projections beamed on top of powerful force fields.  Those can’t harm you, but your own powers may jeopardize one another.   People HAVE been hurt before, so you must always be mindful of where all your teammates are.  Your safety is more important than completing the exercise successfully”

Ana Sofía sips away quietly. She perks up a little at Prof. Xavier's comments about more training, but Mr. Summers put a damper on that quickly. She starts drinking her coffee faster, emptying the mug and then looking for the best opportunity to return to the kitchen for a refill.

"Will we be getting uniforms and code-names?" Frank asked, belatedly raising his hand when he realized he'd spoken out of turn. "Sorry."

Mr. Summers was expecting questions, and thought that one in particular could have waited for later, he thought it best to address it presently:

"In time. Those are only necessary to protect your identify, and you won't be setting foot outside the Danger Room today"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:13, Sun 13 Dec 2020.

“Oh, don’t be such a sourpuss, Cyclops” the pretty woman in the clubwear smiled at Frank
”How do you want us to call ya, hun?”

"Uh..." Scott the stoic was a bit intimidating, so Frank wasn't sure he wanted to undermine his authority by answering Rogue's question. But it was only a few seconds of indecision before the southern belle's charms overrode Frank's caution. "Well, in high school football, I was Frank the Tank... so I was thinking I'd just stick with Tank."

Zoey glances around to see if anyone else was about to speak before she does. It's not waiting to be called on, but it's something. "How is a code name going to protect our identity?" Zoey asks. "Facial recognition technology these days is very good; the U.K. police department uses ear lobes over fingerprints to identify persons of interest. I've heard most of the X-men don't wear full helmets or even masks."

Kate watched the conversation as though it were a tennis match, from one to the next as each spoke up.  She was a little jealous of the Professor who now was escaping what she felt were kind of silly questions.  Of course the government would know who they were pretty fast.  Though that earlobe thing was kind of interesting.

Besides, if someone like Barnell was participating how long would it be until everyone knew the school was behind everything? "So, is this gonna be like gym class or like marine training?" She finally slipped in when a chance occurred.

  Leaning against the desk to the right and behind Frank, Victor sipped on his scalding cup of coffee taking in the situation.  Of all the places he'd ever expected to end up this was certainly not on the list of what he ever expected.  The X-Men had a media representation that ranged from dangerous vigilantes to mutant terrorists but that was far from dissuasive for Victor...he had a number of uncles and aunts on watchlists for activism.  I'm in. Every one should have training to defend themselves and others.  The world is a dangerous place and it's not getting any friendlier.  That's for sure... Especially after half of Manhattan melted because one mutant lost control.  He'd lost control once and could empathize with her situation.   His 'episode' hadn't been as far reaching as that but he'd hurt and killed people in the process.

"Governments might have the technology to track us down, but you don't want to make it any easier for the Friends of Humanity.  Or for Mutant Radicals out there"
Soft spoken Jean was the one to answer Zoey this time

"I prefer Mutant Terrorists" Scot jaw tightened, and his fists clenched, only to relent after Jean placed her hand over his arm

"You got it all backwards, no?" the man leaning against the wall spoke with a heavy accent.  He was quiet till now, but found the discussion over costumes and call names too amusing:
"It's all about style"

"We don't have time for this" 'Scot' waved his hand, indicating that this, indeed, was going to be more like boot camp than gym "You got ten minutes; change clothes, and meet me back at the entrance to Xavier's office"

In reply to Gambit (msg # 34):

Kate giggled at that.  Gambit really wasn't at all like the other grownups she was familiar with.  Outside of the fact he didn't hate her, something oddly familiar here at the school, he was actually kind of funny and did a lot more talking to rather than down.  Mr. Summers she thought was a better example of the talk down type, even if they looked pretty similar in age.

It was as she was having that thought that Mr. Summers proved her right by his command.   
"So we're all going to go to the danger gym and become anti-terrorists?"  She asked with a shrug of her shoulders.  "Okay, I can do that."  Hopping to her stocking-ed feet she gave the others a wave.  "See you all there."  She planned to be the first, because she wasn't going to bother to change.  Nobody ever let you change cloths before chasing you out of a store after all.

Ana Sofía wastes no time once Mr. Summers dismisses them. She hurries over to the kitchen to get more coffee with lots of sugar and goat's milk. Then to her room to switch to running shoes, running tights, and a sports bra showing off her belly and some cleavage. She also grabs her water bottle (with water!) and a towel to bring along with her coffee. And then down to meet the others just barely squeaking in under 10 minutes.

"Oh right... them," Zoey replied, dejected. She'd managed to forget, if only for a moment, that the governments of the world weren't the only people trying to disown her. Disown all of them. It had been a nice moment, but now it was time to go back to work.

She was sure glad she hadn't rationed the day's energy yet, because this promised to be a very horrible day. She'd wanted to go to the Danger Room for a long time, but... not like this. Not with so many other people around. She was going to have to double up the peanut butter on her morning toast... front-load those calories...

Zoey, one of the last ones out, hesitated in the doorway. She half-turned back to the instructors. "You know my ability only works on living things, not holograms?" she asks. She doesn't bother asking if they've read her file and her long long list of sensory issues. Mr. Summers in particular seemed like he'd take the list as a challenge, as if her autism could be beaten out of her, but better minds than his had tried and failed.

"Anti-terrorist, pro-mutant activist... super-hero... call it whatever you want," Frank said, not sure if anyone was listening. "I'm still in."

He ran off to get changed into some workout clothes.

Kate unlike most of the others just headed straight over to the meeting spot.  Sure she did have less fashionable more sturdy cloths, but not a lot and she wanted to keep them clean in case she had to do a runner.  So instead she wandered around the hall outside the Professors office, curiously sticking her nose into things.  Poking at the art, wiggling her toes in the carpeting and generally trying to waste time till someone else showed up.

The ‘elevator’ to the lower levels, cleverly concealed as part of the wall in Xavier’s office, turned out to be nothing more than a narrow tube.  Barely four feet in diameter, it couldn’t carry more than two or three of them at a time, and even that would be extremely uncomfortable.  Unfortunately, it was uncomfortable, as their new drill instructor (now in blue and yellow spandex), insisted on them going down in batches to ‘save time’. Being squeezed like sardines in a can was hardly the worst they would have to endure as heroes, so they might as well get out of their comfort zone training to become ones.

It was a momentary inconvenience, however, since once they reached the lower levels they found themselves standing in a vast underground fortress. The corridors, illuminated by white fluorescent lighting, were wide enough to drive a tank through them, and the high-speed personnel transport rail cars, ready to ferry people from the elevator landing area to god knows where, was all the indication they would need to figure out that the installation stretched for miles in every direction.

Then there was the Danger Room itself.  Once Cyclops pressed his hand against the biometric scanner on the face of the wall the doors opened with a ‘whoosh’ to reveal a room so large it was impossible to grasp its true dimensions, exacerbated by the fact that it was so…empty.    But it sure was big.  Big enough to fit an entire football stadium within it, with room to spare.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:13, Tue 15 Dec 2020.

”- step inside.  Jean has prepared the simulation and we can start as soon as you’re ready”

Looking around, Frank whistled in appreciation of the scope of the engineering feat that was the Danger Room. The dome would have made Buckminster Fuller wet himself. A very large chunk of Westchester county should have collapsed making this place, and yet the structure stood.

"I'm ready when you are," he said, trying to tear his gaze away from the dome and focus on the people nearby.

Looking around in amazement, Ana Sofía follows the instructions and walks in. Hearing Frank's comment she asks, "Ready for what?" Her walk gets more hesitant as she moves in from the doorway and becomes truly dwarfed by the room. She stops not more than ten feet in, just staring about.

The ride in the elevator, crammed in with the other student's hadn't been particularly nice.  Luckily she was small, so they could fit more students in?  In any case that first impression certainly set expectations in the wrong direction.

As the vastness of the underground complex became clear her jaw just continued to drop.  This was stunning.  Kate's eyes darted here and there, taking in everything.  This place, it was just ridiculously huge.  How had it ever been built?

Then when they finally got to the danger room she just stopped.  "This is just silly big."  But she sounded impressed as she trailed in after the others peering into the far corners of the room.

Tiny elevators. Great. And why is Mr. Summers always in such a goddamn hurry?

Zoey's low-key cleithrophobia ends up being forgotten as the monumental scale of the UnderMansion becomes clearer. How... how did they build something like this? The excavation work alone would have raised some eyebrows from city planning if nothing else. Did they just teleport the rubble to the moon or something?

Just as she thinks she's starting to get a handle on the scale of this place, they step into what Zoey at first thought might have been some kind of storage area for space shuttles. She takes a few excited steps into the immense space, spinning around to look at its unadorned surfaces. It was enough to give her vertigo.

"Forget holodeck," Zoey says in muted wonder. "Holohanger. You could fit the entire Enterprise in here. Original series, definitely... maybe even Next Generation. How long is this room?!"

  Like a couple of the other students, Victor skipped a wardrobe change and stayed in his regular clothes.  He didn't know what to expect that a worn and comfortable jeans and a 'lived-in' t-shirt wouldn't be appropriate for...

  Xavier's office was a lavish and ostentatious status symbol.  More money went into the decor here than went into the academic programs at his old high school, probably.  The whole "Xavier's" experience just dripped of 'old money' and made Victor wonder how things would've turned out for Xavier if he hadn't been born into the lap of luxury from the start.
  Victor's reverie was broken by the wall sliding back and opening into a tiny tin-can elevator that Summers shoe-horned everyone into that could fit.  He wasn't bothered by the confined space...Victor grew up in a very crowded household and this was like the bathroom on a school day morning.

  The vast underground complex was quite the contrast to the sardine-can elevator.  This...was impossibly large.  This is a bit more than just a finished basement... he stated flatly, the last to exit the tiny elevator.  You could buy off a whole room full of Senators for what this must've cost...

Cyclops only had a vague sense of the size of the Danger Room, so he couldn’t really reply to Zoey’s question.   It was one of those questions best addressed to McCoy, whose head was filled with little factoids like that.

“Jean” he called out after pressing against an ‘X’ shaped button on the yellow belt that ran diagonally over his chest “We’re ready.  Initiate ‘Savage-Land simulation zero-four’”

And just like that, with a blink of an eye, all of them were teleported straight into Jumanji.

Mr. Summers did say something about ‘holo-projectors’, and how real the simulation would feel like.  As it turned out, it wasn’t hyperbole.

The temperature in the room increased dramatically within a few short seconds, turning sweltering hot despite the pouring rain breaking through the green canopy above them.  Wet rain.  Real rain.  Or at least it felt that way, because the drops of water rolled over their body very convincingly, soaking the clothes of anyone who would not bother running for cover underneath the broad leaves of the evergreens.    Dense thicket sprung out of nowhere, so tight that navigating through it without a machete looked like an exercise in futility.

“RIGHT!!!!”

Cyclops had to raise his voice to be heard over the sounds of drums beating at the distance, which drowned not only his voice, but also that of the rain, buzzing insects, chirping birds, and much larger animals.

“We received an S.O.S from Doctor Perez.  His expedition ran into some trouble and requires immediate evac.  Get five people back to their camp for a passing grade”

Kate looks around and does some quick counting before sending a private comment over to fishgivinggirl "There are five of us, and we're people so technically we just have to find the camp, not rescue anyone.  But I bet sore pants there wouldn't let us claim victory that way."  Despite being now suddenly soaked to the bone Kate doesn't seem to be in a bad mood, the humor of her thought buoying her spirits.

"So um, anyone know how we could find them?  It's a little too wet to smell, but we could follow the drums?"

"Geez," Frank said as he stripped off his soaked sweatshirt. He considered tying it around his waist, but then decided to just toss it aside. He'd find it on the way out, he assumed. "This place is incredible.

"I've got ten bucks that says following the drums puts us in contact with angry natives. That's how this sort of thing usually plays out. We should try to find the missing people before they do.

"Victor, Barnell... can either of you fly in this downpour?"

As the world changes from creature comforts to just creatures all around her, as a bucket of warm water is haphazardly dumped on her head, as her flip-flops sink into the moss and mud, Zoey can only make one indignant exclamation:

"Oh what the green fucking Hell is this?!"

A billion objections raised through her mind. Chiefly, that this simulation was not realistic; in the real world they would have known in advance that they would be traveling into a jungle and been provided with, at minimum, appropriate apparel. To be fair, she had neglected to ask about the setting of their training... as had everyone else, so at least she was spared from feeling like a total idiot.

