The Ashford Institute for the Gifted; the place that is your new home. Perhaps you’ve never truly had a home to begin with or maybe you had loving parents, friends, a lover, a life before you became one of the “Gifted”. Whatever came before is the past and now you are part of the future; the next step in human evolution. Mutant. That is what they call you, and the Ashford Institute is a place where your kind belongs. You have been accepted into this academy, which you have learned to be the sister school to the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters; the home for the X-Men. By you having been selected to come to this institute to train your powers, learn what it means to be a mutant, and to be accepted by others like you, your old life is over and a new one has begun; potentially the life of a future among the X-Men yourself. Are you ready?

You’ve been at the institute now for about three and a half weeks. Mostly you’re time has been taken up my medical exams, physicals, tours, introductions, and the Institute’s two week long orientation. Now that all of those things have wrapped up it’s time for your journey here to truly begin. Today is a big day; it’s the first day of the Academy and your first assignment is to meet in the Training Center, or the TC for short, bright and early at 7:300 AM. You aren’t exactly sure what’s going to happen once you get there but you were told to bring a change of clothes and to wear closed toed shoes. What does the future hold here at your new home? Will you fit itn? Will you truly become one of the X-Men? Only time will tell...but that time starts now.

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Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep. Nathan awakes to loud sound of his alarm clock. It says 7:00 AM, and unfortunately that means that it’s time for him to get up. It feels like he hasn’t had a good nights rest since the night he got here, but truly he knows that it’s been far longer that since he’s had a good night’s sleep. The first few weeks here at the Academy flew by, and Nathan was very much out of his comfort zone here. Meeting new people...new “mutants”, and all of the activities and nuances that came with being in a place like this had been more than a little overwhelming for him but he was doing his best to adapt...though he feared even his best might not be good enough.

As he got out of bed and prepared for what was in store for him today he thought his time here so far. He hadn’t made any friends, hadn’t really talked to anyone other than when he had to, and other than his roommate, who he’s only seen for maybe a few minutes a day other than when they’re sleeping, he doesn’t really even know anyone's names or anything about them. He knew that this would have to change, that he would have to change; that he couldn’t like he used to anymore and that he wasn’t alone any longer. It was a new start; a fresh start, and hopefully it would be the beginning of good things to come.

The outside air was brisk and almost wintery as he walked towards the massive, metal coliseum looking building that was deemed the “TC”. As he placed his hand on the fingerprint reader it beeped at him approvingly and a robotic, feminine voice spoke out to him. “Welcome Nathaniel.” The doors opened and he walked in to see a large, circular room with hallways leading to diferent kinds of gyms, training areas, swimming pools, and one hallway where Professor Pierce and Professor Everose were waiting for him. He couldn’t believe that he was the first to arrive...how awkward. He looked up above the professor’s heads to see a sign indicating that this particular hallway led to a room labeled “Danger Room”. It was Professor Everose, in her sweet and soothing voice that spoke first.

“Good morning Nathan...Are you ready to meet your new team?”.

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The early morning sun rays beamed down and kissed Danny's olive toned skin as he made his way through the garden that was located at the back of the Institute. The red haired boy couldn't have picked a better place to attend school than Northern California where many vineyards were located. Only a person like him could appreciate nature and her creation in all of its glory as he looked up to the sky with his eyes closed, enjoying the outdoors. Danny had already been up and out of his dorm by 6 in the morning due to lack of sleep. Most of it was due to homesickness. When he had first arrived at the school, he was more than excited to start his new journey to discover who he was and to perfect his abilities. But as weeks went by he couldn't help but miss his mother and father as he spent most of his time at home with them when he wasn't on a retreat or saving nature. However that all went away when he had his time to go outside and enjoy the plants, the trees, and everything natural in the world. It always made him feel calm and serene, especially feeling rejuvenated from the rays of the sun. Being asleep for 8 hours a day without sun or water had more of an affect on him than normal people so he made sure to replenish himself as soon as possible.

Danny had came along way since he arrived at the school. For starters, he had made a name for himself as the campus tree-hugger and Eco-Nazi when he wasn't quiet and keeping to himself. He made sure to inform the staff that they needed recycling bins all over campus and replacing water bottles with filtered water canisters. He just couldn't help himself when it came to imposing his green beliefs on others. He still had a long ways to go before chilling out. On the bright side, the students were enjoying using green materials as well as the freshly grown organic fruits and vegetables that he grows himself in the garden. None of that chemical injected mess that most stores give to the public. But in the end, Danny meant well and wasn't a bad person. He could just be a bit abrasive at times when it came to this stuff which is something people have learned to get used to around campus. Most of the time when he wasn't doing their introductions, he spent most of his time tending to the gardens and making himself home in the greenhouse where he kept most of his plants and pheromone toxin experiments at.

As he was laying sprawled out on the grass soaking up the sun, his phone alarm began to go off in his pocket. Like interruption of the needle sliding off of a record player, he was snapped out of his daze and reached into his pants to grab his phone. He remembered that he had set an alarm for 7:30 to be at the TC for their first assignment. He hoisted himself off of the freshly cut green grass, grabbed his bag with athletic clothes from the greenhouse, and made his way over to the metal coliseum to join the other students. They just told him to bring a change of clothes as he wasn't prepared for what they were about to do. Danny was dressed quite simple today as opposed to his usual hipster or preppy vibe he gives. Danny wore a simple lime green tank top, some black leggings, and some black boots with the leggings tucked inside. He approached the electronically locked door and pressed his finger to the fingerprint security scanner.

"Welcome Daniel," said the voice as the door opened, allowing access to inside the TC. Danny walked inside and to much surprise there was only one other student there and the professors. He walked up to them and put his hands in front of him, his bag dangling off the side of his shoulder to wait for further instruction. He looked at the boy that was there with one of those awkward smiles you give a stranger as you pass them on the sidewalk. He didn't really know him as he only seen the boy a few times around campus. Danny looked back up to the professors and gave another smile. "Morning," he said trying to sound cheerful.

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"Is it cancer!?" The fear in Laura's voice sent a chill down Casper's spine, a usually calm and collected woman. Having been a soldier in the army before she decided to push papers and become a successful business woman, she was a soldier at heart and often showed it. However, when it came to her sons, nothing could prevent her from worrying.

