First Lesson (Freddy)

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Josh slides the zipper on his combat suit into place, pulls his gloves on, and closes their fasteners. He leaves the locker room and starts walking across the hallway to the Danger Room.

This should be interesting. While he loved his biology class, even when things were exploding - and they tended to reserve the explosive experiments for across the hall with Toni - one of his favorite things at the Institute was working with students and their powers.

When he enters, the room is in standby mode, waiting to begin. "Danger Room: Begin JDW-02." Objects start phasing into being around him, and Josh grins. That was the program code for one of his favorite training methods - his telekinetic gym.

He and Jean had put parts of it together while she was still with them, and he'd expanded on it as needed. Everything in the room was designed to exercise telekinesis in one form or another. Not all of the stations would probably suit Freddy, but their powers had enough in common that it was a good place to start.

Josh looks over some of the options. The projectile wall would probably be helpful, as well as the collapsing ceiling - he'd added that one after the incident at the museum. He also had an area with crates of varying weights that he'd kept meaning to replace with something else - lifting blocks was old hat at this point. That might be a good place to start with Freddy, though.

After we do some warmups, I'll start a combat sequence on the computer. Josh climbs up a ladder attached to one of the pillars scattered around the area. With a telekinetic burst, he throws himself across the room at one of the other columns, dropping onto it with both feet. He continues his jump practice, leapfrogging from pillar to pillar. After a minute or so, he has the computer begin firing practice balls at him.

[Freddy Hunter]

Practicing his powers on his own was all fine and dandy, but Freddy didn't really know how to do it without endangering himself or others while at it. One such example is the one where he almost crashed into the teacher and the evolvo-girl while trying to ride a force field. So, when Josh (because Freddy is on a first name basis with everyone, at least in his own opinion) offered a training session, he was more than happy to accept.

In light of this invitation, he has made sure that he's well rested and well fed, while still keeping the feeding part at least two hours prior to the session. Having decided to dress in the tennis shoes, shorts, and T-shirt he used for football practices when they weren't required to wear the whole gear, he makes his way to the "danger room," a place sounding way too exciting not to visit.

He takes a moment to breathe in and out while standing in front of the door, and then steps forward. The door slides open, he takes another few steps...and then stops.

He expected cool gadgets on the walls and a few trap doors on the floor, but the sight of the pillars and the objects and the sheer...hugeness of the room makes him forget he's supposed to be a sentient being for a few moments.

The sight of Josh bouncing around like some sort of Kryptonian frog shakes him back to reality, and a smile plasters itself across his face, from one ear to the other.

Then the balls start going at Josh, and Freddy wishes he had a bag of popcorn with him.

"Hey! When do I get to do that!?" the question is only too normal for Freddy, as he runs up to the pillar where Josh last landed and starts climbing the ladder, eager to try it out. "This place is so cool! How'd you fit all of it under the mansion?"

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> "Hey! When do I get to do that!?"

Josh snaps out of his training reverie, and awkwardly glances back at the door in mid-jump. "Huh?" Unfortunately, at this point the computer decides to target him from multiple directions, and a pair of hits sends him tumbling for the ground.

Carefully, he freezes himself in place a few inches from the ground and lets his feet connect with the padded floor. "Whew. That would have left some bruises..." Josh looks up, only to see Freddy climbing one of the practice pillars.

> "This place is so cool! How'd you fit all of it under the mansion?"

"It's a hologr- - - Freddy, look out. I've got it set for my ability level - -" At the top of the pillar, the Danger Room computer sends a barrage of practice shots flying in at Freddy.

Sometimes I think that this thing has a nasty sense of humor.

[Freddy Hunter]

Stopping about midway, Freddy watches Josh, and does the sort-of-kinda-shrug accompanied with the oops-sorry-that-was-not-good face, with all the gusto of a 15-year old experienced with screw ups. "Sorry! You all right?" he asks, but doesn't wait for a reply, continuing to climb the ladder, still intent on trying the jump one way or another.

