5263/Tank Training

Tank Training
Date of Scene:	19 February 2021
Location:	Danger Room
Synopsis:	Learning Hurts
Cast of Characters:	Piotr Rasputin, James Proudstar

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Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr has scheduled the time to meet with James. He of course is early, remaining in the danger room on one side looking over the scenerio he has set up on his tablet.

"Warpath." he greets hpon bus arrival. "Welcome to 'Tanking' 101..." he chuckles a bit. "The X-men on mission must work as a well oiled machine, our powers working off each other precisely and not at random. Team work keeps alive yeah? So then lets discuss your role with your powerset..."

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar is on time, prompt even. He's wearing the basic X-Men training togs and his hair is pulled back in a simple braid. He smiles, and raises an eyebrow as Pete goes through the schpiel, "I have been in the field a time or two, Piotr." He nods and grins, "Okay, I really need to punch up my defensive support."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
"Oh I am aware." Piotr grins, "I am just very by the book in these trainings." he presses a few buttons, "Defensive support. Providing cover for weaker allies, drawing fire and holding the line so others can execute offensive strategy."

The floor begins to rise with Piotr on an elevated stage. At the back of the room. "The mission this time around will be simple." a small girl appears at the back of the room. "This girl must get to me. The enemy are not targeting you, they are trying to take out what they see as a primary threat to their long term mission. The girl is their target. If she fails to get safey to me..." he pauses, "All mutant kind is doomed...yeah those are usually the stakes." be says with a chuckle.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar laughs and nods, "I hear you. Yeah, that stuff. The girl is small and blonde, blue eyed and looks suspiciously like Illyana pre-limbo. James walks towards her and about half way there he stops to look over his shoulder at you, "Really?" James shakes his head and continues to the starting position. He flexes his hands, and nods, "Ready when you are."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Another few presses of the tablet and the landscape changes, a city in ruin. A war torn landscape that could be any third world country...except its not. Its clearly an American city. Lightning flashes in they sky, whats worse however is the Danger Room creates the advesary constructs...Sentinels.

"Get the girl to me, the future depends on her mutation. Fail and we all fall."

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar nods, "So, Tuesday?" He gives Pete a wry smile, "Is this Toledo? Wow, nice work, this is beau-" He stops and whistles low as the lightning exposes the sentinels, "Okay, bad day." He moves into mission mode and kneels close to the girl, smiling reassuring, "Hi, my name's James and I here to get you someplace safe. Come on." He picks her up and moves quickly and quietly, using the terrain to hide himself from the sentinels, stealth first, don't fight if you don't have to. A glance towards Pete's position reveals that he is now much further away. James sighs. "Maybe Wednesday."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
The poor girl nods to James and nuzzles into his shoulder. The scene is too familiar, a girl too youjg to understand her vast power, too young to know how important she may be. She could be anyone at the school sadly.

As Warpath is on the move the Sentinels suddenly drop to the ground with the heavy thud of giant metal robot landing on cold broke pavement. "Zzt...Scanning...Mutant signature detected...zzt Priority target in area...second target detected...scanning." The sentinels begin to scan the rubble.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar stops as they land and begin their search pattern, he watches and starts to move slowly, quietly, he's exploiting the gaps in the scan between units, trying to keep the girl quiet. He shushes her but James knows that his luck will not hold as he moves across the room.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Abruptly, three sentinels turn towards where James and the girl are. "Zzt Target acquired..." their eyes bright headbeams illuminate the area where they stand.
"Aahhhhhhh!" the poor girl screams out and begins to sob.

The sentinels are cold robotic killers, mercy is a concept lost on them as they begin to fire upon their targets with concussive force from their palms.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar shushes, and sings an apache war song as he moves towards them. James uses the three attackers against each other, closing at angle so that at most two can fire on him at a time, and he uses his body to shield the girl. He moves closer, slowing letting them draw a bead and then springing into the air, timing his attack so that the sentinels open on each other. It's a brave strategy, foolhardy, and James tucks the girls in close as he moves through the air, guarding her as best he can.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
One of the Sentinels gets the first shot off on Warpath, forcing him to use his body as a shield. Precisely as intended. It hurts, god does it hurt.

