"It must be some kind of promotion."

"Something the college is doing? ...Have they even started classes yet?"

"Amazon drone shipping test. It's gotta be."

It was Saturday in Central Park. A summer Saturday, with particularly fine weather: a thunderstorm last night had left puddles everywhere, but broken the heat wave, at least for the next few hours. After a week in the 90's, with air so muggy you could wash your dog in it, 77 felt downright chilly. Several runners had dug out their pants out of their drawers, and one little boy sitting on a park bench was drowning in a gray hoodie made for someone at least a decade older than him.

It was eight in the morning, and the park was a strange mix of late joggers and early tourists. Oddly, not many of them were moving, despite cameras slung around necks and pedometers strapped to wrists. New comers to the park joined the slowly growing crowd, craning their necks upwards.

"What's going on?"

"Wait a sec--you'll see. They've been going for almost a half hour now."

A buzzzzz started in the air, so soft it might have been a bumblebee, until it grew louder and louder, and the human ear registered it not as soft but as distant. Distant, and growing closer.

Without any further preamble, a flight of five robotic helicopters flew overhead, in V-formation. They swung to circle around the crowd, and flew a low pass just out of touch before wheeling off again, out of sight over the trees. Each was about a foot long--bigger than the children's toys you could get at any store, but not exactly army class. A higher end of the hobby version. Each carried with a small, discrete camera.

This was New York City. This was Central Park. Shows--random, strange, unexpected shows--were not strange. What was strange was the lack of preamble: there was no spokesperson on a stage pushing a product, or scruffy hipster with a hat on the ground to collect tips, no brand name painted on the sides of the little aircraft. No sign of their controller, either. The early morning crowd chattered to itself. Some stuck around to wait for the next pass, some jogged off, some new faces joined. There was a playful air to the scene.

On a bench nearby, a blonde boy swung his legs, and stared down at his phone. An astute observer would notice that the boy never once glanced up at the flybys, though he'd been there since they began. An astute-er observer might notice the cardboard box shoved under the seat below where he sat. It was mostly closed, but it was only a shoebox, and it was hard to fit five controllers in a shoebox. One of them was poking out under an edge of the lid, even though the box had been liberally wrapped in masking tape.

The toy helicopters made another pass overhead. Panu smiled to himself as the crowd ooo'ed.

There was nothing quite like a thunderstorm to subdue the heat that had taken hold of the city. Dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a sleeveless purple hoodie, armed with a cup of coffee and a cigarette, Charlotte sidestepped the puddles that littered Central Park. Something about rain and it's aftermath made her feel safe. Maybe it was the vast amount of water around her, or how everything seemed to spring to life after a storm, covered in a thin layer of water droplets and freshness. Or perhaps it was the smell that lingered in the air. It all made her think of home, and her grandparent's home in France..

Bzzzzzz.

A noise filled the air, slowly drawing Charlotte back to reality and to a halt. It sounded like the hum of bees, all scurrying to pollinate last minute before the heat wave returned. But there was something..off about it. "Better hurry, little guys. It's supposed be in the low 100s soon." the blonde thought to herself, pushing the undulating noise aside as she resumed her stride.

She wanted to finish her walk before the park flooded with tourists, all yacking to each other about the amazing breakfast they ate and what museum they had to go see. All while wearing bulky fanny-packs no less, filled to the brim with cameras and brochures and maps of the city. Ugh. 

"Amazon drone shipping test. It's gotta be."

A crowd gathered by an open field, all looking up with a mixture of excitement and confusion. Taking a drag from her cigarette, Charlotte lifted her eyes to the sky just in time to see several.. things  pass over the crowd, eliciting a murmur from the onlookers. The hum was more prominent now, and she could see why. They looked like helicopters almost.. no, she was positive that's what they were. Her brother had ones similar when they were kids, although his were much smaller, and they were completely off-limits to her. She knew they were operated from a small controller or wireless remote. But who was controlling them?

A quick survey of the people in the vicinity offered no help. She saw no remotes, no computers, nothing that could potentially be commanding the fleet in the sky. A blonde boy was seated off to the side, perhaps he was the owner of the toys? No, his face was buried in his phone. In fact, it almost seemed like he couldn't be bothered to look at them. A small box was nestled underneath the bench, wrapped in what seemed to be an obscene amount of tape. What looked to be an antenna or remote jutted out from the box. 

Curious, the blond flicked her cigarette to the side and began to make her way over to the boy, but was cutoff by a couple of joggers, all of whom ran through a nearby puddle. A wave of murky water splashed her, spotting her tanned legs and bottom of her shorts with grime. 

