History Lesson (Danny, Toni/Matty, anyone!)

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Josh walks into the center of the Danger Room, fixing the seal on one of his gloves. There. He slips a earpiece into place, and turns to look around for a second. Right… here we go. This simulation was never easy for him, but each time made it more about history and less about personal pain.

He speaks into the echoing emptiness. “Danger Room, start program Ororo Oh-Five.” Around him, a scene flares into existence: metal and rock walls, exposed piping on the ceiling. Water drips steadily from above, and the hallway shudders, wracked with noise and vibrations.

“Pause.” Josh smiles slightly. Someone had been running the program since the last time he’d used it. Ororo’s design was impeccable - even when one understood the scenario itself, it was still a valuable training tool. “Begin from Chapter 8.” The room blinks, and suddenly, everything is the same, but silence reigns.

Looking towards the Danger Room entrance, Josh sees a few figures picking their way across what looks like the base control room.

[Veronica Devereux]

Arriving at the mansion not too long ago, Veronica has just earned her way around it, which took forever, and she was curious to explore the Danger Room. She entered the large room, seeing the scenery was not what it was when she first arrived. She surveyed the surrounding area, noticing the water dripping from the broken pipe fixtures above. If she was to train here, right now, that would be perfect. Believing she was the only one in the room, she let out "Whoa..."

She walked along the ground, toward the center where the man, whom she still hasn't noticed, stood. The only sounds she heard were the rhythmic "tap-tap" sound of the water, and her breathing.She surveyed the other side of the room, now registering a man standing there. She stopped dead in her tracks, not sure if she should leave or approach him. She eyed the man, head to toe and back, and noticed he was actually quite handsome. "Oh my god, he's gorgeous..."

She heard her voice echo in her head, but she couldn't believe she actually said that about a man she didn't even know. She eyed him once more before approaching him, not sure what to say. For what seemed to be the first time in her life, she fumbled on her words.

"Umm..Are...Are you using the uhm..." she hiccuped twice before continuing,"The Danger Room...?" She mentally kicked herself, one for being a total ninny around this hot guy, and two, her face was now beet red, which only furthered her embarrassment.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Josh eyes the girl picking her way among the control consoles up by the entrance. She had the wide eyed look of someone who hadn't spent much time in the Danger Room before. Who is it? Ah, Veronica, right?

The new student had arrived only a week or two ago. He'd met her on the first day, in the main office with Storm, but it was obvious she didn't remember. And she certainly wasn't taking either biology or advanced bio, so there wasn't any real reason for them to have run into each other.

> "Umm..Are...Are you using the uhm... The Danger Room...?"

Am I really that terrifying? Josh wonders this to himself for a moment. With his telepathy, he could sense nervousness radiating off her - but that was a bit of overkill, as she was stumbling over her words.

"Actually, yeah. I'm about to run a training session with some students. It's a bit of a history lesson too, I suppose." Josh smiles, with a hint of sadness. "This simulation is kind of one of the events that brought us to where we are today." He shakes himself slightly.

"Ah... but I guess I haven't introduced myself. Josh Dalton - I'm one of the X-Men. I also teach biological sciences and do power training with students. And now that Hank's busy, I'm kind of our defacto MD... except I don't have one yet. Right now I'm at Columbia in New York - I used to go to high school here." Josh scratches his head and extends a gloved hand. "I guess I do more around here than I thought."

Josh chews on his lip for a second, thinking. "You're welcome to stay if you want - I've gone over your entrance tests and medical reports, so I know you've got enough control not to blow us all up. But I'd suggest changing into your practice gear first."

[Tempero]

He stands in front of the mirror, looking at himself critically. Naturally, he does not have an X-man uniform, no matter how badly he desires one, so his practice clothes, while still leather, consist out of simple black, instead of any special markings. When he was originally "renting" them, he opted for a vest and shorts, simply because of the opinion that extra clothing would impede him, and one never knows what mutation he might end up copying next.

