Don't Be The Hero

Twenty Three

Nina pov

The rest of my week of training with the Professor was awful, but it had its results. I had successfully not lost it, even when I got a headache. I mean, I still get the headaches but I won't blow up. I hope.
Jack and I were finishing up packing for the trip. Victor was going to watch out bags, while Jack and I live in the wild for a while. The Professor gave Jack a 'panic button', I guess, just in case I do loose my head. Apparently it connects to Victor's phone.

A few students came to see us off. We got hugs from a few xmen that remained at the school over the summer, and Asia with a few younger students said good luck. Victor piled his bag in the trunk of the car I was borrowing from the school. A dark grey mini van. Not my best choice, and not the fastest thing out there, but it has room for Jack to sleep in the back and enough space in the front so Victor wasn't constantly elbowing me in the gut. As Jack snored away in the back seat, Victor was restless. "Can the shrimp snore any louder? It's like cannons going off." I would normally say 'how do you know what cannons sound like?' But then I remembered that he's older than dirt.
"Your driving too slow. Why do you have your foot on the brake? We're on an interstate!"
I had enough. "If you don't shut up I will pull over and kick you out of this van, and heck I might not even stop! If you have an opinion about my driving, keep it to yourself or walk to Canada!"
I scowled at the road, and out of the corner of my eye I saw him smile creepily. Jack didn't move, and continued snoring. We didn't stop the whole drive, only for the border crossing. I handed the security guard the passports and what ever else was apparently needed to cross the border. When he asked for my drivers license I was a bit panicked at first. Until Victor reached over and handed him a thin piece of plastic. The man nodded, but had us all go through the metal detector. The stupid beeping was enough to make someone deaf. When the finally concluded that a had no weapons (to their knowledge) they let us pass. Twenty miles past the border, Jack woke up again. "Nina are we there yet?" I swerved a bit and responded. "Another fifteen miles. To the closest town." He nodded and then took out his phone. When I heard little beeping noises, and little dings coming from the back seat, I didn't know what to think. "Jack, what are you doing?"
"Angry birds? Why."
"Can you turn off the volume?" He did. Victor had been quiet since I snapped at him earlier that morning. "What did you show the police dude?" I asked trying to focus on the road. "Drivers license. Logan had it made for you. It is real though." He said flashing me the plastic card. I glanced at it. How in the world did he get that? Jacks phone started beeping again. "Sorry my finger hit the button." And then it was gone. My head was pulsing. "Your low on gas. Pull over at the next station." Victor said leaning back against his seat. He wasn't even wearing a seatbelt. For once I was. I pulled over and Victor got out to work the pump thing. Putting my head between my hands I leaned forward against the wheel almost hitting the horn, as my head throbbed. Jack looked up from his game. "You ok?" I was just going to suck it up and finish driving, but to be honest, my head felt like a squirrel hit by a semi. "No." Victor hopped in just after I responded. "Get in the back." I did as told and laid flat on the floor between the middle and front seats. I would have taken the rear seats, but they were folded down in order to fit out stuff. Jack put away his phone and tossed me a sweatshirt. He cleared off the seats and laid down on them. He grabbed my arm and pulled me up there next to him. There was barely enough room for the two of us, and if I wasn't squished against Jack, I would be half on the floor. He moved again so I was resting on top of him. With the sweatshirt draped over my shoulders, I snuggled into his chest, hoping for the headache to leave me alone. Victor looked in the rear view mirror and looked like he would puke. You and me both. Then his face turned to something that said to the world, 'I'm irritated by this.' I bet he was wishing he was a limo driver with one of those screen things in between the seats. Especially when Jack kissed my head.

Logan pov.

I was whipping these soldiers back into shape. Ever since I'd force them to sleep outside in the rain we've had no problems. Except for the big mouth after Nina. I still haven't gotten around to punching him, but I'm trying to find an excuse to do that. You can't really just go around punching people in the army.
A new thing I've realized is that these people rely too much on their weapons. Guns, mostly. Sometimes I wish wars were still fought with cannons and bayonets. Those were the good days. You had more chance of dying from illness then from a cannon.

Also in my squad was a short girl with red hair, I think her name is Kyla. She follows orders down to the letter and in some things, passes the guys by a mile. From what I've heard and seen, she's a fighter. She broke some guy's nose for mocking her. And then I was forced to be a principle and punish her, but I gave her a warning. Today we were working on breaking in, like how I did with Nina and the others the week before, except with actual strategies and the target is a small box. If anyone gets 'shot' they have to do it again. And again. And again. Until they get it right. By noon they weren't getting shot as much, but they were still pretty bad. They couldn't work together. One of them was always where they weren't suppose to be. Around three I had had enough. I made them run, lap after lap for hours. The tough guys were wimping out, and it has only been fifteen miles. Some were still going, but barely. I had them stop. But they are still sleeping outside tonight.

Nina pov

Victor looked green. A weird combination of lime and mint. That is the first thing I noticed when we stopped. Not the beautiful trees or rushing river. Not even the fact that Jack was still sleeping. I noticed that my uncle looked green. "Carsick?" I asked hopping out of the van. "No." The tone of his voice told me to shut up about it and get Jack out. I drag him out after me, depositing him by a tree while I stretch my cramped muscles. Victor sits back in the seat, no making any move to get out after us. Our eyes meet and after a slight nod he drove off, leaving us in the middle of a forest with nothing but our phones, my gloves, and Jack's panic button, which were all set in a neat pile by Jack's head. I watched him drive down the winding path of the forest until I couldn't even make out the van through the trees.