He manages to keep his feet however and brace for his attack. leaping into the air and sure enough two sentinels fire at each other sending them sprawling back.

The situation hs grown more dire however as sentinels begin to land around them, the path is no longer as clear and retreat as an option has been lost.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar screams and does his best to shrug it off. James lands with thud, rolling to his feet and stands shakily but takes a breath "This is going to hurt. You better be worth it. and moves. He doesn't take the most direct line through the scrum but he uses the terrain to keep some ot the sentinels blocked letting him keep the girl from direct harm as he races across no man's land and towards Colossuss. James take hit after hit but refuses to go down

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
And this is what its all about isnt it? Getting her to safety. Taking the hits for her. Acting as the human shield. She cries the entire time.

The sentinels do all they can to get a clear shot on the girl, flanking positions. Shots from multiple angles forcing Warpath to turtle to protect her, anything they can to slow him down. Finally however he gets to the base of the stage where Colossus stands. "Now, keep the enemy at bay while she works...you have to defend her." he says, the girl pulls away from him and heads to the stage, wiping away tears her eyes begin to glow as she holds her hand out in the air.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar puts her down and takes a couple of deep breaths. He nods, and gets into a passable basketball stance, feet wide, hands out, He nods, "Right, take the hit." It's a new way of thinking for JIm but this is why we train, he nods and sets his jaw.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
"Take the hit or close them and force them to fight you." Colossus points out.

The attacks come at a steady drumbeat now. Firing at Warpath to try and eliminate the defense, until one sentinel retargets. "Zzt. Target acquired..." it turns and begins to blast the nearby building to try and collapse it on them instead.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar sets his defense and takes the hit, putting his body between the girl and harm, like a good tank. He keep a perimeter around her clear while she does her power up thing. But then the Sentinels switch tactics, dang learning models, and Warpath has to react. he moves to brace the wall and keep the building upright, a failing proposition as other sentinels join in the attack on neighboring buildings and then they realize the error the same time James has as this tactic makes it so much harder for him to provide a proper defense for his protege. James curses, it's in apache sure, but it's still a curse. The building starts to shift the sentinels have reacquired their target when James makes his last gamble. He rips a huge piece of the foundation from the closest building and slams it down as he dives on top of the girl, using his body to carry the rest of the weight creating a defacto bunker around her.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
As James begins to try and pull off his final act of defense, one sentinel turns to target the girl. Lucky for her and Warpath his plan works, the building crumbles around them save for the make shift bunker he has managed to make for them both.

"End simulation." Piotr says as the scene begins to fade, the little girl last. "Very good. Tell me first something that you did well, then something that needed to be done differently?" he wonders.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar coughs as everything fades around, him and he shakes off the non-existent dust. He purses his lips over at Piotr and considers, everyone who's been trained by Scott recognizes this post training excercise and posture, "Well, I probably should have resolved to taking the hits sooner, it's just the Big Hero mindset is counter to the Covert ops mindset. I guess it's a matter of focusing on one and committing. I did thinks I'd call that bunker trick a success, since it worked." James Proudstar waves to the little girl as she disappears.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
"Yes, the bunker was a success. Defensive posture was a success. Part of being the tank is taking the hits others cant...but its also a mindset. Using your attacks or your environment to defend the team." he explains. "You particularly did well with that at the end."

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar nods, and smiles, "Thanks, it takes a little bit to shift gears." He rolls his shoulder and grunts, "Are they all gonna be this painful? Right, be mindful of defensive positions, look for weakness in the enemy formation. Not just a simple as stand there, take hit." He sighs, "Why does no one ever see that?"

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
Piotr Rasputin nods, "Getting hit is always painful...at least when it comes to the enemies we face." he smiles. "Think broader on your defensive tactics brains and brawns will get you further than just brawn."

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar smiles and nods he reaches out a fist for a pound, "You're still the Master, Pete."