Ecstatic about the idea that he will be having a training session with Josh, He heads towards the Danger Room, feeling slightly odd in the shoes and clothes he never before wore. Even for the few other training sessions, Danny ended up having different clothes-- he grew over the summer and thus changed the measurements of the clothes and got rid of the sleeves and legs.

As he enters the Danger Room, tucking the dragon-shaped amulet under the vest, Danny spots Josh and an unknown girl immediately and walks over to them. Unable to hide his enthusiasm (because, hey, this is just getting him one step closer to joining the team, and any slightest step is a very good thing in the boy's mind), he squirms only a little in the new clothes.

"Hey, Josh!" he turns to the girl and extends a hand. "Hey, I'm Danny."

His voice is casual, smile present, and the overzealous attempt at being friendly is gone, which only makes him seem normal, and reduces the creepy-stalker effect that seemed to be most common.

[Veronica Devereux]

>"Actually, yeah. I'm about to run a training session with some students. It's a bit of a history lesson too, I suppose." Josh smiles, with a hint of sadness. "This simulation is kind of one of the events that brought us to where we are today." Veronica nodded her head, as if she knew why he was there. She looked around the room once more, and then gave a smile. She looked at him again, and just about melted into the floor. She looked down at her feet and rubbed the back of her neck as she talked."It's quite impressive technology, isn't it?" she questioned, her eyes slowly drifting up his body.

"Ah... but I guess I haven't introduced myself. Josh Dalton - I'm one of the X-Men. I also teach biological sciences and do power training with students. And now that Hank's busy, I'm kind of our defacto MD... except I don't have one yet. Right now I'm at Columbia in New York - I used to go to high school here. I guess I do more around here than I thought." She felt the corners of her mouth lift up at the sound of his name."Josh, sounds so--Aah! no, don't say it!!" she was now having a mental battle with her conscious, and it was starting to kick ass. "I'm Veronica Devereux." she replied, slipping her hand into his, giving it a shake.

She continued talking, unaware that she hadn't let go of his hand yet."My uncle went to Columbia..He said it was a good school." she commented, this time actually having the courtesy to look at him whilst she talked. She hadn't felt this giddy around a guy in forever, usually it was the other way around. Usually. She rubbed her neck again, letting out a small laugh."It sounds like you do alot!"

>"You're welcome to stay if you want - I've gone over your entrance tests and medical reports, so I know you've got enough control not to blow us all up. But I'd suggest changing into your practice gear first." She watched him chew on his lip for a second, which caused her face to flush once more. She rolled her neck and looked up at the ceiling, looking back down when she believed he was done."I don't see why I couldn't stay, it's not like I have anyone important to meet or any plans...I'd love to."

She chuckled at his comment about blowing them up, and she was glad she wouldn't do that either."Wait....What's practice gear?" she asked, a puzzled look now covered her face. Under the puzzlement, however, was embarrassment. She really had to get used to being around here.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Fortunately, at this point Veronica seems to be getting slightly less nervous. Josh grins and shakes her hand.

> "My uncle went to Columbia..He said it was a good school."

"Oh, it is! Although it's the hardest I've had to work in my life. I can study for days for a test and still not do well... the Institute challenged me, but it never pushed me to the breaking point. Except in the Danger Room, of course. I think all of us have lost consciousness in this room at least once..." Josh tries to let go of Veronica's hand, but her grip is fairly tight. Um... He smiles slightly awkwardly, and twists his hand carefully out of her grip.

> "It sounds like you do alot!"

"Yeah, I guess I do. It doesn't seem like that much on paper, but between my classes at Columbia and the stuff I teach here, I keep pretty busy. Hank keeps busy at the UN these days, so the medical lab is pretty much all mine now. I just need to get through school to make things official." Josh frowns a little. "I've been so busy lately, it doesn't seem like I've had much free time. Midterms, you know." Fortunately, Warren understood, and it wasn't like they never had any time to themselves. He just didn't consider the time they spent asleep at night 'together' time. Well, except when we...

> "I don't see why I couldn't stay, it's not like I have anyone important to meet or any plans...I'd love to."