"We don't know yet, but we'd like to keep him here for observation." The doctor's response wasn't very assuring, but it was all he could give. Casper had been told to sit and wait for them to finish talking outside the hospital room but with a door slightly ajar, every word they spoke made its way towards his ears with relative ease.

"Cancer...? Heh, fuckin' hell..." Gently swaying his feet back and forth, sitting on the hard and uncomfortable bed, Casper's eyes trailed down to the floor, his thoughts wandering. What was he going to tell his brother? Laura was probably going to pretend like everything was alright once she stepped through that door, all to weave an illusion she knew she wouldn't be able to keep up. Ironically, Casper just went for a checkup and after a few blood tests, they noticed something very odd with his cells. He felt fine, but there was no way of telling that he actually was. Casper reached his hand up and scratched the back of his head, a soft sigh leaving his lips. "Just got into a new school, too. Oh well...I always said that nothing's gonna' keep me down. Maybe this will...we all fall to something, right?" Putting his hands together, the boy trailed his fingers across his skin, thinking about the small things in life that he'd miss out on now. The first thought in his mind was petting his cat, Fang. It brought a gentle smile to his lips, mainly because in the face of eventual death, his cat was the first thing he thought about. "Sorry, Leon. Love you too, promise..."

Breaking him out of his thoughts, Laura and the doctor stepped back into the room with a forced smile plastered against their lips. "Hi, sweetie." Casper quite obviously got his appearance from his mother, with his blonde brother getting his from Kai, their dad. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Son, I'd like to keep you here for observation for a few days." Always the bearer of bad news, wasn't he? Though, what the doctor had told Casper was something the boy had heard them mouth outside the room only a minute prior.

"No shit..." Casper didn't reply, but simply nodded.

"I promise to come and visit you as often as I can, alright sweetie?" Placing her hands on Casper's cheeks, she planted a loving kiss to his forehead before she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Okay." The boy had never been one of many words, not even in a situation like this. A day would pass, Casper finding himself in bed in another part of the hospital. Like always, it was hard, uncomfortable and barely offered any sleep. All the blood they took and tests they conducted nearly made the boy feel dizzy but he knew that it was required. A second day passed, and a third. After a full week at the hospital, they had brought in someone else to look things over, a specialist. Casper had never seen this man before, he appeared to be in his fifties and had an asian appearance, his clothes giving off many vibes but none of them being 'doctor'.

The man stepped into Casper's room, his suit and tie making him seem incredibly out of place in a building sporting nothing but white coats. "Good day, Casper."

"Hey."

"How do you feel?"

"Fine."

Rubbing his chin, the man sat down next to the boy, a professional smile making its way across his lips. "My name is Kazuhira Mato. I am a specialist in biological evolution and mutations. I have looked over your blood samples and I have some good news. You do not have cancer."

"Then...what is it?" One could have expected a better response, but at this point Casper was just tired of all the bullshit. He wanted an answer, whatever it turned out to be.

"Your cells do not split, they replicate. See, the reason why the doctors thought this was cancer is because cancer cells split endlessly. Your cells do not split to begin with."

"Replicate...?" That was a term Casper was more than a little familiar with.

"Casper, you do not age. A cell has a maximum amount of times it can split, however in your case, they do not deteriorate due to the fact that they replicate rather than split. This is quite astounding, something unlike what I have seen before."

"I don't...age...?" Agelessness. At first, it sounded rather cool but a few seconds later allowed the term to truly sink in and the only things Casper could see were loneliness, sorrow and misery. Everyone around him would age, die and perish. He would never grow to have an adult frame and that came with a series of complications that could not be listed if he tried. It was if he was frozen in time, nothing but a kid...forever.

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Out of breath and with sweat streaming down his skin, Casper sat up quickly and looked around. He was at the academy, in his bed. "Fucking hell..." He placed his hands on his face, softly rubbing his forehead and eyes moments before the alarm clock rang and sent another scare into him. Hitting the top of the clock made it shut up, allowing the boy a moment to fall down to his back and breathe out. "That freaking dream is gonna' haunt me forever..." Today was going to involve some exercise, he had been told. Hopefully it wasn't anything he had to lift, that would just be a nuisance. Casper possessed a small, lithe and nimble frame, but strength was something he majorly lacked and wasn't too keen on wasting his time improving. He was dextrous and knew how to get out of the way of danger, an aspect of his skills he very much wanted to improve. He knew that he couldn't throw a punch to save his life so trying not to get hit himself was probably the best thing he could hope for.

Placing his feet on the floor, Casper made his way towards the shower where he cleaned himself up and slipped into a t-shirt, training pants and shoes made for the situation. In the bag he had a pair of black cargo pants, another t-shirt and black converse shoes. This was the day where he was going to meet his team of misfits, wasn't it? Yeah, the people he would have to learn to spend his time with, share his food with and call his brothers and sisters when the time came, wasn't it? "Mom's rubbed off on me...shit, I'm gonna' meet some new people and I go thinking about 'brother's in arms'...Chill the fuck out, Cassy..."

Casper started out of his room and made his way across the campus, finally arriving at the training centre a few minutes later. "Welcome, Casper." A robotic voice greeted him and allowed him access into the training centre where another two students had already met up. He was the third to arrive at the scene.

"A robot voice...? What's next, an actual robot that we'll have to fight...? That's probably just wishful thinking." Dropping the heavy bag, Casper soon followed suit and dropped down on top of it with his chin resting against his hand, his elbow against his kneecap. He didn't say anything to the others, but rather sat quietly in wait for what was to come. He had seen them before, though. That one guy was quiet and always looked like he was going to piss himself in crowds. The other was the fucking eco-warrior. "He probably jerks off to lemons..." When Casper had that dream he was always in a rather foul mood. It would pass, but it was going to take some time.

A loud and annoying ringing began sounding from a nearby alarm clock, causing Conner to calmly get up and shut the alarm off. Rubbing some faint exhaustion out of his eyes, Conner began his usual routine of getting ready for the day. Brushing his teeth, washing his face, etc, etc. When Conner first came here, he wasn't sure what to think of the place. He didn't trust it, really. After all, a school where people with "gifts" like him could get help and be protected sounded just too good to be true. In Conner's mind, it was not possible. Sure, he came here to avoid his father, but that didn't mean he would just decide to trust the place.