This heat was intense. Zoey was used to (and loved) the rain -- she was born and raised in Seattle -- but had always been a godless northerner where even the summers rarely went above ninty. It took her a moment to even remember that her zip-up hoodie could be removed, a realization she immediately acted on, tying the garment tight around her hips. Unfortunately, the frilly pink cotton blouse she had underneath was scarcely any more appropriate for the environment and immediately went nearly transparent in the downpour, revealing to all interested parties that her bra had little pink flowers on it. Whatever. Modesty was never one of Zoey's virtues.

As she got her bearings, Zoey listened to her classmates doing the same. Tabby Cat had even less appropriate footwear than she did -- that is, none at all. "Tank" over there likely didn't care about foot injuries. Barnell, who even knows. And she didn't know the others well enough to even speculate.

Zoey pulls her replica Master Sword out of the sheath on the side of her backpack. She'd been expecting combat training, so having something to defend herself with had seemed prudent. She experimentally tries cutting through some of the choking underbrush, though she doesn't have high expectations; the ideal tool for this would have been a machete, which is more like an axe than a sword.

She hated this environment, but at the moment she had some muted enthusiasm for trying to solve the seemingly impossible problem put in front of them. She gave it... ten minutes before it wore off.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:02, Wed 16 Dec 2020.

"!No manches!" Ana Sofía exclaims as the scene changes. She just stands there a bit with the water pouring down and soaking her, marveling at it an appreciating that the clothes she's wearing handle being wet well... except the shoes and socks.

She snaps out of her amazement after a bit with Frank's question, only having barely reacted to Mr. Summers' comment that came too soon. "Already on it. I'll let you know what I find, if I can actually find anything." She stands still as she concentrates to see if there are actually minds to detect.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:41, Thu 17 Dec 2020.

In reply to Ana Sofia Garcia Mendez (msg # 54):

As the rain keeps pouring down and soaking her further Kate contemplates the incredibly thick jungle around them.  "I don't know if flying will really help that much.  Especially with the rain."  She does shoot a look to Scott before looking back at the others.  "At least we probably don't have to worry about the important things like shelter or fire if we have a time limit."  And with that said she starts to strip off her tights.  They wouldn't do much in this environment other than get more ruined.

That done she starts to look for a way forward.  Fishgivinggirl and her sword might make a path, but that would probably take forever to get very far.  They needed an animal trail so that's just what she started to look for.  As she circled their little starting cleared area she used a cupped hand to try drinking some of the rainwater.  Curious if it was actual water or super magic holodeck stuff.

  The apparent shifting of time and space was jarring enough but the sudden atmospheric shift was just as dramatic.  Heat he could handle, it got above 105° in the shade during the summers where Victor was from, but the sudden swamp of humidity and hot, wet rain surprised him.  His clothes quickly plastered to his body and hair stuck to his back, face and arms.  Knew I shoulda braided today... Victor grumbled as he corralled his hair and tamed it as best he could with a hair band he retrieved from around his wrist.
  Glancing around it looked like just about everyone else was just as surprised by the realism of this 'simulation'.  The rain was loud but they could all hear the drums Frank remarked on, Yeah, I can fly in this but I can't see much.  It'd be easy to get separated in this downpour without having good bearings.  Best to see if Ana Sofia can make contact with Perez before heading in any direction.  Jungles like this are deadly if you try to blow through them blindly...Nature isn't all fluffy kittens.  Frank might be okay but the rest of us aren't as tough.  The scene seemed like the beginnings of an old black & white movie from the 50's.

Barnell examined his outstretched arm.  Much like a bird, the water rolled off his waterproof feathers, protecting the skin underneath.  Yes, he could fly, but like Victor pointed out, he wouldn't be able to see farther than the tip of his beak.

"I'm sorry" he shook his head "If I fly over the treetops there's a good chance I won't be able to find you again"
This message was last edited by the player at 18:32, Thu 17 Dec 2020.

Ana scan detects a multitude of primitive minds around them, but she does manage to eventually lock in on the conscious ones.  She has a bearing, which unfortunately would take them right through the thicket.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:31, Thu 17 Dec 2020.

"That way," says Ana Sofía, while pointing. "I can't do much about getting us there, though. Victor, can you make a path through that?" she asks while still pointing through the thicket.

"If he can't, I probably can," Frank said, still looking around in amazement. He would love to get his hands on some of the tech that went into the making of this room, and learn from it. Maybe Doctor McCoy would teach him a little of it, if he asked. And beyond just the tech, Frank was preoccupied by the highly improbable structure itself. Although it couldn't be seen anymore, the dome was an engineering feat unlike anything else on Earth. Built from the purest unobtanium, no doubt.

He shook his head. Focus on the mission, he told himself.

He stood back and let Victor go first.

"Oh, and it's worth noting that there don't seem to be any people making those sounds we were worried about." She makes sure she's out of the way before clearing a path starts.

Zoey abandons her efforts fairly quickly. She doesn't know what this Victor is capable of or even which of them it is, but she did witness the Tank demonstrating some degree of superhuman strength back in Manhattan. He might be super strong, but he'd need a sharp edge to cut through some of the more troublesome vegetation. She approaches him and offers him her sword. "Here," she says simply. "I think it'll do more good in your hands than mine."

"Thanks," Frank says, taking the sword carefully. He'd had a friend once whose father was a sword nut; they were all over his house. He'd heard 'a sword is not a toy' so many times he couldn't even begin to guess. But the lesson had been learned, and he treated the blade with an appropriate respect. "I'll try not to damage it."

Zoey watches Frank's handling with a critical eye. The girl was known for complaining at the drop of a hat (usually yelling about social issues no one else really cared about) but she seems satisfied with what she is seeing for once. "Eighty dollars at a flea market, damage it all you feel necessary."

In reply to Zoey Fujino (msg # 64):

Starting to droop a little from all the rain Kate let out a sigh as her toes squelched in the muddy foliage covered ground.  "I hope this doesn't stick in my fur..."  and with that slightly cryptic comment she immediately proceeds to answer the question it raised.  Her balance shifting forward as she went up on her toes, tawny fur sprouting along her arms legs and head  as she grew into a kind of hybrid cat/fox girl, though she appears more cat than fox as the tail now poking out of her fashionable skirt is thin and bedraggled by the rain rather than fluffy with a white tip.

The lack of shoes clearly isn't going to be a concern for her as her feet have grown pads.  It's clear she want's to get started but hangs back, wisely not getting in the way of the man with the sword.

  I can try to push it flatten a way through all this but I'm not sure it'd be any better than letting Frank hack through all the weeds with that sword...  It'd be easier to just pick everyone up and fly if there was something you all could ride on. Victor wiped the streaming water from his eyes and looked around for something he could use to carry everyone.  Frank, you think you could hold onto everyone else while I pick you up?

"Er... I've only got two hands," Frank replied, trying not to sound snotty or condescending. He really didn't mean it that way. But to grab everyone and hold on would involve an enormous bear hug that would probably crush a few rib cages, so that was out. And if they just held onto him, it probably wouldn't work because they'd be dangling under their own strength. "I think I'd better just hack our way through the jungle."

And so he began to do just that, swinging a sword like it was a machete.

"I just figured, no matter how strong Frank is, it's still one tree or plant at a time and only so long as the sword holds up. But if Victor can only affect one thing at a time, it's not much different... What if we take a different approach: cut down one good-sized tree, cut a wide log from it, and use that to bulldoze a path? Regardless, walking through is going to be a pain. Maybe we cut down a tree to make a log we can all ride, and Victor moves that log?"

Zoey's eyes widen a little. "He's not that strong... is he?" She gives Tank a sidelong glance and expands her safety margin considerably.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:36, Fri 18 Dec 2020.

"Not yet, no," Frank grunted, shouldering a mid-sized tree out of his way. It tumbled to the ground with a resounding crash. "I'm still getting stronger, but I'm not that strong yet. One tree at a time is the best I can do... and even that'll exhaust me eventually."

"So what if we ride a log that Victor fliest?"

  It's not that I can only do one thing at a time.  It's just that if anything happens it's easier to try to grab one thing that everyone is on than grab multiple people before they hit the ground. Victor explained.  That's why I suggested we hijack that van back in New York...except it had already melted.  Either way, we're wasting time debating instead of looking for Perez.  Between Frank and I, I think we can clear a reasonable path as long as Ana keeps us on course and someone else keeps a lookout for trouble.
  Victor concentrates on pushing a swath through the dense jungle foliage in the same direction as Frank's clearing efforts.

A sword wasn't a very practical tool to cut through the bush, mostly because of the length of the blade which made it bulky and clumsy to be swung repeatedly. Unless you possessed supernatural strength, that is, which 'Tank' did.  Effortlessly Waving the sword from side to side, he brought down the bramble, branches and tree trunks with his sheer strength. Assisted by Victor, who snapped the wood with his mind, the two slowly cut a direct path through the jungle.

After ten minutes of grueling work under the downpour, the party broke through the foliage and made it to a fast running river.  Easily twenty feet across, and god-knows how deep, it served to be their next obstacle on their way to Perez and his lost expedition.

In reply to The Watcher (msg # 73):

Kate took a moment to look up and down river, checking to see if they might finally be in luck and find an animal trail to follow.  She wasn't sure if she could jump it, or swim it, but figured that with everyone here who could fly or lift or whatever getting across wouldn't be the issue, the delay for trailblazing would be.

Then again, maybe they wouldn't.  "Can you lift us all over to the other side once we find a good spot um, Victor?"  the beast girl asked, looking quite odd and out of place.  The fact that she was effectively a drowned cat person in a completely soaked blouse and skirt adding to the surreal situation.

Zoey followed along in the wake of plant-based carnage, observing. Super strength was another one of those powers Zoey had always thought was low effort to wish for, but she coundn't deny that the Tank was putting in some serious work. She is also able to identify Victor through his strained expression. Telekinesis, that's a pretty good one. Ana's mind powers put a little direction to the brawn, as well.

Feeling inadequate, Zoey falls into step beside the cat-ified Tabby and offers a small, understanding smile. The smile lasts for but a moment before Zoey once more starts trying desperately to dry her face. The hot rain reminded her of the unpleasant times she had tried swimming in a too-warm pool as a child, simultaneously submerged and still somehow sweating. "You're lucky cats are well-adapted to the heat," she mutters with some jealousy.

The sounds of deforestation stop, and Zoey advances to see what fresh new hell awaits them. Seeing the running water Zoey approaches cautiously to soak her hoodie and try to get some cool water on her face.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:02, Sun 20 Dec 2020.

"I can probably topple a tree to use as a bridge across," Frank suggested, looking for a tree both tall enough to cross the river and wide enough to serve. There were several good options nearby. "But the 'Victor Express' might work just as well."

He looked at the river. If the Danger Room was one big holographic video game, there was probably a monster lurking in the water.

"Stay sharp, everyone."

Ana Sofía looks warily at the river. "While floating through the air might feel worrisome to me, I think I'd trust it a lot more than I'd trust myself to walk across a wet tree in this downpour."

Barnell looked at the raging white waters with exasperation.  (sorta) flying was the only thing he was good for, but what use would it be if he crossed the river by himself and leave the others behind?

"I can fly over to the other bank and scout ahead.  Maybe"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:35, Sun 20 Dec 2020.

In reply to Zoey Fujino (msg # 75):

Kate looked back at Zoey a little bit incredulously.  She looked a bit like, well a drowned cat.  "How is this lucky, my fur is soaked."  She shakes her head a little like a dog, but with how heavy the rain is the gesture is fairly meaningless doing basically nothing to dry her off.  'At least the water isn't really real' she thinks, thoughts leaking out 'it would take hours to dry out if it were...at least the wet is warm.'

As she waited for Victory guy to decide if he could lift them all or not she looked over the others to see how well they were holding up.  It hadn't been very long, and tank had done most of the work, she hoped that meant the others wouldn't be getting tired yet.

"This is taking too long," Frank said. He stalked over to where a large tree stood by the bank. It was old growth, with very few large branches in the first twenty feet or so, and most of the foliage above that. Satisfied that it would make their best bridge, he shoved it, hard. At first it didn't want to move. Frank put his back into it, and shoved for all he was worth. The soft ground began to give. Then with an almost painful creaking noise, the tree began to topple across the river. It slammed down across the water with a satisfying splash.

"Seems only fair that I go first and make sure it's safe for the rest of you," he said, "unless someone wants to volunteer."

In reply to Frank Guberman (msg # 80):

Kate laughs with childish glee at seeing Frank the Tank pull off such a feat and then looks a little chagrined by having done so.  But when he talks about going first she just nimbly leaps up onto the trunk.  "I have claws, so if I slip nobody else will make it, I'll let you know if it's tricky." 

