ax_main | Tessa and Terry

Tessa helps her roommate practice her powers. They come across philosophical differences along the way, but manage all the same.

It had taken some time, but at last Tessa had managed to gather a variety of materials with which to test the range of her roommate's sonic manipulation. These she had arrayed along one wall of the Danger Room, a range of densities and relative hardness, the better to provide useful analytical data. They were being monitored, of course; monitoring was mandatory during sessions here, no matter how benign the exercise. And Tessa had been extremely specific with regard to which parameters she deemed deserving of particular attention. Perhaps she would be allowed access to the records later, should her analysis require additional data.

"When you are ready," she told the girl beside her, gesturing toward the test area.

"So I just... shout at it, and hope I find the right pitch?" Terry asked, clenching and unclenching her fists nervously at her sides.

"Hope is an unsound basis for an exercise of this nature," Tessa replied, shaking her head. "I would suggest a more systematic approach: start at the lowest frequency your are capable of projecting, then slowly raise it, observing any changes which result."

"And you're sure you can be in here with me?" Terry asked, not showing any signs of relaxing. She'd hurt that girl back in Ireland; she didn't want to hurt Tessa.

Tessa smiled faintly and pulled the sound dampeners around her neck up over her ears. "I will take every appropriate precaution, and alert you if experience any significant discomfort," she said.

Terry nodded, biting down on her lip. She wasn't exactly reassured, but they needed to start somewhere, and she did want to figure out what all she could do. She turned back to the first object in line, a ceramic vase, and did her best to visualise projecting the sound towards it and nothing else; if she could make this easier on Tessa, all the better. She opened her mouth and started to scream, attempting to make it as low as she could. It wasn't a sound audible to human ears, and her scream would only be heard for a short while as she went higher in pitch, from infrasounds to ultrasounds.

It took all of Tessa's considerable self-control not to wince as the vibrations seemed to penetrate directly through her skull, even despite the protective apparatus she had employed. But that minor pain was of negligible significance. Particularly when the ceramic vase began to tremble, and cracked noticeably along the side. "There," she said. "That is the frequency. Focus and maintain, if you can."

That was the easy part, as far as Terry was concerned. She focused entirely on the vase and the pitch, pushed the scream harder, and the vase shattered. She closed her mouth, taking a moment to breathe.

"Well done," said Tessa, resting a hand on Terry's shoulder in a gesture that was less comforting than an acknowledgement of what she had accomplished. "When you are ready, we can move on to the next one." The next one was a sheet of bullet-resistant glass. The multilayered aspect of the material might make for an interesting challenge. Of course, it was also entirely possible that Terry would only need to fracture one layer for the entire thing to fall apart.

Terry had not expected the contact, simply because Tessa seemed so clinical about everything. She briefly looked surprised, but then she smiled at her, and took a couple of steps to the side to be facing the glass head on. Glass, she knew glass. She started high, this time, but she had trouble singling out a frequency that would achieve the proper resonance. So she paused, took a deep breath, and then went loud at the sheet of glass, shattering it with the wave of sound coming from her.

Then she laughed. "Whoa."

"Whoa, indeed," Tessa agreed. It was certainly useful to know that her roommate was capable of demolishing such conventional protective measures with relative ease. "Next is a steel plate. I believe this may be somewhat more challenging, but I do not think it beyond your capabilities."

Steel? Steel sounded way harder. Terry sobered up and stepped sideways to face the plate of steel. She started going through a range of frequencies, but even when she found one that made the plate vibrate, it didn't seem enough to destroy it, no matter how hard she pushed her voice. She paused to catch her breath, and turned to Tessa. "What do you think?"

Reading lips was not an especially challenging prospect, for Tessa. And that was a fortunate thing, as Terry's progress so far would likely have ruptured the eardrums of anyone in such close proximity. As it was, Tessa said, "Try modulating the frequency. Steel is dense and durable, but not without exploitable flaws. You need only find where it is weakest, and break through."