"Great! We're still waiting for a few students. I know Danny's supposed to be here.... Julian, too." Josh had very different reactions to the two students these days. While he'd had some issues with Danny's ethics in the past, the boy had spent some time away from the Institute over the summer and had matured a lot. He seemed to be growing out of his social awkwardness. On the other hand, he'd like nothing more than to kick Julian's little ass. The New York Board of Ed frowned on that kind of thing, though.

> "Wait....What's practice gear?"

Josh blinks, and then grins. "You really are new, aren't you? It's okay, though - don't feel bad. This room uses advanced holographic technology to simulate combat. Because of that, you really need to wear something a little more durable than jeans and a t-shirt." He gestures at his own suit. "X-Men uniforms are bulletproof and are equipped with trauma padding, which makes up able to take a lot more punishment. The student training gear isn't quite as fancy, but it's more durable than a pair of warmup pants, that's for sure." He considers his statement for a moment. "On the other hand, I get shot and and you student's don't, usually..."

> "Hey, Josh! Hey, I'm Danny."

"Hey, Danny! How's it going?" Josh gestures at Veronica, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder. "This is Veronica, one of our newer students. She's going to stay for our session, so do you think you could take her to the ready room? She should have a set of training gear in her size there." He eyes move over Danny's suit. "Very nice. This is the new one you had made, right? I think going sleeveless is probably a good idea for you. Pete used to rip his armpits out until he did that..."

"Josh! We're heeeeere!" A voice echoes across the room. Danielle Moonstar and Julian Keller are a short ways behind Danny. Dani - this could get confusing - is waving a hand wildly in his direction, and Julian looks sulky.

Josh can't help but notice that Julian looks pretty damn good in his training suit. The younger man's uniform clung to his lithe form. Josh grins slightly. Too bad that perfect body houses the most annoying personality in the world!

[Tempero]

Nodding lightly, Danny grins and lowers his hand-- introductions were made, so the purpose of shaking hands is defeated. "A pleasure to meet you, Veronica." he states and then turns back to Josh. "Can't complain, things have been going for the better...yourself? How's Warren doing?" of course he asks out of courtesy, but the guilt from having caused all that pain to the winged man has never completely dissipated. Somewhere, inside his mind, there is that little voice that always tells him what he did and how uncalled for it was, reminding him to at try to think things through a little bit.

>"Very nice. This is the new one you had made, right? I think going sleeveless is probably a good idea for you. Pete used to rip his armpits out until he did that..."

"Thanks," Danny starts, shrugging a little (because the adversity to getting compliments was still there in slight measure), "I just figured that, since what I'll be actually using is unknown, I might as well try to account for those that might rip. And, I've been working out a bit more, so why not flaunt a little?" the last part is a joke, but not all too untrue. The boy had been working out, and it rather showed, and his three-a-week work outs have turned into daily ones.

He's about to say something when something best described as a loud disruption of train of thought makes him jump a little and turn. Danielle, if he remembers correctly, and Julian, a rather arrogant kid whom he'd met earlier, and not started off well with.

"Hello, Danielle, Julian." he is not about to be unpleasant just because he didn't like the guy, however. He turns and winks at Veronica. "Come on, let's get you into something safer for the Danger Room." a hand raises in a gesture towards the door.

Another roll of the shoulders shows, yet again, that he's not used to wearing anything like these clothes, and the leather feels uncomfortably stiff as compared to the usual shorts and T-shirts. Need to stop thinking about making X-man for at least this time...must focus on the task at hand...I can't allow myself to get all tense about it...and yet I am...damn it! he thinks, unaware that a part of his thoughts are sent out as a very low-key telepathic message. It's not something that'll enter everyone's mind, but it's still easily detected by any telepath, and of course Josh has to be in the room.

His face does not betray any of the emotions, but he is rather surprised by the sudden rush of anxiety he gets. It's his first Danger Room session since the Capture The Flag thing, and that one did not go anywhere good.

