Day 2 - Finally my turn...

by **Alex Carpenter** » Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:51 pm

Alex looked around cautiously as he approached the Danger Room. Well, looks like the coast is clear this time.

"All right... time to see what this thing is made of."

"A Shi'ar alloy composed primarily of tungsten and carbonadium, embedded with 25,000 hard-light projection clusters. Please state student name."

"Holy- Alex Carpenter."

"Self-proclaimed honorifics are invalid in this location. Welcome, Alex Carpenter. New account initialized. Be advised, privileges will be restricted until base competency assessment has been performed. Do you wish to perform base competency assessment at this time?"

"I... guess so."

"Subject's resolve is encouraging. Beginning obstacle course."

"Didn't know computers could be sarcastic..." he muttered as he started running the obstacle course.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 4:58 pm

Brigid had warily come up to the devilish machine, only to find it was in use. Walking up to the observation deck, she blinked.

...oh, crap.

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:09 pm

Alex wasn't bad, to be fair. He was fast, obviously accustomed to running with uncertain footing, and had good reflexes. He hadn't, however, grown up hunting wild animals and dodging life-and-death situations in ~~Germany~~ the Savage Land, so Brigid might have a different outlook on his performance. He managed to dodge a pendulum as he ran through the course, then spun aside from another, pushing off the course's boundaries quickly to avoid a third. The fourth, though, smacked him hard in the back and sent him staggering.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:12 pm

Brigid winced, and looked at the entrance, debating going to help him.

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:21 pm

Dammit... Alex staggered forward, and took what looked like a reckless running step given his lack of balance. But partway through the step his avatar materialized right where he needed to be to catch its hand in midstep and steady himself, so that he only ended up looking like he was going to fall for a moment. He hurried forward, going into a practiced skid on one turn so that he missed a pendulum on its backswing, then dodged aside and kept running as another came swinging across his path.

He wasn't making as good time as Brigid had, but he didn't look like he was handling it badly yet.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:25 pm

Indeed, since it didn't quite look like Alex was managing this by anything but the skin of his teeth, Brigid leaned forward with anxiety, any number of no-doubt comical expressions on her face as she watched him run the course.

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:47 pm

Alex's time wasn't bad, as he finished the obstacle course. Not great, either, I guess. Glad I didn't go follow up Brigid's run yesterday, eesh...

"Reflexes assessed. Beginning tactical assessment."

"Shit."

"That is an appropriate reaction, meatbag."

Alex wasn't sure where to glare, so he settled for glaring at one of the robots that emerged around him. All right... let's see what we can do, he thought, his avatar coalescing next to him.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:50 pm

...it keeps the safeties on for this, right? I hope it keeps the safeties on for this...

Brigid bit her lip.

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:53 pm

It was... an odd fight to watch. Alex's avatar was his main focus, and as the first robot lunged in, Alex took a fast step to get on the other side of the avatar, making a gesture as he thought about what he wanted the avatar to do.

The avatar and the robot grappled for a moment, but the avatar was clearly stronger, slamming the robot down into submission on the floor and preparing to finish it off.

Unfortunately, the other two robots seemed intent on splitting their attention between Alex and his avatar, rather than focusing on one target.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:02 pm

A silly grin spread across Brigid's face as she saw the avatar fight so capably, only to fall again when she realized the other robots were going after Alex proper.

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:13 pm

In truth, only one of the robots went after Alex. The other was heading for the avatar, even as it incapacitated the other robot. Shit shit shit... Alex made another gesture, and the avatar stood and spun around, throwing a wild punch at the other robot... which missed. THis was probably due to the fact that even as he ordered the attack, Alex was dodging back to avoid the other robot. This isn't good...

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:15 pm

Brigid rose from her chair nervously, fighting the urge to charge in there after him.

