9201/Danger Room: X-Men vs. The Volcano Gods

Danger Room: X-Men vs. The Volcano Gods
Date of Scene:	21 December 2021
Location:	Danger Room
Synopsis:	The X-Men's tropical island hijinks continue. Gorilla gurellias, undead monkeys and a giant 6-armed Volcano God waiting at the end. Will anything remain of the island by the time the team is through?
Cast of Characters:	Scott Summers, Emma Frost, Jimmy Hudson, Tabitha Smith, James Proudstar, Piotr Rasputin

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Scott Summers has posed:
Another day, another Danger Room session.

Perhaps the tropical climate is particularly welcoming with the weather outside growing more and more wintery. Or perhaps he finds this particular venue particularly good at suggesting rather... bizarre obstacles to overcome. Or maybe the always organized Scott Summers has been a little too busy to get another suitable setting loaded and prepped in the computer memory that runs this technological marvel. Either way, the room is once more filled with the holographic representation of some large, tropical island, surrounded on all sides by crystalline blue waters, towering, leafy jungle trees and at the heart of it, rising up out of that sea of greenery, a craggy, ominous mountain, the peak of which glows brightly, a pillar of smoke rising up into the air.

Once more standing on the beach in his breeches and torn, white shirt, head wrapped in that red bandana, Scott Summers gives off the impression of a pirate castaway, only the ruby visor he wears any concession to a more modern aesthetic. "Alright, the scenario remains. We are all stranded on an island. The only resources we have are what was salvaged from the ship," he pauses here to gesture towards the broken remains of an 18th century sailing ship that is spread across the nearby sand, "And anything that we can make from the island's resources. Survival remains important of course, but in this case there is another objective. A number of your fellow survivors were carried off last night. You're left to rescue them. Or leave them to their fate I suppose."

Hey, there's always a choice, right?

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would go to slowly open her eyes, having been sitting in a yoga position while waiting for the scenario to begin. Emma is wearing unreasonably practical clothes by her standards, consisting of a set of pants and a leather looking jacket. Some distance on the beach where the heels that she normally wore she had kicked off, wearing a set of boots instead.
    "I suppose we'll be after our fellows. Anyone who is able and willing to help should come with us while the rest keep our camp secured and build up the area if we'r egoing to be here awhile." Emma is speaking calmly. She's not the one in charge, and she's offering her suggestions. Her deferring to one of those with more survival experience in this circumstance. "I can keep our minds linked if necessary."

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Dressed in the same ensemble as the last time, white jerkin, black breeks, torn and ragged... James Hudson stands near Cyclops and waits for the mission briefing, his expression calm and a little curious while he looks over the facade of the Danger Room, shifting his weight from one foot slowly to the other with that pensive feeling of delayed energy. Still he doesn't look too out of place even as he waits at the X-Man's behest, occasionally glancing at the others near.
    At the setting of the danger room, when the imagery fades into existence with the tropical setting and the dominant volcano along the skyline, his eyebrows lift and he murmurs. "At least it's a good time of year ta visit the tropics n'all." What with the Winter being so biting outside.
    He gives a nod to Emma, "Yes ma'am, our lost comrades and all take priority I imagine." He starts moving toward the location of the camp to start the investigation.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith rolls her eyes at Scott, "Oh like that's really an option. We'd never just let teammates be carried off without responding." She glances toward Emma and gives a nod to what the telepath said. "We've also got some excellent trackers here so finding them, shouldn't be a problem."

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar raises an eyebrow as he drags an 11 foot tiger shark from the lagoon and onto the beach. "Just to be clear, something dragged off our teammates and Jimmy and I didn't see or hear anything? That implies a considerable amount of skill." Jim shrugs, "I mean if it was Logan we'll probanly meet him on his way back. But, we're here, might as well check it out. I can clean and roast this guy later."

Scott Summers has posed:
It would, admittedly, making a rather different sort of scenario if everyone collectively decided that they were not, in fact, interested in retrieving their commrades, that they would rather lounge on the beach sipping milk from coconuts. But hey, they are at least nominally dressed as pirates, it is always possible to take up the attitude of pirates too.

"Fair enough," Scott says mildly at the rebuke from Tabitha, unconsciously tucking hands behind his back as he walks along the sand. He might never have been a part of the military, but he probably would have thrived in that sort of regimented environment and he can't seem to help carrying himself in that sort of precise manner. Even when playing pirate in the world's best playground.

"Your main camp is over in those caves you found last time out," Scott offers up, jerking his head towards the hills to the east, surrounded by the swaying, long grasses that cover this part of the island -- at least once off the beach. "But your kidnapped colleagues were staying on the beach," he adds, this time motioning towards a small, ramshackle set of shelters resting a short distance away, made of what would appear to be salvaged planking from the wrecked ship and some leafy boughs. He flashes a tight smile towards James. "For the purpose of this exercise we will assume that all of you were part of the cave contingent."