[Veronica Devereux]

>"Oh, it is! Although it's the hardest I've had to work in my life. I can study for days for a test and still not do well... the Institute challenged me, but it never pushed me to the breaking point. Except in the Danger Room, of course. I think all of us have lost consciousness in this room at least once..." "I bet it does.... I used to have to do that with school and dad with training. I would be so beat some times!" she explained, blushing slightly as he tried to release his hand from hers."Oh...Sorry..I, uhm--" she struggled with how to explain it to him, and immediately drop it and turned her attention to the other man.

>"Hey, Josh! Hey, I'm Danny." She turned slightly on her feet to face the boy named Danny, and she shook his hand as well."It's nice to meet you, I'm Veronica." Thankfully, she was ok speaking to this one. He's wasn't as handsome as John, and he seemed alittle too perky for her.

>"You really are new, aren't you? It's okay, though - don't feel bad. This room uses advanced holographic technology to simulate combat. Because of that, you really need to wear something a little more durable than jeans and a t-shirt.X-Men uniforms are bulletproof and are equipped with trauma padding, which makes up able to take a lot more punishment. The student training gear isn't quite as fancy, but it's more durable than a pair of warmup pants, that's for sure.On the other hand, I get shot and and you student's don't, usually..."

She laughed alittle."Yeah, I guess I am. she examined the suit he had on. She'd seen them before, but she didn't think they were all that."Usually don't? Sounds kind of fun, not knowing if and when you could get hit." she said, a devilish smirk slowing spreading across her lips.

>"Come on, let's get you into something safer for the Danger Room." She gave him a quick nod and turned on her heels, heading toward the door at which he just gestured to. While she was facing away from Josh, she let out a deep breath and muttered something under her breath. She felt like such a loser right now. Her face was redder than a tomato, and she didn't let go of his hand! This was not a good start for her.

[Laurie Collins]

[[changing over to purple for this thread so it isn’t a total teal party ]]

Even though she’s less nervous around the place than she used to be (though it would have been hard to get more nervous she supposes) Laurie suspects that she’ll never be entirely comfortable with the Danger Room. She knows a lot of the older students practically live there and she does get the appeal of a giant virtual reality world with practically no limits but…Danger Room. Still school work is school work, at least that’s what she’s telling herself, and at least it can’t be any more disastrous than last time right? Right. Just don’t kiss anyone and then die. I think I can manage that. She makes a face as the doors slide open to reveal Julian Keller, skulking around near the entranceway. Yep, definitely manageable, she thinks, and is about to feel guilty for being snide when Julian straightens up a little and grins in a way that should drip oil from his canines before smarming out “Nice suit Collins.”

Her arms are folded protectively over her stomach before she’s even processed that and the already well developed litany of protestation against the clingy nature of the practice outfits is running through her head with new vigor. Julian Keller Protocol 101 calls for blushing, stammering, and then dying quietly somewhere (because you can’t embarrass dead people…right?) and she’s on board with that, ducking her head and starting to turn away, but then she catches Julian’s self-satisfied and infuriatingly unsurprised smirk and whirls back around before she can stop herself. “You could probably see it better if you got your head out of your ass.” Her voice chokes and squeaks on the last half of what was supposed to be a quick snipe and she almost trips over her own feet whirling around after it’s delivered but Julian seems too shocked by actually getting a response to make a comeback and she takes the opportunity, extended by Dani’s surprised bark of laughter, to beat a hasty retreat to where Josh and Daniel standing a few feet away under some of the rusty plumbing that’s snaking across the ceiling.

“Um, hi, I…hope I’m not late?” she manages, trying valiantly to act as if her cheeks aren’t so hot that she expects government satellites are able to pick up on it. And I also hope you miraculously didn’t hear that since I’m pretty sure telling someone to get their head out of their ass in front of a teacher, even a student teacher, is against at least one rule.

[Tempero]

Danny follows Veronica, shortly getting in step with her, and then smiles a bit as Laurie walks in. He hasn't seen her in a while. Just as he's about to wave and greet her, Julian offers another one of those snide comments the intonation of which alone would put almost any girl in the state of murderous blood lust, and would probably just end up making Laurie retreat three miles under ground. And then Laurie, out of all the things that would come out of the blue, retorts. And with a very amusing comment, as well.