So, Conner spent the month learning what he could about the academy. He learned the names and faces of everyone he came across. He learned the locations and uses of each place he visited during the tours. He even studied how the scientists and doctors who examined the students' bodies acted. After 3 and 1/2 weeks, though, Conner finally came to the conclusion that this school was truly here to help people like him. This was the safest place for him.

With a sigh, Conner left his dorm room and headed to another nearby dorm room, then knocked on the door by rapping his knuckles on the door three times. After a brief period of waiting, the door opened, revealing a brown-haired girl wearing pajamas and a cap, who clearly looked like she just got out of bed. "'Morning, Conner," Kimberly greeted sleepily, but cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Today's the first day," Conner said, while also tapping his watch. "Seven. Thirty." For a moment, Kimberly was confused, but as her mind caught up, her eyes widened in surprise and she slammed the door closed as she rushed back to get ready. Conner merely leaned against a wall and waited as Kimberly got ready for the day.

Eventually, Kimberly threw the door open, now fully awake and ready for the first day of the academy. "Sorry for the wait, Conner! Let's go!" Kimberly said cheerfully, which put a small smile on Conner's face as well before he turned away and asked, "You know where we're going, right?" Kimberly playfully indignantly replied, "Of course I know! It's the training room." Conner continued on, "Good, good. Just making sure."

Eventually, the two arrived at the entrance of the Training Center. Conner pla ed his hand on the fingerprint scanner, and the door opened with an approving beep, followed by a feminine robotic voice saying, "Welcome, Conner." Entering the rather spacious area, Conner and Kimberly made their way to the hallway where the two instructors were waiting, along with Daniel the Eco-Nazi, Casper, and another kid that even Conner didn't know the name of.

"Good morning, everyone!" Kimberly said cheerfully, raising a hand in greeting. Conner merely grunted and nodded, also raising a hand in greeting.

Alison's watch beeped, tearing her out of the light trance she always fell into when she ran in the morning. She slowed her pace down to a jog and glanced down at her wrist to look at the time, just to make sure. She had decided to cut her morning run short today, since the rest of the day would likely be tiring enough.

Noone had told her exactly what was going to happen at the Training Center, but the change of clothes indicated some sort of exercise and it was an open secret that these kinds of meetings usually turned out to be the forming of a new team. A team. The thought was strange to her, exciting but also making her nervous. She ran, yes. She was fit and -theoretically- knew self-defence and how to get herself out of trouble. But her mutant powers were completely passive. She still hadn't managed to get that shield up again. Or Forcefield. Or whatever they wanted to call it. These powers differed with everyone, and Alison wasn't sure about naming them by comparison to someone else's.

She headed back to the girl's dorm's at a light jog, taking the steps to the doors two at a time, then skipping up another flight of stairs to the showers. She made quick work of cleaning up, toweled her hair dry as much as possible before slipping in a pair of comfortable jeans, a black top and her favourite light green shirt, which she left hanging open in hopes of cooling down a little faster, the exercise and steaming hot water bringing a light, heated flush to her skin. She quickly slipped on her boots, then blow-dryed her hair enough not to catch a cold. Really couldn't use that right now. Then again, when could anyone ever use one?

She grabbed the bag of fresh gym clothes she had put in her locker the evening before, together with anything she had needed to shower. She always tried not to wake her roommate too early, the girl got positively murderous if she didn't get her full 8 hours of sleep. Alison had learned quickly to tip-toe out of the room and only put her shoes on out in the hallway if she wanted to run a few laps in the morning.

Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she walked over to the TC, checking her watch before she entered to make sure she was still on time. She let her prints be taken and looked up, surprised, when a hollow, robotic voice greeted her. "Welcome, Alison." And with that the door swung open and she stepped through, curiously looking around, noticing she was the seventh to arrive. "Good Morning." she said into the general silence of the room with a smile, completely hiding how awkward this all felt and instead going for warm. Wondering if she was the last to arrive or there would be more, she stepped to the side to free up the doorway and smiled in greeting at the professors before taking in the other faces in the room.

"Yes, uh-huh... alright... I understand. Yes mom, Yes, mom, Yes. Mom. ALRIGHT ALREADY!...Love you too, bye."
He hung up the burner phone and checked the time before flipping it over to remove the battery. With no power, they can't be traced or remotely activated. It was one of a hundred little things he did to keep both his moms safe from so far away. He put the device in the glove box with the battery in the middle console before as he Locked up his truck and checked all the panels to be sure they were secure. Keys to truck in gym-bag, he threw it over his shoulder and left the garage.

Usually he would be doing laps but the instructions said to bring a change so no point in exercising twice, he took the morning to check on his truck for the week instead. Still, he decided to use the distance as the opportunity to get in a jog to limber up. He hadn't taken up full freerunning just yet but now was as good a time to practice something new as he looked like a complete idiot hopping and bouncing off of walls. When he tried to clear a empty eating bench in front of the crowd but ended up on his ass, he simply shrugged and said "Mr. Pierce." as if that answered anything. Surprisingly a few nodded and went back to their breakfast as he resumed his ridiculous routine.

Winded but not out of breath from the one minute mile freerun, he put his hand on the panel for it to chime back. "Welcome, Alexandrew." And the doors to open with a hiss as he hissed out a groan. "Please. Its 'Alex', not Alexandrew."

He shook it off and headed inside to see the others there in better states of dress than him. He slipped off his combat boots and reached into the duffel's pocket to pull out a change of footwear. He liked them because they folded up so small but still offered great support, He folded the bottom of his camo-pants over and around to tuck inside the tabi and slipped off the top layers to his tank like the other guy had before putting everything away. He still had one altoid kit in his back pocket just in case as they didn't know what the training might involve.

Five guys, two girls, he'd heard of worse odds. Some he knew or knew about already, He wanted to know the eco-guy better, the garden was great but not nearly sustainable for the whole campus, he'd love to help get it off the ground to get them off the grid. There was that really energetic girl who some called 'mousy', She was about as mousy as a pikachu. He didn't see that hot blond around here, but there was nothing wrong with the redhead either. He felt a mental 'mommaslap' for ooggling the girls and tried to pay attention to the teacher. At least then he could stare at the female teacher and not get too much attention.