"What the hell? Watch where you're going!" she shouted to them, offering up a vulgar hand gesture as they disappeared around the trees. 

Panu wished for a moment that he had put speakers on the helicopters. Speakers would be very good. He would have to talk with Jaager about getting some.

Because he did not have speakers, Ride of the Valkyries did not play as the drone squad swerved as one. The little crowd watching chattered with anticipation--this was some new flight trick, one they had not seen yet. Several of them took out their camera phones.

This is why, several hours later, videos of joggers being chased by toy helicopters started trending on YouTube. The buzzz of the little fleet was drowned out by yells as the joggers made very very good time through the trees. Probably their best times. Some of the people watching seemed alarmed, but others had seen what happened; these ones laughed.

The blonde boy on the bench studiously ignored the blonde woman with the dirt-and-water spotted pants. She had been walking his way before the joggers had splashed her, but probably that was a coincidence. He adjusted his headphones, and kept watching his phone.

The close observer would notice that he was simply on camera mode, and had been for quite some time. Panu was blind, but that was a biological term only. He had many eyes here--the cameras on his drones, the phones people were recording with, his own phone in his hand. He could see 

Two of the little helicopters, a pale blue one and a grey one, had stayed behind (three helicopters enough to chase three inconsiderate joggers). The pair descended slowly, and flew a lazy loop around the woman before lifting up a little higher. They stayed close, just out of arm's reach, hovering above each of her shoulders. 

Playing honor guard for the lady was much more fun than just flying in circles. Panu tucked a foot on the bench and settled his chin on his knee, a grin on his lips and his eyes still on his phone.

"Sacre bleu.." the blonde mumbled as she glanced down at her stained clothes. It was a good thing today was laundry day, and it never hurt to shower twice. 

A chorus of screams broke through the air, and Charlotte looked up just in time to catch a glimpse of three helicopters dive-bombing the runners that splashed her, sending them straight into the trees. A smile tugged at her lips, and she did all she could to stifle the laugh building in her throat. Whatever, or whoever, was controlling the helicopters seemed to be looking out for her. 

The humming noise had returned, albeit much louder this time around. It filled her ears and made her grimace; a buzz at that frequency got annoying after awhile. She saw two objects out of the corner of her eyes, and looked up to see two of the helicopters circling around her. Instinctively she raised an arm to swat at them, but caught herself. She didn't want to be the next one terrorized. And it almost seemed like they were protecting her, hovering above her shoulders like guardian angels.. or something. 

Returning her attention to the boy and the box, Charlotte made her way to the bench, this time checking both ways before crossing a puddle, and stopped a few feet shy of the bench. 

The commotion hadn't affected the boy in the slightest. What was so interesting on his phone? A quick glance revealed.. his camera? Maybe he was filming the incident to show his friends? No, it wasn't pointed in the right direction. What was this kid's deal? 

Clearing her throat, the blonde rose her hand in a half wave. "Mind if I sit here?" she queried, motioning to the spot next to him. "I need to get some of this dirt off." 

"Yes," the blonde boy said, his voice soft and melodic and his accent very far from American. "It is okay." He scooted over a little to give her more space, putting himself precariously on the far edge of the bench.

The two escort helicopters veered off as she sat down. She had not looked happy with them, and he did not want people paying attention to him, so it was better for both of them if the little drones went elsewhere. He set them into a lazy ascending spiral, twirling around each other like a double helix. They were over the field again, and out of reach of anyone on the ground, so he could set them to a subroutine while he paid attention to the other three.

Flying five together was easy--they all took the same orders, and moved at the same time, like fingers on a hand. Flying five apart was like having five arms, and three of those arms were in danger of hitting trees. When they were apart like this, it left very little of his mind left for organic things. But he tried to keep listening, in case she spoke again.

He only chased the joggers until the camera feeds began to static in his mind--the edge of his range. Then he turned them around, and began navigating back. This was easier to do--he only had to raise them up above the trees, and then fly straight towards his own location. Very soon they were back, and all five flew in a circle together like friends reunited.

Now it was easy to think again. He turned towards the girl, though he kept his eyes towards his phone. Panu had decided it was better to be seen as shy or rude than to be seen as blind, so he did not often try to look at people.

"Are clothes ruined?" He asked softly.

The boy spoke and Charlotte couldn't help but smile. Soft-spoken and foreign, she could already sense there was something different about him. Where he was from she wasn't sure, but she prided herself on knowing accents, so it was only a matter of time before it registered. 

"What a gentleman." she responded, taking the empty seat next to him. She rested her purse between them, creating a barrier until he was more comfortable with her presence. At that point, her guardian helicopters took off, regrouped with their comrades, and twirled in the sky with delight.