Then as if there were no reason to discuss things further she starts on her way across.  And indeed being at least part cat at the moment she does have paws, with claws, and even a tail to help balance so there might be some truth to her comment.  If she can't make it then it's unlikely anyone else should try.

OOC:  Do you want any rolls or is this still in a portion of the uncontested bit?

Kate makes it across to the other side without too much hassle.  The branches near the end were too fragile and delicate to carry her weight, but she cleared the remaining distance with one big leap, furred feet sinking into the soft mud of the river bank.

The Jungle up ahead looked much sparser.  Trees were lying on their sides, and together with the trampled vegetation, suggested an entire herd of elephants must have passed through the path not long ago.

OOC: anyone else who wants to get through to the other side will need to give me a roll (the doom pool will oppose).

Grinning Kate gave a little bow from the far side.  "It isn't too bad, but the second half is tricky where the trunk gets thinner.  Mr. Tank should probably go last cause he's biggest."

Now despite the wet cat look Kate appears to be in high spirits.  Getting to do something first and show off a little clearly lifting them to new heights.  While the others work out an order she takes a moment to look through the far side of the river for anything that might cause problems in crossing.  But once the first person takes to the tree she's back to watching them in case they need help.

Zoey watches Tabby cross the river, digging into the bark with her claws. She has half a mind to go next, just to show that she's not dead weight around here, but then gets a better idea.

"I can enhance the reflexes of anyone who thinks they need a boost," she offers, standing near the displaced tree's roots like a train station attendant.

09:39, Today: Zoey Fujino rolled 15 using 1d10+1d8+1d8 with rolls of 6,1,8.  Prerolling for first ally who wants an Enhanced Reflexes asset. I'll take the 8 for accuracy and d10 for effect.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:44, Sun 27 Dec 2020.

"Gracias, amiga. That sounds like a good idea. Walking along a round, wet log over a river in the pouring rain sounds like a recipe for disaster." Ana Sofía happily accepts Zoey's offer and then carefully tries to cross the river on the felled tree.

Zoey squeezes the girl's shoulder. Within just a moment she feels electrified, a jolt of adrenaline and a little something extra on top spurring her reflexes and reaction time to impressive levels. Zoey steps aside and allows Ana to pass, watching the girl for any signs of distress. She hadn't often used her capabilities in this particular way on others and there was always the fear she'd just messed something up.

Ana Sofía jumps just a little as the unexpected feelings pass through her system. She closes her eyes for a moment and takes a breath as she lets it run its course.

Despite the assist Ana Sofía has a worried look as she steps onto the felled tree. She looks across the length of the tree, evaluating a rough path. Clearly she has chosen a slow one as she cautiously moves forward while holding onto branches. She appears overly thrilled to be over ground when she gets to the far end, sinking to her knees as she steps off the tree. "¡Fiu!"

Frank’s conjecture about a monster lurking beneath the water turned out to be false.

It was above them.

Swooping down from way over the treetops, the leathery wingspan of the cross between a bat, a great Nile croc, and a bird was so wide the creature had to fold its wings so it wouldn’t collide into the trees on the opposite sides of the riverbank.   The winged reptile executed its attack perfectly; like an eagle hunting a rabbit, it extended its clawed legs as it passed above them, trying to snatch Ana up without slowing down, and climbing up again before any of them had the chance to react.

Adding 1d6 to doom pool from Zoey's opportunity: +1 PP to Zoey.

Prowess: 1d8
Flying Raptor: 1d8
Enhanced Reflexes: 1d8
Expert Combat: 1d8

Today: The Watcher rolled 21 using 4d8 with rolls of 1,6,6,8.  Pterosaur attack (Ana)
Total: 14, Effect: 1d8 (complication attack vs Ana)

3 watcher opportunities are also available in total as a result of doom pool reaction to several roles. Next up: Frank an Victor, then a new turn will start
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:58, Mon 28 Dec 2020.

"Holy crap — that's a dinosaur!" Frank froze in surprise as he shouted this, neither racing towards the thing or away from it. But his initial reaction wore off quickly as he saw that the big flappy bastard was trying to attack Ana Sofia.

He was smart enough not to jump out onto the log and try to run to her defense. That was a good way to put both of them in the river. Instead, he fell back to basics... i.e., football. He snatched up an appropriate-sized rock from the shore, worn smooth from millenia of rushing water, and threw at the dino's head.

Prowess d8
Pouring Rain d4 (+1PP)
Enhanced Strength d8
Combat Novice d6

Frank Guberman rolled 4,1,2,3 using d8,d4,d8,d6 ((4,1,2,3)).

Total: 7
Effect Die: d8
1 Opportunity
+1 PP

(That was not a good throw.)

This message was last edited by the player at 21:30, Mon 28 Dec 2020.

The flying reptile was as fast as it was big; having gained momentum from its dive, it swept past Frank before the latter could get a proper aim.  The fist-sized rock, hurled with all of Frank’s supernatural strength, subsequently missed the behemoth by a large margin.  Splinters from the tree trunks on the other side of the river splattered all over Kate, as the makeshift cannon ball went right through several tree trunks until it finally came to a stop on the forest floor.


Buying Frank’s opportunity (+2 PP to Frank total, +1d6 to doom pool).
The Watcher rolled 21 using 4d8 with rolls of 4,5,7,5.  Reaction to Frank's attack:
Prowess: 1d8
Flying Raptor: 1d8
Enhanced Reflexes: 1d8
Expert Combat: 1d8

Total: 12 vs 7, effect 1d8.  Attack resisted.
Next up: Victor.
Required reaction roll: Ana

"We need to get to cover!!"

Barnell squawked as the already overcast skies became even darker.  The group were cast in shadows of an entire flock of the beasts flying above them, who were preparing to dive right after their 'captain' and snatch the rest of them up.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Tue 29 Dec 2020.

Zoey's expression was locked into a sort of numb bafflement as her eyes followed Ana being hoist up, up and away. Her reaction time was delayed considerably by the need for a mental verification that what she was seeing was in fact happening.

"Fuck off, Jean," she mutters under her breath. "This is not a realistic scenario." She was too hot, too uncomfortable, and too without shoes to take this laying down. She already had a lot of issues with this training scenario and this turn was just, to her mind, bullshit.

These creatures looked like pterosaurs, which meant they were related to... birds, right? That seemed right. Zoey dug through her anatomical knowledge, isolated some unique traits of avian hearts, and cranked their BPM up as high as they could go. She couldn't be as indiscriminate as she liked because Ana was still up there and somehow she suspected killing a classmate would be somewhat frowned upon. Hopefully Barnell would have the sense to keep clear; she didn't know how deep his birdlike physiology went.

It was funny... as much as she stirred the rumor mill that she could make people's hearts explode, Zoey had never actually done it before now.

(I'm going to be using my Area Vital Disruption here; how many d6s should I roll?)

Editing what I wrote above...

Ana Sofía appears overly thrilled to be over ground when she gets to the far end, hopping off the log exclaiming "¡Fiu!..." ending in a shriek of terror as the flying beast scoops her right out of the air. If this were some movie maybe she'd make a King Kong comment, but in her panic all she can get out is "Help!"

"Ana!!"

Barnell knew the simulation wasn't real, but damn, it sure looked convincing.  Maybe, under different circumstances, he would have thought twice about what he was about to do.  Seeing no harm could befall any of them, and the worse that could happen was fail the exercise, he decided to go right after Ana.  Unfortunately, he wasn't a good flyer even under optimal conditions, and the pouring rain was anything but.  He flapped his feathery arms as hard as he could, but it was of little use.  By the time he got ten feet off the ground the beast, and its prey, were flying away, gaining more and more distance, and altitude, from the rest of them.

OOC:
Ana is under a 1d8 complication (grappled).
New round begins, status tracker updated.

Zoey - there are about a dozen pteranodons up in the skies.  They are treated like a 'mob' (OM66) of size '3', meaning you roll an extra two d6s to affect all of them.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:09, Wed 30 Dec 2020.

Kate wasn't really interested in getting to cover as Barnell was saying.  Not when the cookie baker was in peril.  She had been moving even before he opened his beak, instead of running towards the trees she sprinted in the other direction trying to get close enough to leap up and catch the Pteranodon carrying Ana along and hopefully haul all three of them down into the river.  Swimming would be better than flying, right?  "Cookie Girl!"  She yelled as she leapt after the flying lizard.

OOC:
In touch with her wild side d10, Natures Response d10, Acrobatic d6, Distinction d4 gain 1pp
19:15, Today: Kate Messer rolled 1,6,3,4 using d10,d10,d6,d4 with rolls of 1,6,3,4.
Total 10, Effect D6

Total dice are bolded, effect are in italics

The distance, numbers, and massive size made influencing the flying beasts that much more difficult.  The fact that they didn't actually HAVE hearts was another factor - it was hard to work her powers on something that simply wasn't there.

She still managed it.  Sort of.  All of the reptiles showed some sort of distress, judging by their loud screeches and growls. Then no less then three of them spiraled out of the skies, plunging headfirst into the earth.  Two ended up crashing into the nearby woods, disappearing below the green canopy.  A third made it into the river, splashing water all over the young heroes.

OOC:
3d8 prowess (1d8) * mob size (3)
1d8 massive beasts distinction

The Watcher rolled 21 using 4d8 with rolls of 5,6,7,3.  resist Zoey's attack.
Total: 13, effect 1d8.  Attack nullified.


This message was last edited by the GM at 13:36, Thu 31 Dec 2020.

Kate leapt after the pteranodon that snatched Ana, but she was far too slow to catch up with it.  It was only then, on her decent, that she realized that she had no 'exit strategy' for her maneuver - her jump carried her right into the raging river.  She plunged into it, and was immediately swept away by the rapids.  It took all her strength to keep her head above water.  Avoiding the jagged rocks up-ahead would require more than that...


The Watcher rolled 22 using 4d8 with rolls of 8,8,2,4.  Reaction to Kate's attack.

Prowess: 1d8
Flying Raptor: 1d8
Enhanced Reflexes: 1d8
Expert Combat: 1d8
Total = 16. Attack nullified.  Step up a d6 to a d8 on doom pool from Kate's opportunity.  +1 PP to Kate.  Then spending a 1d8 from doom pool to create a 'raging river' distinction, and another die to inflict it as a 'swept away' complication on Kate.


This message was last edited by the GM at 13:37, Thu 31 Dec 2020.

Frank scrambled down to the water's edge, looking for another rock to throw. Now he was face to face with a felled pteranodon, who seemed no more happy about it than Frank was. Left to its own devices, the creature would probably be swept away by the raging river in a few moments, but Frank couldn't just stand back and wait for that to happen. The pteranodon with Ana Sofia was getting away. At this point, only Frank could possibly get at it, and only if he hurled another rock more successfully. Or if he learned to fly.

And as that thought crossed his mind, he looked at the downed dino and smiled.

The next few seconds were a tangle of limbs as Frank attempted to both pull the flying dinosaur up out of the river and climb onto its broad back. He was going to fly, damn it.


Attempting to make a Captive Flying Dino asset.

Prowess d8
Pouring Rain d8
Enhanced Strength d8
Combat Novice d6

Frank Guberman rolled 3,1,5,2 using d8,d8,d8,d6 ((3,1,5,2)).

Spending 1 PP to keep 3rd die in total
Total: 10

(Damn it. Another crappy roll.)

Though the winged lizard weighted twice as much as Frank, it was still hardly a challenge for him to pull it out of the river. Now that he had to opportunity to look at the ugly bastard up close he could get an impression of how massive the beast truly was.  The wingspan was easily forty feet across, and it was about three times as long as Frank was tall.  Hell, the razor sharp beak in itself was over six feet long.  The beast could probably swallow Frank whole, rather than bothering with disemboweling him first. It took a bit of careful nudging and poking at the motionless beast to finally ascertain that it wasn't merely resting, stunned, nor pining for the fjords.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:09, Thu 31 Dec 2020.

Damn. He was an idiot. Frank thought it was stunned, but Zoey had actually killed the thing. What the hell was her power, exactly? Well, never mind that now. He was wasting time with a dead dino while Ana Sofia was getting further and further away.

He snatched up another rock. This time he was going to be useful and hit what he was aiming at. He wasn't a quarterback, but he was a good throw, and the thing had a wingspan so big it was practically begging to be hit. All he had to do was take a deep breath, aim, and throw.


Prowess d8
Pouring Rain d8
Enhanced Strength d8
Combat Novice d6

Frank Guberman rolled 6,6,7,2 using d8,d8,d8,d6 ((6,6,7,2)).
Spending 1PP to keep 3rd die in total

Total: 19
Effect die: d6
This message was last edited by the player at 15:23, Thu 31 Dec 2020.

