Title: Flying Lessons
Author: Khaki
Category: Humor
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I dain't own nutin'.
Archive Rights: Diebin's Trailer Fic page
Dedication: To Diebin, for inventing a fun reason for me to dust off my keyboard and actually get a finished fic out.
Summary: Response to Diebin's X2 Trailer Fic Challenge. An explanation of the scene showing a helicopter flying at tree level.


"C'mon."

"No, Logan."

"You taught 'Ro."

"She's different. She takes it seriously."

"I take it seriously."

Scott stopped and looked at Logan, visor to eye. "Really? Then why do you refuse to learn the schematics."

Logan rolled his eyes. "I want to fly it not build another one."

"You're not getting near that pilot's seat until I'm sure you know the purpose of every instrument backwards and forwards. The schematics are the first step."

"Cyke," Logan whined, and for a moment he resembled the teen residents of the mansion.

"He has a point," Storm said, joining the two men in the hangar doorway.

"What?" Scott said, while Logan simultaneously said, "Thank you."

"I have yet to find use for my knowledge of the landing gear parts or the physics principles behind the VTOL engines."

"There," Logan said, pointing at 'Ro. "You see?"

"On the other hand, the Blackbird is complex to operate, we only have one, and a crash could damage it beyond repair."

"You see?" Scott parroted.

"I'm not gonna crash it."

"You're right, because you're not getting anywhere near it."

"I don't need to start from scratch. I already know how to fly."

"Ok. When's the last time you did it?"

Logan opened his mouth to answer, but then his expression changed to confusion.

"Sometime in that 'forgotten past' of yours?" Scott drew quotes in the air to emphasize the two words.

"Scott," Storm warned, but he ignored her.

"Even if you used to fly, how can you be sure you'll remember everything? You could remember how to take off but not to land."

Logan shook his head and then looked around as if searching for an answer to the argument. His eyes focused on something behind Scott and his mouth turned up in a smirk.

"All right, all right. If you won't let me take out the Blackbird, how about I show you what I can do with one o' those."

Scott turned and saw that Logan was talking about the three green helicopters lining the far wall.

"No way, not the Hueys."

Ororo snickered.

Logan looked at her. "What?"

"'Ro," Scott warned.

"What?" Logan repeated. "Something about the Hueys?"

Ororo giggled.

"It's not that funny."

"What isn't funny?"

"Scott named the helicopters," Ororo said, fighting off the last few giggles.

Logan raised an eyebrow at Scott. "You named them?"

"Hughie, Dewey, and Louie," Ororo answered. "Donald Duck's nephews."

Logan let out a bark of laughter. "You have a thing for Disney, Cyclops?"

"They're just names," Scott said, trying to drop the subject.

"Ok, so how about you let me take one?"

"Then there will only be Hughie and Dewey."

"Enough, 'Ro."

"C'mon, Scooter, we can go up right now."

Scott looked down at himself. "We're still in our uniforms."

"Well, if you're scared..."

"I'm not scared. I just don't feel like plowing into the front lawn from 5,000 feet."

"Hueys have dual controls. If I mess up, you can take over."

Scott sighed and dropped his shoulders. "Ok."

"Ok, let's go." Logan said, striding back into the hangar.

"But one mistake and you're never flying again."

"Coming, 'Ro?" Logan asked over his shoulder.

"No, I prefer to remain in one piece."

"Suit yerself," he said, arriving at the helicopter and opening the pilot's door.

Scott sprinted after him and settled into his seat as Logan did the systems check.

"Now which one of these doohickeys is the 'up' button?"

"What?" Scott asked, his voice rising in alarm.

"Kidding, Scooter. Let's get going."

Logan started the rotors, drowning out Scott's protests that he hadn't taken enough time to complete the checks.

Scott found a headset hanging above his seat and pulled it on. Then, he repeated his complaints.

"Loosen up, Cyke. I'm piloting now. Please lock your tray tables in their full, upright position, sit back, and enjoy the ride."

"Logan," Scott stretched that name out into a scream as his stomach seemingly dropped out of the bottom of the 'copter, and they rose rapidly into the sky.

"Whoa," Logan said making a slight adjustment to his speed.

"You're sure you know what you're doing?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of?"

The helicopter changed directions, flying out over the forest to the west of the mansion.

"Yeah. I think it's comin' back. I just gotta stop thinkin' and do it."

"No, Logan. Don't stop thinking."

"Wait a second. This feels familiar."

Logan pushed the stick forward. In response, the helicopter pitched down and started diving towards the ground.

"Pull up. Pull up!"

"Not yet."

"Logan!"

At about two hundred feet off the ground, the 'copter leveled out.

"Don't do that again."

"Well, I couldn't now or we'd end up on the ground."

"Right. You're too low."

"No, I'm not," Logan argued. "This," he said dropping to just above tree level, "is too low."

"Get us up higher and then land this helicopter!"

"I can't go higher and land, Cyke. Make up your mind."

Scott gritted his teeth and said, "Lift us up, head back to the hangar, and then land."

Logan banked the helicopter one hundred and eighty degrees, but stayed just above the trees.

"Logan..."

"Wait a second."

"You said that just before and we fell out of the sky."

"I only wanna try something."

The 'copter arrived at the lake and dropped even lower until they were less than ten feet above the surface.

"No."

"This feels so familiar."

"Logan, take us back."

The 'copter banked around one hundred and eighty degrees again, heading for the forest. Only this time, it was too low to clear the trees.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Logan chuckled. "You said to go back."

"You know what I meant."

"Ok, Cyclops."

Logan banked the 'copter one more time, but instead of turning completely around, he only turned enough to follow the lake shore around. He didn't increase the elevation, though, so the trees were only a few feet from the blades of the craft. If Logan noticed, he didn't do anything about it.

"That's it. Surrender the controls."

"I'm doing what you said, Cyke. We're going back."

"You're too close to the trees. You're going to break the blades and kill us. Well, kill me; I don't have a healing factor."

Logan looked out his side window. "Nah, we got plenty of room."

"Logan!"

"We're almost there."

The 'copter rose a few feet after it cleared the lake to follow the landscape of the lawn. When it arrived at the basketball court, it stopped in mid-air and then dropped swiftly down to land back on its pad.

Logan sped through the shut down procedures as Scott tried to slow down his breathing and loosen his grip on the arm rests.

"You're insane."

Logan stepped out of the craft and turned around, flashing Scott a smile. "I told you I could fly."

The End.


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