Template:Featured Articles/43-2023
 "Are you certain?" Rictor eyed Kane and the Danger Room with trepidation. A big metal box underground? It sounded like a recipe for disaster. But he couldn't let this other man think he was a coward, so he took a breath and steeled himself. "I don't want to hurt you or bury us in an earthquake, ¿sabes? I can be dangerous if I lose control..." "I'm not going to pretend it is infallible... but no one has beaten it yet. And the nice part is we get to test you. If you can bring the mansion down, we'll know beforehand." Kane said. His fingers danced over the golden virtual interface. "But I think we start with something more basic to start." He hit a button, and a Southwestern horizon stretched out in front of him, almost like home. Everything was a new surprise here. Rictor yelped a curse as the scenery changed around them, like he had been magically transported far away from New York. (Though, to be honest, that would be preferable to flying on a plane.) "What am I supposed to do here? Where is here?" "I figured this landscape might make you feel a little more at home. Right now, just use your powers, however best you know how." Kane said. "Don't worry about where. Just give it a shot." Rictor bent at the waist to untie his boots so he could place his feet directly on the ground. Which felt like dirt and not metal, at least physically. But he knew it was fake because he didn't feel anything within. Just empty artificial substance that left him disoriented, a poor template on which to demonstrate his power. Apprehensive of what was going to happen, and gingerly tapped his foot on the fake dirt and reached for the spirits infused in the earth. But no response, just silence. The world stayed still. "Um, that wasn't . . . I usually do better than this." "Take your time." Kane said, tapping a few keys. "Just close your eyes and breathe. You're safe in here. The power is there. Find it." Breathe in, hold, breathe out. The simplest concentration technique Rictor had been taught. This room was weird and unnatural, but the Earth was all around them, so why should that be a deterrent? Inhale, exhale, find even the smallest vibration to tune into, and magnify it. He could do this. He was here for a reason, and he had to prove it. He wouldn't embarrass himself in front of this, nor would he shame Amanda for believing in him in the first place. After a minute, he stamped his foot again with all the petulance and passion a 19-year-old boy could have, and cracks tore through the trembling ground from where he stood. Kane pulled up a display as the DR computer visualized the exact impact of the teen's powers in the simulated environment. He counted down from ten as the ripples spread. "OK, that's enough for the moment." Kane finally said, curious whether he could stop it effectively or not. If they were to define success as "effective," then the answer would be no. Once Rictor found his connection with this environment, fabricated as it was, he could not find his internal off-switch. Eyes squeezed shut, fists clenched, Rictor looked like he was fighting a bowel movement as much as he was fighting to end the tremors. He dug his feet into the sand and, harkening back to Kane's encouragement, reached for the power. The quake began to weaken. Kane could see the levels going down and smiled. "It's happening. Keep doing what you're doing right now, Rictor." His hands flashed over the interface, capturing everything possible. Slowly, too slowly for Rictor's preference, the trembling subsided, leaving Rictor panting and sweating like he had just run a marathon. (Who was he kidding, he could barely do 5k.) "That was . . . difficult. Weird. It is so much easier outside. Is that normal?" |