Certainly anyone looking over the little camp nearby will see plenty of signs of a scuffle in the sand and damage to the rough shelters. There are also the tracks of several very large ape-like creatures padding off to the west. Towards those jungles.

Revenge of the communist, french gorillas perhaps?

"So. I leave things in your capable hands. I'll come along for the ride, but for a change you all get to tell me what to do, instead of the other way around," he says drily.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would nod, "Very well then. I believe that we should pursue and attempt to.. Locate our abducted colleagues. I presume that we can track and pursue them and then when we discover where they are based decide how to effetively recover them?" This given to Jimmy and James. Emma expeting either of them to be the one to take charge or give orders. This was their element after all, not her's. So seh would simply do her best to aid them.
    Starting to telepathically sweep around the immediate area, seeing if there were any other possibly hostile presences around.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Then the ramshackle shelters and the scene of the crime are the most important parts to establish the trail. Jimmy moves over toward that area of ruin and waste, circumnavigating it at first and then nodding towards Proudstar. "I got the nose, James. You got the everythin' else."
    Which in this case is the truth, James Proudstar's had more hours on the trail than the Canadian mutant. His glance at the surroundings then he cocks an eyebrow at Scott as i trying to gauge what the man is Not telling them. Then he murmurs, "I got the vibe the ruckus started here... then they evacced that way." He motions with one hand toward a good bit of jungle and cover.
    Quirking his eyebrow he nods towards James. "But if you got an angle on this different then I say we go with your point of view."
    Tilting his head in Emma's direction, "Ma'am," Since they've not met before, "If you can range out that way a little mentally, hear anything off there?"

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith nods at Scott's acknowledgement of her comments then stays back from the scene to let the experts do their thing. Nothing about her powers is suited to finding people. She's a brute force kinda person. Emma's telepathic sweep might catch a hint of helplessness about that fact from Tabby.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar tilts his head, giving his own smile. Jim and Scott actually attended the same military training academy, John Proudstar's school of hard knocks. He raises his eyebrows and chuckles. Then sighs, his own nose being quite capable. He looks over the scene and nods. "Yeah, not particularly well organized. He calls out the numbers and confirms it was the gun toting gorillas, picking up a cigarette butt and nodding towards the trail into the woods, "They're chain smoking should make them easy to track." Jim grins at Tabs and reaches out to pick her up. Placing her on his shoulder, "The wind off the water gives them the advantage as we head inland. They got the drop on us last time, so, keep your eyes and ears open."

Scott Summers has posed:
It is perhaps no real surprise that Scott does not bother to explain his rationale. He might be decisive -- even sometimes something of a control freak -- out in the field, but as a teacher he prefers to allow others to glean their own value from a lesson. And while no one here is really a student amd while the setting might be a little... outlandish, training is still training.

As the rest of the group organizes themselves and determines their course of action, Scott merely arches a brow and quirks the slightest of smiles as James literally hauls a shark out of the sea. Otherwise he too busies himself at the fringes of the camp, though for the most part it is a matter of gathering up potentially useful supplies -- a length of knotty rope and extra canteens of fresh water -- that seem to attract his attention, strapping them to a pack that he hefts over his shoulders. Even if he was intent on taking a bigger hand in things, between Jimmy and James the tracking portion should be well in hand.

The trail is pretty clear , particularly along the beach where the heavy gorillas have left deep footprints, but even as the trail winds into those tall, windswept grasses it isn't going to be much of a problem for James and Jimmy to follow. Nor is there much doubt about their destination, given that they've already encountered them in that jungle previously. Throw in the occasionally scattered cigarette butts and clearly the challenge in the scenario is not meant to be tracking.

Scouting might be a little more tricky this time. At the very least the group does not have the aerial capabilities of their original session. But a telepath makes for a pretty good substitute and sure enough Emma will be able to sense an island teeming with life, from the boars that roam the tall crasses to more complex, human level -- though subtly different -- thought patterns coming from the nearby jungles. Indeed, those patterns appare to have divided themselves off into small groups, scattered at the edge of where the jungle begins to get dense.

Ambush parties, waiting for the castaways to come to them.

Emma Frost has posed:
Going to as instructed start to sweep her mind ahead, trying to track possible hostiles and their allies, Emma Frost would glance at Tabitha, "I'm sure that you'll be the best suited among us to obliterate what lies in our path. Sometimes one needs a scalpel, other times a sledgehammer. This will be one of those times where brute force in excess is required." Perhaps not really, but it seems the right thing to say to the girl to get her interested, with luck.