He himself laughs a bit, and his smile broadens. Looks like I'm not the only one who's done some growing... he thinks as he approaches the girl and nods in greeting. "Good one, Laurie. Don't worry, we'll wait for Victoria to get suited up, and then we'll start, I think?" a questioning glance at Josh to confirm it, and then he leads Victoria into the ready room.

He shows the part that contains "no man's uniforms," given to all new students to borrow until they got their own. "Find the one that suits and join us in the Danger Room, hm? I trust you can fit and dress yourself." he chuckles, turns around, and joins the others back in the Danger Room.

He walks up to Josh and Laurie and nods again. "I didn't think there was a need to help her change..." he jokes a bit, starting to fidget slightly again, not very obviously, but still to the careful observer it would be apparent. It's always the same reason- the concept that he's in the Danger Room, and going to be, on some level, judged by one of the X-men. Josh has long ago stopped being a teacher in his eyes.

((Sorry for doing the bit of g-mode, just thought I'd move it a tiny bit along...if it bothers, I'll change.)

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> “You could probably see it better if you got your head out of your ass.”

When Josh hears the words leave Laurie's mouth, he thinks wildly for a moment that it must be Dani, impossibly speaking in Laurie's voice. The trio is still making their way across the room, so he forces himself not to snap his head up in reaction. Equally hard is holding back his laughter. Shock and astonishment are rolling off Julian in waves, and Josh snorts quietly, staring into the computer display in front of him.

> “Um, hi, I…hope I’m not late?”

"Oh, hey Laurie. How's it going? No, you're not late at all. I just had Danny take one of our newer students to find a practice uniform. They should be back in a minute or two..." Josh trails off as Danny returns. "There he comes."

By the way, Laurie, I've often had the same urge... As he transmits the mental speech to her mind, Josh looks intently at his computer display. I just can't anymore. Pity.

> "I didn't think there was a need to help her change..."

A crooked grin spreads across Josh's face. Ah, Danny... innocent to the last. It was refreshing, in a way. In contrast, Julian struck him as the type to be inherently selfish, only interested in something that benefited himself. "You sure? She might be interested..." His hand flexes unconsciously.

"Okay, guys, let's get started. We're still waiting on Veronica, but she should be back before we begin." Josh finishes his last minute programming adjustments, and the DR display disappears. He crosses his arms over his chest. "This simulation was created for me by Storm. Back when I was still in training, she ran me through this, along with Bobby. I wasn't present for this situation... but it affected me quite a bit. It changed everything around here, to be honest."

"This is Alkali Lake." Josh looks around at the assembled students, gauging their reactions. None of them were at the Institute in October 2005, but the some of them seem to know the name. "It's an important part of our history, and both Storm and I feel that all of our students should know what happened here... and what we lost."

[Veronica Devereux]

Veronica looked at the suits, noting that they were quite snug looking. "Great.... The just had to give us tight fitting suits.." she complained to herself. She ran her hand along the material, not exactly figuring out what it was. It could have been a smorgasbord of things.

>""Find the one that suits and join us in the Danger Room, hm? I trust you can fit and dress yourself." " she smiled at the comment, letting a laugh escape her lips."I'm pretty sure I can manage." she retorted, giving him a slight wave as he left the room. Looking over her shoulders to make sure no one was in the room with her, she peeled off her blue tank-top and slid out of her jeans. She stood in the cold, empty room in a bra and a pair of panties.


She picked up the suit that she thought was her size, and she unzipped it, stepping into the rubbery material. It was slippery, and when she fully sheathed herself in the suit, it was relatively comfortable. She zipped up the suit, now feeling naked, even when she was clothed. She cleared her throat and headed toward the door. She liked the suit, simply because it accentuated her curves, but her breasts felt too small. She shuddered and exited the room, re-entering the Danger Room.