"Explain to me once again why you decided to go to school in America?" Val'a's brother had finally, after a month, noticed that she wasn't actually home. He had called her forty seven times before she finally woke up and they had been on the phone for an hour as she tried to both calm him down and get him to stop asking questions. Even the best lie can be undone by it becoming to complicated, and you forget your even lying.
"I've got to go to class, that is an actual thing." Val'a was only kept on the phone with him for a few minutes before she finally managed to hang up. She grabbed her gym bag that was already packed with an extra changed of clothes and brushed against the lamp at the top of her room, transporting her through the schools wiring system. She was briefly stopped in the elevator, in order to establish her identity before continuing on in the circuitry. She appeared in the training center, in a bolt of lightning and a crack of thunder.

"Sorry I'm late, my brother doesn't understand the concept of time zones." Valentina felt the need to explain herself as she set the gym bag down next to her. She pulled her hair up into a hair binder and glanced around the room. She hadn't made many friends with the people in this room. Her roommate was quite...and a telepath so it was awkward all over. Especially since Valentina's powers didn't let her sleep in one place at night. She had woken up all over the school, the latest one in the gym, on a treadmill. It had been all very annoying and led to a lack of sleep that didn't do well for her personality or friend making skills.

Valentina worked on keeping herself together, and not in an outlet. It would pass in a second, and then she would be fine but until then she closed her eyes and kept herself grounded, quite literally.

So, what am I working with...?" Raising his head slightly, Casper gazed from one person to the other. On the surface, they all looked like normal people. There was no one there who appeared to be anything special. Though, as he had been taught, Casper watched them with the intent of analysis, trying to place each and everyone of them. It would be handy for future events, knowing who he had by his side. Casper himself was no one the others had probably taken any notice to, as it should have been. The boy was an incredibly stealthy individual, in lack of better words. He prefered to stay out of the business of others unless someone decided to fuck with him, whereas Casper has displayed a very short fuse. Speaking of which, Casper doesn't appear to like people, at all. Several reasons were probably the factor of this but nothing anyone else knew. No one here knew of anyone else's power as far as he understood, or rather, he didn't know of anyone else's power. It was an interesting thought, though. How many people here thought of themselves as superior to normal human beings? How many people here would one day join the sects and groups targeting human beings that were rumoured to exist? Right at his moment Casper was looking at a room filled with people he would have to call 'friends' for ease of socialising, but what laid in their hearts?

"Social anxiety...some people think I have it because I avoid crowds. Truth is I'm just an asshole who fucking hates people..." Like any good little soldier, Casper had made sure to learn the name of everyone there. He didn't actually know any of them, but he knew enough to scratch the surface. This guy was named Nathan, he appeared to be a polite individual but was struggling with social interactions. The guy was probably working on it vigorously to little effect. "Stop giving a shit about others, it tends to help..."

The eco-warrior, a guy with hair visible a mile away. This was a prime example of a person whose heart was in the right place but those good hearted ideals were executed in less than favourable ways. "Once I get to know you, I'm sure I'm gonna' have to walk on eggshells not to offend you on every turn, won't I? What a fucking nuisance..." There was something about Danny that annoyed Casper more so than he expected. Perhaps it was the extreme passion he had for saving the planet, or the ambition he showed for what he believed in. There could perhaps be a hint of jealousy in the younger boy's heart because Danny had something to fight for, something to identify himself with. He loved mother earth and did everything in his power to protect her, even if it made him into an annoying prick. One had to admire him for it.

"Conner and Kimberly...they're probably a couple. Judging from Conner's delightful grunt, I guess he's supposed to be the 'strong and silent' type while his chick is hyper. Lovely..." Casper hadn't seen these two that often but they appeared to be together most of the time. Were they best friends? Probably. If they were a couple or not was still up in the air, though.

"Alison if I'm not mistaken...she's a runner. I've seen her a few times outside my window. Fuck, I'm starting to sound like a creeper..." Out of the entire group, she appeared to be among the more stable ones. She maintained a calm state of mind from what Casper had seen and appeared to get along with those he had observed her with. She'd probably befriend Mr. Anxiety.

"Fucking hell...this guy looks like something out of an apocalypse movie. His paranoia is freaking hilarious." The native american. What exactly was his deal? Did he think the world was going to come to an end? Well, given how many unstable mutants were probably running around, it wasn't an off assumption. "Maybe his power is rain dancing..."

Tearing Casper from his thoughts, a girl just suddenly appeared in the training room in a burst of lightning. His eyes widened slightly at the sight, and needless to say he wasn't exactly prepared for something like that, not even in a place like this. "Shit...! Aren't these places protected against crap like that? Can't say this is all that safe if a mutant can just zap in here..." She was the Russian, wasn't she? Whatever her power was, it had something to do with electricity and was that...teleportation? This was going to be a very interesting stay.

While they, apparently, waited for the last students to arrive at the TC, Alison used the time to get a better look at the people who seemed to be her teammates from this day on. SHe recognized some of the older faces in the group from this or that class she had taken over the last few years.

Daniel Green was easy to recognize and Alison mostly remembered him because of the hair. She had heard someone say the color was linked to his powers as a mutant and she had immediately envied him for not having to dye every other month. Once that had stuck with her, she had picked up some things here and there, like the fact that he grew fruits and vegetables himself, was a firm believer in recycling and using green materials wherever possible and, according to Ali's roommate Diane, could be quiet harsh when contradicted. Alison, herself, ahd always thought his demands were quite reasonable and not especially hard to accomplish if people didn't reject them our of sheer spite.

Another student she remembered mostly because of his appearance, especially his hair, was Alex. A guy with hair that long was rather distinctive. Also, a lot of girls were -very secretly- jealous of that hair.

Nathan she faintly recognized, but if she remembered correctly he was rather quiet and appeared uncomfortable around people. She couldn't quite remember if they had ever talked, either.

And then there was the russian girl. Alison remembered her name started with a 'V' and was usually shortened to Val, or something similar. And -obviously- she had the sort of looks your eyes followed automatically across the room. Apparently, her powers were some sort of Teleportation. Her appearance had startled Ali enough for her to flinch back into the wall, and blink against the flas of lightning. Now, she looked to be concentrating, probably fighting off her powers drawback.

