ic National Anthem (IC)

[Avenger Assembled]

After all the buildup, stepping off the bus was a bit anti-climactic. They were at Jordan International Airport but not near the high-traffic passenger areas, instead parked near a Learjet over in what was obviously the air-freight section of the airport. Without comment, the Patriot herself walked to the back of the bus to heft the archeological treasures they were escorting to DC, muscles rippling under her costume's jacket sleeves as she carried the sturdy box by its handles outside and out to the plane. Once there there were some forms to sign with the groundcrew (most of whom seemed very impressed to be meeting a group of heroes, even teenagers), the flight-crew to introduce to the teens, and then it was time to get onto the plane. 

 

Captain Ron and Navigator Irons both looked straight from Central Casting for commercial pilots, right down to the matching gold wedding bands and greying mustaches. They shook hands a little gruffly, but professionally - this was obviously not their first flight. Goddamit, that thing is heavy, Ashley thought to herself, looking the teens over briefly before she said, "Okay, Starshine and Freedom Eagle, let's see you get our cargo on board." Put the two quiet ones together, see what we get. "Kid Celtic, Patrioteen, they'll want your eyes up front for takeoff." Ron and Irons both nodded at that. Come to think of it, on closer inspection, both men had IRONS sewn above their breast pockets. "Kensei, you're with me," she added, leading the way up to the oddly protruding plane door. 

 

"As you can see, this plane has been specially modified for metahuman aerial operations!" she added, hitting the door with her fist. "This door is designed with an inner iris so in emergencies, you can operate any metahuman movement abilities outside the airplane and then safely return. It is not designed for screwing around, or opening the door to try and paraglide onto passing 747s, or..." Ashley stopped, cursing inside her head as she realized she was laying it on a little thick again. Come on. You're not a senior trying to control a bunch of first-years. You're a damn grown-ass adult. 

 

"Anyway! Let's get this cargo onboard so we can get moving." She stepped back, watching the kids do their thing. 

 

 

[Tiffany Korta]

Starshine

“I can do that!” Rosalind was happy that she could actually do something useful here.

 

She was surrounded by a golden glow as she powered up and she carefully picked up one end of the object, she could probably manage the whole weight but she didn’t want Freedom Eagle to feel left out.

 

“Do you know how what’s it’s like to fly in one of these thing?”she asked a little nervously “I know it’s a little weird what with me being able to fly, but I’ve never flown higher than the tree tops… and I’ve never been outside the state.”

 

New experience was what this was all about, but it didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous about it all.

[RocketLord]

"A-alright, if you're sure," James replied to Patriot, stepping forward together with Rosalind.

 

He looked at the cargo while Rosalind lifted it. It seemed heavy, but if he could just convince the Bird of Prey to behave right. His suit seemed to shift and change, just slightly. The musculature became more defined, he just looked overall stronger. That was... That was good. The Bird of Prey did as it was supposed to and James stepped forward to lift his part of the cargo.

 

Alright, he could do this without looking like a fool in front of Rosalind and the others.

 

He paused a bit at Rosalind's question, looking at the plane. Despite his mouth and eyes being visible behind his faceplate, his expression was almost unreadable. "N-no. I haven't tried one of those. It's... It's kind of... kind of old? I mean, back home. we wouldn't ride something like that. More... portals and such?" James paused briefly, turning to look up at the sky. "But flying... oh, flying's the best. I-I, it's the best part of this whole... this whole... about being the Freedom Eagle. It is just... it is just complete freedom, as corny as that sounds?"

[angrydurf]

Following the others off the bus he kept a wary eye on the perimeter apparently taking the potential of a threat seriously despite his early verbal sparing.  He dropped an intense stare on the pilots but kept his distance knowing how disquieting his presence could be when fully armored.

 

Standing alert apart form the others he waited on the Patriots further commands.  He waited for the others to move into position drawing up the rear before joining the Patriot staring out from above the spectral mempo as he tried to judge if he was being held in reserve for combat or merely being babysat lest he snap and fall to his families familiar path of destruction.   Deciding finally it didn't matter the reason he'd put in due diligence and watched from his perch as the others hefted the box and approached.

[Tiffany Korta]

Starshine

“Flying under your own power is amazing, isn’t it?” her eyes lit up as she spoke, “Before I joining Claremont I used to fly through the forest, not too deep because the Green Man stuff is out there, and just so much fun!”

 

Rosalind was a little wistful for a little while before continuing, she’d have to do that again during the holidays.

 

“But you know this isn’t under my own power, and this will take me as far as I’ve ever been before. I guess going away from home is a bigger deal than flying in this tin can!”

