xp_logs | Laurie and Ororo

Ororo runs Laurie through a Danger Room simulation that tests Laurie's calm under pressure. It's not a success, but it's not a complete failure, either.

Laurie shifted right, rocking back slightly on her heels as she avoided a swipe to the jaw from the drone she was currently fighting. A drone that currently bore the holographic appearance of a twenty-something thug in ratty jeans and a rock band t-shirt.

Feeling confident, she grabbed onto 'his' arm and 'pushed' with her power, a violet film spreading over her fingers. The drone dropped moments later, and Laurie stepped back with a triumphant grin. She'd taken out three of them in quick succession and was feeling rather chuffed with herself, and somewhat rightfully, she would have said if she'd been asked about it.

Stuff Garrison and his complete inability to understand, she was doing just fine without him. She'd show all of them what sort of X-man she could be, she would.

Unfortunately, a voice interrupted her thoughts right then, drawing her back to the matter at hand. "Good, Laurie," Ororo told her over the coms, watching from her vantage point above the Danger Room floor. "But remember, not every opponent will be susceptible to your power. Concentrate on overcoming them another way, now."

'Dammit' Laurie thought, turning to see another set of assailants coming up behind the group she'd just dropped. She didn't _have_ another way, not really. She'd made some inquiries at Dojo's in the city to start training there but she still hadn't found one she liked the look of.

She ducked under a grab from one of the men, but found herself quickly boxed in by the others. She couldn't help the instinctual power usage but it didn't seem to effect her assailants at all and she could feel herself beginning to panic as they closed on her.

One of them grabbed her, pinning her arms to her sides and she pushed back into him, bringing her legs up to kick hard at the one in front of her.
The thug toppled back, knocking into one of the others and spinning them both away. Two more drones replaced them, however, closing in menacingly. The one that held her pushed her forward roughly, into their waiting arms.

Laurie struggled, the feeling of panic increasing as she couldn't get herself away from the thug holding her arms. Everything that Garrison had been showing her, everything she'd learnt from previous Dangerroom sessions was suddenly gone from her memory in the frantic need to do something. All she was left with was her instincts, and they told her to use her powers, to make these people hurt.

Ororo watched the monitors measuring the output of Laurie's pheromones - and was shocked by what she saw. A spike of adrenaline in the drone closest to her sped its 'heart rate' until it would have overloaded, had it been human. "Laurie!" she said, hitting the button to arrest the situation. The drones stopped immediately, releasing the girl and going inert.

Laurie dropped to her feet, her knees wobbling slightly as she got herself under control, and her powers under wraps. She looked up at the observation booth where Ororo sat with a slightly guilty expression. "Yes?" she asked.

"You were instructed not to use your powers in this scenario; you ignored that instruction. What is worse, you did so in a potentially fatal way. That man would have likely died." The disapproval was apparent in Ororo's voice.

"I didn't mean..." Laurie began, but then sighed and rubbed her hand against the back of her neck. "I'm sorry. It was just an instinct when I couldn't get out of it and they rushed me."

"Which is why we train. It is far better to make these mistakes in a controlled environment than in the field. It is unlikely that you would ever face a situation like this entirely alone, but not impossible. You must learn to think on your feet, so that you do not have to resort to blind panic."

"But how do I defend myself if I can't use my powers?" Laurie asked, wincing as she realised how whiny that sounded. "It's just, I'm not really made for throwing people around, you know?"

Ororo leaned forward to reply, then realized that a lecture 'from above' wasn't really helpful in any situation. "One moment, Laurie."

It was only a few minutes later that Ororo had made her way down into the Danger Room, suited up in her training leathers much as Laurie was. She smiled at the girl as she entered, though no scenario began as the door closed behind her. "It seems strange, I know, to purposefully ignore your powers in situations like these. That is half the reason we do what we do - because we have an ability that can be used for the greater good. But that is not all of who we are, and our powers are not always our allies."

"How do you mean?" Laurie asked, wondering what Ororo was trying to tell her.

"Say, for example, your opponent is a mutant who is able to take the boosts you give her and use them them to her advantage, growing stronger when others would be knocked out. In that case, a kneejerk reaction could mean the difference between success and grave injury, or worse."

"So what do I do in that situation? I mean, if they're stronger then I am, or have more training?" Laurie asked, fidgeting slightly. She didn't want to tell Ororo that Garrison had kicked her out of training.

"Listen to your CO," Ororo replied, glancing around the Danger Room, which was still set up in the configuration Laurie's scenario had left it in. "You are not going to be able to win all the time. That is an unfortunate fact. But that is why we train, and study our mistakes, and train some more. And that is why we work as a team as well. To support each other's strengths and weaknesses with our own."