Emma's going to try and scan her mind along, as they would hopefully be picking up patterns going to do so more aggressively. Not trying to read surface thoughts so far. Because Monsieur Mallah and the Brain did have at least one telepath amongst the pair according to the files. So best not to press too hard just in case.

Emma glancing t James, "I can try and cloak us if need be but I feel that our welcoming party seems a bit distracted.." Of course, the two experts might think otherwise.

Tabitha Smith has posed:
Tabitha Smith grins at Emma, "Maybe. I dunno. The Jimmys are good at dishing out some punishment in my experience." She puts a hand down to hold on even though she doesn't expect to be dropped by the big Apache.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    "What you can to help us keep from getting jumped would be ideal. But yer the expert, Ms. Frost. And yeah if you could set up a telepathic link for us?" That said Jimmy ranges out ahead of the others a little, leaning toward one flank and perhaps trusting James to cover the other. Enough that hopefully they'll have a heads up before those critters try to get the drop on the team.
    Then should Emma agree he'll focus his thoughts and murmur, << Figure our engagement pattern should be me and James holding off whatever as we can, while Scott and Ms. Smith smack em down. Ms. Frost troubleshoots. That how you'd take it, Scott? >>

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar nods, "I would prefer they not get to take pot shots at us. That was annoying even with Scott providing cover. Warpath keeps Jimmy on his left side out in front, but centers himself in the party. He stays on the ground ready to shield the party from incoming fire and to screen any attackers from the more squishy team members. Jim moves over the terrain silently, easily, even carrying Tabs. "Emma call out targets when we're close."

Scott Summers has posed:
The jungle looms up ahead and while the sun might be bright and cheery out here, there is a certain menace to the dense, waiting maze of greenery. Beneath those leafy boughs it will be darker and more tangled and knowing that there are hostile creatures out there -- ones not armed like 18th century pirates, but instead intelligent, assault rifle-wielding apes -- does not do anything to make the jungles feel anymore welcoming.

Of course, they are a pretty capable group with certain sizable advantages of their own.

While Scott might have left them to their own devices to how to manage this little mission, he did make himself a resource. And it's certainly fair game to call on that resource however they so choose. So as the group starts to fan out, as Emma links their minds to insure that they stay in constant contact while also having a more immediate sense to where their waiting foe's thoughts place them, Scott again smiles oh so briefly. << It should work well. You have a good mix of covering fire from Tabitha and I, and good ability to mix it up close up with yourself and James. Add in Emma providing positions and intel, it's a tight plan. >> the mutant tactican agrees. << Your other option is to try and take advantage of knowing exactly where your foes are to sneak past them entirely. Might be tricky with their natural sensory abilities, but sometimes a battle not fought is a battle won too. >> he offers up.

The jungle might be the natural habitat of the surprisingly well armed and intelligent gorillas, but they're still probably not a match for the Jimmy's.

Thanks to the sensory information provided by Emma, they all have a pretty exact notion of just where the ambushes are set up along the jungle perimeter and there is no movement to suggest that their approach has been noticed. Yet. Their positions are picked out well -- each at a natural entrance point to the jungle. Along the river that winds inland, or at naturally thinning points in the dense foliage, but knowing where their attackers are gives them the advantage... and the opportunity to turn things around.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost is going along quietly. As quietly as she can. To the trained trackers in the group, she's probably bout as subtle as a charging rhinocerous. But she keeps it slow and owuld focus over on the locations of their enemies. Trying to draw a rough mental map of the area, giving locations of the clusters of adversaries. Pulling sensory information from Jimmy and James, using it to enhance what she was passing along.

Going to try and avoid doing more than a minimum of sweeping of surface thoughs just tin case one of their enemies was telepathically sensitive or alert, Emma tries to aslo give a general impression of the alertness of thier enemies from the combined information flows. Keeping it simple.

'Green' being for those whom were not paying attention, 'yellow' for those that were on more of a casual patorl, and 'red' for those on alert or fully active and sweeping.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Keeping his position in formation, Jimmy keeps moving and now with he aid of Emma's heads up display his brow raises with a hint of awe. << That's...impressive, Ms. Frost. >> But he keeps on keeping on until they reach close enough to be in play with how he apes a moving.
    << You think we have the capability of passing them, Warpath? >> The echo in his thoughts clearly indicates a hint of doubt that Cyke, Emma, and Tabitha might not be able to make it past those intelligent and perceptive gorillas.
    << Or should we hit 'em hard and fast? >> There's a moment where he's eyeballing the distance, trying to calculate how many they could hit at once then he adds, << We can maybe get two down and open the way up a bit wider for our club-footed brethren to make it by. >>