[alderwitch]

"You got it," Tori replied with an easy going nod for Patrioteen to head up to the front. With the wolf-spirit cloaked over her own, Tori's steps were quieter and more fluid. Her body language changed to something that slinked along between the seats with sure footed ease. Despite the adjustments on the physical side, there was no change to her personality. "Don't worry, Patriot, we won't let you down. No joyrides until after the work is done, right?"

 

She was kidding clearly, her smile lopsided and easy before she followed Patrioteen towards the front. Despite the earlier ribbing, she offered easily, "The wolf lends me speed and strength and stealth. My nose is keener and my vision drops into lower light ranges. Quicker reflexes. If something does happen, I have an owl that's willing to lend me their wings if I need it. Can't talk to the plants while I'm vibing with an animal but that's probably not as useful up in the air. Can call out to bear or fox if I need to switch it up, or drop the connection and focus on making plant magic happen but it'll take me a second to adjust. Sometimes that's a second that matters. I'm a good all-rounder, but it means I don't do any one thing really well."

 

Did Tori think that there was going to be an actual problem? No, she did not. But if she was going to be on a training mission, she was going to give it her all and it had been drilled into her that part of being a good teammate was setting the expectations for what she could provide.

[KnightDisciple]

Patrioteen simply nodded at the instructions from Patriot, and had made sure to shake hands with the crew, smile, nod, and genuinely thank them for their assistance today. He unconsciously took the lead toward the front of the plane, though his pace was such that the wolf-enhanced Kid Celtic possibly found it slow. She was perceptive enough to tell he was holding back, though.

 

"If we need to talk to plants up here, it's likely a plant villain. Which, uh, could help, but edge-case. Hm. Maybe after takeoff we can walk the cabin with that nose?"

 

He wasn't going to say the "b" word out loud now that they were on the aircraft, but Patrioteen was clearly channeling Patriot's paranoia. He tapped beside the lenses on his mask as he continued to speak. 

 

"I've got full infrared vision with the goggles here. Doesn't majorly increase my range, but I can get us pretty darn accurate heading and distance if we spot something. I'd wager we'd be the second line in the air if it came to that. Freedom Eagle's pretty obviously geared toward aerial operations, and if I remember things right, Starshine can fly pretty well. I can fly with these boots but, uh. Prefer jumping. I'd get left way, way behind by the jet. I could do fire support from the door, though."

 

He lightly tapped the thick red gauntlet on his right hand with that remark.

 

"And I think having an all-rounder is good. People like to joke about "master of none", but almost none of the folks I've trained with are "true masters". Sounds like you're versatile. Very useful. More versatile than me, honestly. Hm. Does the owl let you see further than normal?"

 

Suddenly, he grinned.

 

"How good is the wolf nose? I might need your help on a cooking project after this is all done. Outside opinion is nice, and literally super-human sense of smell would be great."

[Avenger Assembled]

As the kids went about their work, Ashley categorized them mentally. Okay, talks a lot - man, he'd like Alek's kids. Better arrange a playdate. She's got hippie powers but she's not talking my ear off about the 'carceral state' so that's nice. He's figured out how to keep his opinions to himself even when he's standing right next to me and his girlfriend's not around, so that's good - he can be taught. And those two are either fresh off the farm or they know how to act like it...poor damn kids. When Starshine and Freedom Eagle had the box secured in the rear of the plane, she let herself relax - slightly. 

 

When the plane was loaded and everyone was on board, Ashley went around making sure everyone was strapped in, whether they were in the jump seats of the cockpit behind the two pilots or the seats in the body of the plane proper. "Even if you're bulletproof, a crash turns you into a missile that can do even more damage. Trust me, I've seen it for myself." Even with her gloves, she was careful not to touch any of the kids; the last thing she needed was any accidents with her own powers surrounded by so many wild young talents. 

 

Once everyone was in place, she signaled the pilots, who with professional chatter soon had them first taxiing, then off the runway in the air for what promised to be a 45 minute flight. At least in theory. The Patriot peered out the window at the thick cloudbank that had followed them up above the regular cloudline, a thick, dark mass that thunked and ticked with hail and ice. Well that was predicted but still sucks. 

 

"Hang on, shouldn't have too much turbulence," she said, twisting in her seat near the front to look back at the students, "You doing okay back there, Freedom Eagle and Starshine?" 

[RocketLord]

"I think I get what you mean." James sounded almost melancholic for a moment. "It isn't easy being far from home."

