Thunderbird || X-Men

Chapter 19 ~ Prison Break?

All four of us walked down the creaky stairs to a half-finished basement. Some kid (who I assumed was Peter) was playing table tennis with what looked to be himself. At first, my brain couldn't figure out exactly what was happening.

"What do you guys want? I didn't do anything." He said, appearing on a couch next to me, licking an orange ice-pop. "I've been here all day."

"Just relax, Peter. We're not cops." Logan told him.

"Of course you're not. If you were, you wouldn't be driving a rental car."

"How did you know we've got a rental car?" Charles questioned, seeming just as confused as I was.

"I checked your registration when you were walking to the door." Peter explained quickly. "I also had some time to kill so I went through your rental agreement. Saw you were from out of town. Are you FBI?" Then suddenly he appeared at a table to the side, Charles' wallet in hand.

"No, you're not cops. Hey, what's with this gifted youngsters place?" He said before appearing on a chair behind us.

"That's an old card." Charles sighed, snatching his wallet off the table.

"He's fascinating." Hank finally spoke.

"He's a pain in the arse."

"What, a teleporter?"

"No, he's just fast." Logan tried to explain."And when I knew him he wasn't so... young."

"Young? You're just old." Peter piped up again.

"So you're not afraid to show your powers?" I asked him as politely as I could.

"What powers? What are you talking about? Do you see something strange here?" He took another lick of his ice-pop. "Nothing anybody would believe if you told them."

"So, who are you? What do you want?" He appeared playing an arcade game in the corner.

"We need your help, Peter." I told him.

"For what?"

"To break into a highly secured facility... and to get someone out."

"Prison Break? That's illegal, you know."

"Um... Well," Logan looked around at the hundreds of boxes of pastries and piles of TVs. We both assumed he'd stolen them all. "Only if you get caught."

"So, what's in it for me?"

"You, you kleptomaniac, get to break into the Pentagon." Charles eventually told him, obviously tired of his shit already.

"How do I know I can trust you?" Peter finally slowed down.

"Because we're just like you." Logan looked back and forth between all of us.

"Show him." Charles said to him. Logan took a deep breath and squeezed his hand. I watched three bone claws rip from in between his knuckles. I had never seen them, and it was kinda gross. Peter must've thought the same thing.

"That's cool, but it's disusting."

~

I walked quietly behind Charles, Hank, and Logan as we toured the Pentagon. Of course, it was part of the plan but I couldn't help getting distracted.

"Built in 1943, the Pentagon is the world's largest office building..." I heard the tour guide explain to our group. Charles tapped me on the shoulder.

"See those cameras?" He whispered to me. I nodded. "They can see everything we're doing."

"Yea, I know."

"Do you think you could..?" I looked at him in confusion for a moment.

"Oh! Yea."

I waited for the tour guide to stop at an exhibit. I carefully placed my hand on the wall, tapping my fingers against the smooth painted bricks and closing my eyes. Then I focused. Then I waited.

"Okay," I whispered once we started walking down another hall. "We should go now, please. I'm not sure how long I can keep them off." I told Logan and Charles. Us three darted down a nearby stairwell, Hank staying behind to keep watch.

We walked down a long dark corridor. I was unsure of exactly Charles' plan but I played along.

"Kayla, can you make the overhead sprinklers go off in the kitchen?" He asked me.

"In the kitchen? From here?"

"Yes, in the kitchen. Can you do that?"

"I can try..." As we walked, I closed my eyes and let my fingers run across the wall. I wasn't sure if it worked until we walked right into a wet room full of bustling chefs on their way out.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! This is a Code Red situation!" Charles began, approaching the two police officers on either side of the door. "We are evacuating the entire floor... so that my associates and I can, uh, secure the prison." I could already tell this wasn't going to work, and it looked like Logan could too.

"Who are you?" One policeman asked us.

"We're special operations... CB... FE-CID..." I tried to hold in a laugh. "Look, perhaps you didn't hear me when first I spoke, but it is imperative that you understand we are in complete lockdown situation. We have to get you to the third floor-"

Before Charles could finish his dumb story, Logan attacked. I watched him grab them in a chokehold and hit them with a nearby frying pan.

"Oh I'm sorry, were you finished?" I would have laughed, but I was lost in thought. It's been ten years since I've seen Erik. Will he recognize me? Will I recognize him? Will he even want to help us? I wasn't ready to see him again. Half of me wanted to kiss him like I used to, the other half wanted to punch his stupid face and tell him what a fucking idiot he is. I didn't have time to react, the elevator doors were opening.

"I'm sorry, I'm just not very good with violence." Charles explained.

And there he was.

"Kay-" he began, before Charles gave him a good punch square in the face. I yelped in surprise, though I was thinking the same thing. Charles looked down at him in anger. Erik didn't get up at first.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Charles shouted at him, grabbing my shoulder protectively. Not good with violence, my ass. Erik rubbed his jaw, trying to get back on his feet.

"Good to see you old friend, and walking." He stated plainly.

"No thanks to you." Charles defended.

"You two are the last people in the world I expected to see today."

"Believe me... we wouldn't be here if we didn't have to. If we get you out of here, we do it my way. No killing."

"No helmet, I couldn't disobey you even if I wanted." Charles approached Erik slowly, staring daggers at him.

"I'm never getting inside of that head again. I need your word, Erik."

Erik's gaze shifted over to me, his eyes softening.

"I didn't think you were still alive. You look well." He told me. "I missed you."

"That makes one of us." I replied. But it was a lie. I did miss him. And I couldn't help but admit that he was just as attractive as he was a decade ago. Even now I just wanted to turn around and hug him and cry into his shirt. Cry about how often I think about him and how much I love him.

"I'm sorry love, I-"

"Nobody move!" Shouted an officer, pointing a gun at us.

"Hold it right there!"

"Charles..." Erik piped up, a little on edge. We all backed into the wall. "Freeze them, Charles."

"I can't." Erik looked around quickly, then regained focus. I watched all the pots and pans vibrate, then shoot up into the air.

"No!" Charles shouted. Guns fired. We all ducked, but somehow, all of us were okay. I looked up to see Peter standing cheekily on the opposite side of the room.