A New Direction

Posted on Tue Jul 16th, 2024 @ 2:34pm by Charles Xavier & Hank McCoy & Maeve MacKenna

1,455 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Episode 4: The Savage ConneXion
Location: DANGER ROOM!
Timeline: September 4th, 1990

After having a few days to get used to the stylings of the X-Mansion, the Professor scheduled time for Maeve to brave the Danger Room. It was the proving ground for all X-Men. And since the mansion was still technically under lockdown due to the geomagnetic storms ravaging the planet's atmospheres, there wasn't a ton else they could do.

"Thank you again for helping get everything back in working order," Xavier said to Hank from the observation deck of the Danger Room. "It feels good to have training capabilities restored."

“It is, quite literally, my job,” chuckled Hank. “But even so, it is my pleasure, as always. It’s good to be working again. Makes me feel normal.”

~Maeve~ Xavier's mind reached out to the girl. ~Come. It is time~

It was taking some used to but Maeve still did give a startle when the Professor entered her mind. Every time she thought if he would hear her reply in her mind and so she answered ~I'm on my way.~

Maeve got turned around a few times, still unsure of the mansions layout but she eventually found the Danger Room with some assistance and pointed fingers in certain directions. Walking up to the large doors they opened for her and she walked inside.

"Welcome to the Danger Room," the Professor said from the observation deck. His voice sounded a little tinny as it reverberated through the speakers. "This is our live training facility which is capable of reproducing virtually any environment on Earth. Beast will guide you through a few preliminary exercises as I slowly introduce more features. But should you have any questions or desire to pause training, we can pause at any time."

Maeve looked up towards the Professor as he spoke. It was strange, canned almost. A man stuck inside the speakers that littered the room. She began to look around the room but at the moment it was nothing more plain boring old room right now and she wondered how he could become anything else. Technology to her was a phone in a briefcase, a computer something large and clunky. "How can you make any environment?" She asked. "Is magic real?" she laughed a little as she asked that.

This time, it was Beast’s voice that came over the speakers. “Clark’s third law states that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” he said. “So, in a manner of speaking, yes, it is magic.”

"Cool." Maeve replied. "Do I just say start or something?" she asked. "And if I'm to use my powers, does this thing create real earth, dirt and stuff? If it's not real then I'll end up using parts of the room and I'll make a mess..."

"The spoils of war with adversaries beyond this world have left us with the ability to simulate any environment," said Professor Xavier. "Let us begin with sand and see how you do."

The air shimmered like a heat mirage in the desert. When it cleared, the lifeless metallic room had been transformed into a desert with sandy dunes in place of the cold, flat metal plating.

"Shape the sand," the Professor suggested. "Begin simply and then advance to as complex as you can manage."

"I'll take that as a yes." Maeve replied inward.

As the room began to take shape she was awestruck for a moment as the cold, by all accounts 'dead' room, turned into a sandy landscape. She could feel the heat, which she found odd given the room beforehand had that cold metallic feel. Listening to the Professor she raised her arms up with palms facing the sand. Her fingers began to move trying to feel each grain, it looked almost as if she was typing on one of those things they called 'computers'.

The sand began to swirl. Slowly but surely it began to form a shape, at this point just a simple sphere. Closing her eyes she split that sphere into two spheres and began to move them around in a clockwise motion.

"Fascinating," the Professor said in wonder. "Not only are you manipulating the composition of the sand to form more complex structures, Maeve, but you're propelling them through the medium of atmosphere with minimal disruption. Even sound distorts air in the passing of its waves. There is nothing wasted here, as if the sand orbs have a mind of their own."

After logging his observations for future consideration, Xavier said, "Beast, probe the orbs. Gently at first but add pressure. Test their tensile strength. Morrigan, see if you can sense any disruption to your constructs and repel them if possible."

"I used to make shapes with them when I came into my powers. When I was alone and had no-one to talk to, nothing to do. It passed the time." Maeve commented. She left out the part once again of her running away from home and ending up on the streets but that experience had made her more adept to protecting herself and a little more streetwise than some.

"Then feel free to create more complex constructs," the Professor said. "Take yourself to the limit of what you've done before and I will continue my analysis."

Hank, meanwhile, had been watching the computer analyze the orbs. “Fascinating,” he commented. “They’re as strong as cement, but at the same time, as pliable as mud.”

"Then perhaps we should provide a target..." The Professor trailed off as he input a few commands. Shortly, there was a slow-moving tank rolling through the sand, leaving tread marks behind it. "Show us what you can do against this, Morrigan."

Maeve watched in amazement as a tank materialised before her eyes. Never had she seen such a thing and the technology must have been something really special. She looked at the two spheres she had created and thought of using them as projectiles, a sensible thought as she could hear the tread on the tank as it moved. She began to think harder and eyed up the tank before arching her fingers slightly on both hands and thrusting them forward. Within a blink of an eye the spheres were hurtling at the tank with speed.

While the tank itself didn't sustain any obvious damage to its armored exterior, the impact of the two spheres knocked it backward like croquet balls.

"Incredible!" the Professor exclaimed. "There was virtually total conservation of energy in that collision. I've never quite seen anything like it. According to the Danger Room's readings, the reactivity of the tank was induced from the sand spheres." He paused a moment to consider the ramifications before he asked, "Have you ever assumed control of other objects by induction before?"

"I'm not sure what that means, sir?" Maeve shook her head in confusion. Having been home schooled as such and then running away had certainly not helped further any knowledge she could have had. She'd simply been able to control things in this manner for as long as she'd had powers. It was more recently when threatened she had learned she could 'attack' with any item she conjured up.

"Yes, of course, forgive me..." The Professor gave a chuckle before he reiterated. "Let me try again. Have you ever used one object to take control of another object? If the Danger Room computer is correct, that may be the next stage of your abilities."

Maeve was intrigued. Her abilities were still somewhat instinctive, almost like the world itself wanted to protect her. She had never thought of there ever being a 'next stage'. The question brought up a flash of the memory at the docks where she'd been frightened, threatened, by the thugs that brought her and other girls over causing spikes to shoot out of the ground and impale them. She had found it a strange and terrifying experience as the spikes were pinpoint in accuracy as the men were killed and the girls surrounding them were not. The thought of her being a murderer still played a lot on her mind. "I wouldn't say take control..." she began. "But I've used whatever I can to protect myself when needed." she shrugged. "I don't always feel control, but there have been times lately where there's like an itch in my mind. Like a connection to more than dirt and sand. If I focus sometimes I can do what I did here, or if I'm threatened... things happen." Much like the Sentinels and the various ways they were incapacitated.

"I see..." Professor Xavier was in thought. "I'll disengage the current test and allow you some free time while I go over the data. Well done for your first day, Maeve. I look forward to next time."

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