The door to the underground bunker closed with a heavy loud thud, sealing us in a big chamber that looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. The walls glowed with a dull metallic glint. I gnced around the room, noting the various pieces of equipment and maery scattered throughout. A row of puters lined one wall, while several rge ss hung on another. In the ter of the room sat a massive circur ptform surrounded by a series of weird maes.

  "Wele to the Danger Room," Storm said as she walked alongside me, her voice eg slightly in the rge, open space. "This pce was desigo handle any kind of power or mutation. You could blow up half the room, and it would repair itself in minutes."

  "Now, this is big," I said as I looked around. "So, this is where you train the heavy hitters, huh?"

  "Yup," Storm nodded, leadioward the ter of the room. "This bunker is equipped with vibranium, one of the most durable materials in the world. It withstand almost anything—so you don't have to worry about going all out here."

  Vibranium? Did Bck Panther help them with the metal or maybe SHIELD? Hmmm... That's a question for another day.

  As we walked, I couldn't help but notice the sheer size of the pce. The ceiling was at least fifty feet high, and the walls stretched out endlessly, with various ses partitioned off for different kinds of training. In one er, I saw a holographic proje system flickering to life, simuting various ndscapes and enviros. It was like a virtual world tained within a fortress.

  In the ter of the room stood a woman I reized immediately—Psylocke. With her long purple hair and that purple knife she inning on her fiip, yup, that's Psylocke, no doubt about that. She was dressed in a dark bodysuit, and as she saw us approag, she straightened up and gave a slight nod of aowledgment.

  "Aron, this is Psylocke," Storm said, introdug her with a wave of her hand. "She's one of the most skilled telepaths and martial artists here. I called her to help with the power testing."

  "Psylocke," I greeted, trying not to let my excitement show. Seeing these characters in real life was still surreal, even though I ying it cool.

  "o meet you, Aron," Psylocke replied, her voice carrying a certain ess that was almost soothing. "I heard about your situation. Don't waste your time w about it. The more you think about it, the worse it'll get. So, instead of thinking about 'what ifs,' just focus on the present. It gets much easier that way. So, you ready to test out your power?"

  "Yeah," I nodded. "Though I'm ly sure what I do yet."

  "We'll figure that out," Storm said reassuringly. "But first, let's see what your mutation is. Then we decide your limitations. Psylocke will assist you by using her psionic powers. They're unique, so it should give us a good idea of your mutation's limits."

  "Psionic powers?" I repeated, feigning ignorance again. "What does that mealy?"

  "It means I create ons and structs from pure psychiergy," Psylocke expined as she stepped closer. "For this test, I'll be using my Psioniife—a on that targets your mind rather than your body. We'll see if you absorb it and what happens after that."

  "Wow! You gonna put it in my head?" I excimed with surprise. "Shouldn't we start small or something?"

  Psylocke smirked slightly before saying, "Afraid I might mess up your brain? Don't worry, I'm quite skilled with this thing. There's almost no ce of perma damage."

  "Almost... almost?" I repeated nervously.

  Sthed at my rea. "You have nothing to fear. Psylocke is an expert at wielding this knife. If she says it's safe, then it's safe."

  "Fine, fine. I trust you guys," I sighed, deg to go along with their pn.

  Psylocke took a deep breath, her hands beginning to glow with a vibrant purple light. Within moments, the energy coalesced into a bde, crag with raw power. Wait! That's not a khat's a freaking foot-long sword made out of pure psychiergy! Holy shit.

  "Wait a sec... How about we talk this out, huh?" I said as I took a step back. Fuck me! That's a big sword! I don't wanabbed by that thing. It's not that I'm afraid or anything. Ok. Maybe a little. In the past, I took punches and survived gunshots, even got stabbed by knives, but that thing is made out of pure energy, and I got a bad feeling about it.

  "Don't you worry," Before I could resist, that bde had already stabbed my forehead.

  I felt a jolt run through my entire body. It wasn't paily, but more like a shoy system, as if every nerve was being activated all at once.

  "Focus!" Storm's voice cut through the sensation. "Try to absorb it. You have do before; you do it again. You see, mutation often activates in danger."

  Yeah, easy for you to say. I gritted my teeth and tried to do as she said. I trated on the energy, willing it to flow into me rather than push against me. Slowly, I felt a shift. The energy from the bde started to sink into my body, like water being absorbed by a spo was still intense, but the more I focused, the more manageable it became.

  "That's it," Psylocke enced, her voice calm and steady. "You're doing well."

  As the st of the psioniergy was absorbed, I felt a strange sensation—a buildup of power inside me. It was as if the energy from the knife had settled somewhere deep within, waiting to be unleashed.

  "How do you feel?" Storm asked, watg me with a serious expression.

  "Different," I replied, flexing my fingers as I tried to get a sense of this new power. "It's weird... hard to expin. It's like something waiting to rush out."

  "Try releasing it," Psylocke suggested, stepping back to give me some space. "Focus on the energy and see if you project it outward. Imagination is the key here. Visualize what you want and thehe energy take shape."

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, fog on the power withi first, it was difficult to find, but as I trated, I began to feel it growing stronger. It pulsated inside me like a heartbeat, sending waves of energy throughout my body. I pictured it flowing out of me...

  At first, nothing happened, but then I felt a surge. The energy began to move, traveling from the core of my being, through my arm, and into my hand. A faint purple glow started to form around my fingers, growing brighter with each passing sed.

  "Good, now focus it into a shape," Psylocke instructed, her voice guidihrough the process.

  I trated harder, trying to shape the energy the sylocke had. It was difficult—like trying to mold a piece of cy with your mind—but gradually, it started to take form. A small bde of purple energy appeared in my hand, not as defined as Psylocke's but still reizable.

  "Wow," I muttered, staring at the bde in amazement.

  "Looks like you're a fast learner," Psylocke smiled, impressed with my progress. "That's good. Try to create another bde in your left hand."

  "Another? Oh, okay..." I did as she said, trying to replicate the same process. This time, it was easier. The energy flowed naturally, and within seds, another bde appeared in my left hand.

  "Excellent," Psyloodded, looking pleased. "Now, merge them into a single bde."

  "Merge?" I frowned, fused.

  "Yes, just focus owo bdes and try to make them bee one," Psylocke expined patiently. "It's easier than it sounds."

  I did as she said, trating owo bdes. Gradually, they began te, f a single rger bde of purple energy. It was still a bit unstable, but it was definitely oy instead of two.

  "Incredible," Psylocke murmured, studying me closely. "You're a natural at this."

  "Thanks," I grinned, proud of my aplishment.