As Alison's eyes wandered over the younger students in the room, she barely recognized anyone. For a brief moment, she noticed the kid with black, long-ish hair and bangs falling into his face looking her way. It seemed she wasn't the only one taking in the new team members. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him yet, his expression wasn't giving much away. She had seen him around, but that didn't really mean much because she had always been good with remembering faces.

Moving on to the two that had arrived just before she had, she immediately noticed the girl fiving off a cheery vibe. The two seemed to belong together somehow, whether that meant siblings, friends or lovers would likely been discovered pretty quickly.

She glanced at the front, noticing the professors were still patiently looking at the door, apparently waiting for at least one other student to turn up. Ali wondered briefly how big the team would end up being and what exactly had been planned for them after all of them had arrived.

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To be honest it was kind of awkward as him and the other boy along with the professors were just standing in silence waiting for the others to arrive. The boy who had been standing next to Danny was not much of a talker from what others had said so it was kind of pointless to even try to say anything. However Danny didn't want to judge him too harshly as that used to be him a few years ago especially when he started public school for the first time. Shyness can be overcome in time with mostly everyone so he knew it was only a matter of time before the boy broke out of his shell. Danny was still the quiet type but only when there was nothing to say or if the environment wasn't involved in the conversation. As of now, the young red haired boy just stood there with his hands in front of him, occasionally whistling to break the silence.

It was almost a sigh of relief when others had started to arrive. Right behind him was another boy, a young emo one who was just as quiet as the other boys. However Danny had sensed some tension and animosity with the other boy that he couldn't exactly put his finger on. Maybe he was just paranoid but it seemed like the emo kid didn't really like him by the way he looked at him. Either way, the boy was probably misunderstood so Danny did his best to think positively as he believed it made the world a better place. He just smiled at him so it wouldn't be rude to stand there and not acknowledge him. Next was a boy and a girl who he hadn't seen at all come into the TC. They seemed to know each other well which Danny envied since he didn't really have a best friend here. The only friends he had were the plants, flowers and trees as lame as that sounded. He responded with a wave to the girl's cheerfulness as the other boy seemed like he was annoyed.

After them came in a girl who was also a red head. Danny had seen her around a few times as that hair wasn't easy to miss which was probably said about him too. He was known for his bright auburn hair that you could see a mile away. He responded with a quick "Morning" before another boy walked behind her who looked to be Native American. Danny really had no clue but was just stereotyping by the way he looked. His name was Alex if he could remember right. It was a shame he had no idea who anyone else was but probably knew who Danny was because of his reputation. The only reason he knew who Alex was because he had some kind of survival obsession as if the apocalypse was near. It would have been hypocritical for Danny to tease him about his passion as Danny was just the same way about plants. However it did make him chuckle.

Danny suddenly jumped in his spot when a bolt of electricity was conjured and a girl appeared from it. He put his hand over his chest as he turned back forward. Some students here had crazy powers which made him a bit anxious at the same time. He didn't exactly know what everyone could do, only the ones who were flashy with their powers. He couldn't lie to himself if he said he wasn't a little nervous about their first TC assignment. He didn't know what to expect or how he would get along with the others. He wanted to prove that he wasn't just some stickler for saving the world, but someone who could be a good trusting friend as well.

As more students began flooding in Nathan recognized each of them. Even though he wasn't one to make waves or be in the spotlight, normally at least, he had always been good at observing others and was typically aware of his surroundings; social anxiety and cynicism came with their perks after all it seems. Every student there was familiar yet unknown to him and despite trying not to Nathan couldn't help but feel as though he was surrounded by strangers. Professor Everose had referred to them as his "new team", something that still hadn't really set in. He wondered exactly what that meant and what all today would entail, but mostly he hoped that he didn't somehow end up screwing everything up or looking like a complete idiot for the millionth time in his life. This was an opportunity for him to be anyone that he wanted to be and so he began wondering why the hell he was being the same old thing that he had always been. 'Not today... Not anymore'. He thought to himself before doing something that he knew he would regret.

"Hey everyone." He spoke awkwardly in an almost too quiet voice. "I guess we're supposed to be a team now. My uh...my name is Nathan and I look forward to, uh, getting to know all of you guys?". It was a question. It wasn't meant to be a question but it sure came out like one. 'Oh God why did I say it like that?' He pondered internally while forcing an awkward smile.

Secured in his new shoes, he walked over to the wall and set his bag down to get it out of the way with a heavy *Thunk* full of gear before he returned to the group. Everyone was milling around saying nothing while waiting presumable for the last to show up.

Suddenly there was a crack of thunder and Alex LEAPED back all the way back to his bag and dropped low into a crouch with his right hand in his duffel for a weapon in case the training had begun. The lightning formed a person, not just any person, the hot blond he was wondering about earlier. When nothing happened for a few long moments, he chuckled and got back up with an empty hand as Nathan introduced himself.

"Hey, is it always Nathan or is 'Nate' okay too? Good idea to get us rolling, since we already know what one of us can do, maybe we should go around doing the 'name and power' sort of thing? I'm Alex, I'm like captain America with Maximum strength, balance, stuff like that. You could call me 'Captain Native American'... Nah, that sucks. Who's next?"

"Oh...we're sharing now...?" Casper's eyes trailed to Nathan as the boy began to speak. "Well done, buddy..." Being the one person in their group with social anxiety, it was a huge deal that Nathan was the first one to introduce himself. That took a lot of guts as even confidant people often refused to be the first ones speaking in a group of new individuals. Second was the indian, a person who's personality would quite obviously not click with Casper. He seemed to be incredibly laid back, joked as he spoke in a way the younger boy considered plain and sported an aura Casper would rather hoist on someone else. "Captain America, huh...? I've read up on him, he's also...ageless, I think..." It was either that, or vastly slowed ageing. They found him in the ocean long after world war two but ice itself could not have conserved him the way it did. Normal human beings would have died from it, obviously. The man had a dangerously political name, though. It made sense given the time when he was created but in today's society he could as well be called Captain Propaganda.