>"It's a hologr- - - Freddy, look out. I've got it set for my ability level - -"

"What do you--" he starts before seeing the projectiles coming at him. "Crap..." he says, raising an open hand and creating a force field, wishing it to be as strong as he can get it.

Of course, it is too much to hope for, and the field does little other than slow the balls slightly down. They hit the barrier, seem to stop for a millisecond, and then proceed on their path towards Freddy's head.

Pulling his right arm back, he clenches his fist and punches the air above him, sending a moving field upwards, and it scatters the balls successfully. Freddy pulls his fist back again in nothing more than a victory move, and this throws him off balance, sending him off the ladder, and towards the ground.

Holding his hands in front of him, he makes a solid field a few feet off the ground, before realizing that this will be as hard a fall as without the field. Closing his eyes and bracing for impact, Freddy falls into the field...

...and sinks into it. Slowly, he moves through the one inch thick barrier, and then just plops onto the ground harmlessly.

"Whew...that's the first time I was happy I got the strength wrong..." he says as he jumps to his feet, dusting his shorts off. A smiling face raises to meet Josh's own.

"Can I do that again?! It was fun!"

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

As Freddy topples off the platform, Josh throws a hand out, using his telekinesis to cushion the boy's fall.

He's careful to only avoid a broken neck, though, as Freddy needs to start learning to take care of himself on the battlefield - and being sore for awhile is a good way to let a lesson sink it.

Fortunately, though, the guys has a bit more experience with his powers than Josh had previously thought.

> "Can I do that again?! It was fun!"

Josh raises an eyebrow. "You're not afraid of jumping in head first, are you?" He shakes his head. "Let's start with some more simple exercises. Danger Room: Begin evaluating Hunter's skill level. Add the results to his profile." He turns to Freddy. "This is a holographic chamber. Nothing in it is technically real, although we can interact with all of it realistically enough."

Josh walks over to the exercise mat, where a variety of objects are lying. "Let's see what you can do, first. If I'm remember correctly from your admissions application, you generate force fields. What kinds of stuff have you done so far?"

He gestures at the objects. "Some of these are probably too heavy or complex, but give them a try. I built this room to exercise my telekinesis. Your powers work differently from mine... so some things are going to be easier or harder. You probably can do stuff I can't... and there are things I can do that you just can't." He puts a finger to his temple for a second. "Force fields... Sue tends to find fine manipulation really hard, like trying to pick up a pin with a baseball glove on. What about you?"

Josh quirks an eyebrow. "I've also been at this a bit longer than you. One of my other students doesn't respect that." Josh rolls his eyes as he thinks of Julian. "I can lift over 8000 pounds if I need to. Don't think that kind of thing comes overnight, okay?"

[Freddy Hunter]

>"You're not afraid of jumping in head first, are you?"

"Hm? Why should I be? Where's the fun in waiting?" Freddy asks, his voice implying that Josh's question was really kind of stupid. Everyone knew the answer to that.

>"Let's start with some more simple exercises. Danger Room: Begin evaluating Hunter's skill level. Add the results to his profile. This is a holographic chamber. Nothing in it is technically real, although we can interact with all of it realistically enough."

"Holographic? Like...Star Trek and stuff like that? The whole I'm-in-an-alternate-reality thing? There is no spoon? Cool. And you can talk to it? Does it talk back? I guess it would be kind of cliche if it had an attitude..." he wanders off in thought with the idea of a homicidal room with an attitude.

He can't help but feel an amount of disappointment when he sees Josh walking to the mat. Freddy would much rather take another go at the pillars and the flying balls, but a teacher's a teacher, and he has to listen. At least this is way cooler than Geometry.

>"Let's see what you can do, first. If I'm remember correctly from your admissions application, you generate force fields. What kinds of stuff have you done so far?"

Freddy scratches his head, trying to remember all the damaged pieces of furniture in his house, and in extent the experiments he did while damaging them. "Well, I can make them still or moving...but if they move, they move at the same speed and don't stop until they dissolve. I know I can make them oriented any way I want in space, and I can move the initially still ones with my mind. I never know how strong they're gonna be, though. Sometimes they're more like...er...denser regions of air than actual fields."