 

James made a point out of not being in the cockpit, and that he was properly strapped in. His armor might protect him, but he didn't actually want to take any chances, and the Bird had started chattering to him about flying in a big metal box and how it would be much better to go out and really fly.

 

He seemed almost absent for a moment, when Patriot asked if they were alright.

 

"Y-yes, I t-think so." He didn't sound even half as sure as he tried to sound. "J-just w-weird to be f-flying inside s-something like t-this."

 

[angrydurf]

Kensei rolled his eyes barely visible between phantom helmet and mask but nodded at the instruction and silently and efficiently strapped himself in adjusting the harness to his frame with more experience with the military style rigging than any sixteen year old had right to know.  "Not my first time."  he said flatly as the Patriot approached to check his work.

 

He glanced around at the others as they strapped in as well and glanced back at their cargo with a frown.  "With the weight and distance a truck or convoy would make more sense."  he surmised dryly, "Only reason to fly is because planes are harder to hijack, unless the pilots are compromised."  he glanced toward the cockpit pensively but shook his head.  "Probably just paranoia."  he murmured somewhat tiredly leaning his head back against the side of hte plane as they taxied toward the runway, "Gonna get real loud when they gun it for take off."  he warned the others and settled in for what would surely be an uneventful flight.

[Tiffany Korta]

Starshine

Rosalind had to concentrate very hard not to power on her aura, despite the worried chirping of bracelet, she didn’t want to damage even the seat of the plane accidentality.

 

“This is fine, it’s all going to fine!” she muttered to herself as a kind of mantra, this was going to be fine she was sure

 

“That’s really not helping you know?” she replied to Kensei, though it did kind of help some to have something else to worry about rather how weird it was to be flying in this metal tube rather than under her own power.

 

“Besides I doubt many know about all this, it’s all hush hush spy stuff after all!”

[Avenger Assembled]

It was a long and not terribly pleasant flight - not from the company on board but because of the weather. The storm outside wasn't serious enough to force a landing but it was serious enough that anyone feeling prone to airsickness suffered through a bouncing, bumpy ride that was best spent under a dose of Dramamine. The Patriot herself seemed rather unsettled by the flight, walking up and down the aisles and peering out the windows, though she did her best to keep up camaraderie with the teens as they went. For students of sturdier stock, the in-flight movie turned out to be the latest Power Rangers (the cult American TV show-turned-movie that used recut public-domain footage of Japan's Squadron Supreme) and the onboard snacks plentiful. (If you were tough enough, anyway) 

 

Near the end of the flight, the Patriot went up front a couple of times to talk to the pilots, chasing any of the teens out of the cockpit as she went. The cockpit doors were actually closed as they began dipping low below the cloud cover - a moment before everyone realized another plane was coming right at theirs! In a moment of horror before anyone could react; it struck the wing as the Patriot's voice yelled "Crash positions! Everyone get in crash positions and activate defensive powers! I need someone up here protecting the pilots!" she called, throwing the cockpit door open wide. The plane, and seemingly the other plane, a Lear Jet like theirs, were beginning a rapid spiral down to the forested earth below... 

[RocketLord]

James didn't exactly have the best time on the trip, sitting a bit away from most of the others, looking out of the window, looking like he would much rather be out flying alongside the plane. He didn't really seem to like the movie and barely touched the snacks.

 

At least he seemed to relax a little bit... just before it all went to hell.

 

"I-I-I..." He froze, looking around at the others. Protect the pilots. Crash positions. They were crashing. They were going to crash.

 

"I can do it!" James finally decided, unbuckling himself and pushing through the plans. His wings were beginning to unfold, just small ones for now, before he managed to make it up to cockpit.

 

"D-don't move. I c-can do this."

 

His wings extended, wrapping around the two pilots. 

[KnightDisciple]

Sharaf had been about to get up when Patriot called for someone to protect the pilots. Then James beat him to it, and despite the dire circumstances, Sharaf smiled. He was glad to see the other young man stepping up. But there was no more time for it, now. He looked around, and saw that Kensei was the closest person to him, and also the one that (as far as he understood things) had the least ability to innately mitigate damage. Sharaf took precious seconds to unbuckle, dive over to the seat next to Kensei, and re-buckle. The almost inhuman grace he displayed was likely due to his "super soldier" enhancements at work. 

In the blink of an eye, a large rectangle of smooth metal seemed to simply manifest in front of the young men; it flowed and shivered as nanomachines reconfigured and assembled themselves at incredible speed. Patrioteen slid it directly in front of both young men, then braced his other arm and his legs in the more normal crash position. There was no more time for words, they were moments from the crash. 

