Sorry I haven't updated in a while. College is a bitch.
Also it's funny to me, this chapter was exactly 1515 words.
"Prof, he just went out like a snuffed candle."
"Yes, I have a theory about that, though I doubt you'd be very interested. I assure you he is quite alright."
"In fact he's regaining consciousness now." I said. Though, because all my nerves were still a bit sensitive, I didn't quite open my jaw enough to correctly pronounce those words, so I sent the message through my thoughts instead.
"Ah, David, I'm glad to see you're coming to so quickly."
Just how long was I out this time?
"Less than an hour. You're getting a bit better at this."
Great, now please get Logan to find a fire extinguisher for my nerves.
He chuckled. Logan stayed where he was. A playful look of resentment crossed my face. Logan looked confused for a moment before meeting under his breath, "dammed telepaths."
Are you feeling left out Logan? I thought playfully his way.
He raised a central finger. I laughed, then my nerves burned a bit.
What's the plan for the pilot? Interrogation?
"Containment. SHIELD monitors all of our alarms and installed many of their own after the school was attacked a few years ago. I'm surprised it's taking them this long to arrive." Confusion passed over Charles' face as he said this.
I looked around at the ruins this once fine dining room had become.
Did anyone get hurt?
"Gratefully, no. No one was injured."
"You did good kid, I doubt they would've stopped with just us."
Why do you say that.
They made eye contact.
"David, the world of mutants is not as preferable as the world of humans." My eyebrows knitted together. "There have been many attacks on this school since I founded it. A lot of property damage, many injuries to my students, some of those quite serious." The Professors years began to show on his face as he looked at the bullet holes in the wooden floor, the destroyed pillars, the shattered remnants of the glass that was held in the windows if the great hall. I could tell, even without reading his mind I could tell that some of his students had died. I realized that while he might not get the opportunity to see each of his students as often as he might like, he still cared for each of them like they were his. My respect for this man grew and I promised myself quietly that I wouldn't tell anyone what he said. It seemed so private to him. I felt a trust apparent in him telling us this. I locked eyes with Logan and saw on his face like words on a book an expression that mirrored my sentiments.
A small eternity later my muscles tensed and Logans' head turned quick enough to give a lesser man whiplash. An odd sound, like a miniature airplane entered my ears.
Whatever memories Charles was swimming through were interrupted when Logan shoved him behind the ruined pillar. A short streak of bright red was rapidly approaching the remnants of the school.
Logan crouched low to the ground. The long knives I saw earlier reappeared with a grinding sound that sounded like daggers released from sheath. He snarled.
Charles concentrated for a moment, then chuckled.
"Logan, the man coming means is no harm. Quite the opposite in fact."
As I watched the knives started to shrink, I saw them embedded in his arms.
Ouch!
He looked over at me and grinned.
"Who's our newest honored guest, Professor?"
"I don't know him personally but Commander Fury used to talk about him all the time. His one good eye, he would say."
As the red streak grew it became clearer that it wasn't any sort of plane, as I had thought, but a car.
What?
It took less than a minute for the car to go from its distant point on the horizon to a point close enough for me to vaguely make out the more noticeable facial features of the person that was… driving? piloting? flying? whatever, the flying car. There weren't any. He kept coming and eventually pulled up to the shattered window.
"Hello, Professor Xavier, I'm very pleased to see that you all are alright. Is there anyone that was injured?"
"I took a couple to the forehead." Logan said, with a very slight grin.
"Anyone who can die, I mean." Secret Agent Man said without skipping a beat.
"No one, Phil. Why don't you come in and we can make introductions."
Phil nodded to The Professor, he leaned over as though he were going to change gears. The car lowered itself a few inches and stopped. Phil opened the car door and stepped through the shattered window to the equally shattered dining facility.
"Hello, I'm Agent Coulson. You must be David Blackstone."He offered his hand. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Wish I could say the same, Agent Coulson." I took his hand and shook it.
"I wish I could stay and chat," He said to Professor Xavier. "But Director Fury gave the order to take Mr. Blackstone back to SHIELD Headquarters."
I looked at Charles and asked, should I go with him?
Fury says he is a good man. If Fury trusts him I do too. Though his mind seems very distant to me, I suppose he must've gone through some sort of mental training with SHIELD.
If you are going to trust him, I will too.
"Well what are we waiting for then?"
I climbed into the flying car making absolutely certain to avoid touching any buttons or to bump any levers out of place.
"I just thought of something." I said as the majority of my ass made it over the central column.
"What."
"The pilot, what are we going to do about him?"
"Where is he? Also how do you know he's a he?"
I pointed to the helicopter. "I was inside his head. I think I know him quite fully."
"Well would you mind making my job a bit easier and tell me who he is?"
The seats were heated. Nice. "His name is Cassandra Holderlin." I caught his sideways glance. I wouldn't have anticipated Logan being the one to come to Cassandra's defense by saying "Bub, sometimes people identify more personally than with what's in their pants. Get used to that."
"David," The professor called. "Were you able to find he- his name when you entered his head?"
"Yes sir, it was a mad jumble but I got a few things. He's 39, married to a lovely woman named Joan. Random stuff but I think those things were probably the most pressing to him. He honestly thought he was attacking a terrorist cell hiding in a school."
"Whose employ is he under?"
"You know out of everything I got from him I didn't get that, sorry."
"You didn't find his employer but you got everything else?"
I don't know why but I felt a little bit indignant about that. "If you thought you were going to die, would the first thing that came to your mind be your job?"
He didn't respond.
When Agent Coulson climbed into his seat, straps separate from the normal three point seat belt extended from a seam in the chair I didn't notice.
"Buckle up." Coulson said.
"But aren't we just heading down there?"
"Yeah but after that we're heading to SHIELD Headquarters, in DC."
I buckled up.
The pilot was starting to regain consciousness when Coulson landed the car. He opened the car door after reaching into a side pocket. He had a sharp looking metal tube in his right hand.
"Hello, my name is Agent Phil Coulson. I've been assigned to bring you in."
"Hurgh!" The pilot lost her lunch on Phil's shoes. "On what charges? Is destroying a terrorist cell a criminal offense now?"
"No, you actually get a medal for that. What you did however was attack a school full of innocent students. You could actually be called a terrorist yourself because of that."
The pilot dry heaved again. Lost her balance and ended up face first in her own sickness. She rolled over and I could hear her crying, great sobs that shook her whole body.
"Ma'am? Please listen to me." Coulson said, kneeling, paying no mind to the vomit he just put his knee in. "You didn't hurt anyone." Her crying lost some of its intensity. "The area of the school you attacked was clear of students. All that was harmed is a dozen pillars and some windows. Also you scared the hell out of a ferret."
The fact that there was a ferret in the mix caught her off guard. She looked up at Coulson. An unidentifiable something slid off of her cheek.
"I still would like to bring you in for questioning. We don't know what the hell happened except for the blatantly obvious. Would you be willing to come in with us?" She nodded slowly. "Thank you. David, help me find a hose please."
Ten minutes and two thorough hose-downs later we were all strapped into Coulson's magic flying car.