Certain that that would make sense to someone not her, Terry turned back to the steel regardless. All right, she thought, this is between you and me. This time, when her scream began to make it vibrate, she paused to take a breath and launched back into it, slightly modulating the frequency until the vibration of the steel was enough that, with a final push of sound, it shattered into several pieces.

This time, Terry positively giggled with happiness.

"Excellent," said Tessa, whose own enthusiasm was such a subdued thing it hardly seemed present at all. "Something easier next, I think. We do not want to put your vocal chords under continued strain." She pointed toward a chunk of black obsidian she had located. It was smaller than her previous targets, but dense enough and brittle enough it should not prove much challenge, considering what she had already done. Still, it would help round out the data they were accumulating.

It was a smaller target, and Terry took a moment to focus solely on it, trying to visualise the path the sound waves would take, like a tunnel solely focused on the small piece of black stone. Once she found the right pitch, it took hardly a second for it to break apart. "I'm getting the hang of it, I think," Terry stated, turning to Tessa with a smile.

"Your appraisal of the progress you have made so far coincides with my own," Tessa agreed, nodding. She pulled one of the mufflers from her ears, and stepped toward another, much larger rock, near where there obsidian had been positioned. "Would you care to attempt something slightly different? This is sandstone; simple enough to demolish, given what you have demonstrated to this point. But I do not propose you demolish it. Instead, I would like to see whether you have sufficient control to bore a hole through it, leaving the surrounding stone intact. The material's composition should allow for this possibility, if you can maintain your focus."

Terry's eyebrows raised as Tessa explained what she wanted. That sounded a lot more difficult. "I'll try," she answered, not certain that she would manage. She waited until Tessa had put her muffler back on, then switched to that tunnel-focus again. Took a deep breath, and did her best to project her voice through that tunnel, and nowhere else.

It got away from her, and the sandstone shattered. "Shite." For a second, she expected to be berated for her language, but then she relaxed. This was not her old boarding school.

"Not quite so bad as that," said Tessa, studying the broken stone. "An element of trial and error was inevitable." She moved to the other side of the Gym, and returned hefting another sizable block with some effort, placing it where the other sandstone slab had been. "We will try again. Fortunately, this particular variety of rock is very common."

"All right," Terry stated, more to herself than to her roommate.

It took a few more tries, but eventually, she managed, the center of the slab shattering while the rest remained intact. Terry grinned brightly, and hugged Tessa in victory before she thought better of it. "You're a godsend, you are!" She loved discovering and mastering new aspects of her powers; there was nothing else quite like it.

Tessa looked, if anything, momentarily startled by the hug. But the expression passed quickly, smoothed away into her usual impassivity. She patted Terry lightly on the shoulders and said, "That is possible, based upon the particular cosmology to which you subscribe. Shall we take a short break? I have bottled water on hand, if you are thirsty."

"Good thinking, I'm parched," Terry confirmed, still grinning.

Nodding, the cyberpath moved toward a small and well-used courier bag she had picked up secondhand in town, from which she withdrew a bottle of water. She held this out to Terry, studying her closely to better gauge her actual level of fatigue. Enthusiasm had led to considerable progress, but it would be irresponsible to allow the other teen to exhaust herself in their very first series of tests.

Terry was actually doing just fine, although some water was welcome. She gratefully accepted it and took a long drink, then handed it back to Tessa. "What's next?" she asked curiously.

"I have a variety of plastic composites to simulate the manufacture of modern firearms," Tessa replied. She paused a beat, then, "I also have another line of experimentation planned. But I think it prudent to gauge your receptiveness before commencing. It is possible you will find it ... unpalatable."

Firearms... It took a moment for Terry to work through that logic, but it did make sense. But Tessa's next words had her frown in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Tessa tucked her hands behind her back. "I have prepared other items for testing, items I have not set up yet. Among them are the plastics I mentioned, but I also have available certain materials often used in forensic analysis. Materials which closely replicate flesh, bone, non-vital organs. I would not, however, press you to do anything you did not wish to."

Oh, Jayzus. It had been among the lines of what Terry had thought Tessa might mean, but they had been very vague lines. Hearing about the details was very different, and her already pale complexion got one shade whiter. "I don't wish to."