The flock of flying dinos lost their appetite for a fight after losing a few of their numbers. They climbed higher and higher until they were completely obscured by the heavy fog. The snarls and growls were the only indication they were still up there, until those too were drowned out by the loud beat of the drums.

Seeing the upcoming rapids Kate made a split second decision.  A deep breath and then instead of trying to swim across the current she swam down, digging her hands and feet into the gravel and mud at the bottom she clawed and pulled her way towards one of the rocks, trying to scale it's slippery side to use it as a spot to leap to shore.



In touch with her wild side d10, Natures Response d10, Acrobatic d6, Distinction d8
08:48, Today: Kate Messer rolled 4,1,2,5 using d10,d10,d6,d8 ((4,1,2,5)).
Total 9, affect d6
My guess is that roll isn't going to do it as is.
Just to make sure I understand things properly, I can spend 1 pp to roll an extra d6, and in theory a 2nd pp to keep an extra die for my total.  I could have just spent to keep an extra die but since I rolled a 1 and that goes to you I would need to spend both to get and to keep an extra correct?
If my understanding is correct then I spend 2 PP
08:55, Today: Kate Messer rolled 6 using 1d6 with rolls of 6.  pp for extra die rolled and kept for total.
New total 15, affect d6

Ana Sofía finally stops her initial screams. Unable to wiggle out of its claws at all, she stops fighting physically. She tries to picture this creature putting her back on the ground and project that image toward it.

Kate desperate gamble pays off; the river was shallower on the approach toward the waterfall, and she manages to grab hold to one of the rocks protruding from the water as she passes them by. She even managed to climb on top of it, with effort.  But jumping over ten feet from it over to safety would be another challenge altogether.  And if she fails, there would be no second chance - it would be a tumble back into the white waters, and then the one hundred foot fall which, under different circumstances, would be a guaranteed death.

Falling from an even GREATER height was Ana. The bird-brained reptile was confused from the intrusion into its primitive mind. 'Put it back on the ground' was just what it was going to do, releasing its hold on its prey, and letting it drop the few thousand feet to the ground below.


The Watcher rolled 13,4,1 using 3d6,1d8,1d8 with rolls of 1,6,6,4,1.  Doom pool reaction vs Kate.  Total = 12, effect=1d8.  Kate's complication is reduced to 1d6 (her effect die was only a d6). 3 opportunities available in total.  Trying to help either Ana or Kate would be a roll vs the doom pool

Edited: +1 PP for Ana (+2-1 spent), -1 (+1-2 spent) PP for Kate.  Doom pool increased by 2d6, and stepping one die to 1d8

This message was last edited by the GM at 19:58, Fri 01 Jan 2021.

"Barnell, Victor... catch her!!" Frank shouted at the two fliers, pointing into the sky where Ana Sofia was now in freefall. She had only seconds before she went splat. In point of fact, the Danger Room safety protocols would step in to save her before that happened, but in the heat of the moment, Frank wasn't thinking about that. Someone was falling; someone had to save her. Period.

Having barked this order, for all the good it may or may not do, Frank moved down the riverside towards where Kate was. She was stranded on a large rock amid the rushing waters, and Frank just didn't know if the leap was within her feline capabilities or not. He held his hands out to her, shortening the leap by a couple of feet if she could manage to grab hold of him.

Prowess d8
Gentle Giant d8
Enhanced Strength d8

Frank Guberman rolled 6,3,6 using d8,d8,d8 ((6,3,6)).

Total: 12
Effect die: d8

Barnell spurred into action the second he noticed Ana tumbling out of the skies.  Ever since they set foot in the Danger Room (and before that, too), he was looking to prove himself a Hero.  Now was his chance!

Bringing all of his strength to bear, he flapped his arms as fast as he could to gain a little bit of altitude so he could match her speed when he dove in for the rescue. It was only then that he realized he might not be able to help her after all.  Barnell’s mutation was nothing more than a bird-like physique, complete with hollow bones, a slender frame, and a body weighting under a hundred pounds.  What’s more, he couldn’t fly without fluttering his winged-arms.  There was simply no way he could get a hold of Ana and keep on flying at the same time.

Not unless –

Not unless he grabbed her with his clawed feet?

Petrosaur as inspiration, Barnell plummeted right after Ana, flipping around at the very last minute and extending his legs forward to grab her.  He knew he wasn’t strong enough to carry her weight - he was barely capable to lift himself off the ground.  But he was capable of slowing her velocity just enough to ensure the worst of her injuries would be some bruises and scratches from his claws, rather than broken bones.

1d6 Prowess
1d6 Flight
1d8 'The Lion Hearted Chicken'

Barnell Bohusk rolled 6,6,8 using 1d6,1d6,1d8 with rolls of 6,6,8.  Saving Ana .
Total 14, effect 1d6 vs doom pool total of 11.

Ana is safely on the ground. Sort of.

Powerless to do anything about her fall, Ana Sofía screams. It's such a long enough fall she stops screaming to draw a breath, but with the ground that much closer and her eyes focused on it, she uses that breath to scream again. More talons grabbing her does nothing to assuage her fear, even if they do slow her fall. But she does recognize she is alive when she reaches the ground, having crashed through the underbrush in Barnell's grip. The combination of pain, adrenaline, and relief leave her lying on the wet ground crying.

Encouraged by Frank's coming to help, Kate took a deep breath, steadied herself then leapt.  Flinging herself towards the bank and his waiting arms.  Her toes find good purchase on the rock and she veritably fly's over the the river to his waiting arms.  She can't quite hold back the mental exhilaration she feels at the jump, and Frank gets the mental equivalent of a squee of excitement from her.




In touch with her wild side d10,
Natures Response d10,
Acrobatic d6,
Distinction d4 +1 pp
Fantastic Frank d8

16:58, Today: Kate Messer rolled 7,6,3,2,7 using d10,d10,d6,d4,d8 with rolls of 7,6,3,2,7.  Leap.
Total 14, Effect D10

Barnell’s exploit wasn’t quite as heroic as he expected it to be.  Instead of the cheerful roars of his teammates, all he could hear as he laid head down in the soft mud was Ana’s soft whimpering over the tapping of the rain.  “I messed up” he thought.  Had he allowed Ana to fall all the way to the ground the Danger Room would have activated some safety protocol or another.  By trying to rescue her he only ensured that she did suffer some sort of injury.  If it proved to be serious, he could never forgive himself.

Ignoring his own pain, he picked himself off the ground, and tried his best to hide his trepidation as he walked over to check up on the young woman.

”I’m….I’m sorry” he mumbled.  If birds could cry, he would have by that point
”Are you alright?”

OOC: Kate managed to leap over to the other side, with Frank's help.  The danger has passed.  For now.

Kate might have made that jump without Frank there to catch her, maybe, but his strong arms, and longer reach did certainly make it easier.  So instead of landing at the rivers edge and possibly getting caught up in the currents once more, she found herself crashing into his outstretched hands.

If he hadn't been soaked before this collision of a literally 95 pound soaking wet catgirl would have done it.  Even if her breath wheezed out of her at the impact she didn't seem to mind it.  Probably something to do with the adrenaline coursing through her at the moment.

She gave him a big hug as he steadied himself back away from the rushing water and rubbed her wet furry cheek against his.  It didn't seem like she was going to let go or try to get down any time soon so he found himself with either a wet fur boa or he would have to take some other kind of action to get her down from him.  "Thanks Tank!" Kate said with a fang filled maw but in a smiling ton.

Twisting to look didn't seem to take away from hanging off her 'savior' as she looked over to see what had become of everyone else.  "Where are Barnel and Ana?"

Frank had no idea how to dislodge Kate, or if it was even possible to do so. She had claws, but -- more to the point -- she seemed to have a cat's ability to set herself in one spot and not be moved. He wasn't sure why she was clinging to him, but he supposed it wasn't really a problem if she felt the need to be carried. He could carry a small car; a wisp of a cat-girl barely registered to his strength.

He tucked one arm around her for stability and pointed with the other. "I think they're that way."

In reply to Frank Guberman (msg # 111):

Apparently just giving her direction was enough.  Now with somewhere else to go, or perhaps just because now that he was willing to hold her Kate squirmed free from Franks loose grip dropping to the riverbank and started trotting along it in the direction he had pointed, looking for wherever it was her classmates had landed.  "Come on then, lets go find them!"

Ana Sofía looks up through her tears at Barnell and tries to give a smile, though it clearly looks forced. "I'm OK, thanks to you. You saved me. I'm just not sure I'm cut out for this. I'm not a hero like my brother." She finds a nearby tree to lean her back against, turns her face up to the rain, and sits there trying to regain her composure, seemingly letting the rain wash the tears away from her face.

"Who's your brother?" Frank asked, coming out of the trees with Kate. It was obvious that Ana Sofia was in rough shape. Maybe a little conversation would help keep her from curling up into a little ball.

He gave Barnell a light thump on the shoulder with the side of his fist, careful not to do any damage with his super-strength. "Good job, man," he said, quietly.

"Huh?" Ana Sofía turns her head to see the other two arrive. "José? You wouldn't know him. He's in the army, deployed to Afghanistan." Focusing on her brother rather than what she just went through seems to have a calming effect on her, though.

"Cookie Girl!"  Kate exclaims on seeing the pair.  Though perhaps thankfully she doesn't go any further with physical signs of affection.  "Nice job Barnell!"  She does a quick little prowl circling the pair and watching the sky before offering Ana a hand up. "Think we should go get 'fishgivinggirl' Zoey and keep trying to pass the test?"  Her pet/personal name for their last classmate here inadvertently slipping into their minds even when she speaks the correct syllables.

Smiling at the nickname, Ana Sofía accepts Kate's hand and rises.

"Victor, too, right? Don't want to leave him behind."

Barnell no longer cared about being praised by his teammates - the only thing that mattered now was Ana's safety.  Seeing her getting up to her feet and wiping her tears caused him to breath a literal sigh of relief.

"Thanks" he mumbled meekly and lowered his gaze when Frank tapped his shoulder

"So... where are Zoey and Victor?" Frank asked, looking around.

"I'm right here," Zoey mutters indignantly from about ten paces behind Frank. She gives Ana one more quick probe with her powers to confirm that she's okay and, finding nothing particularly wrong, fades into the background again. "Sorry I couldn't be more help..."

In the chaos of the prehistoric bird attack she had concealed herself somewhere until she thought she could be helpful, a moment which had never come. In the aftermath she had removed her flip-flops and used her toes to grip the tree-bridge's textured bark and quietly crossed.

"Oh, hey." Zoey was annoyed that he hadn't seen her, somehow? But she'd been behind him, so how exactly was that supposed to have worked? Well, he wasn't going to beat himself up over that.

"You were a much bigger help than I was," he continued, hearing Zoey's muttered apology. "I threw rocks, and didn't hit anything. Most I did was help Kate cross the river."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:03, Sat 09 Jan 2021.

Seeing Zoey, Kate smiles with a mouth full of big sharp teeth and suddenly fantasy stories about why carnivorous races have a different meaning for smiles starts to make sense.  Those look sharp!

Now that things have calmed down a little she ponders a bit more, so very obviously thinking hard it's almost cute, until she turns to look at Ana forgetting to speak out loud for the rest of the class.  'Can you find them with your mind?  Or ask Jean where they would be if they were really real so you could find them?'

The fallen tree trunk made for a poor bridge over the white river, but it sufficed.  One by one, the heroes crossed over, making it to the other side without a hitch.  Going forward from here on would be much easier; there would be no need for a cutting trees with a sword, or pulling them down using Telekinesis as something else was kind enough to clear a path through the dense jungle thicket for them.

Said path was wide enough for an army to march through, or a herd of prehistoric animals, and it was not hard to guess which of the two passed through there even if the group were not just attacked by flying pterosaurs.  Broken tree branches some ten feet off the ground, and footprints three feet long were  a dead giveaway in and of themselves.  The steaming pile of manure with droppings the size of soccer balls was therefore entirely superfluous, programed in by the whimsical McCoy for ‘flavor’.

The path went on for a good couple of miles, but with nothing more than the pouring rain to inconvenience them the heroes were able to clear the distance with haste.  It was then that they happened upon what remained of Perez’s expedition.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:08, Mon 11 Jan 2021.

”Help! Help! Over here!” The middle aged woman,  her clothes drenched with water, called out to them from the ridge over to their right.  The side of her face was covered with fresh blood and she looked rather pale.  The distraught woman wobbled as she stepped closer to the precipice, sending a cascade of pebbles down the side of the low cliff  ”Help us, please!”