Though, given his exploits he deserves the mantle of hero. "Is that why we're here...? To become heroes...?" The boy looked down for a moment, gazing at the palm of his hand as his thoughts wandered. Hero, the word in itself sent shivers down his spine. Sure, he was nimble and he could use firearms quite well thanks to his mother, but if being a hero was going to be the result of this, he was unsure if he had what it took. Physical issues wasn't the only problem. True, being frozen at the age of fourteen with a small and fragile frame comes with a lot of disadvantages in close quarters combat, but that wasn't the main issue. Did Casper even want to risk his life for non-mutants? "Leo..." Simply allowing the thought to pass immediately brought an image of his brother up in his mind.

Casper had a small yet lingering resentment for non-mutants because of their treatment of mutants. Part of him believed that the legendary X-Men were wasting their time, that humanity deserved to fall under the weight of their own stupidity. Mutant gangs and criminal organisations were formed all the time to fight against mankind and in a way, Casper didn't mind. Sometimes the fear of superiority needed to be bashed into peoples' skulls. Then again, that fear turns to ignorance and thus all mutants get hated for what a few do. It was a difficult issue, something politicians were discreetly trying to approach.

Alex appeared to have what it took to be a hero, didn't he? Well, at least physically. He had the body fit for a poster and sported a personality many could find charming. His powers appeared to enhance his probably already impressive physical capabilities, and if he was indeed like Captain America in terms of powers, he'd be effective. "...as a meat shield..." Of course, Casper preferred to be in the distance, preferably with a long range rifle providing support. When in close range, he preferred a handgun, something that tended to punch a bit harder than he did.

"I'm Casper." For the first time since he arrived, the boy decided to speak. One could perhaps expect a less confidant aura surrounding someone of his appearance but Casper spoke with a quiet yet confidant tone. "I tend to shoot shit in the face..." The sentence formed itself in his mind and forced a soft chuckle. Was he going to say that out loud? Of course not, Casper could never bring himself to kill anyone. Given how messed up this group probably was, joking about that would probably rub them the wrong way. Reaching his hand up, the boy scratched the back of his head and looked down, regaining his composure. "I can copy things..." He shrugged, watching the others for a moment. They didn't need to know the ins and outs of his powers and he wasn't too keen on sitting there explaining it, either. He hated being the centre of attention. "I guess I like...flowers..." That wasn't actually a lie. Casper loved flowers, they were beautiful and so serene. He'd also say that he liked guns, a lot, but he wasn't too keen on being thought of as a freak just yet.

Alison looked up, a little surprised as Nathan introduced himself, a little awkwardly and sort of stumbling over his own words, but being the first to break the awkward silence in the room was always hard. A warm smile crept onto her face when his words set off first Alex, then Casper and when the younger boy fell silent, she decided it was her turn now.

"It's nice to meet you all. I'm Alison, but most people call me Ali, so feel free to do the same." she started, sounding calm and friendly and still wearing the smile. "I, erm, sort of 'create' Illusions. It's a little hard to explain, but I guess that's the way it is with most powers. I look forward to getting to know all of you." she finished, quick and heartfelt. She wondered, briefly, if she would ever be asked to actually explain her powers. It was hard to find the words for something only you could do the way you did it. Sure, other powers might have similar results, but the way of creating them was always different. Not that she had ever met someone who could do the same thing she could. She imagined it would be an interesting meeting. She wondered if she should mention that, in order to balance out that her powers wasn't of active use in a fight, she kept fit with running and took self-defence classes to avoid being a nuisance should it ever come to that. She wouldn't want her new teammates to think her to be a bother and in immediate need of saving if something happened, but then again she didn't what was waiting for them beyond the door the professors were standing in front of, so she decided to keep that to herself until later.

Both Kimberly and Conner listened to each person's introduction, Kimberly because she just wanted to know who everyone was, and Conner because he wanted to see if there was any information he missed. Kimberly smiled, seeing everyone make friendly chatter, and decided to include her own as well. It wouldn't be fair if she and Conner didn't do the same as everyone else, after all.

"My name is Kimberly! It's nice to meet everyone!" Kimberly started off cheerfully. "My ability is being able to control electricity. Nice and simple." She did like her ability nice and simple. There was no confusion or anything. She then turned to Conner and said, "Your turn."

Conner disliked having to introduce himself, but he supposed it was necessary if everyone here was to get along. "My name is Conner," Conner said. "Like Alison there, my power is also rather difficult to explain, and I'd rather not give a demonstration. Just work with me and I'll work with you. Nice and simple, I suppose." With that said, Conner looked over to the professors, wondering what they were thinking about.

Professor Adam Pierce hadn’t always been in teacher's position, in fact this was all relatively new to him. He had trained people and mutants alike before, but not under the umbrella of “education”; it had always been within the confines of war. His mutation allowed him to observe and replicate any form of combat, whether it be hand to hand martial arts, sword fighting, or anything in between. He was master of combat, it was all that he had ever known, and now he would be responsible for teaching some of those skills to the students here in the academy. To be honest, Adam wasn’t very keen on the idea in any way and really didn’t like teenagers to begin with. He felt as though just one of them carried more angst in their greasy pores than he desired to be anywhere near him, but it didn’t matter because the man who brought him here for this job was a man that he respected and trusted with his life; Malcolm Ashford, the Headmaster of the new school. He owed the man his life, and for that he’d gladly teach some snot nosed kids a thing or two if it helped out his friend, and hey maybe he’d help build a future for his kind along the way.

Silently Adam leaned up against the hallway wall with crossed arms. His jaw clenched over and over as he watched this first batch of “students” gather in the Training Center’s foyer. Some of them looked like they may actually know a thing or two but he knew that truly not a single one of them knew what it would take to be what they all came here to achieve; something that he had never intended to become, one of the X-Men. As the kids gathered some of them began to chit chat, one of the more awkward of the bunch kicking off the conversation, which was unexpected to him. As they mingled and waited for the clock to strike 7:30, Adam looked over at his co-worker Ms. Kaylee Everose. As always, she looked as though she had walked out of a fashion magazine of sorts with every strand of her burgundy hair in its rightful place and not a single unwanted crease in her rather tight blue dress. He looked down at himself for a moment looking over the wrinkled dark red t-shirt that he was wearing as well as his gym pants and plain tennis shoes. They definitely came from two completely different worlds, just like most of the mutants here came from all walks of life, but not many came as stunning as she did and sometimes he wondered if her mutation was more than she was letting on and in fact somehow managed to help her look so “perfect” all of the time. Just as though she could feel his eyes on her he saw Prof. Everose turn her eyes towards him, giving him a friendly but professional smile. Finally the clock struck 7:30. it was time to begin. He smiled back at Kaylee as she stepped forward to address the kids.

