Seeing Red in the Blindspot

Posted on Tue Nov 12th, 2024 @ 12:48pm by Scott Summers & Connor Bruin & Maeve MacKenna

2,936 words; about a 15 minute read

Mission: Episode 5: Days of Fortune Past
Location: X-Mansion | Danger Room
Timeline: November 9th, 1990

The Danger Room stood in its neutral state, the walls and floor a smooth, metallic sheen. The faint hum of the advanced technology thrummed through the air, creating a subtle tension as Cyclops and Connor waited. Scott stood stock still in a stoic disposition while Connor paced near the control panel, arms crossed over his chest. Scott's visor reflected the soft glow of the room as he glanced occasionally at the entrance, then back to the controls, his expression a blend of patience and expectation.

"Can you not?" Scott finally asked Connor.

Connor stopped in place, his hands encased in the familiar haptic gloves tapping against his thighs. A subtle anticipation lingered beneath the surface of his nonverbal aplomb. "NOT WHAT?"

"Pace." Scott glanced at Connor and then nodded at the door. "Are you nervous?" His tone was measured, the kind of question that wasn't asking for reassurance but more a check-in, a leader sizing up the situation.

Connor's device clicked to life, his hands moving deliberately. "WE'LL SEE. IT DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH THEY'VE TAKEN THE LAST FEW SESSIONS TO HEART. I HAVE NEVER PUSHED THEM BEFORE."

Cyclops gave a small nod, his eyes focused on the control panel. "Bliss has potential. Maeve, too. But potential isn’t enough if they don’t focus. Today’s about pushing them beyond what they think they’re capable of."

Connor’s gloved hands twitched, a brief pause before signing again. "I WILL FOLLOW YOUR LEAD."

"No," Scott said with a shake of his head. "This is your team. You lead. I'll watch."

"O-K," Connor said aloud before they both turned to wait for the two students.

Bliss came through the doorway, ready for action. She had the same kind of determined expression Olympic level athletes wore just before competition.

"Gentlemen."

At first Connor smiled and waved, but Scott was far more direct.

"You're late." The words hit hard from the eyeless stare of Scott's visor.

In response to Cyclops, Bliss dropped to the deck and started to do push-ups. She didn't stop.

As Maeve walked into the Danger Room she noticed Cyclops stare at Bliss as she did push-ups on the ground. She had a laser focus and a determination that almost made it feel like she was pushing the ground down instead of herself up. Maeve couldn't help but arch an eyebrow before looking back at both Cyclops and Connor. She would not be dropping down and giving them 50.

"YOU ARE LATE," Connor said to Maeve, mimicking Scott's earlier statement to Bliss. "BUT NOW WE CAN BEGIN." He looked at Bliss still doing pushups. "YOU CAN STOP NOW," he signed as he stepped into the center space. "I HAVE ASKED CYCLOPS TO COME HERE TODAY IN ORDER TO BE OUR TARGET. NONE OF US CAN TAKE HIM DOWN ON OUR OWN, BUT IF WE WORK AS A TEAM, WE CAN GET THE UPPER HAND."

Scott didn't respond one way or another to Connor's words. He simply stood with his arms crossed over his chest, letting Connor have total respect as the one who was speaking.

"WE WILL HAVE A TIME LIMIT. IF CYCLOPS IS STILL STANDING OR IS OTHERWISE NOT SUBDUED BY THE END OF IT, THEN WE WILL HAVE FAILED. BUT IF WE SUCCEED, THEN HE WILL BUY US PIZZA." Connor couldn't hold back a savory slurp. "ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE WE BEGIN?"

"What kind of pizza?" Maeve asked with a playful little smirk.

"Winner's choice," Scott replied, a hint of a smirk teasing out from the side of his thinly pressed mouth.

Maeve could see the slightest of movements in Cyclops mouth. He was trying to remain stone-faced but Maeve could always tell where the cracks in stone lay. "Better be careful or people might think you've got favourites," she replied. "But I have heard New York has pizza to die for." She smiled broadly almost forgetting where they were.

"THAT IS VERY TRUE," Connor confirmed. "THERE IS NOTHING QUITE LIKE IT, ESPECIALLY NOT THE FROZEN PIZZAS I USED TO EAT ON MUIR ISLAND."

"Enough chatter," Cyclops barked as he turned around and took the center position in the middle of the cavernous expanse. "The timer will start at my first optic blast, so you'll have an extra few seconds to get a first strike in if you play it right." He swooped one foot inside to brush against the heel of the other before he dropped into a defensive half crouch with his hands held relaxed out in front. "Whenever you're ready."

Connor looked at each girl. "BLISS GOES HIGH, MAEVE GOES LOW, I WILL STAY IN THE MIDDLE." And then Connor charged at Scott with a spinning drop kick.

The attack was clearly not meant to land, or at least Scott had hoped not. It was just an offensive measure to close the distance and put him off balance. Instead, Scott pivoted on one heel and spun to the side, letting Connor fly past him by a wide margin. He planted his feet down again, watching Connor to his left and the girls to his right with his peripheral vision.