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar considers as he watches the clusters. "Once we rescue the hostages they'll know we're here and at that point we're fightng our way out, depends how much firepower we're picking up... Unless it tips the balance. we're better off without this band of dirty apes between us and home." He glances askew at Scott and then shrugs. "Better to attack from a position of strength." Warpath shifts to get better position on the group down by the river

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would take a moment and then pulse out <<I'm not sure I can pulse out all thier minds or confuse them. They do seem somewhat spread out so if we hit one group quickly the others might tarry in catching up. But that does mean that we'll be pursued and possibly having to fight our way out>> Either was an inevitability, however. So Emma would just quietly keep track of the back and forth of thier enemies while letting the two tacticians come up with an attack plan.

Scott Summers has posed:
Humans, for one, are not really conditioned for constant alertness. Animals are generally somewhat better, that certainly should be taken into account. But these are beasts with human-level intelligence. It is an open question on whether instinct or intellect is the more powerful factor there. There's always a few unknowns in any tactical situation -- even with all the reources they can bring to bear.

At the very least Emma's mental map suggests that the guardian apes are not aware of their approach. Most of them appear as 'green' dots, bored and distracted, though there is a smattering of 'yellow', enough to suggest that each of that likely paths is still being watches. Each of the groups is stationary -- at least near the edge of the jungle -- and there are no 'red' threats to be seen at all. No roaming scouts to worry about.

Which might seem a little too good to be true.

Scott follows along with the group, perhaps a little more at ease then Emma in stalking silently through those tall grasses. But he two pales in comparison to their two 'scouts'. And the going will be much more tricky once they are in the hungle and have to worry about all that underbrush. While he does not add his own commentary around the mental map, there is still an impressed sort of impression from the visored mutant. Definitely a handy trick that, one that he is no doubt already considering the uses of.

Scott can be predictable at times. At least in some respects.

With the decision seemingly made to right their way past the perimeter, Scott hunkers down and peers at the jungle up ahead. The closest group is the one along the river. That is also likely to be the clearest path through the jungle itself, providing more open space and fewer obstacles. In theory. The most isolated group however is much further inland, closer to the heart of the jungle. It presents the densest mass of vegetation to get through which will slow them down. But there is a chance, just a chance, that they can stay ahead of pursuit.

"Ready when you are," Cyclops offers, offering no opinion on their options.

Emma Frost has posed:
The options have been given, and the team decided on them. Emma just goes to close her eyes, and goes to focus her mind a little more on the threats in the immedaite area of their possible adversaries. Now she's going to pass along more information, taking the risk of going for some deeper scans of anyone in the immediate area to make sure that the group is ready. She has nowhere near the grace that the others do here. Her feet are even hurting with these uncomfortable boots.

But the mental link kept up, her enemies under the mind's eye, what the group has passed along from member to member, and she awaits the signal and the instructions from the rest of the team.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Jimmy moves silently around the edge of the visual 'cone' of one of the sentinels, shifting smoothly from point of cover to point of cover. It's only when he's near enough to striking distance that he eases against the curve of a tree trunk. Then focuses his mind.
    << I'm in position. Check in. Once everyone gives the ready, I'll go. >> He tilts his head to the side, waits for a moment. A glance for his target, then he slides down the trunk to crouch by its side.
    << Ready check. >> He announces waiting for the responses. And once they all come back in the green... then he goes.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar and Tabitha check in, they are used to working together and she readies a handful of bombs for the large simians. Jim is already aware that though they dwarf his size they can't hold a candle to his power. He moves in close the duo still hidden in the grass.

Scott Summers has posed:
It would appear that constant vigilence is just as difficult for intelligent gorillas as it is for humans. Perhaps that is the burden of intellect. Either way, the group that the team has chosen to focus on appears to be mostly waiting around. A single sentry up in the leafy canopy keeps an eye on the approach, though thanks to Emma's mental map and James and Jimmy's choice of approach, he does not seem to have spotted them. Another five armed gorillas linger close by -- 3 on the ground sitting close together in a little clearing in the woods, conversing quietly amongst themselves and another pair up in the branches of the trees, apparently engaged in some sort of betting game to pass the time. All are apparently trusting the sentry to give them plenty of warning.

Their mistake.

As promised, Scott will wait for the orders to come, waiting patiently, crouched in the tall grasses until everyone is in position. While he might not have been given a specific target, that doesn't mean he won't apply a little judgement of his own. Emma is clearly best suited to dealing and distracting with the sentry. So when the others leap into action, the visored X-Man rises up, standing amidst the grass and focusing on the pair in the tree. All of the vegetation makes it difficult to pick them out -- it is a good ambush site -- but Emma's mental map pinpoints them even better than his own vision could. He doesn't even hesitate, that ruby-red visor beginning to glow right before that optic blast tears into the jungle canopy.