“Good morning everyone. Sorry to interrupt but I’m sure you all will have plenty of time to get to know one another more soon enough. Especially since from this moment forward you are looking at your fellow team members. Everyone please take a look around you. The faces that you see here are your teammates, your comrades, your partners, and hopefully one day even your friends.” She smiled and paused momentarily, giving everyone a moment to take things in before continuing. “Here at the Ashford Institute for the Gifted you are not graded solely on your individual performance, but since teamwork is one of the foundations of the X-Men and something that is direly lacking in the world today you will also be graded as a team. You will have to rely on each other, be there for each other, and care about each other in order to achieve success at this school. This is meant to teach you that you are all a part of something much larger than any of us as individuals. We are each other’s lifelines...and that starts today with you all. As most of you probably remember from orientation, my name is Professor Everose and I am the Director of Education here at the academy.” She turns, pointing towards Adam, his clenched jaws transition into a forced smile as he steps forwards. “This is Professor Pierce, he will be in charge of the physical education and defensive tactics. Prof. Pierce, the floor is yours.” Adam carried an innate intensity about him, something that he felt he might need to tone down a bit seeing as though this was a school and not a boot camp. She winked at Ms. Everose as she turned to introduce him and stepped in front of the class with his arms stretched wide.

“Like Kaylee...I mean Professor Everose said. I’m the guy in charge of making sure you lot know how to take care of yourselves in case a situation arises that can’t be resolved without a little bit of violence.” Kaylee forcefully cleared her throat at Adam as he spoke, indicating that he had said something wrong. “Well...Of course violence is never the answer but as a last resort you may be called to rely on a certain set of skills to protect yourself or others around you.” He smirked back over at Kaylee as though to ask if that was better, then he continued. “ Before we begin your training I am going to walk you through the most expensive facility that any of you have ever stepped foot in. Not only is it among the most state of the art training facilities, but it is capable of...well to be honest I’d rather show you than tell you. So if all of you would please follow me we will get this show on the road. Everyone drop your change of clothes off in the locker room ahead as we pass it and come this way”. Adam waited for all of the students to drop off their clothes and activated the password and retina scanner protected doors that stood as the entrance to their destination. As the very large metal doors slid open they revealed what appeared to be a massive room with ever single inch of it being made of steel. There didn’t seem to be much inside, just a whole lot of metallic silver, and as the students began to peek in Prof. Pierce spoke to them. “Welcome to the Danger Room.” He said with a smirk, motioning for them to go on in.

After everyone gathered inside, relatively close to the middle of the room, a large control room of sorts became visible high up on on the middle wall of the room. No one appeared to be inside, but it was clear that the room was positioned to overlook...something from above. Adam couldn’t help but grinning as he watched the students look around, some of them in awe, at the strang room. After giving everyone a moment to look around he whistled loudly to gain their attention and backed up from them as though in preparation to address them in regards to what exactly they would be doing inside of here.

Just as Prof. Pierce’s mouth opened for him to speak the doors closed behind everyone and a ear splitting explosion erupted from the room’s ceiling as everyone could see a huge metallic hand crashing through the roof above. The hand came straight down and struck Prof. Pierce hard, crushing him to the floor and them with a sweep launching him into the air and against the far wall. His body fell unconscious on the floor below. Professor Everose screamed out, running towards her co-worker, motioning for the students to stay back, but as the hand lift back up it took more of the ceiling with it, revealing a robotic face staring menacingly into the room. As its eyes followed the beautiful professor they begin to glow red and a beam of energy fired from them, hitting her square in the back and knocking her to the ground as well. She laid on the floor motionless as the robotic attacker turned its eyes towards the students.

The scene unfolding before him widened the boy's eyes with awe as Casper tried to digest what he was seeing. This room looked like something out of a sci-fi, something far beyond modern technology. "This shit looks expensive..." Just as Casper was coming to terms with the large room he had found himself in, a devastating event occurred. He found his entire frame freeze down to the core, his very bones frozen solid at the sight he had been cursed to see. What the hell was happening? Was this a joke? Was this an illusion? Did a mutant do this? It had to be something like that, didn't it? There were mutants who could weave illusions as had already been stated but why create something like this? Once the enormous robotic hand forced itself through the roof, it went straight for Pierce and crushed him beneath its weight before throwing the remains into the wall. This was absolutely insane.

Immediately in response to this, Everose screamed out in fear and ran over to the now deceased professor. Not moments later, she was disintegrated under a beam of destructive. "Shit..." There was little else he could say. Casper still had a hard time believing what he was seeing. None of this could be true, it all had to be some kind of mutant power playing a trick on the students. Though, if it wasn't, they were all fucked unless they did something about it. Those huge robotic eyes changing focus to the students did wonders in snapping Casper out of his thoughts and whether this was a trick or not, they needed to do something. Getting out of the way of the next attack was perhaps step one in surviving this. "Captain Native...maybe now's the time to show your heroism..." Despite the absolutely horrific event taking place before him, Casper displayed an impressive amount of calm. He was at the ready though, his teeth clenched and body tensed. It was obvious that this had affected him as much as anyone else, but he knew that if he panicked, it would all be over for him. He needed to stay calm in the face of danger, otherwise he was as good as dead and nothing could save him from his own stupid mistakes.

"I'm guessing this is where everyone throw their powers around...afraid I have to sit this one out unless I get my hands on a weapon..." And just like that, Casper was essentially out of the fight. With a gun in hand, he could be very helpful but without one, especially against a destructive robot, he wasn't much use. "Fucking hell...shouldn't have wanted to fight a robot...I guess this is what they mean when they say careful what you wish for..."

With the professors speaking, Alex honed in his attention on the adults to absorb the information as fast as possible. THey were given a specific run down that had him looking over everyone else in the group again to classify them as resources, with strength and limitations. Even the bued haired boy 's small size meant he would be second to the electric mouse for getting into small places. THeir powers would be useful, but he would never depend entirely on the random chance of a magical ability to save them all. Like she said, teamwork. Using everyone's skills and strengths to support and compliment each other to survive.