OOC: The ridge is only about 12 feet high, and not particularly steep.   No need for a roll to climb it.

Frank charged up the hill. He wasn't sure what was waiting for them at the top, but he was going to be the first to face it. He was physically the toughest, and could probably take a hit from whatever the holo-generated scientists were dealing with. Better than the others could, at any rate.

Dinosaurs. They might be dealing with something really, really big, with lots of teeth. Lots of really, really big things with lots of teeth, even.

Trying to put that thought aside for the moment, Frank pressed on up the hill.

In reply to Frank Guberman (msg # 125):

Kate wasn't quite as quick as Frank to go running towards danger.  At least that wasn't how she saw it.  Instead she went bounding up the slope to the woman instead.  Her biggest concern really was that the poor woman not slip and fall, rather than monstrous dinosaurs.  Still she paused before reaching her though, and slowed down, waiting for the normal fear or rejection her appearance would cause.

OOC: updated a bit for clarity of thought.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:24, Tue 12 Jan 2021.

Ana Sofía also heads toward the woman, but she's not nearly as quick as the others, so she ends up running up the incline at the back of the small pack.

Seeing the heroes climbing up the ridge didn’t do much to calm the woman’s nerves.  If anything, she became more agitated:
“Oh, thank God you’re here”  she reached to grasp Frank’s wrist in desperation ”Please;  There’s no time to waste. You must help us”

"Yes, ma'am... we're here to help," Frank said, looking about for any immediate danger. The drums were still beating, but he'd almost forgotten them as they'd long since receded into the background of the storm still raging about them. But they probably represented the danger Frank was looking for.

Hey... drums and dinos? Humans never lived in the same era as dinosaurs. But this was a simulation, not reality. There could even be aliens lurking about, if the teachers wanted it that way.

"What's the trouble?"

“Doctor Perez.  He’s ” her voice faltered  “He’s hurt”
The downpour wiped her tears off, but the redness around her eyes betrayed the fact that she has been crying her eyes out.

“There isn’t time” she let go of Frank, looking at him shortly, then back at the path behind her  “Please.  We must help him.  Get him to a hospital”

Zoey walks along near the rear of the party of trainees, mumbling profanity to herself at the indignity of the situation. The emotional stormcloud brewing over her nearly rivals the one that continues to pour hot rain down on them. She hates this place. Hate hate hate. When this is all over she's going swimming in Breakstone Lake. She doesn't give a damn how cold it is.

Compared to those feelings, the mud and grit she gets under her fingernails as she climbs the incline with her fellow students barely even registers. The rain would wash it away soon enough.

If anything, news of a medical emergency actually lightened her mood some. She hustles to the front of the line, standing next to Frank. "Someone is hurt?" she asks. "Show me."

Kate was so surprised that the woman didn't even blink at her appearance that she just sort of stood there, rain pelting down until Zoey caught up.  "Oh um, right, yes lets go help them."  The girl looked like she wasn't sure just what to do with herself now settling for offering Ana a hand up to the top of the slope and waiting to see if Barnell or Victor need any help before moving on to follow the rest.

Evelyn didn’t stop to answer Frank’s question, nor asked any of her own.  There was simply no time to waste.  They found out why a short minute later, once they’ve reached the small camping site.

Lying in the center of it, in his own pool of blood, was Perez (at least, they could only assume it was him).  The side of his body has been punctured, a gash so deep there wasn’t much that could be done to help him other than give him his last rites.  It didn’t stop the two men crouching by his side from trying to save him.  They kept pressure on the wound, bound it, but all their efforts could only delay the inevitable.

The culprit of the attack was lone gone, but by the looks of what remained of the camping site it must have been something exceedingly large.  The tents and camping equipment were scattered, while the surrounding trees – dozens of feet high, were violently uprooted and tossed aside like matchsticks.   Seeing the destruction around them, it was surprising that Perez was the only member of the expedition to have been seriously hurt, and that the rest of them haven’t found themselves inside the belly of some great lizard.

Approaching a few steps closer, you notice yet another member of the expedition.  A bearded man in a weathered safari hat hiding under a sheet of tarpaulin to protect himself, and the large metal box he was carrying, from getting wet.  He was so preoccupied talking into the satellite phone receiver (the only words they could make out were ‘Professor’, and ‘Help’), that he didn’t notice Evelyn and the others have came back until they were in the camping site proper.
This message was lightly edited by the GM at 19:45, Wed 13 Jan 2021.

“Oh God” Evelyn rushed to the side of Perez and knelt beside him, holding his hand in hers “Please. Hector. Stay with me…I got help.  Stay with me”

Perez was way beyond the basic First Aid training that Frank had received in middle school. In fact he was pretty hard to look at, he was so badly hurt. And yet it was hard not to stare.

"Can you help him?" he asked Zoey, breaking his gaze away from the likely terminal Perez. He looked around, feeling pretty useless. He wasn't a healer of any sort. He wasn't much of a fighter, either... but he was still better suited for that than for helping the injured. He glanced in the direction of the broken trees. "Maybe I should make sure that whatever came through here isn't doubling back."

In reply to Frank Guberman (msg # 135):

Kate shivered when she came upon the scene.  Her wet scraggly hair hiding the sudden whiteness of her skin.  This was really too real and she didn't like it at all.  The dinosaurs had been kind of fun, a game, but this, this was too much detail and so rather than do anything productive she just stood there shivering in the warm rainfall.

Zoey hustled behind the scientist-looking woman; if she had given her name Zoey hadn't been paying attention, and given that she was naught but photons and psionics she had even less of a fuck to give than usual. Zoey was much more interested in having a practical problem to take her mind off the environment.

Then she saw the challenge ahead of her.

"Bloody hell... literally," she mutters, pausing in her tracks. She drew nearer to get a better perspective; a hand went to her face to adjust a pair of glasses that were probably still an amorphous lump somewhere on Manhattan. She swore again.

Right, practical problems. Zoey knelt beside the wounded man, trying to get a sense of what she was dealing with. She was a fair hand at medicine, especially with her mutant capabilities backing them up, but she was still limited by the resources of the body she was working with. Her "patient" had lost a lot of blood; even if she could instruct his body to repair itself it likely didn't have the electrolytes left to actually do it. Zoey was in great shape and even she could get pretty messed up by the aftershocks of severe bio-manipulations.

But... when the alternative is death, even the long shot isn't much of a gamble. But she wasn't going to take the responsibility if she failed. She glanced to one of the two nondescript men nearby, the one that looked more senior of the two. "I can try to help, but there's a high probability it will just kill him faster. Do I have your blessing to continue?"

Assuming she received permission, Zoey rolls the dice and begins her (metaphorical) magic.

---

Not sure exactly what I should roll here but this seems like a safe bet.

16:52, Today: Zoey Fujino rolled 20 using 1d10+1d10+1d8 with rolls of 8,8,4.  Vital Healing.

I'll take an 8 and 4 for accuracy and a d10 for effect. I'll also spend one PP to activate my healing feature, which should allow me to step back the dude's trauma if I am reading this correctly.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:02, Thu 14 Jan 2021.

When Perez stopped bleeding, it was only because he was all out of blood. Or so Evelyn and the two men believed, right until he opened his eyes and looked at them.   Gasping, Evelyn picked up the doctor’s limp hand and held it with both of hers.  There was no way she could hide the tears, now.

“Annika…. Is she alright? Did he take her?” Perez's voice cracked out of blood-stained lips. He barely had the strength to talk, but he will have the answer to his question.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:54, Thu 14 Jan 2021.

Evelyn looked back at the ruined camp.  It took her a while to decide whether she should lie to Perez or not.  She didn’t want to worry him, not in his condition.
“She’s fine"  her grip over his hand tightened  "Everyone’s fine”
This message was last edited by the player at 18:58, Thu 14 Jan 2021.

Despite the fact that she had just worked a small miracle, Zoey didn't seem any happier. In fact she looked doubtful of her own work. She stood, chewing her lower lip in thought, then threw up her arms in surrender. "Screw your photons and psionics!" she yells at the sky, twists sharply on the spot, then heads to a tent for a brief but much-needed respite from the rain.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:13, Thu 14 Jan 2021.

Zoey was having a bit of a meltdown. Well-deserved, Frank supposed. This scenario had been especially rough on her so far.

Not knowing what he could do about that, or if he should even try, he turned and went after whatever beast had attacked the camp. It had taken someone, and if she was still alive it was his job to get her back as safely as possible.

In reply to Frank Guberman (msg # 142):

Kate wasn't quite willing to just pick a random direction, so she caught the wrist of the man furthest from the pair kneeling and laying in the muck respectively.  "Which way did they go, oh and who is He?"  She didn't speak loudly but it seemed like good information to have before wandering into the jungle.

"I can try to locate whoever it is, but I don't know who I'm looking for."

“You’re Xavier’s men!” it wasn’t a question, but a statement.  He was expecting the Professor to send help, but they sure got here fast.  He hanged up the phone and covered the transmitter under the plastic sheet to protect it from the rain, but before he would answer the cat-woman (he was polite not to stare), he had to make sure Hector was alright.  Which he was.

“He claimed to be the ruler of these lands” he motioned with his head at the fallen trees “and looks like the lizards think so as well, as he seems to be able to control them.  He was only interested in Annika, for an ‘experiment’ he was conducting.  When Hector tried to stop him…” he trailed off, letting them fill in the blanks themselves
“You’ve got to rescue her!  We can’t leave her behind”

Kate listened patiently even as Frank got further and further ahead.  She couldn't help muttering "seriously?" under her breath when Eduardo reached the bit about the dinosaurs answering to a man.

"Well um, looks like Tank has the right idea, we better go catch up with him.  At least they should be easy to follow..."  She was starting to commiserate with fishgivinggirl's feelings on this whole exercise.  Not only a jungle, and rain, and dinosaurs, but now dinosaur masters as well.

With things looking in good shape here, Sofía jogs along to follow Frank. Before leaving she says to the two, "Don't worry. We'll be back."

It took a few hours to track down the mad scientist.  By then the rain has stopped, the clouds parted, and the sun came out – together with a cloud of blood sucking mosquitos (those the danger-room simulated by constantly pinching at the heroes’ exposed skin).  The trail they followed, pretty wide to begin with, opened up to a large jungle clearing; the scene-to-be of the final confrontation.

Right in the middle of the clearing was a large stone slab, on top of which a teenage girl was lying.  She was either sleeping, or unconscious, her hands folded over her chest as if she was an Egyptian mummy.  Standing next to the primitive altar were several people; the first being a herculean body-builder in a fur loincloth.  His long blonde hair was wild and unkempt, as was his beard.  Second was a woman who could have served as an inspiration for a particularly raunchy pulp magazine cover; blonde, leggy, busty, her attire consisting of a thin leather thong that left little to the imagination.  To complete the stereotype, she was carrying a mighty spear, and had a sabretooth tiger resting at her feet.

But strangest of them all was the scientist they’ve been looking for.  The man looked completely out of place in the jungle, with his pale skin, tattered clothing, shaggy hair, and eye-glasses with the cracked lenses.  Or at least he looked out of place – right until the moment he transformed before their startled eyes.  The sickening sound of bones snapping paved the way to the deformation of his skull, as his jaw stretched forward to form an elongated beak, and a bony protrusion broke through the back of his cranium.  What was left of his weathered clothes was ripped to shreds as muscles burst through the seams of his shirt and pants, and leathery skin stretched from underneath his arms.  And with his body turning a deep shade of green the transformation was complete.

Gone was Carly Lykos.  Now welcome Sauron , Lord of the Savage Land!

The human-pterosaurs gave the cheeks of the young girl one last caress before he turned toward the heroes:

“Ahhh, our guessssts have arrived, and jusssssst in time”

Behind him, under the shadows of the tall trees loomed the giant Tyrannosaurus Rex.  Big yellowish eye with vertical black pupil observed the bags-of-meat that foolishly walked into its territory. The mighty beast lurched forward, puffed hot air through its nostrils and menacingly snapped its teeth.  Even from a distance, the stench of rotten flesh was unmistakable.  This was a carnivore, that under any other circumstances would have attacked them by now – if it wasn’t for the hold his master had over him.

“We have been waiting for you”

In reply to Sauron (msg # 149):

Kate watched it all unfold before asking, with a rather confused tone of voice.  "Why?  I mean, how did you even know we were coming to wait for us?  That seems kind of strange especially if you took her to experiment on but then decided to wait rather than go ahead..."

