Sam was underwater yes, but he didn’t hear any music. Yes, there was a storm and a cruise ship full of screaming people but there was no music. ”Come on…” Sam yelled underwater expelling a little air from his suit as he inhaled what was left. The ice seemed to hold unfortunately if he didn’t cover the entire ship it would hold for long. Sam’s body started to float his hands still blasting cold to where he could see.

When he bobbed to the top he gasped for air opening his ice armor. To let fresh air in. This also left a chance for water to enter. ”Music.” Sam gasped. And willed ice under his hands till he could pull himself up. Sam coughed a little water up as he climbed onto a platform of ice.

”Prince maybe? Hello?” Sam tapped his hear com to make sure it was working. The sound of screams from the ship was drown out by the wind and waves. Sam felt the ice platform rise and he grunted shifting the shape of the platform into something resembling a surfboard. Sam never surfed however he was a pro when it came to balance and ice slides.

A wave lifted him up and he used the momentum to reach the furthest point of the ice only to shoot a beam trying expand the ramp to help with the bouncy. ”Where you planning on landing that thing?” Sam asked into the com hoping Maya could find some part of the deck that was big enough. He didn’t want to make a landing pad of ice but he could. He just knew if the jet fell off the ship he’d never get to fly it.

There was a long silence on the other end of the comm. Ice was still forming, which meant Sam was doing something down there like the good boy he was, but Maya was getting worried about his oxygen supply.

>>”Music. Prince maybe? Hello?”

"I'm not your goddamn DJ" Maya snapped back, glad he didn't see the relief in her face. She poked at a screen to pull of the soundtrack of the Little Mermaid cartoon out of spite. Although it must have been very chilly down in the water for hot-blooded mercreatures right now.

>>”Where you planning on landing that thing?”

"Not sure." Maya huffed, taking another pass over the ship "The deck is still at an angle and it looks very slippery. Would it be too much to ask for a stable platform? I'd rather not turn this billion dollar jet into a submarine."

”Well you aren’t going to be with that attitude, I’ll stick with Juniper.” Sam said as he stopped forcing the ramp of ice to continue growing. ”Again I’ll stop everything I’m doing, I would have landed it by now.” Sam said as he shifted his weight and almost lost control of his platform do to the waves.

Glad there were no krakens Sam up righted himself using his ice then launching him self up towards the deck. He didn’t get far. The wind was enough to bring him back down to the waves but as one rose he rid the wave again up towards his ramp, which thanks to his powers reached out to meet him. Another launch and he was falling towards the deck of screaming cruisers.

”I will lose my **** if I don’t get to fly that jet. So don’t **** this up.” he said trying to be louder than everyone in panic mode. The ship was rocking less than it was earlier (thanks to him). Sam started to form a platform and as the jet started to drop he heard the music. ”Yeah,” he smirked, making sure there was enough support for the jet. ”You’re playing your last show.” he was only familiar with the music because he was trying to tease a certain princess from Atlantis.

”Stop stepping on me.” Sam said as calmly as he could as people started to round up around him hoping that he’d take them somewhere safe. ”I’ll help you in a minute thank you.”

>>"Well you aren’t going to be with that attitude, I’ll stick with Juniper. Again I’ll stop everything I’m doing, I would have landed it by now.”

Maya swore under her breath, watching Sam make an entrance on deck of the ship. He really had the hots for the jet, more so than for any chick she'd seen him hit on (and there were a lot, including herself). Showoff. People seemed excited to see an X-man, but panicked crowd mentality was not always easy to deal with.

>>”I will lose my **** if I don’t get to fly that jet. So don’t **** this up. You’re playing your last show.”

"I'm still running this mission, Mr. Cold Steel." Maya huffed, trying to position the jet above the platform. Even with the added ice the ship wobbled, and the giant waves and gale winds didn't help either. Lading the jet was gonna be one thing... keeping it put was quite another. Especially with the added motion of people trying to swarm for it. Maya swore.

"Sam, change of plans. I can't put the jet down unless we want a very Titanic type crowd control scenario. We're gonna have to evacuate the ship another way."

”What you don’t want to box it in?” Sam asked getting pushed and grabbed. ”Hey… buy me dinner first.” he pushed back and then managed to work his way out of a crowd thanks to some abandoned ice armor that was now being swarmed.

Sam rushed to the side of the ship and added some more ice to the ramp that was holding up to the waves. ”Well leader. You play bad music, can’t land the jet. Better think of something. he paused. ”I can cover the deck but if the ship gets a leak I don’t want to trap anyone. They’d be safer below deck.” more people took notice and started to converge on him. He did what any hero would do in the situation and jumped.

Icing up and falling towards the ramp and the side of the ship he landed on the ramp and started to shoot the water between the too trying to form more ice to support the ship. ”I’m sure I can keep this up all day. ”Too bad you can’t pull everything into a reflection.” Sam said grunting from the strain of control he was starting to put himself under. ”Be a big help I’m sure.” Sam said rolling his eyes.

