Who: Carol Danvers and Nate Summers Where: The airport and elsewhere What: Flight When: This afternoon Warnings/Rating: PG Status complete
Nate was bouncy, having been working on the car with Kitty and wandering about the city looking for fun things to do. Now he was at the airport. He had been in the lounge, playing video games, but sometimes even that got boring, so he was wandering now.
The hangars were full of interesting people and as long as you didn’t seem nosy, most people didn’t mind someone just walking past. He liked that, and had even talked to a few air mechanics and flight instructors along the way. It was fun!
He approached a new hangar, this one with a flight instructor sign out and decided to head in, hopeful for more information and a new friend.
Carol kept the F-16 here now, next to her little cessna. The contrast was astounding, but more importantly it helped bring her business. She had her hair tied back in a pony tail, and was wearing jeans and a low cut tank top as she inspected her Cessna.
Nate gaped as he looked at the two planes, and the woman inspecting one of them. Wow! She, and the planes, were awesome! Nate wandered in, taking two steps in, an stopping, not wanting to intrude, mouth wide open as he stared in wonder.
She turned at the sound of footsteps. She was surprised to see a kid alone. “Hey, are you lost?”
It took him a moment to respond. “Nope. I just... wait, sorry, is that an F-16? A real one?” He hadn’t seen one except in a museum when he was six. He swallowed. “It’s gorgeous.” Of course, so was she, but his eyes were all on the beauty of metal right now.
“She is. She’s been made up to look like the one I flew when I was in the air force.” There wasn’t much left of the original, after she’d been shot down. “She’s a gift from a friend. We’re working out an inexpensive way to keep her in the air, but she can fly.”
Nate peered up at her, then nodded. “Can I go closer?” He was curious, and already ideas were rattling around in his head. “Do you want to keep the engine the same or would a new engine be in the realm of possibility?” He eyed the wings and frame and nodded.
She raised her eyebrows at the kid. “I’m really fond of the kick of a jet engine. There’s a feel to it that few things match. Except maybe the space shuttle.”
Nate nodded.”Okay. So different fuel source. Or power source...” He hmmed and eyed the plane, still standing back.
“Do you know Scott Summers or Shepard?”
“I’ve met both of them.” Carol tilted her head, staring at the kid like he was looney-pants. “Army and Marine. We’ve had drinks together, but it’s been awhile since I’ve spoken to either. Years.”
He grinned. “Yeah? Scott is my dad.” He smiled up at her and bounced. “I’m Nate Summers! And... darn it.” He rubbed his mouth. “I need to talk to dad and shepherd, but there may be a way to power the plane if we can make two different technologies work.” Maybe.
Carol held out her hand. “I seem to remember Scott having a son in the dream world, but I don’t really remember much about it.” She wondered what a little kid could do but decided not to insult his intelligence.
“It’s complicated, here and there, and involves time travel, giving most involved and many not involved headaches. The main thing to know here is that I’m a genius, a mechanical whiz, and that I have experience with certain alternate fuel and engine types, but I don’t know how well they would integrate with your stuff, and don’t know if I can talk about it with you until I ask them.” He smiled apologetically at her.
“Sorry.”
Carol made a face. "Honestly? I just want her in the air, and I want her to roar, and I want to feel the G-forces. I don't even...need her to get around, but I still enjoy it.”
Nate nodded, face falling. “Oh, sorry.” He eyed the jet, then the garage, then the jet again. “That’ll take some doing.”
“It’s okay, Nate. I couldn’t afford anything you could do anyway. I’ll just have to save up for monthly flights.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it. “Yes you could. If I come up with something, you teach me to fly. Even steven.” He nodded. He knew how to drive, and how to work on things, but not to fly.
“As long as I don’t get arrested for it, deal.” She held out her hand, grinning.
“You won't. I’m getting emancipated to deal with working and going to college, and so I’ll be able to get licences...” He nodded.
“Good!” She sounded excited, and not for her plane. “That’s great for you! You must be so excited!”
“I am. It required a lot of paperwork as I am too young for normal emancipation of work permit issuance, and so I had to prove my intellect, my ability to work hard. and my responsibility and my maturity, with several witnesses and a lot of work involved. But after five days of several hours a day, it worked. All that’s left is mom and dad’s testimony in court, and that happens Monday, unless they cannot make it back, or need a day to rest. If all goes well, then the paperwork will be signed, and as of Monday at noon, I will be an emancipated minor.”