She had been having a slightly less miserable time than some of the others, her fur protecting her from some of the mosquito's attacks, though not perfectly, and it was not a comfortable or particularly happy kitfox girl who was looking across the clearing towards the varied enemies, Man, Woman, Tiger, Dinosaur, Scientist.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:59, Mon 18 Jan 2021.

"Becaussssse we were the ones who invited you!"

The creature clasped its clawed hands with satisfaction

"Thissss one here was only the beginning; we needed more for the next phase in our evolution.  Ssssso I had our sslave in Perez's campsite call the Professssor on our behalf, begging him to send a ressscue party.  Now that you're finally here, they've all outlived their usefulness"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:08, Mon 18 Jan 2021.

"I guess it's time that we all pick a partner and dance," Frank said. It was five on five, if you counted the smilodon and tyrannosaur. And it would be incredibly foolish not to count the big kitty and the bigger lizard. He pointed to the dino and spoke to Zoey, "You're our big gun. Want to take out theirs?"

If Zoey didn't want to challenge the tyrannosaur then Frank would have to do it physically... and he was not looking forward to that.

"Barnell..." He was tempted to direct Barnell at the saurian-scientist, but a flyer versus a flyer probably wasn't a great idea if one flyer could barely fly. Likewise, it only seemed like a good idea to sic Kate on the Kitty. It was an even match at best. If they wanted to win, they needed to mix things up. "...take the woman. Kate, the man. Ana, you've got the boss."

Ana Sofia versus the science guy was probably a good idea. He had some sort of hold on the others, so maybe her telepathy could disrupt that.

"I'll take the cat."

Sabre-teeth versus Frank's steel-hard skin? Hopefully he could conquer the kitty and move on to help one of the others quickly.

"Already on it..." Ana Sofía could barely say that much as her mind screamed out 'protect me' at their assailants.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:43, Tue 19 Jan 2021.

Zoey had been retrieved by Barnell after an all-too-brief despite and now trudged through the path of destruction alongside the rest of her peers. As the storm stopped and simulated bugs came out, Zoey began pulsing the entire area with bug-tuned pulses of mutant-power in what could only be described as an Aura Of Death. After a little while she fell into a rhythm of counting off a hundred meters, clearing the area, and repeating.

Just call her Zoey Fujino: human bug-zapper.

The heat didn't bother her as much now; she had taken the time to slip into an autohypnotic trance and suggest the discomfort away. It was a neat trick one of her therapists originally taught her to deal with her auditory hypersensitivity.

Nothing to do now but see what would mess them up next. She can hardly wait.

---

By the time Zoey faced what she could only assume to be the Final Boss of this scenario she was rapidly approaching I'm done with this shit levels of irritation. She was in the frame of mind to just waltz into the clearing shooting but was taken by a morbid fascination to hear what sort of bullshit their holographic Big Bad was going to projectile-shit from his mouth-anus. She almost wished she hadn't.

Zoey steps forward. "Okay, first of all," she says. "That's not how evolution works and if you're a scientist you should bloody well know that. Second of all, look at how well that plan works out for all the other dumbass mutants who try to justify their plans with grandiose pseudoscientific philosophy. Thirdly, recent archeological evidence suggests T-Rex was actually a scavenger and that all the other dinosaurs used to bully it and take its lunch money. Forthly-" She raises a hand in front of her and melodramatically clenches it as if over his heart. "- you talk an awfully big game for someone whose people the GM went Rock Falls, Everyone Dies on, dipshit!"

15:02, Today: Zoey Fujino rolled 36 using d10+d8+10+d8+d8+d6+d6 with rolls of 5,7,4,2,6,2.

Spending a PP so I can take 18 (7, 6, 5) for accuracy, taking d10 for effect on the tyrannosaur, and a d6 for the lizard-rapist. (That last d8 isn't used because I was a little confused about how plot points work when I rolled and I actually wanted to add an extra die to my total, not roll an extra)
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Mon 18 Jan 2021.

Kate flicked an ear at Frank, completely ignoring that he probably didn't understand that it was her way of acknowledging his division of labor as it were.  But the fact that she locked eyes with the bib bearded barbarian of a man was probably at least a slight clue that she had been listening.

The yowl of challenge as she moved to meet him in mock mortal combat was probably another.  Normally charging right into a fight was the opposite of what she would do, but it had been a long tiring day, and really rather miserable and she felt in spiritual tune with fishgivinggirl about how ready to be done with the simulation she was.  Also it did seem like this would be a good way to find out if she could win that fight or not without there being really high stakes.

So she did her best to climb him like a tree, and then use her rather feline instincts to disembowel him with her rear/feet claws.  Not the nicest of approaches to hand to hand combat, but then nobody had ever shown her how to throw a punch.

OOC:
In touch with her wild side d10, Nature's response d10, combat skill d6,SFX naturally armed d6 -1step highest die, +1 step stress type, distinction d8
23:21, Today: Kate Messer rolled 3,4,3,2,5 using d10,d8,d8,d6,d8 with rolls of 3,4,3,2,5.
total 9, effect d10

Sauron mind-controlled slaves spurred into action at the snap of his finger.

The scantily clad man, and the equally scantily clad woman, started to advance on the group.  Ana's attempt to break Sauron’s hold did serve to confuse them, but not enough to break the spell.  Which wasn't quite the case for the gigantic Tyrannosaurus Rex.  The beast happily cantered toward Ana like a nine-ton puppy, threatening to trample down anyone who got between himself and his new master.

It didn't quite make it all the way to Ana, however.  Halfway across the clearing the gigantic beast stopped, wobbled, and fell down on its side as its massive heart exploded in its chest.  Just like that: one moment it was charging toward the group with its teeth bared, ready to take a bite into anyone who wasn't Ana.  The next it was lying in the mud, giant eyes rolling in their sockets as it drew its last breath.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)

22:37, Today: The Watcher rolled 6,6 using 2d8,1d6 with rolls of 5,1,6.  Shanna resisting mental attack.
(wits 1d6, jungle brat 1d8, psych expert 1d8.  Total = 11, effect 1d4 vs 14 on attack.  Shanna suffers 1d6 mental stress)
22:36, Today: The Watcher rolled 10,6 using 2d8,1d6 with rolls of 6,4,6.  Ka-Zar resisting mental control.
(wits 1d6, lord of the savage land 1d8, psych expert.  Total = 12 vs attack total of 14.  Ka-Zar suffers 1d6 mental stress)
22:35, Today: The Watcher rolled 8,4 using 3d6,1d8 with rolls of 2,1,5,4.  T-Rex resisting mental control.
(wits 1d6*size, ferocious 1d8.  Total = 9 vs attack of 14.  Attack effect die stepped up to 1d12.  T-Rex suffers 1d12 mental stress)
The Watcher rolled 8,4 using 3d8,1d4 with rolls of 4,2,2,4.  Sauron resisting Zoey's attack.  (Prowess 1d8, Enhanced Durability 1d8, Medicine expert 1d8, lazy 1d4, +1d6 doom pool, -1d6 to keep an extra dice.  Total = 10, effect 1d8, Sauron suffers 1d8 physical stress)
22:40, Today: The Watcher rolled 11 using 5d8 with rolls of 2,3,3,2,1.  T-Rex resisting Zoey's attack. (3d8 prowess * size, ferocious 1d8, enhanced stamina 1d8.  Total = 5, effect 1d8 vs total 18 and effect 1d10.  T-Rex eliminated due to stepping up of the attack effect die to over 1d12)

Buying player's opportunities increased doom pool by 1d6, and stepped up a die to 1d8

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This message was last edited by the GM at 18:52, Tue 19 Jan 2021.

Barnell was tasked with taking down the woman wearing the thin straps of leather for clothes.  Even though it was an hologram, he was hesitant to hit a 'lady'. Plus, he never really threw a punch in his entire life.  He was simply not a violent bird-man.

So instead he decided to go for a tackle, lunging himself at the woman's thighs with the hopes of bringing her down to the ground.  If his opponent wasn't a hardened amazon, his clumsy attack would have resulted in him rolling through the mud.  But since she was, he managed to get himself neatly skewered by the sharp spear that she positioned in anticipation of his maneuver.

"Squak!!!!"

OOC: The danger room isn't lethal; Barnell is merely suspended mid air by an invisible force field, with a hologram of the tip of a spear protruding from his back.  He's still very much down and out as far as this training exercise is concerned.   

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
20:20, Today: Barnell Bohusk rolled 5,7,4 using 1d6,1d8,1d6 with rolls of 5,7,4.  Barnell grapple attack. (Prowess 1d6, Hero wannabe 1d8, flight 1d6.  total = 12, effect 1d6)
20:21, Today: The Watcher rolled 3,1,8,7 using 1d10,1d8,1d8,1d8 with rolls of 3,1,8,7.  Shanna resistance roll vs Barnell (Prowess 1d10, Jungle Brat 1d8, Enhanced Reflexes 1d8, Combat master 1d10.  Total = 15, effect 1d8.  Attack resisted).
20:54, Today: The Watcher rolled 8,20,4 using 1d10,3d8,2d6 with rolls of 8,7,5,8,1,3.  Shanna's attack vs Barnell. (Prowess 1d10, Vengeful 1d8, Enhanced Reflexes 1d8, Combat Master 1d10, stepped down to 1d8 due to dangerous, Combat spear 1d6, dangerous 1d6.  Total = 15, effect = 1d10, stepped up to 1d12 due to dangerous)

20:55, Today: The Watcher rolled 4,1 using 1d6,1d8 with rolls of 4,1.  Barnell resistance roll vs Shanna's attack (Prowess 1d6, Hero wannabe 1d8.  Defense Total = 4, vs attack total of 15. Barnell eliminated)

---

This message was last edited by the player at 19:31, Tue 19 Jan 2021.

"Barnell!" shouted Frank, momentarily forgetting that the Danger Room wasn't lethal, in the face of its hyper-realistic effects. He'd been treating the room like it was a video game, and because of him Barnell was now down for the count. "No!"

Charging the woman, Frank was not at all hesitant to strike her due to her gender. Not now, anyway. Almost contemptuously, he backhanded her to get her out of his way.


Prowess d8
Gentle Giant d4 (+1PP)
Enhanced Strength d8
Combat Novice d6

Frank Guberman rolled 3,1,2,4 using d8,d4,d8,d6 ((3,1,2,4)).
Total: 7
Effect die: d8
Opportunities: 1
+1PP

The Herculean man turned out to be rather quick on his feet, despite his great height and girth.  He spun around like a ballerina just as Kate lunged at him, and perfectly positioned himself right behind her to apply a sleeper hold that would render her unconscious:

OOC: reaction roll needed from Kate.  Total 12, effect 1d10

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)

21:26, Today: The Watcher rolled 1,3,4,3 using 1d10,1d8,1d8,1d10 with rolls of 1,3,4,3.  Ka-Zar 's resistance roll vs Kate's attack. (Prowess 1d10, Lord of the Savage Land 1d8, Master combat 1d10, Enhanced Reflexes 1d8.  Total = 10 (spent 1d6 from doom pool to add another die to total). vs attack total of 9.  Attack resisted)

21:27, Today: The Watcher rolled 4,8,3,1 using 1d10,1d8,1d10,1d8 with rolls of 4,8,3,1.  Ka-Zar complication attack (grapple) vs Kate. (Prowess 1d10, Lord of the Savage Land 1d8, Master combat 1d10, Enhanced Reflexes 1d8. Total = 12, Effect 1d10)

---

While the woman was no match for Frank in the strength department, she was fast and agile enough to run circles around him.  Letting go of her Barnell-skewer, she executed a perfect aerial cartwheel that carried her backward, and away from Frank's reach.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
21:44, Today: The Watcher rolled 7,1,5,8 using 1d10,1d8,1d8,1d10 with rolls of 7,1,5,8.  Shanna's resistance roll vs Frank.  Total = 12, effect = 1d10.  Attack resisted. Buying Frank's opportunity, and spending a doom pool die to create the asset : 'Got Frank's number' at 1d10, which can be used for future defense rolls vs Frank.  Frank new PP total = 5 (max))

---

OOC: Reaction roll
1d8 Ride the tiger
1d8 Size of Nature
1d8     Distinction
1d6     Acrobatic
17:19, Today: Kate Messer rolled 7,6,4,5 using d8,d8,d8,d6 with rolls of 7,6,4,5.
Total 13

Getting grabbed by a bigger man was something that Kate was really rather used to, and so she reverted to something else she was perfectly happy doing, in this case shrinking and changing, her features forming a vulpine muzzle, her fur turning fully red, except for a tuft of white that whipped right past the body builder's nose as she slipped out of his hold and darted away on four white socked fox paws.

She hadn't considered exactly what her next move would be, as normally at this point the plan was to just run!