Wood explodes, splinters flying everywhere as the branch where the pair of gorillas sits dissolves around them, the two hulking primates knocked flying, tumbling through the thick, leafy boughs to crash on the jungle floor.

The trio of gorillas on the ground leap to their feet, weapons in hand and their eyes on the canopy overhead, surprise still plain on their non-human faces. But they probably should be less concerned about what's up, then what's coming at them through those trees.

Emma Frost has posed:
Now Emma is going to try and slow the minds of the apes that have been taken by surprise. It's something that can be tricky in combat, but hopefully well within the capabilities of a telepath of her power. Emma is trying to slow them down and keep them sluggish. Like they were drunk.

Trying to slow down their perceptions, to make their mind's instructions not mesh with their bodies as Emma is attempting to hit their center of balance. Hopefully leaving them staggered, and easier pickings for the rest of the team and to help them hopefully get through this group of brutes quickly.

Jimmy Hudson has posed:
    Once the calls are back, James breaks from cover and moves in. Quickness is essential, smooth precision. Fight down the nerves that are there since this... isn't his usual bailiwick. But that's why they train. He moves in, finds the best point to strike in the side of the neck to go for a quiet take down. Silvered blades slide out of his knuckles as he finishes the distance...
    A leap and suddenly the Canadian mutant is on the back of the grill and stabs once, quickly into the side of the throat to break possible alarm, then along the back of the spine between the vertebra to make sure the ape falls to the ground.
    It's quick, difficult, even as Jimmy hits the ground beside the falling gorilla. Then his focus goes to Emma's mental display, feeding him targets near. He breaks into a run toward the next.

James Proudstar has posed:
Emma's mental manipulations are aided by a flurry of small explosions from Tabitha keeping the apes off balance and out of sorts and then the advantage is driven home by Jim's fists driving into their skulls with force usually only seen in high speed vehicular collusions. He moves with the easy efficiency and drops the remaining three before moving to the next cluster.

Scott Summers has posed:
Having the advantage of being able to plan, to take the fight to a foe proactively instead of reactively is a luxury they don't always have -- in either these Danger Room simulations or in the real world. But it can produce some pretty good results when they do it seems. Emma's waves of mental confusion and sluggishness makes the entire ambush party even more unprepared, making the surprise attack sudden and impossible to recover from. With Scott and Tabitha adding in their barrage and Jimmy and James taking out the targets on the ground the who thing is over in mere seconds. No one hurt, no one injured. Just a six-pack of downed gorillas.

Of course the fight wasn't exactly silent. Scott's optic blasts and Tabitha's bombs might be effective, but they are a little showy. Still, the fight was over almost before it began and the mental map that Emma continues to project into their heads shows that while the nearest camp -- more then a mile to the north -- shows a little more activity -- the dots are uniformly yellow now -- with a single one slowly moving in their direction.

With them now within the jungle proper, picking up a clear trail is a little more obvious. There are no more footprints to follow, that much is certain, but there are still signs that Jimmy and James will pick up on easily enough, winding their way deeper into that forest of trees and brush, clearly moving in the direction of that towering volcano that emerges from it's leafy surroundings.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
    Piotr enters the observation deck of the Danger Room. His metal form moves up to one of the angled windows and he peers through silvery eyes to the scene below. Presently he is dressed in his red and yellow costume - as he feels it should be when in the lower levels. Something of a tradition to him. He watches the encounter and the participants therein. Curious to see what new challenge Cyclops has dreamed up for the team. Or if it's just an easy day at the park for the younger crowd.

    Having been out of pocket these last few months, Colossus is recently back in the mansion and has been taking a few moments to get back into the swing of things even though he feels that he was only gone a few days (at most). And then there's the challenge of him being stuck in metal form. Something that he's not fond of, yet, he presses on and adapts.

Emma Frost has posed:
Now it's time to hopefully move more quickly that they've managed to mak ea hole in the gorilla 'lines' and they've announced their presence. As Piotr is making his arrival known, Emma is attempting to bring him over into the group mindlink. However given his metal form that may prove difficult or impossible. But Emma is making the attempt at least.

And she's going to continuosly sweep. Rather than focused on scouting, she's trying her best to keep the group abreast of those who would be in pursuit of them thanks to the noise.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar presses the advantage moving quickly even in the heavy brush, faster even than the apes. He closes to the next group as Tabby launches a series of longball timebombs guided by Emma's tactical map at the Gorilla Sentry's in the trees. "They best not he looking down on us Jimmy!" Jimmy cant hold back a chuckle as he goes after the gorilla in close quarters.