He grinned at her, eyes wide. “I’m excited and terrified, but mostly, I just want to keep going forward. It wasn’t so much to be emancipated but for the ability to enact my own school and work choices that I made my decision, and sought this, and I still in most ways, will be living by my parents rules. In their house, with their rules of houseness, and no sex until the normal age of consent, no marriage until age of consent without their approval, and a few other caveats. But yes.” He shivered.
“You’re too smart for your own good. You’re going to end up breaking some poor girl’s heart.” She winked at him. It sounded like a lot of work and thought had gone into it, and she’d heard of stranger things.
Nate facepalmed. “I don’t think so. My life is full of the crazy. Any women in their right minds should run like hell away from me, as soon as they see me.” He paused and looked at her.
Carol laughed, and jerked her head to a picture tacked to a cork board. “You’ll be really hot when you’re older, but I’ve already got someone who thinks I’m crazy.”
He peered over then grinned. “Cool! She looks gorgeous! I wish you allll the luck!” He smiled at her. “It’s good you have someone.” He knew how hard the world could be.
“Thanks. I probably need it.” That wasn’t to say anything bad about Jess, but the dreams tended to do bad things to people. Carol might be whole, but she feared it might tear her and Jess apart.
“I’ll be hoping for both of you. Someone needs some love in this world. And my parents can’t be the only lucky ones.” He nodded. Life seemed to speed by somehow. So much had happened in such a small time.
“At least they are lucky ones? I’m happy for you, and them.” She looked at him, then walked over to the cork board. “Tell you what. You pass the test, I’ll get you a pair of wings, just like these.” She held up her wings from the air force.
Nate gaped, then shook his head. “Only if I earn them, in actual flight. “ He blushed and looked down. “But thank you.”
“You’ll earn them. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Nate nodded slowly.”Okay then.” He smiled slowly. “How much do Cessnas cost?”
“Depends on what kind you want, and how new it is. How many props, how big, and so on. You’re looking at least $100,000, closer to 150. Unless you can find a junker to rebuild, then you might pay thirty, plus the cost of parts and restoration. Even seats and features will add to the price.” She glanced over at her two seater. “That one was 110 including restoration. I paid 90 and got most of the parts at junkyards.”
Nate nodded. “Gives me a goal. I wanna fly someday. To be up there in the clouds and let the wind flow past me.” His voice got soft. “Someday.” His eyes were on the fighter, and then he blushed and turned away, took a breath, and turned back to her. “Sorry.”
Carol tilted her head. “Would you like a quick jaunt around the city? You won’t even need a plane.” She was hovering an inch off the ground.
Nate stared, then whooped. “Please?” Hope and want was in his eyes and his voice and he shivered with it. He nodded slowly and took one step closer. “I... please.”
She picked him up, damsel style, and second later they were a thousand feet in the air, dashing over the county. She didn’t go too fast. She wanted him to enjoy it.
Nate laughed for the joy of it, and then grinned, whopping at the feeling. Being pressed against her, carried and seeing the world fall away? That was amazing. “Yes!” His shout held pure joy and excitement.
He held on to her how he could and grinned at her and then outward.
Laughing, she pulled up, doing a gigantic loop before diving straight down towards the ocean, skimming it with inches to spare.
"Amazing! Go, go, go!" A daredevil was born in Nate long ago, but made true right then.
He held to Carol with excitement in his eyes.
Upwards they shot again, speed increasing, before Carol banked and diving again. She had to keep them low enough that she wouldn’t asphxiate the kid. That would look really, really bad.
"There's no other thing like this!" He whooped and hugged her. It was fantastic!
“No, there isn’t,” Carol replied, alighting on a cliff overlooking the whole of the county. She set Nate down, and stretched. “There really isn’t.”
He smiled as he stretched as well. He felt reborn. “ Thank you for that. You made my whole week. "
He hugged her.
“It was fun for me. I only just..awoke, really, a couple of days ago.” She smiled down at the kid, and put her arm around him. “It’s all a little scary, but in a good way.”
Nate smiled up at her. “It’ll be okay. I promise. There will be sorrow and terror and anger, and strangeness, but it will be okay in the end.” He nodded, eyes older than his form for a moment.
“That’s always the way it is.” She smiled softly, stuffing her hands in her pockets. She had the oddest urge to ask for his advice about her dreams, but decided it would be better to ask Thor about it. About being attracted to someone in her dreams and with someone else here.
Nate smiled to her. “Thank you, for this.” he waved a hand. “This is fantastic.” he nodded.
“Ready to head back?” She glanced at the boy. “We can take the scenic route through the Sierra Nevadas.” Which was hugely out of the way.