Welcome to Gaia! ::

He walked for what seemed like days, although his thoughts weren't full of what he'd say to Anna or how it would go. It went, and that was all he could ask for. Still though, for as much as that all troubled him, and as much as he felt relieved, there were still some things that bothered him. In time, he'd get to that, but for now, he was only concerned with going home, and going to bed. He'd be awake for a long while, and Lord only knows if he'd be able to function on a straight shot of forty-eight hours.

For a moment, Jacen stopped and leaned up against a wall wearily. When he did, he felt a burning sensation on his back. "Damn...," he muttered when he realized he had yet to take care of the slice on his back. ".......Prolly infected too....," he said to himself as he pulled out a cig and lit it. Almost on cue when he lit said cig, it started to rain lightly.

Quietly, he stayed leaned up against the wall watching, hearing, and feeling the rain start to fall faster. Slowly, he took a deep drag from his cigarette as he started back on his way home. While he kept on his way, he almost thought he could hear someone following him, but he didn't say anything. He was too unsure. It wasn't until he was a little further down the way, when he heard a splash in a rapidly forming puddle.

"..........Whoever's back there.....," he said loudly, "Stop trying to be sneaky, please."

OOC: Gold team can be anybody who wants to be on it. I'm thinking that the Intitute is like Academy X in the comics. Each teacher has a team who they train. Ororo is most of their advisors, so I'm thinking that they're all on her GOLD team.

"Regina! Evelyn! Morgan! Anna! All of you, to the Danger Room NOW!" Jean looked highly angry and pointed down the hallway in a manner that none of them wanted to argue with her. "The rest of GOLD TEAM, you get to the join them... so blame them for your late night practice."

"You know the Institute rules and we are disappointed in all of you. You are NOT full fledged X-Men YET, and you DO NOT engage in battle UNLESS you are told to." Jean was screaming at that point. Her face was every shade of red matching her hair.

"Sunuva b***h," Penny said and rolled her eyes. She really need to get the hell out of little leagues here. She hated being treated like she was five. There was no way in hell she would have engaged a battle unless she wouldn't get herself... well, everybody else, killed, "why do they always CALL ME THAT."

"Until you GROW UP,and Morgan, don't get snippy with me. It's not my orders. You can take this up with your advisor," Jean stressed and walked away to leave them to Ororo and Xavier's wrath.

"Whatever," Penny rolled her eyes after Jean left, "If she couldn't lift me up and toss me out the window, I'd take her..."

"Yea, yea..." Anna said and sighed, "And how did I get lumped into this? I didn't do anything."

Penny lead her friends to the locker room to get changed into their training gear, "Unfortunately, you guys get lumped into my problems... partners in crime and all. Sorry guys... guess I'm not always the upstanding leader."

"You didn't hold a gun to our heads. We could have left the sceen."

"Yea, you're right," Penny smiled, "Oh well, let's enjoy it. A little late night battling never hurt anybody."

She grabbed a sword out of her locker and strapped the scabbard to her leg and put another one behind her back. Only a few more months left... she had to get through high school. True, she was 18, and true she could leave any time,but she had promises to keep... and miles to go before she could sleep...

OOC: Shame on you if you don't knwo what the last lines were from. Go read some poetry wink

"It's not rude when going into the Danger Room. Ice storms and flurries can be useful especially if we're against the usual bots," Penny waited in the doorway. How did she get to be the leader? Oh yea, she was the oldest when Xavier told her she had to finish high school to finish training in the Institute.

"We're the low men on the X-Men totum, ladies and gents," Penny said and tried to usher the team out of the locker room, "Doesn't mean we have to like it and leave it. Just means we gotta prove 'em wrong."

Gen, Regina, Anna, Jamie, and Morgan all lined out of their respective locker rooms. Penny followed up behind them and stopped being bitter at the world for a minute. Like it or not, she got herself into a position where people follow her into battle. They followed her into a fight with the Brotherhood. Regina followed her into that dog's path.

Cross roads, that's what they call it. Don't be sorry for yourself. Don't pretend to be confident, just be confident. Don't be sad because daddy was an a*****e. Boo hoo, get over it. These aren't the only kids that follow your lead. Kat, Kurt, Rogue... they're on your heels. Start to think and start to act like a leader. And then, when you're done learning... you'll be a better leader than Summers himself.

She stepped into the Danger Room last and looked up to the control room. Xavier and Ororo were there. Both looked pissed off. Penny stepped forward and started to speak in her most well toned manner, "Professor... Ms. Munroe... I take responsibility for the actions and non actions of this team. Any school policies broken were by my choice and any punishments should be directed at me."

"We will take that into consideration, Evelyn. As for this evening, you will be working a labrynth of villains. You need to defeat them all or the simulation will not end. There are five and they are not easy. On the way to each opponent, there are many obsticals."

And with that, the room went dark and then lit up with the group standing in the middle of a hedge maze.

"Anybody prefer a direction?" Penny saw that they had five ways to go. Nobody answere so she moved forward, "This way is as good as any."

"Morgan, you have control over that sheild of yours?" Penny quickly asked as they rounded up a bend.

"Maybe," He said.

"Use it then, everybody drop back," Penny drew two swords. She heard several flying darts coming at them. Using her instincts, Penny was able to down most of them two the ground. She just hoped that Morgan did have control over this new thing and was able to deflect the rest.

OOC: I have an idea for some of the guys we come up on but I'll leave it open to the writers too. The first three are pretty open, but four and five I already have an idea on (Ginko, they're who I told you about on aim)

{Since Morgan's completed ninja training, he's got a sword too, but not the same kind as Penny's. Morgan wields a katana. Woo, I love katanas.}

Please work, please work, please work. This is what was going through Morgan's mind as the darts came flying at them. Fortunately, it did. The darts hit a bluish translucent wall in midair, and bounced harmlessly to the ground.

"Well, it looks like I do have control over it after all," Morgan said, looking at the darts that were on the ground.

"No problem, Penny," Morgan said as he deflected another volley of bullets. "Let's see what else I can do with these things," he added, creating another smaller forcefield. He then proceeded to use it as a battering ram, knocking a few reavers aside. "Well, that works," Morgan said. {And now to demonstrate another one of Morgan's newer powers! Enhanced reflexes due to the nanites!} Another spray of bullets from the Reavers, but this time Morgan wasn't able to get up his sheild in time. The tore through the air towards him., but hit nothing but the hedge behind him. Somehow, he had dodged the bullet, so to speak. "How the hell did I do that?" Morgan exclaimed, amazed that he wasn't swiss cheese. He quickly sent a forcefield wall at the one who had fired upon him, sending him sprawling into one of the tables.

"Three down, about three dozen to go," Morgan remarked.

Penny wiped some blood away from her mouth. Deathstrike landed a rock hard punch to her jaw. Sometimes Penny wished she had adamantium laced to her bones too. Not really, the process seemed like it would really hurt like a mother. This chick was tough.

Snow... there was now snow. Blinding snow. This could work to Penny's advantage. Thank god for insulated training uniforms. She slinked near where Gen was to talk to her.

"Gen, I know you're scared. I am sure you've never seen anything like this before. Remember, this is not real. Nothing here can hurt you. Xavier would never put you into something you won't walk away from. Try to control your fear," Penny said to her... before Deathstrike pounced on Penny's legs.

"Make this storm blinding, Gen," Penny told her, "Make it blinding and stay back. But don't let the fear control it for you. You control it."

Penny had the senses to work when nobody else could see. Deathstrike would be at a loss. The files did not put sensory skills on one of the Deathstrike's bonuses. The Reavers might not be as slowed with their gear, but it still could work in Penny's favor.