Scott Summers has posed:
No student simulations today, and given that the teams foe's thus far have been assault-rifle wielding, intelligent gorillas it is not exactly a run of the mill scenario. Which apparently, the more established group taking part is handling rather well, given the quick takedown of the outer perimeter forces. Of course Piotr has a little more of a bird's eye view up in the observation deck, the length and breadth of the tropical island that makes up this holographic program spread out as the computer continues to churn out the billions and billions of minute details that go into the simulation.

The mental map that Emma provides is continually updated as she sends out those telepathic sweeps. The approaching yellow dot is making good time, but they have still gained an edge to be sure and the jungle up ahead remains open and apparently devoid of anything but simple life forms. Snakes and a host of small mammals seemingly. But nothing intelligent. A large camp at the northern edge of the jungle seems to house the greatest concentration of the chain-smoking, french gorilla, well, guerillas, but they are miles away from the apparent path of the abductees they are seeking to rescue.

With the path seemingly cleared, Scott falls in with the group once more. The underbrush makes it difficult to move silently, but at this point trading speed for stealth seems fair. "The mental map really is a handy resource," Scott notes quietly as he moves through the jungle. They don't even have to worry about keeping their trackers in sight, the position of the entire team very clear in their heads. "It will be interesting to see the limitations," he muses quietly.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
    Remaining in the control booth, Colossus feels the touch and welcomes the entry of Emma into his mind. He focuses his attention and intention on her to offer a greeting in his mental/native language, "Hello Emma, good to see you." Though, he keeps it short and to the point. He doesn't wish to derail or interrupt the exercise. He also focuses on the mental mapping that Emma provides. He glances over to the map/screen/display at the console and tries to mesh the two together without breaking his brain. The scale and scope of the holographic terrain is massive and, by all accounts, lensed to address that scale from the different perspectives of its participants.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would just smile serenely at Scott, "You limit yourselves too much when you try and consider what a telepath can't do. We can do anything we can put our minds to." Is Emma making a joke? It's really hard to tell when it comes to all that. She's not imposing things on the group, she's sharing information and thoughts amongst them. Noting ahead the large camp and minds she's picking up..

"I'm not gathering exactly where our associates are, so they could be in the camp or elsewhere." She's honest wiht what she knows and what she doesn't. "I can try and scan deeper, but I can't guarantee I can get anything useful. And Monsieur Mallah is known to work with Brain, whom is a potent telepath. I would consider it quite possible that he is present here as well."

Emma gives her thoughts, what she thinks, and what she presumes her own limitations are. Her keeping Piotr coordinated and giving him their current path forwards to let them rendezous.

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar is actually still following the trail of the group which took their people fromthe beach. It isn't easy but he iscthat good, he was able to cross referrencevthe sane in their treads with the scentbof them and even now he can make out the group size, freshness of tracks and mix of large and small teacks and signs of passage. It doesn't hurt that a couple of the people in the hostage group have attended Jim's how to leave a trail without looking like your trying to leave a trail when you're a hostage lecture. And Jim is picking up the pace. Pushing the team's stamina tomake up the distance. He offers Emma. hand, willing to let her perch along with Tabs on his shoulders.

Scott Summers has posed:
As Piotr is added to their mental circle he will get a brief acknowledgement from Scott, a sense of welcoming back to the fold rather then any specific, expressed words. He might be no telepath, but he's spent more than a decade surrounded by them. He's pretty used to what this sort of communication is capable of.

Emma receives another brief smile from the man, along with a small shrug. Perhaps a sort of acknowledgement that she has scored a point. Tactical genius or not, even Scott Summers is capable of underestimating a foe -- or a friend -- from time to time. Truly understanding the limits of another's power is a tricky thing, even for an X-Man with as much training and experience as he has.

Or it's possible that since he knows the perameters of this mission he has a good idea of what is ahead and has planned appropriately. It's certainly something he's capable of.

Even without the help from their friendlies it is quite likely that James would be able to follow the trail to the end. That's not really in doubt. And while there are probably ways to make that challenge more difficul for the man -- perhaps that will be something he does in a future training session -- that is apparently not the focus today. So pushed on by their tracker supreme, they make good time through the jungle, quickly leaving the jungle perimeter and those ambush camps behind.

Their progress is surprisingly swift, bringing them closer and closer to the clearing at the foot of the smoldering volcano up ahead and Emma's mental map registers a new signal. It is red -- very red -- and huge, at least compared to gorillas they've come across before. But before they have much time to register it, that attack comes with no warning.

