<hr/><div class="floatleft">(http://i.imgur.com/h3ZzKUc.jpg)</div><strong>Name:</strong>"Cyclops"<br/><strong>Location:</strong>Danger Room<br/><strong>Date/Time:</strong>Sept. 1st, 1:45 pm<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong>Wolverine, Psylocke, Shadowcat, Chamber, Colossus<br/><strong>Content:</strong>Cyclops takes command.<br/><hr/>Wolverine was as irritating as ever. Salem didn’t like the way that Laura had taken the mantle like this. Logan, the original Logan, The Wolverine that had made that costume recognizable. He had been an important figure in Salem’s life. She’d idolized him in her own way. To see another parading around in it like this was unsettling, it was rude even.<br/><br/>Salem chose not to respond to anything ‘Wolverine’ said.<em> ‘It would only make me look weak.’</em>Instead she just crossed her arms and rolled her eyes behind her visor. There was a slight head roll that came along with it. Her body language was loud, she did not like Laura.<br/><br/><em>‘Laura is rude always,’</em>Salem thought,<em>‘as if it requires an effort to do so. She’s like...proud of it.’ </em>Salem peered past Colossus as the young woman with claws in her hands decided to complain about approaching the situation with a plan.<em>‘She just wants action so badly.’ - ‘So dangerous.’ - ‘She’s a fucking animal…’</em>Salem’s mind lit up as she scowled at Laura. With her visor, it didn’t look like much more than attentive listening.<em>‘I know she won’t snap.’ - ‘Charles wouldn’t let her walk around out of shackles and a mind prison if she could snap.’ - ‘But god, she is just anti-help.’ - ‘If I get stabbed because of her recklessness…’</em>Salem felt her stomach pinch, a phantom pain emerging as if she had already been turned into a kebab. She turned from Wolverine to Psylocke, putting her hand to her stomach subconsciously.<br/><br/>Psylocke was well spoken. She was fast, her thoughts were sharp and she was able to communicate them clearly.<em>‘Excellent.’ </em>Salem’s subconscious swam in delight.<em>‘Finally.’ - ‘Ohp.’</em>Salem’s nose twitched when Psylocke almost called her<em>‘the girl scout.’</em>Like she had with Laura, Salem held her tongue.<em>‘I am a girl scout, whatever. It could be my hero name if I want.’</em>She let the joke seep in, and a smile let out. In the moment, it was a very mature moment for Salem, if not accidental. She understood the joke, even if it was a joke by accident. So, Salem listened to everything Psylocke said about her, and she couldn’t help but get just a little more red in the cheeks. It was an inflating sensation. She suddenly felt a few inches taller in the old boots that she was wearing.<br/><br/>Jono’s arrival was unexpected. Salem had looked at the roster before she’d gotten dressed for the danger room. But she hadn’t expected to see Chamber. He was a strange sight. His very existence was a bit disturbing. Salem thought about her ridiculous ‘I can’t see without my glasses’ problem and scoffed in her head.<em>‘Stupid girl, at least you can still taste food, and kiss people.’ - ‘Well one of those things.’ </em>Salem didn’t do a lot of kissing. She followed along as the conversation continued.<br/><br/>The pace was fast at that point and it was an easy choice for Salem to continue her temporary vow of silence. There was a half ton truck of information reaching her senses. The personalities in the room were loud, and not all of them got along very well. For a moment, it almost felt like all of them were happening inside of her head. Then she realized that that was just Jono. She was in her element, intaking a lot of information at once was one of Salem’s secret human powers.<br/><br/>Cyclops had known Pryde and Piotr for a long time now. And the three of them had always gotten along well. They didn’t all approach problems the same way, but that worked to their advantage as a team whenever the they worked together. In any case, they all had similar goals in mind. They were some of Xavier’s most ideal students, they cared about the innocent, they wanted to do good. They were focused, useful, ‘gifted’, and their wills were strong. Salem’s arms had uncrossed by the time Kitty was supporting her plan. She didn’t exactly know what to do with them. There were no pockets on this tight leather armor.<br/><br/>She tried to pretend like she wasn’t listening. She checked a few straps by her left ribs to make sure the armor was fitting as tightly as possible. It was good practice. In a dark corridor, one loose strap clanged like a bell; one worn pin holding a buckle together was louder than a footstep.