Whip arrived at the Danger Room, curious as to why his schedule had changed. He was even more curious when he saw Mark there with Scott and Shannon.
"Oh, good, you're here," said Scott. "Okay boys, you're probably wondering at the change of schedule."
Mark hadn't - knowing he had finished making up his hours in the Danger Room. He was still sore about being forced to do them. His was a power for observation, not fighting. Why couldn't these people understand that? Still, he was wondering why Whip was here.
"It has come to our attention," Scott was saying, "that you're abilities actually compliment each other. You're at almost the same fighting level."
"Ouch," Whip thought to himself.
"Mark, your powers involve observing people."
"Duh," Mark thought.
"And, Whip, your powers involve hiding from people."
A pause as the two boys glanced at each other.
"So from now on, you two will have half your Danger Room sessions with the rest of the class, and the other half just with each other. Sometimes your sessions will involving fighting, other times a game of hide and seek, as it were. Our hope is that when you become suffient enough at each skill, we will co-ordinate the sessions to involve all of them."
"And with any luck, a little friendly competition between the pair of you will be enough to entice both of you to improve - not that Whip's been problematic in that area," Scott thought to himself.
"Hide and seek?" Mark repeated. "What are we? Two?"
"Two year olds are lousy at hide and seek," Whip responded.
"Oh? And you know this from personal experience?"
"Yes. It'm much more fun with five year olds who think they can't see you, you can't see them."
"That's stupid."
"But funny."
Scott coughed.
"I'll leave you with Shannon now," he said.
He nodded to Shannon, and left.
"Well, it is just you and me," Shannon replied.
"Yep," Mark replied.
Whip's eyebrows raised at the expression on Mark's face as he looked at Shannon. No, please tell him that Mark didn't have a crush on the teacher, even if she was the youngest one on staff. Poor Shannon.
"Then let us get started," Shannon went on, oblivious. "Today you are going to have a game of hide and seek. The simulation is set in a jungle."
"How do we know who's won?" Whip asked. "Y'know, if I'm always the one hiding."
Shannon paused for a moment.
"Whenever you spot Whip," Shannon said finally,"speak up, and tell me where you saw him. I will be able to verify in the control room. This will not be about winning, rather about score, with a point for every time Mark spots Whip. A high score is in Marks' favour, and low score in Whips'."
The boys nodded. Then they all headed in, the boys on the floor, and Shannon in the control room. The game began.