She grabbed a napkin from her purse, and began vigorously scrubbing at the grime on her legs. She did not like dirt, not one bit at all. Once her legs were clean, well, as clean as a napkin could get them, she began patting at the stains on her shorts.

"Nah, they're alright. Nothing some detergent won't fix." She lifted her gaze to offer a smile,  only to realize he was still focused on his phone. What was so special about that phone? She almost wanted to take it from his hands so he'd look at her. 

Charlotte took this moment to glance down at the taped box, but could still only see part of what she thought was a controller. They looked awfully similar to the ones that came with the toy 'copters, but they couldn't be commanding the ones in the sky if they were just sitting in a box.. right?

"I used to have toys like those, when I was little.. well, they were my brother's, and they were painted like army choppers, but it was fun to watch him fly them!" the blonde remarked, nodding her head in the direction of the helicopters. She kept her eyes on the boy's face, hoping to get some sort of eye contact. 

Eye contact was the absolute last thing the blonde boy wanted to give. He could tell the woman wanted him to look at her, because she kept looking at him like Responsible Adults did when they talked with children. He readjusted his headphones, and compromised by looking towards her. He left his phone in his lap, the camera lens facing up so he could mostly see around him, but he shifted his eyes so they they were pointed somewhere at the bench between them. Maybe now he just looked shy, instead of like a child who was always on his phone.

>> "Nah, they're alright. Nothing some detergent won't fix."

"I am glad. They were rude. It is normal in America? Splash woman and keep running?" The Fin had been here for three weeks, but he still wasn't sure if he liked this country. It was things like this that made him think he might not.

>> "I used to have toys like those, when I was little.. well, they were my brother's, and they were painted like army choppers, but it was fun to watch him fly them!"

"These are not toys." The eight year old straightened up very importantly. "They are working dogs. I am training them and they will be--" Wait, not dogs. His first helicopter was named Dog, but that was not what they were. ...And he was not supposed to be talking about them, he was just a child in the park, not their controller at all.

The blonde boy flushed scarlet, and put up his hood to hide under, and got very very busy looking at nothing in particular on his phone again.

Maybe he was shy, or maybe it was just a lack of respect, but the kid would not look at her! Charlotte hoped it was the former, but in this day and age you could never be sure with children. Besides, progress was being made. Now he was looking in her general direction, albeit focused on the space between them. 

"I am glad. They were rude. It is normal in America? Splash woman and keep running?"

"Unfortunately, yes it is." she sighed, digging into her purse for her pack of cigarettes. Slipping one between her lips, she continued. "You'll learn soon enough, kiddo. Guys are as- jerks. They're all jerks." She probably shouldn't curse around children. Or smoke, for that matter. Quietly chastising herself, she dropped the cigarette back into her purse. Ha. What a good role model she was. 

"These are not toys. They are working dogs. I am training them and they will be--"

Training..helicopter..dogs? Charlotte pinched herself, just to make sure she was awake. What on God's earth was this kid talking about? And why was he getting embarrassed over it? 

"Well," she started, offering the kid a smile. "thank you, or whoever it was, that controls those things. It was a very nice thing to chase those people." She watched the helicopters spin in the sky, all operating one like unit as opposed to five separate entities. Even someone skilled wouldn't be able to get them to fly in sync like that. "I just wonder how you could train something that wasn't..living." 

>> "You'll learn soon enough, kiddo. Guys are as- jerks. They're all jerks."

The boy thought this over very careful, before coming to a decision. "I will not be jerk. I will stay a gentleman. I am not American so I do not have to be like they are."

He nodded at this resolution. Her report on this nations men was not comforting. He wished he did not have to leave Finland. The only thing good in this new country was Mr. Jaager (and Kaz's warehouse).

>> "Well thank you, or whoever it was, that controls those things. It was a very nice thing to chase those people."

Panu tugged on the cords of his hood, hiding his face a little further, and brought both his feet up onto the bench. This woman knew his secret, her 'whoever it was' did not fool him. "You are welcome," he mumbled softly, and a little apprehensively.

>> "I just wonder how you could train something that wasn't..living."

"First you would be mutantti." The Fin said, even more quietly, but a little defensively. He did not look at her, but he tilted the phone in his lap towards her so he could watch her face. "Are you going to tell other people? The ones recording on phones?"

He could stop their recordings, if she did. But he did not like the idea of them all staring at him, or circling around him and asking questions, even if the questions were friendly. It was okay to be near a crowd, but he did not like to be in a crowd. It was better to sit by himself and not be noticed. This was safe.