He tries to remember some more, but that seems to be about it. "Oh! I tried to ride one the other day. I fell into the lake. About a week ago I managed to support my own weight. Hey! Do you think I could use them to fly? That would be awesome!"

>"Some of these are probably too heavy or complex, but give them a try. I built this room to exercise my telekinesis. Your powers work differently from mine... so some things are going to be easier or harder. You probably can do stuff I can't... and there are things I can do that you just can't. Force fields... Sue tends to find fine manipulation really hard, like trying to pick up a pin with a baseball glove on. What about you?"

"Who's Sue? Your girlfriend or lover or something?" he asks, giving his greatest effort to not asking Josh if he's banging her, in those very words.

He looks at the objects, wondering what to do with them. "I can put them in horizontal fields, and carry them around like that. Or I could push them around. I still don't know how to make a hollow sphere for better control. It's kinda like those Nintendo games where you push boxes around, y'know?"

>I've also been at this a bit longer than you. One of my other students doesn't respect that. I can lift over 8000 pounds if I need to. Don't think that kind of thing comes overnight, okay?"

Noting that as an idea to try out as soon as possible, Freddy nods reverently. "So what am I supposed to do, shove them about?"

He shoots his right hand out with an open palm, making a quickly moving elliptical field hit a box and push it closer to another one. Squinting a bit, he moves his hand so that his palm is facing the ceiling, and creates a thin field around a sort of metal cage. Lifting his hand up slowly, he raises the cage, but then the thing sinks through the field and back onto the ground. Freddy groans in frustration.

"See? It always does that! Stupid power..."

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

Josh nods and takes in Freddy's comments. So... like Sue, a bit. But as far as I know, she never had difficulties with varying thicknesses or densities. Sue's force fields came in one strength - harder than steel - and she could make all sorts of shapes with them. They were completely impenetrable unless they were breached - airtight and all. Freddy's probably aren't, then... though he might be able to make them that way.

> Do you think I could use them to fly? That would be awesome!

"You might. It depends if you're able to fine tune the strength enough to support yourself and not drop through the field."

> "Who's Sue? Your girlfriend or lover or something?"

Josh kills the urge to snicker. While Sue Storm was beautiful and one of the world's premier geneticists, she was taken - and for that matter, so was he. "Um, no. She's a scientist that we've worked with on occasion. Purely business relationship... you might see her around the Institute here and there."

He's about to mention Warren, but hesitates. Something about Freddy's high-school jock demeanor gives him pause - as does the mental leer he caught at the mention of Sue. Whatever. He's going to find out sooner or later, like when I stumble in my pajama pants out of the poli sci teacher's bedroom in the morning for breakfast. I'm sure as hell not tiptoeing around my own house. Josh flashes a winning smile. "Actually, I'm with Warren. You know, the political science teacher?"


> "See? It always does that! Stupid power..."

Josh runs a hand along the side of his head. "Hmm. Is there any way you can think about solidifying the field? When I lift heavy stuff, I have to concentrate more than when I lift lighter things. I'm not sure if your powers are mental-based, though..." Josh shrugs.

He lifts a crate into the air with his telekinesis. "Try lifting something that's already in midair -it might be easier than trying to pull it off the ground yourself. Concentrate on the field strength."

[Freddy Hunter]

>"You might. It depends if you're able to fine tune the strength enough to support yourself and not drop through the field. Um, no. She's a scientist that we've worked with on occasion. Purely business relationship... you might see her around the Institute here and there."

"Well, I can always make that weird field-on-field effect I did a few times...Then I don't sink, no matter what."

He nods to Josh's answer about Sue. "So, what, is she hideously disfigured or something, so that you don't want her?"

>"Actually, I'm with Warren. You know, the political science teacher?"