She repeatedly pulled her hair back, trying to find a comfortable position for it.She slowly headed toward the group, finally just flinging her hair over her shoulders. She walked up behind Josh, just in time to hear his comment to Danny.

>"You sure? She might be interested..."
She chuckled to herself and placed her hands on her hip, narrowing her eyes at the back of his head."I managed fine, actually. After all, I am grown." Arrogance made her squeak at the end, even though she covered that with a sly smile. Not one of the wittiest comments she's ever made, it wasn't the worse.

[Tempero]

>"You sure? She might be interested..."

Danny's eyebrow arches. He knows exactly what Josh means, but he's surprised by the comment. Especially since it's coming from someone who so clearly isn't interested in the female physique other than for scientific purposes. Sounds more like something Julian would say, but that one doesn't have any powers that would allow him to use, sound, or seem like Josh.

His face lights up as the starting moment approaches, but the knowledge of what simulation it is does not help a whole lot. Alkali Lake was almost the taboo of the institute. On one side, there were the people who were there and as such scarred by the event, and on the other side were the people who were subjected to the simulation, but were not witnesses.

Apparently, neither group particularly likes the simulation. Danny's enthusiasm is dulled a bit by the tales of doom he heard people around the school tell, but it is not nearly enough to deplete the excitement of the first DR session of the year.

"Ready when you are..." he says, feeling more than slightly stupid because of the overused phrase. Not like he can do much on his own. If danger should come, the only thing he can really do is latch onto someone else' mutation, and he had not practiced with any of the ones currently present.

[Laurie Collins]

By the way, Laurie, I've often had the same urge... I just can't anymore. Pity.

Laurie jerks a little in surprise at hearing Josh’s mental ‘voice’ in her head then hides a smile, equal parts residual wincing embarrassment (because…get your head out of your ass? Who even says that other than thirteen year old boys?) and amusement, behind her hand. She gets herself together as quickly as she can though as she sees that the others are converging towards them. Julian’s looking like he’s getting past shock and into irritated indignation and she’s relieved when Josh launches right into the explanation of the exercise.

"This simulation was created for me by Storm. Back when I was still in training, she ran me through this, along with Bobby. I wasn't present for this situation... but it affected me quite a bit. It changed everything around here, to be honest."

Wait, he doesn’t mean… she widens her eyes and looks around more carefully, long hallway, rusty pipes, concrete and rock walls, which doesn’t really tell her anything but from the way Josh is talking she’s starting to suspect just what this history lesson might be about. A moment later he confirms her suspicions-

"This is Alkali Lake. It's an important part of our history, and both Storm and I feel that all of our students should know what happened here... and what we lost."

Laurie raises her hand hesitantly, then winces as she realizes Danger Room exercises probably don’t involve a lot of classroom procedure and lowers it again quickly. “So, this is a history lesson? Are we just watching or do we have to…” she waves her hands vaguely indicting the environment around them, “…uh, participate?” Her expression makes it obvious that she suspects the second but rather hopes it will be the first. And how would that even work anyway? None of the simulated versions of the people here would even know us…unless they’re reprogrammed? This is all so weird…

It’s only then she realizes that there’s a whole other conversation going on here between Josh, Danny, and a girl who looks about her age that she hasn’t met before. That would be the new girl I guess…Veronica something? She looks about as awkward in these uniforms as I feel. Laurie thinks and gives the other girl a tentatively friendly smile in greeting. Danny and Julian both have more experience in the Danger Room than she does and Dani seems confident no matter where you drop her, it’s reassuring to know she’s not the only one who’ll probably be pretty bowled over by the whole Danger Room experience.

[Heather Mosley]

Heather walked down the staircase and eventually found herself in the doorway of the Danger Room. She was aware of the several people in the room already, so she just chose to keep quiet and watch. Her shyness was kicking in now of all times. Heather didn't really recognize anybody in the room, and felt uncomfortable being around so many unfamiliar people.

'I wonder what these people can do.' Heather thought to herself, referring to what mutations the males and females in the room had been given to them.