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:22 pm

The avatar continued to fight, but much more clumsily, now that Alex couldn't consistently see it to control it, his attention being taken by the robot that was attacking him. Alex wasn't doing too badly at the 'not getting his ass kicked' part, but wasn't making much headway. He tried hitting the robot... but it was a robot. Made of metal. And he was just a flesh and blood person. So that didn't exactly do anything. He started trying to maneuver the fight over to where he could get this robot off of him and onto the avatar, but the robot had other ideas, cutting off his retreat with a vicious strike to his midriff.

Alex swore angrily as he staggered back, glaring daggers at the robot as he caught his breath again. The avatar dissolved as his concentration broke, and both of the robots now had their attention on him.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 6:25 pm

Brigid was already at the door, mulling it over.

Okay, if I go charging in there he's really going to hate me...

...but he'll be okay.

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:04 pm

"Shitshitshitshit..."

"Do you surrender?"

"Oh go to hell!" Alex shouted back as he ducked away from one of the robots, just to run into a hit from the other, sending him rolling across the ground holding his side. He scrambled back, the robots far enough away for him to get a second to think, catch up with his thoughts, and...

Oh. Yeah. Duh, Alex.

As the obvious solution blared itself in his head, he balled his fist, waiting for the robots to get close enough, scooting back and to the side so that they were lined up just like he wanted... Then when they were close enough in their charge to be too committed to turn away, he made a thrusting gesture, his avatar forming already in motion in front of him, rushing up at the closest robot with a rising punch to send it flying, it's momentum carrying it forward to rush the second one to the ground as well.

Alex managed to only wince a little as he stood, not really listening as the computer announced the evaluation complete.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:11 pm

Brigid wasn't really sure who the recipient of the loud crash was, as she was at the door rather than the window now. She was rushing in.

"Oh, geez! Are you okay?"

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:32 pm

"Huh? Yeah, of course," Alex said, trying to stretch out the pain in his side like it was a cramp (and, of course, not getting any good results). "I just- wait, what are you doing in here?" Can... people walk in on you?

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:46 pm

"Well it... looked like you were in trouble?"

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:50 pm

"Oh shit, you were watching that?" Alex groaned. Fuck. Someone shoot me now...

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:52 pm

"What? I mean... you watched me!"

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:53 pm

"Yeah, I know, but you were good," he said.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:59 pm

"Yeah, like that really worked out for me..." she muttered.

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:03 pm

"What? You did great, why's that bad?"

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:05 pm

"Well it sure didn't seem to go over that well with you!"

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:07 pm

"Well, I didn't really want to follow that up where you could watch, no," he said, turning red as the 'oh yeah, she's way more awesome at this than me' thought process slammed back into his head.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:10 pm

"That's... that's why I went alone. I didn't want to show off..."

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:15 pm

"Well you weren't showing off, it's not like you said 'Hey Alex, come watch me!' or anything, but, I mean... I wasn't... shit."

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:25 pm

"Well it just showed I'm a freak," she grumbled.

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:27 pm

"What? What the- Okay, you've been hanging around Kay too long, why does every freaking thing translate into 'I'm a freak?'"

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:33 pm

"When I'm in situations like that... things just work. It scares people."

Like you.

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:35 pm

"Like who?" he asked, in an 'oh please' sort of way.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:37 pm

"Oh, like you don't know..."

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:41 pm

"What, how would I... wait, me?" he said, disbelieving. "What, you think I'm scared of your something?"

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:41 pm

"It sure looked that way!"

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:43 pm

"Why the hell would I be- do you think I'm stupid or something? Yeah, Brigid can kick the shit out of things, that must mean she'll tear my arm off and beat me with it if I piss her off. My name's Alex and I'm an idiot."

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:45 pm

"Then why were you freaking out?!"

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:05 pm

"Because you were freaking out! And I didn't want you to freak out just because I'd seen you!" Alex half-truthfully answered.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:15 pm

"That doesn't make any sense!"

by **Alex Carpenter** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 10:21 pm

"You started freaking out as soon as you saw me!" he said defensively.

by **Brigid Plunder** » Mon Apr 02, 2012 11:08 pm

"So I was freaking out, and you freaked out because you didn't want me to freak out?!"

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