Freddy looks at Josh blankly, and then it clicks in. "Oh! So you're just gay. Do you guys bang? You have to, there's no doubt about it! When you do, who's the top? And do you-" he stops himself before the curiosity gets out of hand. Last time he'd asked those questions he'd had to run for his life from a bunch of gay kids at school. Apparently, they thought he was mocking them. Or was it just the fact that his father was screaming insults at them over his head, instead of paying attention to the teachers at the conference?

>Hmm. Is there any way you can think about solidifying the field? When I lift heavy stuff, I have to concentrate more than when I lift lighter things. I'm not sure if your powers are mental-based, though..."

"I can try. I mean, when I make them, it's kind of like groping the field mentally, and setting its qualities. It's like it forms in my mind before it comes out, and then I make it the way I want to. I just have problems with the shapes and strengths because I can't compare them to anything, I guess. When they're supposed to support me, I just make them as strong as the one that forms around my body sometimes. I don't know if that's the hardest or not. It gets hard to breathe when it closes around me, but then I can stand on any field I want."

He looks at the floating crate, and starts forming a field. This time, it's a flat panel, parallel to the ground and the crate's bottom. Focusing on it, Freddy imagines the field as thick as the one that forms around his body, and then lets it appear in the actual world. He can feel the field rather than see it, but it's just as accurate, if not more. Lifting his hand, which was in the same palm-up position as before, he lifts the field, and slowly it connects with the bottom of the crate.

"OK, you can let go now..."

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> "So, what, is she hideously disfigured or something, so that you don't want her?"

Josh looks slightly confused. "No... but she IS married."

> "Oh! So you're just gay. Do you guys bang?

A grin slides onto Josh's face as some of his and Warren's more... memorable moments flash through his mind. Some of the people around the Institute enjoyed alluding to their sex life, but he was rather private about it. That, and he was having better sex than everyone combined, so he could afford to be evasive. Unless someone around here is some kind of closet sex addict, that is. The thought amuses him briefly.

> You have to, there's no doubt about it!

Josh quirks an eyebrow. "I'm not talking about my sex life with one of my students. But you've seen my husband. I'm sure you can make some educated guesses."

> When you do, who's the top? And do you-"

"Top?" Josh's eyebrows raise into his hairline. "I didn't know straight people knew what that meant." He shakes his head. "Gender roles are for straight people... which is too bad for them. It's just me and Warren." And that's enough about that. The kids already were interested enough in what went on in their relationship - he didn't need to fuel it.

> "OK, you can let go now..."

Josh nods and drops his telekinetic efforts. "Any luck?" He waits to whether the box drops back to the ground.

[Freddy Hunter]

>"I'm not talking about my sex life with one of my students. But you've seen my husband. I'm sure you can make some educated guesses."

"Yeah, like you would talk about it with the other staff. It's nothing to be ashamed of, you know. If you get laid, brag about it, I always say," Freddy responds, leaving the educated guesses to wither within the confines of his mind, instead of seeking confirmation from Josh.

>"Top? I didn't know straight people knew what that meant. Gender roles are for straight people... which is too bad for them. It's just me and Warren."

"I had a bunch of gay friends in school, before..." he trails off, a trace of sadness settling in his voice. So far, Freddy's been coping with the rejection that happened simply by ignoring it. Force fields being cool and all, he'd still much rather be a human boy still in his normal high school. He'd crafted an image there. He had a reputation. And now all of his football successes will be attributed to him using his power constantly, despite it not having been active.

>"Any luck?"

He holds the box on the platform, and the force field persists. The box doesn't sink. "I think I have it this time. It's just the starting part that's hard. The fields don't change much after I create them, but I have to be able to give the proper strength at the start, or you get those spongy things that just let stuff sink through. They're absolutely useless," Freddy grumbles at the memory of the first one that was supposed to deflect the balls.

He moves his hand left and right, and the field and the box on it move where he points them to. He elevates the box some more, but then it starts getting harder. Slowly, Freddy lets the field come down to about a foot off the ground, and leaves it there.

He lets his hand down, but the field stays, and then he moves it up and makes a field that is vertical, and in the same shape and size as the last one. Again he compares it to the field that forms around his body for strength, and then lets it appear in the world.