<br/><br/><em>-She would never forget when the original Logan had been the leader of a reconnaissance training exercise for her and seven other students at the school. It had been Salem’s first actual field training. The exercise was four days long in the woods. It was a late night on a trail… they were ‘surrounded by enemies’, marching silently. At least, they were supposed to have been. Something on her vest was loose, and she couldn’t find it. Logan stopped the whole squad, walked to the back of the formation, and found the strap without looking. The exercise was intense, like a haunted house, it all felt real. He’d grabbed her more suddenly than she expected, she even felt her feet lift off of the ground for a split second. Logan synched the loose strap, growled a command in her ear in a low rumble, and walked silently back to the front of their staggered march. She had never actually understood what he said to her. It was embarrassing.- </em><br/><br/>She’d never had a loose strap since. Checking her equipment served in the danger room at the moment, her hands and her attention found something to do.<br/><br/>As Colossus even further validated Salem’s position as a leader, she was listening. Luckily, there hadn’t been anything in her hands when he dropped the bomb<em>“Cyclops. For the duration of this mission, I am giving you temporary command of the team.”</em><br/><br/><hr/><br/><em>‘Oh my god.’</em>Salem was floored. This was the first time she’d been given command.<em>‘For this exercise, even Piotr is at my disposal.’</em>She looked at the large statue of a man, and nodded to him, letting him finish. She hadn’t expected this at all. But she looked like she did. The question at the end came to her like a jab to the nose. But, her reaction reflected well of her position. She didn’t speak right away. Instead she looked at the group around her. She knew that none of them could see her eyes, but she gauged theirs to try and understand how they felt about this decision. She’d avoided Wolverine’s eyes on purpose and she hadn’t looked at everyone. Psylocke, Chamber, and Shadowcat had all gotten her ruby stare for a second or two.<br/><br/>Her focus changed to Piotr again.<strong>“I can handle it. Thank you.” </strong><br/><br/>Luckily, her jaw hadn’t dropped. It took everything in her power not to look at Wolverine. And, she failed immediately. Her visor went from Piotr to the girl in the Wolverine costume. Salem knew instantly that Laura was going to be the first person subvert her command.<em>‘Why?’ - ‘Laura is here right now.’ </em><br/><br/>Salem had made a mistake looking at Laura in that moment. Her leadership would have to start with a sentence to the one person she hated to work with.<strong>“Wolverine. You’re effective, dangerous and intimidating. And most importantly, you’re precise.”</strong>Not all of these things were true. But, in theory, her claws weren’t likely to level a building.<br/><br/>Cyclops took one step forward to address everyone. Her hands gestured naturally in front of her as she gave commands.<strong>“Wolverine will lead the van. Colossus, myself and Chamber will be with her. We want minimal damage to anything that isn’t actively trying to stop you.” </strong>Her frame shifted to Psylocke.<strong> “I like the idea of drawing them out, and away from the hostages. But we’re not going to lure them anywhere. We’ll have to cripple their numbers in order to bring their reserves into the front.” </strong>She spoke to everyone again.<strong> “If they start losing people, they’re likely going to enter the fight to protect their assets. They might retreat, they might attempt to take out the hostages.”</strong><br/><br/><strong>“Shadowcat, Psylocke, that’s why you’re on the rear flank.”</strong>-<strong>“Be prepared for anything, but don’t make yourselves known until you have to.”</strong>-<strong>“Psylocke, if you have a chance, neutralize any potential guards around the hostages. Shadowcat, try to move them as a group. We don’t want them to scatter outside.”</strong><br/><br/><strong>“We don’t want any deaths, not civilians, no enemies. Use restraint and focus on the innocent people around you. Chamber no explosions, no fire, use concussive force. Psylocke, non-lethal damage. Wolverine, headbutts might work.”</strong>Salem looked up for a moment to find a different way to say that.<strong>“Try not to stab anyone.”</strong>That felt better.<br/><br/>With that she was done. The rest of the victory was outlined in her head, but she didn’t want to overload them with the plans for the end of the mission. Her right hand lifted up to her temple and she reached for the knob on the side. She turned the aperture to about 13%,  a small HUD appeared from her perspective. With that setting she could pinpoint her shots more accurately, and they would only hit someone about as hard as a baseball bat. The blast would be thin, so it would feel more like a hammer.<br/><br/>Cyclops lowered her hand. She looked around the group once more, and nodded.<strong>“Lasers set to stun.”</strong>