Part 4

The next day, my mother woke me up bright and early. She said that today I would work with the rest of Xavier’s students in the Danger Room. This was a special privilege, since I was usually only allowed to work with two adult supervisors. She also said that Prof. Xavier wanted to see me before the session began.

As always, the professor was in his study. He seemed to be smiling, which was rare. “Nathan, I have some exciting news for you,” he said. “Rose is going to be a new student here today.” “But Professor,” I said, “why would Rose come here? She isn’t a mutant.” Prof. Xavier replied, “I’m afraid Rose is a mutant, Nathan, and a potentially powerful one at that. While I’m not exactly sure what her mutant power is, I am sure that it will manifest soon, which is why I want to began her training here as soon as possible.” Then he locked his eyes on me spoke slowly, making sure I heard his every word. “I’m going to need your help, Nathan. This experience could be frightening for Rose, and she’ll need someone she trusts nearby. Normally I would’ve asked your brother, but I think she’ll be better off in your hands. Will you help me, son?” “Of course, Professor,” I answered, “anyway I can.”

I was still in shock when I left Prof. Xavier’s study. I couldn’t believe that Rose was really a mutant. Why didn’t she tell me? Did she even know herself? A million thoughts ran through my mind. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mix well with intense Danger Room training, and I found out, the hard way.

The session was in a team versus team versus team format. Team Alpha consisted of Storm, Gambit, and Cyclops; Team Beta consisted of Psylocke, Wolverine, and I; and Team Gamma consisted of Beast, Rogue, and David. The object was to capture a certain member of another team. The targets were Gambit, Rogue, and myself. This was supposed to teach me how to avoid battle when necessary, and how to work with a team. I had worked with Psylocke and Wolverine before, but never against the others. We each had our own styles: Wolverine fought with the savagery of a wild animal, while Psylocke’s every move was a picture of grace and beauty, and I relied on instinct alone, using my speed, small size, and tk-blasts to maneuver my way through any obstacles. Today, however, I had Rose on my mind, and my instinct would be of no use whatsoever.

The session started off fairly well. I was able to avoid everyone, except for David. Somehow, he knew my every move seconds before I made it, and I came close to being captured several times. It took all the skill I had to escape him, and even then he was right behind me every step of the way. Psylocke and Wolverine were keeping the others at bay, so I decided to try and avoid David as long as I could. Unfortunately, David’s ability to channel telekinetic blasts directly from his hands was greater than my own, and combined with his higher level of experience, it wasn’t long before he had me cornered.

Competition between us had always been fierce, so David expected me to fight back with everything I had. I hadn’t learned to pace myself yet, and David was slowly letting me wear myself down before he moved in for the capture. My mind blasts weren’t having much affect on David, and he countered my tk blasts with his own. His “rope-a-dope” method was working perfectly on me.

Things were looking hopeless until a large, snarling animal crashed into me and knocked David away. It took me awhile to recognize this animal as Wolverine. Most of his uniform had been torn away, his razor sharp claws were dripping with crimson blood, and his face was shorn of all humanity. The only audible sound was the guttural snarl of a wild beast as Wolverine leapt onto my brother and begin to slash his uniform into shreds.

Before I could react, a strong gust of wind forced me high into the air. I couldn’t see anything, but I knew that somehow, Storm had slipped past Psylocke and was trying to capture me. The howling winds tossed me about like a rag doll, and my chances of escape at that moment seemed hopeless.

Fortunately, luck was on my side that day. It just so happens that Rose and her father had arrived a few minutes before the program had started, and were currently taking a tour of the school with Prof. Xavier and my mother. They had just reached the Danger Room’s control room/viewing deck. As I was high above the ground, I was just able to make out the look of shock Rose’s eyes as she pressed her small face & hands against the window. Then it was my turn to be surprised as the glass beneath her hands began to crack. I tried to call out to her, but my warning came too late. The glass shattered, and Rose fell through with shards all around her.

Acting on my instincts, I reached out and telekinetically pushed the shards away from Rose, then immediately formed a teke-bubble around her. I floated the bubble to the ground as gently as I could, but my head felt like it was on fire. As soon as the bubble touched down, my head erupted. A flash of pain, combined with all the raw power of my psionics, filled the room, giving everyone in the room a splitting headache for about three seconds, especially my mother, Psylocke, and Prof. Xavier. That was the last thing I remembered before I crashed to the ground and everything went black.