"I've made another, vertical one," he informs Josh as he slowly makes the field move into place, connecting with the horizontal one and making another limit around the box. Now, he tilts the two fields so that their connecting sides are touching the ground, and the box floats in mid-air at a 45 degree angle, one of the edges parallel to the ground, just as moments ago a side was.

"See? It's easy to leave a field alone, it wond't do anything. It's just the--See? Stupid fields!" he yells as the box starts slowly sinking through the second field, and towards the ground. He moves the first field back to being parallel to the ground, and the box just barely doesn't slide off.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> "Yeah, like you would talk about it with the other staff. It's nothing to be ashamed of, you know. If you get laid, brag about it, I always say,"

Josh arches an eyebrow. "Freddy, I outed myself as a gay and a mutant during a press conference on national television. I'm not ashamed of anything. I try not to talk about my amazing sex life with my students, though. It's not... I dunno. Not professional." He doesn't add that it's hard enough to control his classes as it is, seeing as they see him as 'Josh' and not 'Mr. Dalton'. He'd even begun choosing what he wore to class to give the image of being a full adult, but it didn't seem to have much effect. The kids were generally good... the problem was the age gap - or lack thereof.

> "I had a bunch of gay friends in school, before..."

He tries not to wince. Another messed up one. They had a pretty good track record with turning out good, college-material students, but they often came into the Institute with a host of problems - having lost friends or family due to their abilities, being a runaway... even ones with more severe psychological problems due to the chaos in their life. Josh knew of at least 6-8 of their students who were being given professional counseling. "I'm sorry about that. It sometimes happens that way with us - Warren chose me and his mutation over his family. I'm hoping that someday he'll be on speaking terms with his parents."

> They're absolutely useless

Josh grins. "I wouldn't say that. Sometimes you want to cushion something rather than stop it with the force of a brick wall. Sue would kill to be able to vary her field intensity - but then again, she tends to favor the direct, brick wall approach to solving problems." He stops to consider for a moment. "I think that it's just a matter of practice. You have no meter to gauge it - after doing this for awhile you'll get the hang of it."

> It's just the--See? Stupid fields!

"I think that's enough for now." Josh puts a hand on Freddy's shoulder. "I really think repeated practice is going to help you. So... let's set up a sim battle." Josh hits a panel and the room shifts into an elongated form. Between them and a circular field on the far side is a variety of obstacles and barriers.

"Okay... the point of this exercise is to use your powers to reach the goal zone. Simulated enemies are going to be entering the arena on the way." He gestures at the objects and constructs. "Make good use of cover, and use your powers to make your way through to the end. I'll be fighting alongside you... but only as support."

The Danger Room sounds a tone. "Three... two... one. Begin."

Immediately, a DR sim charges Josh. He reaches out with his telekinesis, and the trooper catapults into the air, smashing into the wall nearby. A second trooper approaches Freddy.

[Freddy Hunter]

>"Freddy, I outed myself as a gay and a mutant during a press conference on national television. I'm not ashamed of anything. I try not to talk about my amazing sex life with my students, though. It's not... I dunno. Not professional."

"Yeah, and you're very professional with Warren," Freddy responds, trying not to chuckle. To him, Josh is just as any other person at the Institute-- a person to be friendly with. There is little chance for him to address any of the staff with the respect that seems to be expected.

> "I'm sorry about that. It sometimes happens that way with us - Warren chose me and his mutation over his family. I'm hoping that someday he'll be on speaking terms with his parents."

"Hm? Oh, don't you pull that "concerned parent substitute" gimmick on me. I don't intend to allow this minor setback in my social life knock me permanently off the track. As soon as I learn to control these things, I'm going back to the normal world," the boy states jovially, nodding his head and smiling as if to prove his point. Since he came, Freddy has been thinking of the Institute as a prolonged summer camp of sorts, rather than a new home. After all, at his real home, he'd have everything served on a silver platter.