After the push-ups, Bliss had kept her eyes steadily on her opponent. She's been studying Scott. He was the most experienced X-Man and had been team leader for a long time. He was not to be trusted in a danger room scenario. He was a supremely confident combatant. He was willing to face opponents three on one and not show anything but quiet contempt for his opponents. They hadn't had a good history together, Scott and Bliss. She was all too aware that he probably despised her. Lord knows she had given him more than enough reason to do so.

She wasn't even thinking about her teammates in this scenario. This was like Muhammad Ali, an extremely intelligent and experienced fighter: Scott versus Iron Mike Tyson, a powerful and very mean boxer—herself. She knew that Scott would probably be able to feed the entire team, but she wanted to make sure she gave a good showing and give him something else to think about other than thinking she was nothing more than a jerk with delusions of adequacy.

As soon as Connor made the call for her to go high, she leapt into the air to her right. But she did not use her flight ability. She landed a few feet away and crouched down flat onto the deck. She reached out with her tactile telekinesis through the floor towards the bobbing and weaving Scott. And in less time than it took to explain, Scott's feet were bound to the deck, gripped by enough strength to flip a car. She had no interest in actually hurting him, but he was not going to be doing any Flippy gymnastics and funky targeting with those eyebeams of his.

"Target pinned, but be careful!"

Scott loosed a wide arc straight at Bliss that she couldn't block from her crouch. Either she would take the hit and get knocked back to the wall or she would break contact with the ground.

Bliss took an optic blast that slid her across the floor to crumple against the far wall. The impact left a Escapade shaped dent in the light metal.

Freed from her telekinetic grasp, Scott blasted the floor and sent himself into the air. Connor flew beneath him in a diving tackle that missed. Letting himself fall back down, Scott landed on Connor's shoulders. He took hold of one arm as he wrapped his legs around Connor's neck and shoulders. They rolled together and when they came to a rest, Scott had Connor wrapped up in a triangle choke.

Seeing Connor in trouble and Bliss seemingly taking the fight to Scott singlehandedly Maeve had studied how Scott moved and the confidence he exuded. Right now Connor was in what looked to be a painful hold, Scott's focus divided between ensuring the choke held and the two other women in the room. Without thinking Maeve wanted to help break Connor free and started to pull up sphere's of earth from the ground. Spinning three spheres clockwise in each of her hands waited for an opening. Her left hand would take aim at Scott's head and the right his mid section. She hoped one would land hard enough to loosen his grasp on Connor and for him to get the upper hand. If one struck Scott's visor he would become disorientated and hopefully distracted enough for someone to strike further.

The impacts made Scott release Connor before he could tap him out. He rolled free and clear of Connor's counterstroke and loosed a warning shot in Maeve's direction to prevent another volley, though he was careful to keep it high enough for her to ducker under easily. He then blasted the ground at a 45 degree angle and sunk into his knees, letting himself be pushed back even farther away.

"Give me your best shot!" Cyclops taunted from across the Danger Room.

Bliss had recovered from the stunning optic blast enough to get to Connor. She picked him up and spoke quickly to him.
"We're on the clock. Time for the new move. Ready?"

She didn't wait for a response. Like an athlete throwing a discus, she spun with him in her hands and let him go at full speed with tremendous Force through the air right at Scott.
"Fastball special!"

"Heh heh heh heh..." Connor let out a chuckle as Bliss spun him around and tossed him like a discus.

As he sailed through the air, Connor watched Scott tilt his head up from the floor and direct an optic blast at him. The kinetic impact slowed him down some but the thermal friction absorbed it. Protected as he was by the boost from Bliss's telekinetic touch, it made him a speeding cannonball that Scott wasn't able to dodge.

"Uh-oh." Scott covered up with his forearms wrapped around his head and shoulders as Connor collided with him like a bowling pin. The collision sent Connor to the floor like a rock while the energy sent Scott flying.

Connor kipped up from his shoulders to his feet. "Hoot-hoo!" he shouted.

Scott pushed himself up from the ground and groaned. "Alright. Good shot. I'm done."

"Does that mean we win?" Bliss asked impishly.

"Oh yeah," Scott confirmed as he walked away with a slight limp. "You win."

"PIZZA PARTY!" Connor signed.

If that move had failed Maeve had planned to bring the ground up to hold Cyclops's hands. Noticing that he always had to use his hand to fire his visor beam it made sense if they were to be held in place, unmovable, then they would have gained an advantage. However, that was not to be the case as he had been beaten without much of her help at all.

Happy to have won, the promise of pizza granted, she smiled at the other two of her team. "What are we having then? You guys live here, what's the best pizza?"

"That would be Joe's down on 3rd Street," Bliss cut in, "and they deliver!"

"THE TIMER IS STILL COUNTING DOWN," Connor reminded them all. He looked at Cyclops with a mischievous glint and then asked Bliss, "OVERTIME?"

Bliss flashed him the impish grin he always adored. "You know it, baby." She waved at Maeve to fan out and get the drop on Cyclops before he could leave.

"You know I can hear you, right?" Cyclops asked, stopping in place. Another smirk teased at his mouth. "And you know this may cost you your pizza, right?"