>>”What you don’t want to box it in?”

People saw the X-uniform and they were reading to cling to Sam until he somehow miraculously flew them to safety. People were dumb in crowds, and ever dumber when they were scared. Maya hoped he could hold his own without being trampled, or scaring the civilians even more. At this point she couldn't even see a clear landing space.

>>”Well leader. You play bad music, can’t land the jet. Better think of something. I can cover the deck but if the ship gets a leak I don’t want to trap anyone. They’d be safer below deck."

"I don't think that ship is gonna stay upright that long" Maya frowned, taking another pass. "Dammit."

>>”I’m sure I can keep this up all day. ”Too bad you can’t pull everything into a reflection. Be a big help I’m sure.”

"We're gonna have to do this the hard way" Maya frowned deeply "I can't believe I'm saying this, but mirrorwalking them outta here might be the only solution. Sam, can you come back up if I fly over?"

Sam knew about the concern for tipping or sinking. That’s why he was glad he didn’t make a move like that without Maya confirming it was a good idea. Not like she could have convinced him otherwise if he thought it was his best bet.

What was said: Sam, can you come back up if I fly over?

What Sam heard: I can’t handle it. You are right. I need someone better to fly.


”Me?” Sam asked sure she could see his grin from where she was. ”Fly a jet?” he raised himself up on the wall of ice and waited for the jet. ”I don’t know if I can.” Sam laughed, ”Storms are scary and I’m so young.” he kept laughing till the jet was close enough for him to bridge over to.

The bridge of ice broke from the wind and a large wave hitting his walkway. Luckily for Sam he managed to pull himself up into the jet. Soaked and coated in some ice, ”I’ll be awaiting you’re orders captain.” he gave a mock salute then sat in the captains chair giggling as he studied the consul.

>>”Me? Fly a jet? I don’t know if I can. Storms are scary and I’m so young.”

"Ten more seconds of gloating, Sam, make it count." Maya frowned as she brought the jet lower, aiming to pick Sam up as people watched and pointed and made distressed noises below. They had a more serious problem than a battle of egos. And Sam was technically right, he knew how to fly a jet.

>>”I’ll be awaiting you’re orders captain.”

"Well unless you know how to teleport, evac is gonna be my job, and yes, you get to fly the jet. No one puts Baby Sam in the corner." Maya waited until Sam took a seat before gearing up "You think the jet can handle all of those people, or do we need to go the long way?"

”Yeah,” Sam said nodding his head changing the song to ‘When the Levee breaks’. ”I’m sure we can put a small cruise ship in the jet. You can’t put them all in your reflections?” Sam asked adjusting the jet flipping a few switches trying to help stabilize the jet.

”If you can’t then we got to do the long trip.” Sam said thinking about it more than happy to offer his opinion on what they should do instead of just listing to Maya like he should have done. ”You get them in I stabilize, you drop them off and I make sure no one drowns on the ship?”

”Baby nothing, can kick your ass and this storms ass. I took on a ****ing volcano. Sam ******* Johnson.” he said confidently as he cranked the stereo to drown out the screams on deck.

Sam was enjoying this way too much. They would have to talk about it later. For now, at least he was doing a decent job of flying the jet and also playing DJ.

>>”Yeah. I’m sure we can put a small cruise ship in the jet. You can’t put them all in your reflections? If you can’t then we got to do the long trip. You get them in I stabilize, you drop them off and I make sure no one drowns on the ship?”

It was a possibility. Sam was right, the jet was not going to hold all the people from the ship. And it was still going to be a while before the rest of the rescue got there. Letting only half of them drown was not going to help the headlines either.

>>”Baby nothing, can kick your ass and this storms ass. I took on a ****ing volcano. Sam ******* Johnson.”

"Yeah yeah, Sam ***** Johnson" Maya sighed "I can only get a handful of people into the mirrorworld at any given time. Not all of them at once. Plan B is to make a rout of mirrors to the evac ships. I need one surface per mile or so. The fewer, the faster I move."

”What about filling the jet and the mirror world?” Sam asked now starting to yell before rolling his eyes and turning the music down. ”I can make some reflective surfaces from the jet.” Sam did. In the walkway before a set of chairs formed. It was two less seats on the jet but it did maximize standing room and left the main entrance of the jet open to him not like Mirror would need it.

”Hopefully we got enough fuel.” Sam said with a laugh, ”Better get moving.” he said as he shifted the jet as a umbrella from the deck launched past the cockpit.

”Not like we got a lot of time right?” Sam asked watching as the jet started to fight against him in the wind.

>>”What about filling the jet and the mirror world? I can make some reflective surfaces from the jet.”