"I will not be jerk. I will stay a gentleman. I am not American so I do not have to be like they are."

Charlotte couldn't help but laugh as the boy's statement. He spoke brazenly, and that was something she admired about kids. They were always so sure of everything they did. "I have no doubt you'll grow up to be the finest gentleman there is!" she smiled, nudging him lightly with her elbow. "Where exactly are you from?" 

But just when she thought they were getting along, the blonde boy retreated into his hoodie, bringing his feet closer to his body. Oh no. No no no. Did she do something wrong? Maybe she shouldn't have nudged him. He probably thought she was a creeper, or like, a kidnapper. 

"First you would be mutantti."

Oh. That could also explain his shyness. And why the helicopters behaved the way they did. 

"Are you going to tell other people? The ones recording on phones?"

"Oh, God no." Charlotte shook her head and side-eyed the crowd in the distance. He was afraid. "In fact," she continued, retrieving a bottle of water from her purse, and unscrewed the lid. Holding one hand out, palm facing the sky, the blonde held the water bottle directly above it and flipped it upside down. Instead of the water rushing out all at once, it came out in a slow stream, intertwining itself with her fingers. Flexing them, the water collected itself into a ball, whose surface rippled every so often. 

"I'll keep your secret if you can keep mine."

"I am from Finland. It is much better country than America. Even bad men are nice to woman in Finland." This was true. Perämies had liked to kiss the back of lady's hands. Mostly he let them go afterwards, too, if none of the other members of their family had been watching. He was a very good role model for being a gentleman. Ambrose was maybe a good role model, too, but Panu had not seen how he acted around women. Except for his secretary, who was the boss of him, so it didn't really count.

The blonde woman turned her water bottle over. Panu stuck out his phone to see it better. He did not even think about it--what she was doing was interesting, and he wanted to see it better. He did not remember that a normal boy would try to get his eyes closer. He had turned his face towards her, but his eyes were aimed more at somewhere past her hands than at what she was doing.

What she was doing was awesome. The water did not all come gushing out. It was like watching a video at half speed: big happy globs twined through her fingers, and gathered into a perfect ball. He could see trees and blue sky and clouds all ripple-like on its surface, and her palm cupped under it, dry.

His own hand was half-way towards it before he remembered that he was a gentleman now. He sat on the offending appendage, and asked shyly, "May I touch?"

He would only poke it if she let him. Even though he really really wanted to, he wanted to see if his finger would sink in and whether it would be dry when he took it out again or whether it would pop like a soap bubble and they would both be wet. But gentleman asked before they touched.

"I will keep your secret." The boy returned his hands to his lap (and his phone, as well), and sat up very straight and put on a very solemn face so she would know he was serious. But he could not stop his legs from swinging under the bench, just a little. He had reached a decision. "I like you. You should come be my sister."

Ah, Finland, land of saunas, coffee, and shy people. That was the extent of her knowledge of the country. It would explain why the young boy was as reserved as he was. A cousin of hers moved to Finland awhile ago, and essentially disappeared from the face of the Earth. Last time she heard from him, he had started a heavy metal band and was surprisingly popular. To each there own. "Most countries are better than here." she affirmed. Why her parents moved here still baffled her.  

Charlotte watched as he positioned his phone closer, the camera still open. Maybe he was sentimental, and liked to keep a record of everything. She would probably record this herself, if this was the first time she had seen it. 

> "May I touch?"

Before she could offer a response, the blonde boy's arm was already extended, finger poised to pop the sphere of water. "Go for it." The blonde tilted her palm, allowing the orb to inch closer to the boy. If and when he did touch it, he would feel a faint pulsing at the center of the orb, almost like a heartbeat. That was Charlotte's energy, animating the water and keeping it together. And when he removed his finger, it would be damp, but only for a moment. The water would slide off his skin, forming a much smaller ball that rotated lazily around the parent orb. 

>"I like you. You should come be my sister."

At this, the blonde let out a hearty laugh, and the water shook with her. Here they were, not even knowing each other for an hour, and he wanted to be her brother. It was a sweet gesture, and based on his swinging legs he must have been excited. It reminded her of a dog wagging it's tail. "I think you'll make a good little brother." she declared, offering him a wink and a smile. "I'm Charlotte, by the way." Names were important if they were to be related. 

Permission for poking was granted. The Finnish boy wasted no time in doing so, his camera angled to better see the action.

A little gasp left his mouth. "It has beat. Like music?" He tilted an ear towards it, as if to hear it better, even though it was not a thing he was hearing but a thing he was feeling. (Somewhere in this, he had forgotten to even pretend to be looking at it. His organic eyes were pointed towards the park, where his helicopters still circled in the same lazy formation.)