 

Kensei would catch fragments of Arabic slipping from Patrioteens lips, and in the context it was obvious they were prayers. If ever there was a time...

[alderwitch]

"Bloody hell," Tori gasped as the entire plane jolted. Digging her hands deep into the pocket of her jacket, she fumbled for a moment before closing around a bag of seeds. With no finesse, just desperation, her nails bit into the plastic enough to gouge a few channels into it before she flung her hand out scattering seeds all about the cabin. "Cosnaíonn fíniúnacha sinn!"

 

The gaelic tripped from her tongue, demanding vines burst from the seeds and weave themselves rapidly about the cabin in hope of blunting anyone tossed about. That did mean that Tori had to drop the offered protection of the animal spirit in order to weave her magic but, in that split second, she was more concerned about buffering as many people as possible rather than ensuring her own safety. Hopefully, that was a gamble that would pay off. 

[angrydurf]

Utsawa slumped in his seat and soon let his armored form bleed away into the ether dissipating around him like smoke on the wind after the took off.  He visibly winced at the selection of movie and closed his eyes leaning back in his seat and focused on the thrumming hum of the engines letting himself relax into the shake and roll of the plane as it weathered the turbulent winds of the storm.  While he was aware of the Patriots nervous pacing and conversations with the pilots he paid little attention to them or the other movement about the cabin.  Only as the film reached it's inevitable denouement did he murmur a curse in Japanese under his breath hissing, "Nobody cares you relic." in his native tongue barely audible above the sound of hte engines and storm outside.

 

When the alarms blared and Patriot issued her orders to assume crash positions the young mans eyes snapped open and took in the chaos.  His armor raced in blued flames to cover his body once more and he was halfway out of his seat heading for the emergency exit when Patrioteen arrived to extend the nanometal shield.  He glanced to the fellow teen and then to the exit row once more and gritted his teeth, "Your toys best be up to the challenge."  he growled as he strapped back in and assumed a crash position.  The plants filling the compartment soon cut off any hope of egress to the dubious safety of the exterior of the plane regardless and he listened to the dueling voices of Sharafs prayers and his grandfathers ranting about ruining his vessel as eh waited for the inevitable impact.

 

 

[Avenger Assembled]

There was a lot of shouting and flashing lights, eruptions of superpowers and Ashley had to admit some very good tactical thinking by her squad. "Hang on! Hang on!" she called urgently, braced against the door near Starlight to offer some additional protection. She looked ahead and saw the ground rushing up, felt the plane tilt upwards in one last burst of speed - 

 

By the time everyone had regained consciousness, it was clear that almost everyone was all right. Kensei, Freedom Eagle, and Patrioteen had safeguarded the pilots, who were shaken up but none the worse for where as they went about sending an emergency signal from their flickering control panels. "We're not that far from Dulles;" Captain Irons said, "I'm getting a signal through there. We're in Elk Neck State Forest, it looks like...but the GPS is screwed up, I don't know what the hell is going on." 

 

"Did you get any read on that other plane?" asked the Patriot. "It looked like they came down almost on top of us." Peering outside, the teens could see a forest and small lake outside; a trail of debris behind them from their impact, and a small cloud of dust and smoke rising from the forest nearby. It had been a nice late fall day. "I - oh, goddamit," said Ashley as she started to get up. The plant screen cast through the plane had saved everyone from flying debris; but she'd been standing by a metal strut that had cracked and driven itself directly through the muscle of her left calf. "Goddamit," she said again, blood running down her armored leg. 

 

 

[RocketLord]

It didn't take too long for James to regain consciousness. The Bird of Prey kept talking to him, complaining to him. His wings were, for at least a moment, pretty much stuck in the cockpit, but he had done his job. He had kept the pilots safe. That was... that was something, at least. Right?

 

"I-I think we're alright. P-please calm d-down." 

 

He was obviously not speaking to any of the others as he retracted his wings. Standing back, he looked around the others and winced when he saw Patriot bleeding.

 

"I-I... I d-don't think I c-can..." Panic was clearly starting to build in his voice.

[Tiffany Korta]

Starshine

Rosalind came through the crash without a scratch, again the Bracelet provided her a protective barrier against harm. In fact in happened so quickly it took her a moment to figure out exactly what they’d been through. Floating there surrounded by her protective aura she considered what she could do to help, she wasn’t as powerful as the others she was fairly sure she was fast enough to be helpful here. Or at least keep busy whilst others did all the important work.

 

“I can go see what happened to the other aircraft? It’s not that far away so it won’t take me long to fly over.”