Sam created some standing room and some reflecting ice. Maya frowned. It was still not going to be nearly enough for everyone, but better than walking people along one by one.

"It will have to do." she checked her gear, making sure she had extra small mirrors and rope in case things got hairy on deck. She would have to make a lot of jumps, and move fast.

>>”Hopefully we got enough fuel. Better get moving. Not like we got a lot of time right?”

"Just fly stable, hot shot." Maya walked into one of the ice mirrors, and made her way down to the deck. A few minutes passed before she returned, holding the hand of a frazzled middle-aged gentleman. She definitely looked miffed. "Brace yourself Sam, lots of people will want to talk to your manager. Be right back."

And so it would go, one by one.

”That’s perfect.” Sam said looking to the guy who was first. He raised an eyebrow. ”That there was just my manager.” he smiled, ”Now I know you think you are important but you aren’t. Go to the back and make room for children, women or the elderly. If you don’t and a bunch of people die on the ship I’ll track you down and make sure you join them.” Sam said smiling to the guy glad Maya wasn’t around to hear that.

”Oh, I’m also just an intern so what I do and say does not reflect poorly on anyone on the X-Men, kay? Kay.” he looked back to the scene below and flared his nostrils. If there was someone else that Maya could have grabbed for the mission he wish she did. Yes, he was awesome at flying the jet but he felt he could do more than just keep the entitled in the air while she jumped more people to the ship. Sam however kept his mouth shut.

Sam only did a little heckling to Maya when she showed up he made sure everyone else towed that line and made sure they were in the back of the jet. Away from him. He had no time for them and when Maya was ready for the shift change Sam was all too happy to make his way down. Sam walked to the ramp and eyed the first guy and pointed his fingers at him before jumping without a parachute again. It was dramatic but Sam liked to let people know he was serious.

Sam resurfaced on the water again and started to build another ice pontoon to the other side attempting to spread the center of gravity more on the ship. The only downside to this was when a wave hit that was a little too big it hit the deck sending large amounts of water on the deck. Sam grunted as he rocketed himself upwards to the deck glad no one fell yet.

Sam grunted as people started to surge around him. ”Back the @@@@ up and co back inside and wait for the next shift to get here!” Sam said not understanding the need for heroic speeches in uncertain times. ”We will all make it out of this. Just be ready to go!” Sam said already blasting a wave that was a good ten feet taller than the deck he was standing on. The ice fused to the deck trying to create more of a barrier. ”Just got to run the clock.” he said more to himself.

Maya jumped back and forth, taking people across the mirrors onto the jet. She had to eyeball how many of them could fit without weighing the jet down too much, and it did not help that everyone wanted to get off, and the courtesy of Titanic passengers was long gone from society.

>>”That’s perfect. That there was just my manager. Now I know you think you are important but you aren’t. Go to the back and make room for children, women or the elderly. If you don’t and a bunch of people die on the ship I’ll track you down and make sure you join them.”

People muttered but shut up as Sam kept keeping the jet in close enough range for Maya to bring more of them on board. At least they could fit a bunch of them in the ice mirrors, not weighing the jet down too much. Every little bit helped. Maya did her best to get kids on board first.

>>”Oh, I’m also just an intern so what I do and say does not reflect poorly on anyone on the X-Men, kay? Kay.”

"Hey, maybe don't tell people they are being flown to safety by an intern?" Maya huffed, catching the comment between jumps "Don't sell yourself short, Cold Steel."

Eventually, the jet was to capacity. Maya switched with Sam, flying the jet out of the storm and to the rescue vessels that were circling the edge. Dropping people off was harder, because she actually had to land the jet, not having another co-pilot, but eventually she managed to get back to the sinking ship, seeing a lot more ice than before. Maybe too much ice. How long could Sam keep this up?...

"Stop making lemonade and come back on board!" she called to him, hovering the jet.

By the time Maya got back he felt drunk from exhaustion. His body ached somehow like he was fighting the waves himself instead of the ice. He had never created or willed this much ice before. Sam let out a silent sigh of relief when he saw the jet. Giving Maya the one-fingered salute he was pretty sure she wouldn’t see he landed back to the deck people afraid to get too close. His ice armor now completely covering his body was jagged as if a warning. It might have been.

”Yeah, lemonade.” he said trying his best not to reveal how tired he was. He was slightly slower when he walked into the cockpit. Ice still covering his body and face so Maya couldn’t see him. His hand de-iced and went up for a high five, ”Bout time, I was going to throw a few people overboard and seal the dome.” he laughed, ”Also there was a fire. Took care of it.” he said as he sat down in the cockpit seat his ice fading as he sat.

”Hurry it up, though. Got to spread the news I can best a storm like this now too. **** I’m great.” he laughed changing the music. Ice mirrors forming around the jet. His body now more dehydrated before pulling some moisture from his body thinking it was just leftover ice.