Panther: Revamp

Scheduling Practice

[Author's Note: There is a bit of a time jump between the last chapter and this one.

[12-16-2013] niemand = no one

[12-16-2013] im gegenteil = on the contrary

{12-16-2013} Posted]

Everyone in the danger room control panel winced. They were watching Professor X guide Emery through some difficult mental tests. She had breezed through the easy and intermediate ones, so the Professor had agreed to move her up to advanced studies sooner. Currently, he was trying to get her to levitate something the weight of a submarine. It was twice as heavy as her last lift, which had proven easy for her. Now, he was trying to push her past her limits.

Her mental screaming was painful for all of them.

"Control your mind, Emery. You need to shut off your mind to us. Your screams of frustration are painful to your allies. You need to channel your mind so that it only affects what you want it to affect."

The weight she had lifted a few inches off the ground, suddenly dropped, shaking the mansion.

'I don't know how,' she shot at Professor Xavier as she spun to face him.

"Hm," the Professor said slipping into thought. Emery had already gotten used to the way the Professor was. When she saw his thoughtful expression, she sighed in exasperation and stormed out of the danger room.

He was plotting something, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.

Kurt snatched her arm. "Em," he started.

'I told you not to call me that.'

"But I will."

'What is it, Kurt?'

"Come here," he pulled her gently into his arms. She wrapped her arms around him. "You're doing really well."

'Shut up.'

"What? You don't want a compliment?"

'I want to destroy something.'

"Well… come outside to the training field with me. We can destroy something out there, and blame it on practice." He donned his goofy grin. Emery couldn't stop a smile from forming on her face: Kurt's was contagious.

'Alright.' She slid her hand into his. 'Lead the way.'

The training field was set up with a net at one end. There were red rims around the holes that had been cut for target practice. A huge bin of dodge balls was at their end of the field. The carefully drawn chalk line a foot in front of them indicated that they were expected to throw the balls into the targets from over a hundred feet away: nearly impossible for most humans. Then again, they were mutants; they were a species above humans on the philosophical food chain. That only meant more was expected of them.

Kurt picked up a dodge ball and chucked it at the net. It flew easily into one of the pockets. He had done this for hours when he was bored and alone. He had gotten used to it.

Emery picked up one as well. It burst into pieces between her hands.

"Feel better?"

'A little bit.'

Kurt smiled. "Now try getting the ball into the hole like I did."

She picked up another ball. It zipped across the little field and landed expertly into the pocket.

"Now try without your powers."

'That's impossible.'

"I just did it." He threw another one into one of the holes. "Twice. Und with no powers."