Ana Sofía continues to scream mentally, hoping this attack will stop.

Frank wanted to fight the big cat, and now he had his chance.  The sabertooth tiger, content to watch the battle unfold till now, pounced at him the moment he tried to strike the woman.  It was a ferocious attack - not as if it was hunting Frank, but as if it was trying to protect its young from him. Using its weight and momentum it tried to push Frank to the ground, its razor sharp, eight inch long canines going straight toward the jugular.

Reaction roll needed from Frank vs attack total of 12, effect of 1d10

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
The Watcher rolled 2,4,2,8,3 using 1d8,1d8,1d8,1d8,1d6 with rolls of 2,4,2,8,3.  Zabu's bite attack vs Frank (Prowess 1d10, down to 1d8 due to dangerous, Ferocious hunter 1d8, enhanced reflexes 1d8, expert combat 1d8, dangerous 1d6. Total =12, effect = 1d10 (1d8 stepped up due to dangerous)

---

This message was last edited by the GM at 14:54, Wed 20 Jan 2021.

Sauron quickly assessed the situation.  The Tyrannosaurus, his strongest asset, was eliminated, and he himself was reeling from the effect of the woman's power.  His knew his heart couldn't take much more of this, supernatural physique notwithstanding.  If he didn't deal with Zoey now, she might very well kill him as well, which would make his ingenious plan to bring more mutants to the island to feed on....not so ingenious after all.

Spreading his wings, he gazed at the young woman with blood-red eyes
"Obey me, young one.  Kneel before the mighty Sauron!"

Reaction roll needed from Zoey. Total = 13, effect = 1d10

Frank almost took the hit from the big cat without thinking about it, his reflexes overwhelmed by the scene in front of him. Almost. At the last instant he recovered his instincts, honed by years of football, and braced himself. He threw his shoulder into his defense like taking a hit from an offensive lineman, catching the saber-toothed cat full in its massive chest.

Prowess d8
Brains Plus Brawn d8
Superhuman Durability d10
Combat Novice d6

Frank Guberman rolled 7,2,7,3 using d8,d8,d10,d6 ((7,2,7,3)).

Total: 14

"Bad Kitty," he snapped as the giant cat bounced harmlessly off of his invulnerable hide. His clothes were shredded, but he was not.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:16, Wed 20 Jan 2021.

Deciding that the Big Man was more than she wanted to deal with Kate accelerated away from him, just in time to see Sauron threatening fishgivinggirl.  'No you dont!' she thought at him as in just two strides she went from a small 10 lb fox, to a full sized, at 100 or so pounds, kitsune leaping at him intent on tearing out his throat, or at least getting a good piece of his arm for her trouble.  If Bib bearded Man wanted to follow her that was fine, he could trample his boss to get her.


OOC:
1d8 Size of Nature:
1d6 Naturally armed: -1 step for a die, +1 level stress type
1d6 Combat
1d8 Distinction
1d8 Sauron's stress
d8,d8,d6,d6,d6

12:49, Today: Kate Messer rolled 7,5,6,2,3 using d8,d8,d6,d6,d6 with rolls of 7,5,6,2,3.  attacking sauron.
Total 13 type d8=1 level stress type
This message was last edited by the player at 19:50, Wed 20 Jan 2021.

He didn't want to hurt the cat, but he couldn't just let it keep going. It might attack someone else, and Frank was the only invulnerable one there. So, before the cat could shred the rest of his clothes, or break its teeth on his indestructible hide, Frank grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and tried to throw it away. He was reasonably sure it would land on its feet, but being hurled a dozen yards or so might make it rethink its current course of action and run away.

Prowess d8
Gentle Giant d8
Enhanced Strength d8
Combat Novice d6

Frank Guberman rolled 5,3,7,4 using d8,d8,d8,d6 ((5,3,7,4)).

Total: 12
Effect Die: d8

Someday, maybe Fred will win the fight... and the cat will stay out for the night!

Zoey's eyes rolled up a bit to meet the self-styled jungle lord's, a very blank and empty expression going across her face for just a moment. Under the baneful light from that man's eyes, she had to admit to herself that her intentions in learning hypnosis herself may not have been entirely chaste. Before the thought of blissful obedience can find much purchase in her mind however she reminds herself just who it is that's asserting their presence in her head.

"... and another thing!" Zoey continues, regaining her faculties quickly. "Sauron? I can appreciate the pun, but the average bumblefuck in the street is just gonna think of that awful Lord of the Rings movie! ... Hey, anyone know if supervillains can be sued for trademark infringement?"

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Wits - d10 / Don't Tell Me What To Do - d8 / Psyche Novice - d6 / Sauron's Stress - d8.

10:31, Today: Zoey Fujino rolled 26 using 1d10+1d8+1d6+1d8 with rolls of 8,5,5,8.  Mind control resistance.

Whooo, sixteen! No mind control for you, Jean Sauron!

---

Zoey gets briefly distracted thinking about the legal side of things before remembering that she's supposed to be *fighting* here. She gives a quick look around at the chaos around her to see who is in need of her assistance. Tabby Cat is now Tabby Fox, Braingirl is standing around presumably doing something very clever and brainy, and Frank is, well, Frank. But damn can that amazon move. They all seem to be doing just fine at the moment, so Zoey focuses back on the Boss.

If Zoey were a villain, she'd want her villainous plan to be systematic, capable of continuing its function even if she were to be slain. The problem with mind control as a means of ensuring loyalty was it makes the entire organization into one big keystone army, speaking volumes of how self-aggrandizing this supposed smartman's plan actually is. As if naming himself after the Dark Lord wasn't telling enough.

It was pathetic, really. And Zoey understood why. Giving them a morally uncomplicated villain to test their powers against was the name of the game here. But Jean's simulation of her mutant abilities was so bad, the villain so poorly written, and the danger so transparently toothless... well, Zoey decided it was time to flip this game table in her trademark way.

Zoey points at Sauron and declares dramatically... "You're not even real!" she reveals to the holographic BBEG. "Think about it! What were you even doing before you came here? What led you to this moment? And... and how do you explain that?!" She redirects her pointer finger to Barnell, still levitating and suspended by his stasis field.

Zoey grins. Better think fast, Miss Grey!

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
This is absolutely not going to help any of us win the simulation, but I have been overtaken by the spirits of the fey and I want to do something completely off the fucking rocker lol. So let's try to literally talk Sauron out of existance! I bet his Willpower and Distinctions aren't geared to defend against this kind of psychoanalytical assault. =)

Wits - 1d10 / I Just Want to Understand - 1d8 / Psyche Novice - 1d6 / Sauron's Stress - 1d8

20:45, Today: Zoey Fujino rolled 22 using 1d10+1d8+1d6+1d8 with rolls of 10,7,4,1.  Convince Sauron he's not real.

17 accuracy, d6 effect, and an opportunity I guess. Well, it was inevitable that doing something this stupid would have consequences~!

---

Trying to touch the big cat was like sticking your hand in a food processor; the tiger clawed and bit the outstretched hand, and if Frank's skin wouldn't have been bulletproof, he would have ended up with a bloody stump instead of an arm.

Frank's attack resisted, and 1d8 inflicted as physical stress on Frank from Zabu's counterattack (giant ball of rending teeth and claws)

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
The Watcher rolled 1,8,7,7 using 1d10,1d8,1d8,1d8 with rolls of 1,8,7,7.  Zabu defending from a Kitty Toss. (Prowess 1d10, ferocious hunter 1d8, combat expert 1d8, enhanced reflexes 1d8.
Due to counter attack, Frank automatically takes 1d8 physical stress

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This message was last edited by the GM at 10:29, Thu 21 Jan 2021.

Barnell was still 'skewered' on top of an illusionary spear sticking out of the mud.  It carried his weight just fine so far - right until Zoey called out how unlikely it was.   At that precise moment the spear, and Barnell, tipped over sideways.

"crap"

He managed to mumble before he found himself lying in the mud with the illusionary spear sticking out from his body, and still very much immobilized

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Sauron rolled 2,7,6,5 using 1d10,1d8,1d10,1d8 with rolls of 2,7,6,5.  Sauron reaction to Zoey (+1d8 from doom pool) (Wits 1d10, lazy 1d8, psych master 1d10, doom pool 1d8).  Total = 18 (use another die from doom pool to use three dice from the doom pool).  Attack resisted.
-1d8, -1d6 to doom pool, +1d6 from Zoey's opportunity.  +1 pp to Zoey

---

This message was last edited by the player at 07:00, Thu 21 Jan 2021.

Sauron could feel his hold over his minions wavering.  He himself had to fight off the mental assault, convince himself he really does exist, command his minions, all while trying to prevent a feral cat-woman from clawing his eyes out.  He had enough. There was no way he could safely capture the mutants. And if he couldn't capture them, then the next best thing was to destroy them.

All of them!!!

A single flap of his leathery wings lifted him up in the air some good fifteen feet - well out of the reach of the heroes.  From way up there he was perfectly positioned for an onslaught, breathing scolding hot fire in a wide semicircle on everyone below - mutants, the man and woman he enslaved, their big cat, as well as the duckling-kebab.

Need a reaction roll from everyone.  Total =21, effect 1d10 vs Ana, 1d6 vs everyone else

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
The Watcher rolled 7,3 using 2d8,1d6 with rolls of 4,3,3. Shanna resisting mental attack
(wits 1d6, jungle brat 1d8, psych expert 1d8.  Total = 7, vs 9 on attack.  Shanna suffers 1d8 mental stress, stepped up to 1d10 due to previous stress)

The Watcher rolled 14,2 using 2d8,1d6 with rolls of 6,8,2  Ka-Zar resisting mental control.(wits 1d6, lord of the savage land 1d8, psych expert.  Total = 14 vs attack total of 9.  attack resisted

The Watcher rolled 10,8 using 3d10,1d8 with rolls of 2,7,1,8.  Sauron resisting mental attack (wits 1d10, psych master 1d10, mind control power 1d10, addicted to power 1d8) total =15, vs attack total of 9.  attack resisted.

The Watcher rolled 22 using 4d8 with rolls of 6,6,3,7.  Sauron resisting Kate's attack.
Total = 20 (use a doom pool die to add another die to total). Attack resisted

The Watcher rolled 6,2,7,1,8,15 using 1d8,1d10,1d10,1d8,1d8,6d6 with rolls of 6,2,7,1,8,1,1,1,5,5,2.  Dragon's breath. (Prowess 1d8, energy attack 1d10,1d10, combat expert 1d8, Addicted to Power 1d8, 6d6 from multiple targets.  Using doom pool die to add another die to the total. Total = 21, effect = 1d10 vs Anna, d6 vs everyone else)

Doom pool -1d6 (+1d6 from Ana's opportunity, -2d6 from adding another die to total - one for his 'dragon breath' attack, and another to resist Kate's attack)

---

This message was last edited by the player at 07:31, Thu 21 Jan 2021.

Zoey watches the holo-bad fly higher up, trying to divine his motivations for doing so. She doesn't have to wait long before the already unbearable jungle heat becomes akin to the surface of the sun. She dives for shelter, her powers kicking in for an emergency boost in her panic, but it isn't enough.

What happens next drowns out the usual cynical criticism and witty commentary, and melts the black ice shell that keeps the agony of reality at a distance. For the first time since coming here, all of what is Zoey was focused on the performance of one and only one thing.

She screams.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Prowess - d8 / Adaptive Biology - d8 / Sauron's stress - d8

03:01, Today: Zoey Fujino rolled 13 using 1d8+1d8+1d8 with rolls of 4,3,6.  FIRE HOT, OW.

Reaction result of 10. Owwww!

---

This message was last edited by the player at 08:18, Thu 21 Jan 2021.

Ana Sofía knew this counter-attack was coming, though the didn't know exactly what it would be. Despite anticipating the attack, Ana Sofía just isn't fast enough when diving for cover, and the fire brutally washes over her. She ends up crashing to the ground, short of cover, rather than elegantly diving behind the cover with apparent burns all over her.

"Yeow!" Frank pulled back his hand as the big cat did his level best to take it with him. He wasn't injured, but some of the scratches stung anyway. Kitty had some serious claws to go with those monster teeth.

[Spending 1 PP for SFX: Invulnerability vs. Zabu]

Then the weirdo with the wings was airborne and spitting fire, and it was too late to do anything else about it, much less anything about the cat. It didn't look as though this 'Sauron' character cared if he set his own minions on fire or not, in his efforts to get Frank and the girls. All Frank could do was cross his arms in front of his face and take the hit.

Fortunately, he was invulnerable.