He waited until they were excused to the locker rooms and took the moment to reassess himself. He took the milti-tool from his duffel bag and put it on the carpenter loop of his pants right leg where traditionally the namesake put their hammer. Better to beg forgiveness then ask permission.

He punched in his code and let it look at his eyeball before he tucked away his bag, boots, and jacket. Still one altoid kit in his left with his zippo in his buckle, he milled in with the rest as they marveled at, well...

"Well, it certainly is a big, round room."

An observation deck of some kind on the side and controls in the middle. The professor was about to speak when an explosion put his hands to his ears and move to the closest wall for support of himself and the structure in case it started to colaspse. He looked up to he the massive metallic mitt mash the man and move the mess away. Then the next professor screamed and was brought down. Now would be a good time to panic, perfectly acceptable given the situation. But failure to plan is to plan to fail.

One breath, in, out. Teamwork, if this is real and that is the only words of the dead, they would be honored.
"Shit..." "Captain Native...maybe now's the time to show your heroism... I'm guessing this is where everyone throw their powers around...afraid I have to sit this one out unless I get my hands on a weapon..."

Ripping it off the loop, he threw his hatchet to the boy.
"There's your weapon. Make a copy! Casper, Connor, stick together. Kimberly, you and the blond teleporter! Ali, Make an illusion, cover us in rock, invisible, lots of us, take your pick! Nathan, keep Ali safe! Danny, follow me to the professors!"
With that he took off in full sprint, if this is real then get the damn keys and get the hell out of there. If one of the professors were still alive then fireman carry them out the door, if both were still alive, then her first, she might have higher clearance and weighs less for easier to carry.

Alison's initial look of wonder as she took in the huge, empty room and had only just caught a glance of the control room that had appeared high on one of the walls when Professor Pierce demanded their attention again. What happened next had that look of wonder quickly turn into one of horror. She flinched around when the doors locked shut behidn them, then immediately turned and watched with wide eyes as a huge robotic looking hand crashed through the roof of the room. It took both their professors out so fast she could barely follow, although maybe that was just the shock of this happening at all.

She barely noticed Casper talking, her eyes fixed on the two injured bodies of their teachers, her thoughts jumping from 'this has got to be a test' to 'we need to get over there and help them'. It was Alex's voice that snapped her out of it, barking orders like he was happy to go with the 'Captain Native' stuff. Not that she wasn't happy he had the mind to be somewhat level-headed, considering the situation.

"There's your weapon. Make a copy! Casper, Connor, stick together. Kimberly, you and the blond teleporter! Ali, Make an illusion, cover us in rock, invisible, lots of us, take your pick! Nathan, keep Ali safe! Danny, follow me to the professors!"

And the next minute he was moving towards the two bodies without giving anyone much time to react, not to mention protest. "Damn it, Alex wait!" she called out as she started after him, only just managing to touch the back of his shirt. Which was enough. She concentrated on her power and a barely visible string appeared, clinging onto the cloth, only visible when it caught the light. She send as much of her own energy into it as possible in the second she had to do so and as Alex sprinted off ahead, the string multiplied and wove into a square, growing bigger until it slowly covering the boy from head to toe. It shimmered and then he was gone, vanished from sight. Alison sighed in relief when she saw her Illusion take hold.

She turned to Danny and reached out. "Your turn." This time her powers worked a little quicker because she had the chance to help them along with a few trained gestures, letting it snag onto several places and letting it unfold from there. "Go on, then." She told him with a nod towards where Alex was heading with a strained smile.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with this...? Why would I replicate this thing? What the hell...? This is not what I meant by telling him to be a fucking hero...the guy is so...hell, he's gonna' get on my nerves all the time, isn't he?" Wrapping his fingers around the hatchet, Casper couldn't help but frown at it as Alex stormed off. Moments later Alison weaved her powers in an impressive fashion, sporting her abilities for all to see. For a moment, it stole Casper's attention but he was quickly back in the fight with his eyes returning to the large robot peering down at them. Alex stormed off without a plan whatsoever, and gave the smallest guy in the group a freaking axe to fight with for God knows what reason, Alison tried to hinder him from getting killed and the others were still trying to figure out what they were going to do. As for Casper, he was out of his element because he was out of a firearm. He was probably not the only one that had some requirements for his powers to be effective. Some of the others probably couldn't do much without some kind of resource either. If this was indeed a test, it had put them all on the spot and only a few of them were able to add anything to this. If this wasn't a test they would all get killed if they didn't manage to escape. Escape, that appeared to be the only thing they could do at this point.

"A plan's good, but standing around isn't...we need to spread out. Clustered together we're done..." Keeping a levelled head was critical in a situation like this. If a person was of no use in this specific moment, at least they could try to not to get killed. Captain Reckless Native at least decided to do something and getting a means to bail was first priority. There were probably keys on the teachers and that appeared to be the only way out, as it was.

Casper dashed away, seeing how the robot had its eyes on him scurrying away. If everyone did the same, finding a target would be difficult and they would all get a chance to leave unharmed. They just needed to think clearly. What about the observation room? Was no one seeing this? Was no one going to stop this? The large glassed in room was still undamaged and the fact that no one came to their aid made Casper believe that this was indeed a test. Otherwise the place would be storming with powerful mutants right about now. This was the home of the X-Men, wasn't it? They wouldn't let this happen. There was no way in hell a robot that large could just sneak up on the school and wreck havoc without being stopped by an array of powerful warriors. This had to be a test, there was no other explanation. However, that would bring Casper's eyes back to their teachers. Were they actually dead? Were they also robots? Something had to be there to trick the minds of the students into believing that their teachers had been crushed and disintegrated.

With hatchet still in hand, Casper tried to consider what he could do. Getting to the observation room was a no-go, obviously. The only way out was locked and shut, and the only mutant in the group capable of getting out of the room in the most effective way was the Russian girl. Speaking of effectiveness, that robot was going to attack again. If they could use the robot's strength against itself, they could have it destroy the walls enough to allow the students an escape that way. That approach would however require them to unify their powers in an excellent way as it was incredibly risky. None of them knew each other well enough to manage such a synergy yet. For now, the best idea appeared to be that locked door. If anyone had the key, it had to be Pierce because he seemed to be the one running the show, at least before he was crushed to pieces.