Rogue Evolution

D&D is for Nerds 4.2

Despite the thick padding of her open-fingered gloves, Anna could still feel the soft cartilage of Logan's nose when her fist made contact with his face. What she felt next was utter shock travel from her core up and through the rest of her body. She had never once punched another person, and never - at least until then - thought herself capable. Logan was normally so quick with his padded gloves to block her blows, but - apparently - in this one instance, she was just that much faster. He recoiled and took a step back, holding up one padded glove at her to signal her to stop.

"Jesus... Wolverine, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

He wiped one of his hairy arms under his nose, looked at the blood, and smiled. "Good one, kid. It's rare anyone gets one over me. You're really getting quick."

"Um, thanks?" Keeping her distance, she tried to look at his face. "Shit - I didn't break anything, did I?"

"Nothing that won't fix itself in a couple of minutes." He wiggled his nose back and forth, then looked back at her through a recomposed fighting position. "Give me more of that. There was some anger in there."

She reclaimed the fighting stance he had been grinding in her head over the past few weeks. "I... don't want to hurt you."

"Trust me, kid, you can't." He took a swipe at her and she nimbly dodged. "Come on, take your week out on me."

"If you say so..." She curled her fists tight enough the material in her gloves audibly constricted, then got low in her stance. She jabbed once, twice, then faked him out with a third and instead swept for his leg with her own.

He dodged her leg and gave her a shove. "Come on, skunk hair. You can do better."

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she gave him a jab, then a shove of her own but he easily grappled her and spun her around to where her back was at his chest. "Amateur shit. Use your head a little-"

It was then she threw her head back and nailed him in the same spot in the nose. When he recoiled back, she freed herself from his grasp, slipped a leg behind his, and clotheslined him - knocking him flat on his back. After he fell she was quick to take him by the arm, twist it, and drop a knee onto his chest where she pinned him. Her free hand poised to strike his face she waited for him to say something smug. She almost thought he was when he smiled.

"You know, I think you're ready, kid."

"For what? What else could you freaking do to me? Run more laps? Climb another god-damned rope? You know what, whatever it is - bring it old man! I. Don't. Care! Fucking bring it!"

*

The two tall doors looked nearly 20 feet in height and near just as much in length. They were the sort of doors Anna only imagined existed in secret military bases or fallout shelters. Thick and heavy, the doors keep a near-perfect metallic sheen to them that she could just about see her reflection in. Near her imperfect reflection, she read in large black letters 'DANGER ROOM.'

"I don't want it." She said, staring at the words. "I'll take the extra miles instead, please."

"Stop clutching your pearls." Logan made for the control panel fixed to the right of the two doors. "You knew this day was coming eventually."

"Sure but - I didn't think it would be this year... or like, the next." She gestured at the words. "For Christ's sake, dude, the thing is called the 'Danger Room.' Do you really think I'd be thrilled about this?"

If Logan responded, Anna couldn't hear it over the massive doors splitting apart and slowly revealing a small sort of antechamber. Just as tall and as big as the doors, the small room held a series of tall lockers on the left, and on the right was an assortment of weird-looking pads and gym equipment. Logan brushed past her and started sifting through the gym gear. He eventually tossed orange spray-painted pads and body armor onto a bench behind him. "Suit up. Newbies pad up."