>. "I wouldn't say that. Sometimes you want to cushion something rather than stop it with the force of a brick wall. Sue would kill to be able to vary her field intensity - but then again, she tends to favor the direct, brick wall approach to solving problems. I think that it's just a matter of practice. You have no meter to gauge it - after doing this for awhile you'll get the hang of it."

"Why would I want to cushion anything? If you slam them with full force, they're much less likely to get up in the next couple of minutes or hours. And how much practice will it take? I don't want any more flukes like the one on the ladder." The frustration from not having instant results shows plainly as his voice portrays irritation and he crosses his arms over his chest and begins tapping his foot on the floor.

>. "I really think repeated practice is going to help you. So... let's set up a sim battle."

"Now you're talking!" frustration gives way to joy, and he is all but ready to hit his first virtual bad guy.

>"Okay... the point of this exercise is to use your powers to reach the goal zone. Simulated enemies are going to be entering the arena on the way. Make good use of cover, and use your powers to make your way through to the end. I'll be fighting alongside you... but only as support."

"Yeah, yeah, sure, let's get going..." Freddy gives the automated response he's given so many times to so many other people, a set of words showing only that whatever was said has not been heard, or even registered as a background noise.

As the trooper approaches, Freddy clenches his fist and holds it back a little as he runs at the man, only to shove his hand out when the distance is smaller, sending a small round globe flying for the man's head. The two objects clash, and the trooper is knocked out from the impact.

Pulling up a moving barrier in front of him, Freddy charges down the hallway, doing what he does best. A little way down, two more troopers come out, but one is immediately picked up by the barrier flying in front of Freddy. The other one shoves his leg out and trips the boy, making him tumble and lose the field as it moves on and out of his range. Quickly, Freddy generates a static barrier between him and the trooper, moments before he starts shooting. Bullets fly into the barrier, stop...and then keep on moving, at a slower pace.

"Shit!" the educated guess made about the immediate future floats in the air as Freddy starts shoving open hands into the air rapidly, creating force field after force field, most of which go right through the rest, but some of them pushing the bullets and the trooper back. Finally, a good solid one forms and rushes at high speed towards the bullets, making them fly off in different directions. The field goes on to slam the trooper against the opposing wall, and keeps on trying to shove him into it.

Freddy dismisses the field once certain that the man isn't going to be shooting anytime soon, and goes down the hallway at a slower pace.

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

> "Yeah, and you're very professional with Warren,"

Josh's nostrils flare for a moment. "Warren and I met when we were students here. Our relationship predates either of our staff appointments. That's enough, okay?" His voice snaps like a whip, but he tries to soften it at the end. When Warren became a part-time instructor and he was finishing up his senior year, he'd always been rather touchy about people implying there was something inappropriate about their relationship.

> "Hm? Oh, don't you pull that "concerned parent substitute" gimmick on me. I don't intend to allow this minor setback in my social life knock me permanently off the track. As soon as I learn to control these things, I'm going back to the normal world,"

Josh frowns slightly. "Whatever you say, but Freddy... this is normal for you now. You have mutant abilities. I'm all for living in the real world and not some kind of comic book, but the fact is that you create force fields, and everyone knows that now, thanks to your power manifestation. Was everyone fine with that at your school?"

> "Why would I want to cushion anything? If you slam them with full force, they're much less likely to get up in the next couple of minutes or hours. And how much practice will it take? I don't want any more flukes like the one on the ladder."

"How about this? One of your friends has an accident and falls off of something high. If you can't cushion your fields, you might as well let them hit the ground - the resulting damage will be the same." Josh lifts an eyebrow in query.

When the simulation starts, Josh follows Freddy down the hallway. He blinks slightly at the boy's reckless style. Wow, so much enthusiasm, but so little control. When the bullets scatter, a few head in his direction, and he halts their movement. They clink as they hit the ground.

A few troopers angle specifically in on him, and he smashes one into another, and then sends the pair sliding across the way to trip the last one.

In the next area, the ceiling begins collapsing in on them. Josh puts his hands in the air, holding up sections in turn, and slowly crosses the treacherous area. He glances over to see how Freddy is faring.