"Unless you're kicking me out, I've plenty of time for pizza." Maeve said with a grin, sidestepping and regaining her stance. With a mischievous glint, she lifted her hands, and the ground beneath Cyclops began to rise, encasing his feet and creeping up to his knees. "And hey, if they deliver, we can place our order, wrap this up, and still enjoy the pizza while it's hot," she added, tossing her hair back and giving Cyclops a playful wink.

"Redheads," Scott groaned before he loosed his optic blasts at his knees. He broke his feet free, then jumped upward to avoid more entrapment. Another wide-angled optic blast sent him airborne once more.

"Nope!" Bliss called out. She had already taken to the air and was ready for Scott's aerial evasion with a stiff-armed clothesline.

The impact knocked Scott head-over-heels back down to the ground. Connor was ready and waiting to pin him down.

"N-n-owww!" Connor shouted verbally at Maeve.

'Nothing wrong with redheads.' Maeve muttered, her frown deepening as she observed him forcefully liberate himself. Her teammates, however, were prepared; they anticipated his manoeuvres better than she did. She watched as they coordinated to subdue Scott on the ground.

At the sound of Connor's cries, Maeve raised her hands, her fingers weaving through the air as she commanded the earth to rise. Scott was ensnared, not deeply enough to threaten his life, but sufficiently to immobilise his hands, arms, and legs. The earthen mould encased his form, robust enough to prevent escape through brute force, yet not so constricting as to cause harm or impede his breathing.

"What the hell..." Scott muttered.

BUZZ!!!

"TIME IS UP," Connor signed with a grin on his face.

"We won!" Bliss shouted. "We won!" Her voice took on a squeal of excitement as she said it again. She grabbed Connor in a tackle hug and made him spin on his heels as she let her feet swing in a circle. "I knew you had it in you, Bubba!"

Scott sighed at the PDA. "Could someone let me up now? I can't order pizza like this."

Maeve was tempted to remind them that she had helped as well, but Bliss was too engrossed in the moment with Connor, leaving Maeve to stand aside, feeling somewhat out of place as she scratched her arm and averted her gaze. When she heard Scott's voice, she approached and gestured over him, causing the surrounding earth to settle. Extending a hand to assist him up, she quipped, "See, redheads can be nice too."

"I know," Scott said, accepting the helping hand, at least until he got a knee under him to stand up to his full height. "That's why I'm marrying one. She's usually loudest when she's being quiet, but I bet I don't have to tell you about that."

As Scott loomed over Maeve, a smirk spread across her face. "A certain look can scream a thousand words," she conceded, echoing a phrase her father often used during her more rebellious years. "Is it time for pizza now?" she inquired, her stomach rumbling softly in agreement.

Scott stretched out his leg, attempting to walk off the limp that nagged at his stride. He rolled his shoulders and gave a short sigh, glancing back at the team. "I’ll leave some cash on the table for pizza, but I’ve got to get back to the City. Try not to start any more wars without me," he added with a wry smile before beginning his way toward the exit.

Bliss, standing beside Connor, crossed her arms, her lips quirking into a barely hidden smirk as she looked at him. “You think Scott’s going to regret missing pizza night?” She tilted her head, doing her best to ignore the warmth radiating from Connor’s shoulder as it brushed hers.

Connor’s speech-generating device buzzed softly before he signed with a grin, "HIS LOSS. PIZZA IS THE BEST PART OF OUR DEBRIEFS." He looked at Bliss, and for a moment, his eyes lingered on hers, the casual camaraderie caught somewhere between friendly and… something more. Realizing this, he gave a small, almost embarrassed smile, then gestured towards the doorway. "UNLESS YOU PREFER SOMETHING MILDER, LIKE A SALAD."

Bliss scoffed, rolling her eyes as she nudged Connor with her elbow. “Oh, please. Like I’m afraid of a little pepperoni. I’m more worried you’ll chicken out and go for pineapple. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Connor’s device beeped as he smirked. "I WOULD TAKE PINEAPPLE JUST TO WATCH YOU SQUIRM." His eyebrow arched, and he gave her a look that was both challenging and amused. "IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE A LITTLE FLAVOR, THAT’S ON YOU."

Bliss snorted, crossing her arms with a mock haughty air. “Bring it on, big guy. I’ll take whatever you got—and out-eat you too.” She leaned in a little closer, her tone a low, teasing murmur. “Just try to keep up.”

Just before Scott left the teenagers to their devices, he cast one last look at Maeve, his eyebrow quirked in wonder what she was going to do with the two of them. His discomfort with Bliss was subtle but still present.

As Maeve watched Connor and Bliss, she couldn't help feeling like the third wheel. They were exchanging congratulations, looking ecstatic and completely absorbed in each other. This sense of exclusion wasn't new; it had been the same when they first defeated Scott. "Go ahead without me, I just remembered there's something I need to take care of," Maeve said with a smile, masking the truth. She reasoned that if they had their little pizza outing, perhaps it would lead to something more meaningful, and missing out on pizza in New York wasn't a big deal—there would be other opportunities. "Catch you later, guys" she called out as she exited the room, leaving them engrossed in their playful banter, while she found contentment in solitude.

 

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