A barrage of spears rain down on them seemingly from all sides, coming out of the leafy canopy over head. Nothing registers on Emma's mental map, but wheezy howls sound as bone-like projectiles fall amongst them. James might be the only one to receive any warning, soft skitters in the trees and glimpses of white moving with shocking speed the only clues.

And then one of them appears, swinging over head. First one, then a dozen, clinging to vines. It looks like Scott is cheating. The white? Bone. The shape? They appear to be monkeys. Skeletal monkeys. Throwing spears.

Emma Frost has posed:
Now this is catching Emma by surprise. Her first instinct as the spears are coming down is that it's some sort of automated trap. But something mechanical would have some sort of pressure plate or trigger mechanism, and hardly work on such a large scale. Emma Frsot did know basic mechanics and engineering, making a widespread area of automatic thrown spears wouldn't work outside to any great effect.

But it's as she gets that sense of movement up in the trees in concordance with the spears while diving for cover and then when they see what they're face to face with coming out the blonde goes to let out a 'you have got to be kidding me' expression that's cut off as she's hitting th ground hard and scrambling. "I believe this is your moment, Tabitha." She would offer to Boom-Boom. It's exactly the sort of brute force that the girl was here for!

James Proudstar has posed:
James Proudstar does have a moment to react. One action before the fight is joined and he does exactly what he's he's learned from the big shiny Russian. Jimputs hos body on the line, taking the moment shield the orhers, taking the spears on his body, most bounce off a fewfind purchase none leave a lasting impression and his action ensures Tabs is ready for that counter attack as a barrage of time bombs erupt from their position decimating the treetops and hopefully the monkeys hiding in them. Leaving Cyke to bat clean up.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
    Colossus spies the objective. He approves. A slight smile crosses his lips while his arms cross his broad metal chest. He looks at the volcano and ponders options of how it could come into play. It's not called a danger room for nothing. He flinches some when the spears come out of nowhere. Giving an grimace appearance for a brief moment and knowing those that are vulnerable to such attacks could suffer greatly being that it's an area effect attack. He knows that in situations like that in the past, he would provide what cover he could to his teammates, and he thinks that Warpath is the next best option in this particular situation. He continues to watch, observe, and make mental notes of the setting. It truly helps with Emma's mental mapping.

Scott Summers has posed:
Spears are not exactly as dangerous as assault rifles, there is no denying that. And it helps to have James there to serve as their resident brick wall, putting his body in the line of fire. While the spears might not be doing his wardrobe any sort of favors, it's better being impaled at least.

While the sneaky undead monkeys might have denied Emma a chance to give them a warning -- no fleshy brains, no discernable thoughts it would seem -- the fact that James picked up enough hints gives them a chance. And some cover. Cyclops crouches and turns his gaze upward towards the canopy where the spears rain down sending a series of quick blasts towards the source of those attacks. Each optic blast is quick and concise, cutting off before his head swivvels and he seeks out another target. No need to announce their location if they don't have to.

Of course Tabby's attacks are in someways ever more effective in the moment, those glowing orbs exploding amongst their skeletal attackers, sending them flying in all directions.

The problem of course? Every skeletal monkey that explodes seems to be replaced by two more, endless waves of the undead primates flooding the jungle trees around them, swinging overhead on vines as they chuck those primative, bone weapons at them. They presumably have some limit, but in the meantime the treat of being surrounded is very real. "We may want to retreat towards the clearing. They won't have any cover there and won't be able to flank us as easily," Scott suggests mildly. Of course, there is that big, pulsing threat waiting for them as well.

Six of one, half-a-dozen of the other.

Emma Frost has posed:
Emma Frost would glance at Scott, "And leave ourselves prseent to be flanked by the group at the camp?" She would give up the other possible issue. But there's not much use that Emma can do at the moment beyond staying in cover and trying not to get impaled. So she's ducking behind trees, making sure to not be ina position where she's vulnerable, and trying to keep the group updated on one another's positions. Trying to let them use one another's senses to pick out the locations of the enemy, confirm who was under threat and being flanked, and to pass along information much more rapidly than having to vocalize it.

James Proudstar has posed:
The monkeys racket is as sure to give them away as any effort by Tabitha or Scott but it's the words Scott utters that give Jim an idea as he grabs a spear mid air and uses it to clear a path to the largest tree he can find. He rips the tree from the ground , creating a hole in the canopy, and then swinging that tree like a club or a scythe and making his own clearing then presing forward giving them space from the monkeys and letting Scott and Tab keep them at bay from a distance, "Come on, Ms. Frost let's end this." He clears a path to the clearing and the big bad.

