"But Baby, it's Cold Outside..."

[Thorn Hawk]

((This is a cooperative story created through the efforts of both myself and Tamesis Egeria))

“Come on Mike, we’re not gonna get through security in time!” The familiar, happy tone of the most perfect ice sculpture in the world called, causing Thorn’s face to break into a world of smiles.

“Alright! Just hold on! We’ve got plenty of time to make the flight.” He called, tugging on his jacket, which is much harder to do when you have a pair of huge wings sticking out of your back, and rushing out of his apartment to where Tam was standing below. The cold air stung Thorn’s face with brisk, chilling needles of sensation but he didn’t show it, instead he focused all of his attention on the young girl standing before him. She was all bundled up in a knit hat, scarf, heavy coat and pants as if she were afraid of catching a cold; yet those who knew her would know that the clothing was not for her benefit, but to protect those around her from her.

To Thorn, the sight of her cute blue face framed by the heavy wool and cotton just made his day better.

“You have everything Tam? Passports, GIFT IDs and Passcards?” She smiled brightly and nodded, holding up her Canadian passport, her Security Level ID and a specialized Passcard from the Department of Homeland Security which allowed her to pass through security checkpoints. Thorn had the same cards, minus the Canadian passport, which would allow them to get through airport security without too much freaking out.

Still, the prospect of flying commercially was intriguing. Thorn never flew in a plane before…sure he had flown on his own wings, but never in a box of flying metal and glass hurtling through the air at breakneck speeds with rockets attached to it spewing flame out the back. Okay, so maybe he was exaggerating a little…

Yet the problem was actually securing the ability to fly commercially. The airlines didn’t like the fact that Thorn could produce metal-shearing spines from inside his body and being in one of their fragile, pressurized flying cylinders. Tam’s lower than freezing body temperature was also another cause for concern, as her chill could cause problems with the internal pressurization of the cabin. Tam had reassured him, however that she had flown over the Atlantic before and there was nothing to worry about. They’d get a couple odd glances, but other than that, as long as they followed procedure and were on their most pristine behavior, nothing could go wrong.

Tossing an arm about Tam’s shoulders, and wrapping his wings about his body like a cloak to minimize their appearance, they both made their way to the Green Line station in Founder’s Falls, taking it to Skyline where they’d be able to pick up a regional rail to Warwick, RI and the T.F. Green International Airport that was there.

The train ride over there wasn’t very eventful. Rhode Island, being the home of Paragon City, was fairly comfortable with Supers being around, but that only stopped Thorn and Tam from receiving any hostile aggressions. They had their own seats on the train, and no one sat within two rows of them. Thorn did his best to ignore it, and hoped Tam was ignoring it too. They had each other, who cares of people were still scared of them. When it came down to it, they’d be appreciative of their jobs of protecting them…right?

Arriving a good two hours before their flight was to leave the two Supers made their way to the Air Canada desk. Tamesis excitedly pulled out the airline tickets giving Mike a grin as they made their way. Airport security was waiting, two guards who looked like they were bored out of their minds, but one held up his hand, an older man with graying hair at his temples, and stopped the two.

“Mr. Pechna and Miss Egeria right?” He asked, addressing the two. Thorn and Tam looked at one another briefly before Thorn stepped forward.

“I’m Michael Pechna, Officer…McNeil.” Thorn said reading the nameplate of the TSA officer. “What’s wrong?” The officer shrugged and looked about briefly.

“GIFT notified us of your travel arrangements. Do you have your paperwork?” Officer McNeil replied, trying to keep the four of them from standing out too much in the airport crowd. A brief flash of anger lit through Thorn. What the hell? Why couldn’t they just board the plane like any other person? While he understood the reasons of their security concerns…it still felt like profiling…it stung.

“Yeah, we have ours.” Thorn replied, pulling out his identification and handing it over to the TSA officer while Tam did the same with hers. Officer McNeil nodded, looking at the cards.

“We’ll get you signed in and escort you through security to the airplane after you pass through all of the pre-screening.”
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An hour and forty-five minutes later, Thorn and Tam finally made it out of the screening and security checkpoints, being escorted to the plane, their carry-on luggage banging lightly on their hips. The plane itself was a Boeing 707 to which Thorn and Tam were placed in the very back row where there was no one else sitting within two rows of them.

“They’re treating us like we’re like some damn lepers or something!” Thorn hissed to Tam as they sat down. Tam frowned, unsure of what to say.

“They just…maybe they just need more time?” Tam nervously suggested, placing a gloved hand on Thorn’s. He could feel the cold of her hand through the fabric.

“I guess you’re right…though I thought people would be more understanding after the whole Rikti Invasion…” Tam put her other hand on his shoulder gingerly, causing him to stop and look over to her.

“Let’s…let’s just relax and enjoy the ride. We’re gonna have a blast in Alberta! I’m going to show you everything there is to see up there! Like that wonderful candy shop in Banff I've been telling you about, even the Banff Springs Hotel too. Its stunning! Wait till you see it.” She said with one of the biggest smiles Thorn ever saw on her. He smiled back, leaning forward and kissing her cold lips.

“You’re right babe.”