"I understand," Tessa replied, bowing her head in acknowledgement. In truth, it had been very much what she had expected. Even so. "But do not think that I suggest this because I believe you should cause harm to another person, or that the desire to do so is a trait to be admired. It is my nature to plan for all eventualities. Should the time ever come when you are placed in a situation which requires it, I would prefer you know just how to apply your sonic abilities to a human body specifically to incapacitate. Experimenting on the spot could yield results far messier than those we have seen today."

"I think I'll stick to dizziness and nausea," Terry replied, still pale and frowning, obviously shaken by the suggestion. She'd already hated what she'd done to Siobhan when she manifested; that had been enough.

"Of course. The decision is entirely your own. I will begin setting up the plastics now, if you are still comfortable working with those." The dark-haired teen inclined her head speculatively. "I apologize if I have caused you any emotional imbalance. It was not my intention. I was simply attempting to be as thorough as possible to maximize your results."

"That's fine," Terry told her, shaking her head. "I'd just rather hone what I can do and suss out what else than... do that. But we can do the firearms yoke." She nodded firmly; that much was all right, as far as worst case scenarios went.

"Acknowledged," Tessa said, nodding again. "If you will wait a moment," she went on, "I will retrieve the next set of practice targets." She turned quickly and started back toward the other side of the Danger Room, where she had temporarily stored the other materials in the event Terry successfully progressed beyond the first series. Her unanticipated aversions notwithstanding, it had been a very productive session, so far.

"Want some help?" Terry asked, following Tessa towards the other end of the room. No reason she couldn't lend a hand.

There was a moment's hesitation, so brief it would have been possible to overlook it entirely, then, "Certainly, if you do not object." Tessa led Terry toward several large canvas bags leaning against the far wall. "We will need these three," she said, nodding at the one's nearest at hand. "The others contain the objects we will not be utilizing."

Terry picked up one of the bags and carried it across the room. "I'm really thankful for your help," she stated firmly as she put it down. She wanted Tessa to know that, even if they had disagreed on that one thing.

That appeared to puzzle the cyberpath, if only momentarily. "I appreciate the sentiment," she replied. "However, it is not necessary. In assisting you, I am ultimately helping myself, and all the other students. When each of us is as prepared as we can be, it is to the benefit of the entire group." That being said, it was not necessary to be impolite. She added, "You are welcome, all the same."

"I don't see that," Terry admitted after putting the bag down. "Just because we're all mutants doesn't mean we'll all get along, does it?"

"Fostering amity amongst our emergent species is desirable," Tessa conceded as she began to set up the plastic sheets and blocks, "but not essential. What is essential is the recognition that, whatever our feelings may be for one another on an individual basis, the world at large--the overwhelming majority of the population--is likely to view us as a collective. They will not rate us based on our own particular virtues, but rather the best--or worst--impressions of us as a subspecies."

"I still don't see how helping me with my powers means you're helping yourself," Terry replied with a sceptical little pout, watching Tessa set things up. "I don't think they'll 'rate me' very nicely for being able to explode guns with my voice."

"Those ruled by reason, at least, will observe that you use your voice to disarm rather than cause direct physical damage," Tessa explained. Though she did feel Terry should have that option, should it be required, she certainly did not think it should be her first choice, should she ever be confronted a manner similar to their current, hypothetical scenario. "This introduces the possibility that we are able to control our abilities to ensure public safety, and are not the danger we are described as by certain elements."

"Haters never really seem to care about logic," Terry replied with a shrug. She hated the thought of people hating her for no good reason. It made her uneasy in ways she could not quite handle.

"True," she acknowledged. "But extremism to that degree will rarely reflect the majority opinion. Most people desire only a life as free of anxiety as is reasonably possible, and will not exert themselves to oppress a demographic they do not deem threatening. It is less a question of morality than finding the easiest path through life."

"Well, I hope you're right," Terry stated, and meant it. She was thinking fairly depressing thoughts now, and she walked back a small distance from the new setups, ready to focus back on her training. "Gun-shattering, take one," she stated under her breath, and waited for Tessa to put the sound dampeners back on before giving it a go.