Players: Theo and Xorn
Summary: Xorn runs a Danger Room session for Hardline
Date: November 10, 2010
Log Title: Symphony of Dissonance
Rating: PG
Xavier Mansion - Danger Room
A product of Shi'ar technology, the room generates apparently solid, realistic imagery by manipulation high-resolution force fields and holograms. The walls and floor appear as a steel room until a program is turned on. Overhanging the room in the center is a control Room managing the room's mechanisms to oversee the exercise while ensuring the subject's safety.
It is late evening and since his return to the X-Men and the Xavier Institute , Shen has felt nothing but an overwhelming sense of dread and sadness permeate the halls of the mansion. His experience with the X-Men was limited and so for his return and to try and undo the reputation of his name done by his evil twin brother, Xorn has decided to try to get to the students better. And so in an effort to connect with some students and also to acquaint himself with the technology of the X-Men, Xorn has offered to any available students the chance to participate in a Danger Room session. For those entering Shen Xorn appears in a meditative yoga pose sitting crossed legged and his hands are crossed together. The difference is that he is levitating in the air. He in Buddhist attire, all white and peaceful. Feeling of peace and calm fill the room, though the metal mask containing his form and keeping his powers in check. “Come in, my children.” A disembodied voice echoes.
Peace and calm aren't things to normally enter Theo's mind when he comes to the Danger Room. He doesn't like it, it makes his head hurt, and generally puts him in a more grumpy than usual mood. He's wearing his costume, and doesn't look happy. His presence seems to even stand starkly contrasting to the pervading feeling that fills the room, as if he's intentionally opposing it. "I'm not your child," he says, not even bothering to introduce himself or ask the new X-man's name.
“Hardline, I am glad to see a student has come.” Xorn lowers to the ground and walks towards Hardline, “My understanding of your abilities is that you are constantly in touch with technology. It must always be in your head. Similar to how I am with the world. In constant synch with it and the voices of the world.” He exhales, “However, I would like to see how you are able to use your powers when in the crux of technology like that of the Danger Room.” With that the lights in the room turn off. When the lights are back on, Hardline finds himself in what appears to be an empty field. Standing next to him is Xorn and as of now, no one else.
"Yeah, it's called an advil commercial," he answers cynically. "I think they put me through this to punish me. As the field appears, Hardline inhales sharply, and his muscles tense. Theo can feel every blade of grass, every movement each blade makes, he can sense it all at once. "Wow, it really is an advil commercial." He seems to handle it fairly well. He reaches into a pouch on his belt, and pulls out a coin, and he presses his right thumb hard against the hole in the middle of the coin that David gave him.
Noting the coin, Xorn’s voice can be heard “To focus with. Hopefully it is effective. Let us begin.”
Xorn hovers up a few foot as the ground begins shake and quake and rumble. Chunks of earth and hurled into the air. It is a localized earthquake focused directly by Theo. A purple-haired female named Arclight appears hitting the ground with her fists causing more generally quakes. Behind in a circle of light two more mutants appear. A Native-American looking male dressed in similar silver armor carrying a large gun and next to him, a Korean youth dressed in 80s punk regalia. Scalphunter and Scrambler have arrived and Scrambler screams out, “Time to die, freaks!”
"You're kidding me, right?" Theo groans, looking over at the X-man. "What is this, attack of glam rock?" He backpedals, trying to retain his footing, and move farther back from the incoming enemies. He doesn't seem to have much strategy for attack. After all, what does he have to work with. "Does this mean you're going to kill yourself?" he asks Scrambler, implying that Scrambler is the freak. Apparently he has enough focus for sarcastic remarks.
Scrambler screams out, "The only freak here is him." He points to the hovering Xorn. The masked mutant hero simply shakes his head and begins speaking with Scrambler in an Asian language.
As Theo backpedals. Scalphunter fires off an energy blast from his large energy rifle and Arclight charges towards Hardline. A telepathic voice appears in Theo's head, "We will not always have access to obvious means to defeat our enemies. They are coming towards you, what should you do?" the voice is Xorn's. Noticeable to Theo may be Scalphunter's armor has many technological devices as he too has techno-based powers.
"What?" Theo responds, ducking as the gun is fired, "Talk like a normal person, and quit the gay telepathy." Voices in his head aren't helpful when they are competing with other voices in his head. He notices the technological nature of Scalphunter's costume, but the noise of the Danger Room makes it difficult to concentrate on any of them. All the same, he has a good deal of his own personal resourcefulness. He rushes forward, and then jukes as he meets Arclight's position to get past her. He heads straight for Scalphunter. He has a gun. He tries to focus to figure out if the gun is electronic or simply mechanical. In his experience, a lot of these futuristic weapons seem to be very unconventional. He makes a leap toward Scalphunter, hopefully before he can get off another shot.