The boy smiled as the droplets from his finger created a new little orb. "The sun. And Mercury."

He dipped his finger in again, to see if he could create a Venus, as well. If that experiment succeeded, he was obligated to try making the entire solar system orbit the globe in her palm.

The Fin straightened up very suddenly as she introduced herself, his cheeks coloring pink. He remembered, belatedly, that a normal boy would be looking her way. He turned his head and tried to make it so he was looking at her palm. There were not enough camera angles for him to try and meet her eyes, he knew he would only get it wrong.

"I am sorry. I am rude. My name is Panu Harmaajärvi. I have been in America three weeks. You are the second-best person I have met. I will be happy to be your little brother."

He would have to bring her to Jaager. Jaager was clearly the leader of their family, so he had to approve new members.

Oh. But there were many mutant groups in this city already. Maybe she was with Xavier's or the Order or some other group too small to show on his searches.

He tried not to let his face fall.

"But maybe you already have family? It is okay if you do. I still like you." His legs swung under the bench again. "But if you do not, you can join mine. Mr. Jaager is very nice, he will give you job in family. I am Technical Expert and Dog Walker."

His title was said very proudly. Part of the pride was that he made it up just then, and it sounded very good.

Maybe he was not supposed to invite people to their family without Jaager's permission. But she would make such a very good sister, and she was clearly a useful mutant, how could the man say no?

>"The sun. And Mercury."

Another poke, another orb formed. This one, which she assumed would be Venus, was roughly the size of a marble and rotated much slower than the first. If they were building a model of the planets, it had to be accurate, yeah?

While the young boy continued to build his aqueous solar system, Charlotte felt the faintest pinch at the base of her neck. As more and more orbs formed, she could feel her concentration faltering. It was hard keeping up with many different sources, no matter how small they may be. 

Luckily, the subject shifted and allowed her a moment to breathe. "It's nice to meet you, Panu." A light flick of her wrist sent the water orbs slithering back into the bottle, which she sat on the bench next to them. "What brought you to America?" she queried, lifting her gaze to scan the surrounding area. Surely the blonde boy didn't come to the country on his own. In fact, it stuck her as strange that no adult figure had come looking for him. 

"I've got a big brother, but he's.. far away from here." she murmured, a few tears blurring the corners of her vision . Her brother left several years prior, and hadn't been in contact since. She had a younger sister, too, but growing up they saw each other as rivals and their last interaction ended in a screaming match. She hadn't talked to any of her family members in months.

>"But if you do not, you can join mine. Mr. Jaager is very nice, he will give you job in family. I am Technical Expert and Dog Walker."

A quiet cough cleared her throat and shook the sadness away. "Well, Mister Expert Dog Walker," she began, giving him an exaggerated salute. Who knew she was among a young man of such great importance? "I'm sure you make Mr. Jaager proud. Is he your dad?" 

The more she learned about the Finnish boy, the more intrigued Charlotte was. And what job could this Jaager character have for her? Babysitter extraordinaire? 

The solar system was amazing. She even got different speeds going and they were mostly right, and he shut down the part of his brain that was googling the exact orbital velocities and distances so that it did not ruin her awesome model with reality.

The boy froze when she asked what had brought him to America. His shoulders drew closer in so that he was smaller, and his legs stopped swinging.

But she continued to talk, and her voice was sad. Panu scooted a little closer, until his leg was touching hers.

"My old family is gone," he said softly. "I come to America to find new one." It was okay to tell her, because she would understand. Far away probably meant her brother was not coming back, not ever. This was true for Panu's family, as well. The members of Tuonela who were not dead were in jail and would stay there a very very long time (he did not like the ones who were still alive very much, they were not the ones who were kind to him). And his real mother and father, they did not want him, they just thought they did. They wanted a boy who was not here anymore, and he did not like seeing that boy in their words and gestures and glances. It made him hurt inside, like he was broken. He would rather be in America and not broken.

"Mr. Jaager is my Adult." Panu's shoulders relaxed again, just a little bit. "He is not my father. Adoption is not legal yet. But it will be and then I will be his."

For now he was only an employee. Son would be better. They were working on that--soon they would go to Finland together, and make it so no one was looking for him anymore.

"You could be secretary," he offered to her. This was a very good position in Mr. Jaager's company. His secretary was the only one who could boss him around. "Mr. Jaager owns a very big company. They need many secretaries. Maybe you are my secretary? Technical Experts may need help."

He did not really need help, but it would be nice if Jaager gave her some position close to him.