Prowess d8
Gentle Giant (because he makes a good target) d4 (+1PP)
Superhuman Durability d10
Combat Novice d6

Frank Guberman rolled 5,4,2,5 using d8,d4,d10,d6 ((5,4,2,5)).

Total: 10
Spending 1 PP for SFX: Invulnerability
(+1 PP, -2 PP = 4 PP total)

In reply to Sauron (msg # 171):

1d10 In touch with her wild side
2d8 Natures Response: Versatile Hybrid Versatility:
1d6 Combat
1d4 +1pp Distinction
08:41, Today: Kate Messer rolled 9,4,8,6,3 using d10,d8,d8,d6,d4 with rolls of 9,4,8,6,3.  resist fire! Spending 1 PP to keep an extra die Spending 1 PP to keep an effect die in response  0 PP left
Total 24 Effect D8
08:45, Today: Kate Messer rolled 7 using 1d8 with rolls of 7.  forgot his stress but probably had him even with the 23 from before that.

Having just missed her pounce Kate was almost directly beneath Sauron when he took in his breath.  While she wasn't sure just what he was doing, it was clear he was doing something, so she was ready when the billowing flames emerged.  Luckily she was quick enough off the mark to dart behind him and out of the cone of fire he was laying down.  While he might think fifteen feet was easily out of reach, she showed him just how wrong he was.  With his vision filled with flames she leapt up, latching on to a foot to begin dragging him bodily back to the earth where maybe Frank could deal with him.

The sickening smell of burned flesh filled the air.   Sauron’s minions were being burned alive, but the control he had over them was so strong that even though their minds were aware of the horrific reality, they had no other choice but to obey him.   They kept on advancing menacingly through the haze of smoke as their skin melted from their bodies, their eyes pleading to the heroes to end their anguish.

Ana and Zoey were faring only slightly better.  The were not touched directly by the flames, but those were hot enough to melt stone, and merely standing next to the conflagration was enough to suffer first degree burns.   The only one who was unaffected was Tank, standing in the middle of the inferno.  But with Sauron flying above his reach, what was he to do?

“DIE!!!”
Sauron chest heaved as he breathed in
“DIE!!!”  he exhaled scolding hot fire once more, before anyone had the chance to recover from the previous assault.

Kate and Frank suffer no stress, Zoey is at 1d10 (effect die stepped up twice), and Ana at 1d12 (effect die stepped up once).  Sauron would have gone first on the third round (spend doom pool die),if there would have been a third round
This message was last updated by the player at 15:16, Fri 22 Jan 2021.

"Stop the simulation!"

As if someone flicked off the lights, and right before the next cone of fire engulfed the heroes, the entire hellish scenery was instantly replaced with the cold expanse of the danger room, complete with a sudden (scientifically impossible?) drop in temperature and humidity.  The order was given by Cyclops, who closed the distance to the group of students with a swift stride.  He looked upon each of them with a blank face, his first concern being to make sure none of them have been physically hurt.  Only once he was satisfied, did he start with the debriefing:

“Tank” he said dryly ”do you remember what was your objective in this exercise?”

"Yes, sir." Frank wasn't sure why Cyclops had suddenly agreed to call him 'Tank' after all, but it didn't sound like he was using the name kindly. More like when Mom used his middle name. "Prepare five people for evac, by returning them to their camp. Are you saying the girl on the altar isn't one of them?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:23, Fri 22 Jan 2021.

Even through the extreme experience of being roasted alive Zoey was still aware of the world around her. She couldn't not be. She was about to finish off this sauroid dipshit so she could go home, no more playing around, when the ground become comfortingly cold and hard once more.

Seems the simulation has ended. Seeing no reason to do anything else Zoey elects to stay right where she is, sprawled out on the floor like a dead cat. She begins going through her cluttered mind and discarding everything she no longer needs though the haze of sensory hangover. When Scott tries to come over to check on her she reflexively yells at him to fuck off. It's not a conscious decision; she just needs time to recover from the ordeal before she can resume normal function.

"I counted five people at the campsite. Annika makes six"
Cyclops maintained the same flat tone of voice.  If he was upset, or disappointed, he didn't show it
"All of you missed that?"

"Um... wait." Frank ran through the image of the camp in his head. Perez was bleeding out. Two men were trying to help him. One guy was hiding under a tarp, and then there was Dr. Harper. They brought her back to the camp making five. The simulation could have ended right there and they'd have been successful.

But the simulation didn't end, and they'd gone haring off on a... side-quest?

"I fail to see your point, sir. If the objective was to get five people to camp, and we did that, then why didn't the simulation end? You wanted to see if we'd follow orders and sit on our butts when there was at least one more life on the line?

"I'm not ashamed to have failed that test."

"Had you talked with any of the five, you would have found out that they've set out from their base further up the river.  Perez could have been evacuated from there.   But instead you set off at once after the damsel in distress.  And once you were gone, Eduardo, acting under the influence of Sauron, shot and killed everyone in the camp, himself included"

Finally there was a hint of emotion.  Anger, perhaps?  Though it wasn't directed at Frank in particular.

"But you are right about one thing; had you stayed with the expedition and have not attempted to rescue Annika, I would have failed you too"

Barnell preferred to stay out of the conversation altogether.  His performance have been abysmal, and he didn't want to draw any attention to himself.   The last part from Cyclops, though, had him reeling:

"Wait.  So you would have failed us no matter what we did?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:01, Fri 22 Jan 2021.

Kate having rather ruined, lost, or otherwise misplaced her clothing settled for staying in her fuzzyily furry half human half fox kitsune form.  But that doesn't mean she was particularly happy about things either and jumped in right after Tank finished.  Or would have if Scott hadn't gone on to be even more unfair.  "So we have to split up all the time or fail?  Just cause this was a game where the lost girl wasn't going to be killed till we showed up doesn't make it fair to expect us to know that.  Cause next time he might just kill her while we're staying with the people who should be safe.  This was a stupid test because it isn't teaching anything but to think we're doing the wrong thing no matter what."  Her tone petulant despite coming from the muzzle of a fox-woman with a slight under-rumble to it.

So the camp wasn't the right camp? There was another camp?

That was the dumbest distinction to hinge the test on. And if Eduardo shot everyone, he must have started with Victor, whom they'd left to guard the camp. It certainly shouldn't be held against them if the one who was arguably their most powerful member couldn't handle a guy with a gun.

"I have nothing to say," Frank lied. He had plenty to say, just none of it helpful. "If you say we failed, we failed. End of discussion."

"Stupid?"

Cyclops repeated after Kate

"The point is this - things are going to happen out there, and you're not always going to be able to save everyone.  Even the wisest like Professor Xavier can't say whose life is more important, or if one life can be sacrificed for another, or many. So you certainly shouldn't be seeking MY validation.  At the end of the day, you're the one who'll have to live with the consequences of your actions"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:41, Fri 22 Jan 2021.

Even if just for a moment, the emotions behind feeling the pain of being burned that badly still left Ana Sofîa weak. The lack of immediacy in the situation also means there is no reason to keep moving her bruised torso. She lies where she crashed to the ground in her failed attempt to dodge the flame. But she is listening... Good thing Victor isn't truly dead... So just what the *!&# was the goal of this training? If anyone can see her eyes, there's definitely some animosity toward Scott at this moment.

Zoey sits up, head still fuzzy. There's so much talking going on here, but no one actually seems to be saying anything that actually matters. She had to admit she hadn't paid all that much attention to the briefing... bad habit from playing too many video games, maybe. To the extent that she knew what their objective had been, she did not believe they had made any mistakes. This seemed to be about something else, something Scott wasn't telling them... ah, there it is.

Tabby is right. This really is stupid. The worst thing is that Zoey understands (or thinks she understands) the point Scott is trying to make; It's just badly presented and incoherent. It was suddenly very clear that although Jean had been the GM the adventure module itself had been designed by Scott. Perhaps if he weren't in such a Goddamned hurry all the time maybe he could have had his work proofread first.

"Scott... you're a terrible teacher," Zoey says groggily, pushing herself to her feet. "Can we go now?"

"Okay, okay, everybody just hold it." Frank was starting to get it. And Scott wasn't entirely wrong. His presentation sucked, but his point was valid. So the others needed to rope it in before they turned the class into a minor riot. Scott wasn't a terrible teacher, he was... okay, he was terrible. But he was still the teacher, and Frank's best way into the X-Men.

"This was the Kobayashi Maru. A no-win situation. We were guaranteed to lose. Where Scott went wrong was saying we failed for reasons other than that. So let's give him a little respect as the guy in charge.

"We'll crab about him behind his back, later, like we're supposed to. "

Zoey cocked her head at Frank. "I didn't take you for a Star Trek fan," she says. "I cannot say you're wrong, though."

"I thought he was talking about a WWII battle or something," groans Ana Sofía as she slowly gets up. She heads toward Barnell first. "Are you OK? That looked painful."

"Alright, We're done here"
It was pointless to continue, he reasoned, after he lost their respect to him as a teacher:
"Class dismissed.  Show yourself out"

Barnell inspected his winged-arm.  Besides losing a few feathers, and his dignity, he was more or less alright. "Thank you Ana" his eyes softened as he looked upon her
"I'm fine.  And I'm sorry - I shouldn't have endangered you like that"

He was about to ask how she was doing, but seeing that Cyclops was rather touchy and pretty much just kicked them out of the danger room, he elected to keep his beak shut and pretend that he's invisible.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:05, Sat 23 Jan 2021.

Zoey walks around Scott, but pauses before passing him completely. "For what it's worth, I understand the point you were trying to make. If you want to learn how to decide good scenarios that can teach important moral lessons without needing a dissertation written on them, sent me an email sometime."

The real world, unfortunately, is not designed to teach moral lessons efficiently nor give one side fair opportunities to learn about their opposition's plans or motivations. Game scenarios are infinitely better in that they can be constructed with messages and motifs that can speak directly to the human desire to make sense out of chaos. Scott seemed the sort who would decry games as being a 'waste of time' so Zoey tries her best not to fault him for not understanding the finer points of building a narrative.

Harsh lessons are best learned outside these walls of safety. At least, that's what Zoey thinks.

After letting her words and thoughts linger for a moment, Zoey steps out of the Danger Room. "Wait," she says, freezing in place. "How do we get out of here again?"

"Turn right, then take the second left.  The tubes to the ground floor will be straight ahead, some four hundred yards" his intonation was flat and lifeless "Your biometrics are in the system.  Press your hand against the panel next to the elevator to call it down"

In reply to Cyclops (msg # 186):

"Nuh uh.  We would all be dead, and then you would have to live with us having died on a mission you sent us on." Yes, the brat was currently strong with this one, but she left her retort to him lay at that not going any further even as the conversation shifted do kobie-ashy-marrow and stuff from before her time.

When dismissed she started plodding about to find her cloths, most in one pile but a few over nearer the door.  It would actually be something of a walk to get there.  This place really was huge.  As she went she did her best to brush her fur into smoother patterns.  She felt like one giant ball of static right now, her fur all twisty and matted, but not, from the water which wasn't even there.

Once mostly groomed and near the door Kate paused to pull on her cloths, it wasn't like she was exactly naked when just covered in fur, but it also probably wasn't entire decent either.  Once redressed, and starting to calm down her fur began to thin a little, her features shifting back from that of a giant kitsune woman, and more towards human, though it appeared to be a rather slow process and entirely unlike the speed in which she had been shifting earlier.

In the hall Kate refused to let things settle in the doldrums.  Turning to Zoey she asked, "Hey do you want to go catch me a fish together?"

After checking on Barnell Ana Sofía goes to check on Victor. Something happened to him, after all. He may be pretty far across the enormous room, but he should be easy to find now.

"Oh. Yes. The elevator of claustrophobia." At least this time she could go up alone?

Hearing Tabby speaking, Zoey half-turns to face her. Zoey's eyes are glassy, the emotional drain clear on her face. "Maybe... tonight?" she ventures. "I need to... rest... this has all been far more than I was prepared for waking up this morning."

In reply to Zoey Fujino (msg # 198):

"Okay, get better soon."  she answers, accepting the rejection without much argument or comment.  Which really probably just means that someone else is going to be pestered instead.  There are, after all more fish in the sea as it were.

It was unclear if Scott has been sacked after his very first lesson, or if quit.   What was certain, is their first training exercise with him was also their last.   While the Professor was busy looking for a replacement, he did choose to grant the young mutants access to the Danger Room, and allow them to train by themselves whenever they saw fit.

One had to question the wisdom behind the decision of allowing a group of mutants, barely in control of their own powers, to train unsupervised in a ‘Danger’ room.   The Professor must be mad.

Or desperate.