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
    Moving to the control console, Colossus uses some of the holographic monitors to get a closer look at the action. He uses the track ball to alter the perspective, and thus observe the undead gorillas up close. He has flashbacks to his own sister's realm of demonic and horrific influence. The undead isn't a far stretch from the creatures that live within her domain. He lets out a soft grunt of annoyance to the flashback and refocuses on adjusting the monitoring of the scene to try and discern their next move.

Scott Summers has posed:
Those skeletal monkeys rather stubbornly refuse to appear on her mental map -- except when spotted by one of the team, that mental information fed back to the telepath, letting her distribute the information across the link. It is not as quick nor as accurate as when she could simply sense the thoughts of their foes and track them that way, but it is something at the very least. More than a normal team trapped under adverse conditions would benefit from.

Scott has made it clear that he is not going to lead. The possibilities are laid and left to the others to evaluate. Risk/reward assessment is a valuable tool for every member of the team afterall. And both scenarios have their fair share of both. So the visored mutant concentrates on doing his best to focus on their flanks, giving ground slowly and picking off the undead moneky spear-hurlers as they appear, trying to surround them, focusing on keeping their options -- and that path -- open. It also lets Tabby focus on taking out the largest concentrations of the bony primates as they flood towards them through the trees.

And then Jim is there, finding an entirely different solution to the problem. If all that thick growth is what's giving their foe a chance to surround them, if all that cover is making it difficult to keep track of their enemies -- just take away the cover right?

That mental link gives them plenty of warning for what Jim intends and as that massive tree is suddenly ripped from the ground Scott hits the deck as it flails overhead, slamming into other trees. The sheer force with which it is swung is enough to splinter wood, to plow through thick tree trunks and send them crashing down -- outward from them fortunately -- though no doubt crushing all sorts of their undead monkey attackers. The noise is horrendous of course -- there is going to be no mystery of where they are now -- but in seconds they stand in a clearly that extends all the way to the volcano, Those raspy howls from the undead primates cut off and the creatures fade back into the trees, leaving them alone.

For a moment.

Then the reason for the bony monkeys fading away becomes clear. Up ahead it is possible to see just what the clearing holds. A set of stone pillars juts out, each one surprisingly finely worked and covered in an assortment of ruins. Chains hang from each of the columns and each of those chains restrains one of the captives taken from the beach encampment. Their people.

As interesting as that might be, it is not the truly eye-catching part. The ground literally shakes, the leaves of the trees rustling. Heck, the trees themselves tremble and sway. And then another tremore runs through the ground as an absolutely massive ape appears. And what an ape. It makes King Kong look like a frail, pansy of a gorilla. It probably stands at least fifty feet tall, it's fur pure white. But as distinct as all of that might be the fact that it has two extra sets of arms -- for a total of six -- probably would catch their attention pretty quickly as well.

It bares it's teeth at them -- each one looking to be at least as long as Jim is tall -- and then it suddenly issues a thunderous roar. "MY ISLAND. CHOOSE YOUR SACRIFICE," it bellows.

Scott smiles faintly as he climbs back to his feet. "Danger Room, freeze program," he says as the holographic projectors freeze, capturing the moment. "Next training session. Take down the Volcano God."

Emma Frost has posed:
The scrambling of Emma is mostly for her to avoid being skewered. The Danger Room safeties might be 'on' but there's no sense in the humiliation of having to be carried off for medical treatmenw tih a spear through the gut. Emma is ducking low and simply coordinating. Going to give information from the team to the rest of them. where the enemy is attacking, wehre they are coming from. Giving information from James and Jimmy's enhanced snses, locations for Tabitha to unleash her bombs on, targets for Scott to snipe.. Just keeping everyone coordinated and giving them situatioal awareness wihtout having to yell, scramble, or worry on their words being muddled or lost in the chaos of battle.

As far as Emma Frost is concerned, that's the ultimate ability of a telepath on the battlefield. Flawless communication and information sharing with no lag whatsoever. Information wins battles and wars. So as the last of the undead skeletons are going down and they're face to face with..

The ground shuddering has Emma tumble off her feet, getting up again but on her hands and knees at the defiant howls coming..

Then she would stand up and go to clap for Scott, "Well played."

Piotr Rasputin has posed:
    Colossus looks down through the glass as the simulation shuts down. He smiles slightly and is pleased to know that things haven't changed in his absence. He watches the last few blips fade and then he turns away from the glass only to intone through the mind link, "It is good to be back, my friends." And he moves to exit the control booth and venture through the other areas.

James Proudstar has posed:
Maybe it's the adrenaline, maybe he's just lost in the narrative but Jim grins and an Apache war cry springs from his lips, drowning out the command at least in his ears. Jim rips free of gravity and streaks straight for the monster arm pulled back. The power of the blow is weighed against the frozen program and reality itself shivers with the force.

     James blinks, "Scott.! Aw, man."