Ignoring the youth, Xorn and Scrambler continue conversing with each other. Scrambler seems enthralled by the conversation and for the moment has made no antagonistic move towards Xorn or joined his teammates.
As Arclight goes to grab and tackle Theo, he dodges her move and rushes towards Scalphunter who misses with the energy blasts. The gun itself is a combination of mechanical and electrical parts. Landing the leap before another shot is fired, Scalphunter is moves to swing at the boy with his unarmed hand. Arclight curses and slams her fist into the ground sending a shockwave towards both Theo and Scalphunter.
The blow lands on Theo's ear, but he keeps pressing. He grasps for the arm with the gun, and tries to gain control of it. When the shockwave comes, he doesn't try to keep his footing. Instead, he just tries to land on top of Scalphunter, hoping to knock the wind out of him long enough to wrestle the gun from his grip. "Gimme that you David Bowie wannabe!" he snarls. He's not that big, but he certainly has some fight in him. Still, there hasn't seemed to be any attempt to directly use his powers yet.
Scrambler and Xorn bow to each other and then the Korean youth screams something in his native language and goes to join the fight. He makes an acrobatic leap towards Hardline and Scalphunter, but then leaps over them and over the chunks of earth and grass and lands a karate kick to Arclight's face. She curses and then he laughs and gives her a kiss knocking the mutant villainess unconscious. Once again he and Xorn bow to each other, leaving only Scalphunter and Hardline as the only combatants.
When Theo is hit Scalphunter laughs, "You'll join the others in hell." The shockwave knocks both over and Theo manages to land on Scalphunter. The air knocked out of his stomach and he lets out aloud fart and drops the gun. If Xorn could laugh, he wouldScrambler laughs instead. A tesseract of light surrounds him and he and Arclight are gone.
Theo lets go of Scalphunter's arm, and rolls off of him and grabs the gun. "After you," he answers. Hardline puts a little distance between himself and Scalphunter as he scrambles to his feet, swinging the gun around to face his enemy. He doesn't take prisoners. He pulls the trigger as soon as he can get a clear target.
Xorn watches as the battle lays out before him. His expression cannot be read through his mask, but he merely nods his head and he floats overhead spying the fight below.
Scalphunter is surprised but how the Hardline is able to grab the gun from him and he moves away from Theo. He looks about for his teammates and is surprised they are gone. In a poor lapse of judgment, Scalphunter turns just in time to see Theo pull the trigger and shoot the energy blast which connects with the mutant Marauder. He lets out a loud yelp as the energy hits him and he falls to the ground.
The teen doesn't lower his guard, he hadn't realized that the other enemies had gone. He looks around, and keeps the gun pointed at his foe. "Where's the others?" Hardline asks Xorn. He briefly checks behind him to see if they are still about, and then looks back at Scalphunter, not sure whether the fight is over.
As the teen looks around, he will see no more of the Marauders. A circle of light appears around the body of Scalphunter disappears in the tesseract. The setting of the Danger Room reassembles and both mutants are once against are in a clean crisp empty field of grass. “I was able to speak with Scrambler….or the simulacra of Scrambler. There is more to the mutant that his punk rock sociopathy.” Xorn hmmmns, “Would be interesting to meet the real one.” He looks about the room, “While this appears beautiful, it is merely circuits and projectors creating this reality. It is not all that it seems. Before me, is a mutant boy who was able to defeat an enemy without his mutant power.”
"It looks beautiful to you, because you can't see what I see," Theo answers. "It's like a symphony of dissonance, every sound competing with the others. It doesn't even look real. I mean, it looks like grass, but it doesn't," he explains inadequately. "It's hard to put into words. My power is almost useless in this place, and is more of a hindrance than a help. I work with what I have. The only way I saw this could end well is if I got the only weapon on the field. The gun was the only advantage I was going to get. They were stronger, faster, and had numbers on their side."
“So even at a disadvantage in a world of dissonance and chaos, you were able to focus enough to see how to defeat the enemy. That is an accomplishment to be celebrated. You are resourceful even without any seeming resources, Hardline.” The room returns to its normal hollow metallic shell. “I see you use the coin as a form of focus. That is a very helpful totem, but I may be able to teach you how to shut out the symphony of dissonance as you say. I too see the world in ways most cannot. “ Xorn extends his hand, “We have not met formally. I am Shen Xorn and my brain is a blackhole. No one can comprehend what I see.”
It's visible the relaxation that comes to Theo from the deactivation of the Danger Room. Theo looks across the floor, and spots the coin which he had dropped during the fight. He picks it back up, and replaces it to the pouch it originally came from. He smirks at the introduction. "Theodore Fegenbush III. I don't know if I'd advertise that you have a blackhole for your brain. The jokes will never end." He takes the hand firmly.