"Doing okay, Freddy? This is based off an event at the Museum of Natural History. I had to hold the roof up while we evacuated the area."

[Freddy Hunter]

Deciding against commenting any further on the personal life of his teacher (more for the sake of his own security than because of satisfied curiosity), Freddy shrugs in that kind of "for now" way people without tact have.

>"Whatever you say, but Freddy... this is normal for you now. You have mutant abilities. I'm all for living in the real world and not some kind of comic book, but the fact is that you create force fields, and everyone knows that now, thanks to your power manifestation. Was everyone fine with that at your school?"

"Not everyone. It's just one stupid school. I can move. As long as I know how to control them so I don't accidentally create one, like at the football game. Okay, it's two schools, I forgot about the other team. It's not impossible to fix, I'm sure. I don't wanna go around parading that I'm a mutant. That's all cool and awesome for you guys, but it's not for me. I'm just a guy..."

>"How about this? One of your friends has an accident and falls off of something high. If you can't cushion your fields, you might as well let them hit the ground - the resulting damage will be the same."

"I'd make a field to act as a slide for them. They'd fall on it and then slide down safely to the ground, and no need for the useless sponge."

One of Freddy's main flaws has always been his absolute refusal to admit when he's proven wrong. He'll jump through a million hoops rather than give Josh the "satisfaction" of being right.

>"Doing okay, Freddy? This is based off an event at the Museum of Natural History. I had to hold the roof up while we evacuated the area."

As the ceiling starts to collapse, Freddy comes to a complete halt and dodges a few lesser parts while forming an elliptical field within his mind. It takes a few seconds for him to manage the shape he wants, and then he makes it, for a moment forming the body shield as well, so as to compare the strength of the two. Carefully, he makes it appear, hovering above him like an inverted umbrella. The field is considerably large, but the edges of it that are outside of his range fade away into nothing.

Pieces begin falling onto him, but instead they nest into the field shaped like an inverted umbrella. He focuses on it and keeps on going forward, trying to avoid the main part of them.

"You held up a whole ceiling? That's awesome!" he says instead of a reply. As the weight in his umbrella increases, sweat beads begin forming on his forehead, and the strain increases.

The field slowly begins to lose on its strength and the rocks begin sinking. Letting the field remain static, Freddy walks away from it, engaging his full body field and taking a run for the exit, holding his breath. The rocks in the umbrella-like field float for a while longer and then drop to the ground.

He tries to tell Josh he's fine, but the field around him is hermetically closed, and the sound just dies off. Getting to an area where no parts of the ceiling have begun falling yet, and lets the field go. As the field dissolves dust and chunks fall onto his shoulders, and he realizes that a portion of the ceiling has indeed fallen on him.

"I can't hold up the whole ceiling! That's impossible."

[Josh Dalton Worthington]

At this point, Josh gives up arguing with the boy. It was pretty obvious to him that Freddy was just one of those people, the type that had to be right about absolutely everything. You're a bit like that sometimes, if you really admit it.... your only saving grace is that you are right most of the time.


> "You held up a whole ceiling? That's awesome!"

"It wasn't easy! It stretched me to the limits, and I was exhausted for a day or two afterward. All I wanted to do was sleep." He thinks about the violent encounter in the medical lab following their adventure. "I didn't get much of a chance for it, though..."

> "I can't hold up the whole ceiling! That's impossible."

As Josh reaches the exit, he glances back to Freddy, who is in trouble. He lifts a portion of the ceiling that was collapsing between Freddy's current location and the exit. "You're right - it is impossible. You've got to shift the weight and sacrifice sections you don't need. Like there." Josh points to a section off to the side. "There's no point in holding that area up. You should concentrate on securing your escape path."

When Freddy arrives at the exit, Josh claps a hand on his shoulder. "You're new at this. Don't be discouraged, all right? I'm pretty impressed so far."

Through the door is another large room. The goal area is shimmering at the far end. Between them lies obstacles and troopers, who even now start running towards them.

"Ready? This is it!"