Spider-X: A Spider-Man Story

Chapter 10: The Danger Room

Ororo tells him at breakfast on Saturday that today will be his first 'danger room' session. Sounds ominous. Ororo explains that it's a training room for mutants to use their powers freely and learn how to control them. The danger room must be the source of all the mechanical sounds Peter randomly hears during the day.

Peter finds a suit for him in his room. It's dark blue and covers everything from the neck down. Built in pads, nice flexible material, and yellow accents on the shoulders and waist. It's no Spidey costume, but it'll do. Peter hears people running, then the sound of elevator doors opening and closing.

Peter leaves his room to follow them, then stops at the sound of voices. They're coming from the west wing. Odd, Peter thinks, Jean said no students live in the west wing. Peter follows the voices until he can hear them distinctly. He jumps onto the ceiling to stay out of sight and creep a little closer.

"New reports of children going missing." That's Ororo's voice. Peter hears the sound of paper hitting a desk. "Children we had tagged as potentials."

"And what are we to do about that?" A second, deeper voice hisses back. "I can't find them once they're gone."

"Are you even trying?"

"Don't you dare ask me that. Let me remind you it was I who started this place. I don't need you questioning my will to save these young mutants."

Ororo's voice softens. "I'm sorry. It just kills me to know what's happening and that I can't do anything about it."

The other voice sighs. "Trust me, I know, but not even Cerebro can find them once they've disappeared. The only thing we can do is protect our own."

A beat of silence. Then Ororo starts, "you should join us for dinner. The children would love it. Jean would-"

"-someone's here."

Peter stiffens as the voice abruptly cuts off. He silently retreats at the sound of footsteps, crawling as fast as he can and disappearing around the corner just time to hear Ororo.

"No one's here." Then the sound of a door shutting.

Peter drops down and heads to the elevator. They were talking about kids going missing. 'Tagged as potentials'. Potential mutants? Kids with powers? If someone is hunting enhanced kids, maybe that's why he's here. Wanda's voice in his head 'save them'. It can't be a coincidence. And the other voice, it sounded like a man, he was looking for the missing kids, but how? Cerebro, what does that even mean?

Kitty jogs up to his side and presses the elevator button. "You ready for your first danger room session?" She asks cheerily. She's dressed in the same outfit as Peter. "Don't worry, we were all nervous our first time. Scott will look out for you."

They both step in the elevator. "Really?" Peter asks.

"Oh yeah," Kitty continues, "Scott's the best at danger room sessions." The elevator doors open. "When in doubt, tuck and roll," Kitty says before running off to stand with Bobby and Jubilee.

Peter looks around, taking in the metal hallway and large open metal room in front of him. Moving farther into the room, he can see the walls are smooth, rounded, instead of a rectangular room. It's also huge, about a football field's length and two football field's width. Near the ceiling is an enclosed, smaller room, with windows. Peter can see Ororo and the outline of someone in a wheelchair. It must be the control room.

Near the opening of the room is the rest of the students. Scott's traded his sunglasses for a visor looking thingy over his eyes, it must be more secure/give him more control. Rogue is leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking annoyed. Jean is just standing in the opening, looking up at the control box. Probably looking at the people in the control room. Kitty, Bobby, and Jubilee are standing in a little clump, giggling about something that Peter has no desire to eavesdrop on, and Scott is doing some light warm up movements.