"Sorry," Clint said with a shrug. "Used the last one earlier."
Coulson sighed in disappointment.
Garrett immediately shifted tactics. Convincing Coulson was pointless now. Rowan was the center of gravity in the room. If he could be swayed, everyone else would follow.
"Mr. Mercer," Garrett said carefully, his tone changing. "Hydra has no hostility toward your kind. Toward enhanced individuals. If you join us, we're willing to establish a sovereign state just for people like you. A place where your students can live without fear, without ignorant governments breathing down their necks."
He glanced around the room. "You don't really want this to turn into a war, do you? One that puts your school and your students in danger."
Coulson's face tightened. The offer was dangerous. For people who had spent their lives hunted and regulated, it was poison wrapped in velvet.
He opened his mouth to warn Rowan, but Natasha caught his arm and subtly nodded toward Steve Rogers and Professor Xavier. Coulson exhaled and stayed silent.
Rowan didn't even hesitate.
A trace of disdain crossed his face. "Hydra's promises aren't worth imagining. And there's no such thing as 'mutants' here. Only people with abilities. This isn't a mutant academy. It's an academy for the gifted."
He met Garrett's eyes, unblinking.
"We don't need a segregated nation. And my school won't be harmed. The only ones getting hurt today are Hydra."
Garrett's jaw tightened. He knew he'd failed.
"You'll regret this," he said flatly.
"Unlikely," Rowan replied.
Outside the windows, armed helicopters swept back and forth across the sky. Maria Hill and the remaining agents watched nervously. Those aircraft weren't just carrying soldiers. Energy cannons. Missile pods. Enough firepower to flatten a city block.
"They won't find us, right?" someone asked quietly.
"They could circle this area for a year," Rowan said calmly. "They still wouldn't see the school."
"And if they start blanket bombing the whole district?" Coulson asked grimly. "Hydra wouldn't hesitate."
Rowan considered that for a moment, then nodded. "Fair point. Then we'll end this now."
Professor Xavier spoke up. "I could try using the Cerebro amplifier. I should be able to suppress them all at once."
Coulson shook his head. "Probably won't work. SHIELD developed neural dampeners specifically to counter telepaths like you and Rowan. Hydra would have them too."
The explanation was simple. Fury had been afraid. Afraid enough to arm his enemies with the same tools meant to protect against allies.
Rowan winced. "He really had a talent for gifting the enemy."
Logan flexed his claws. "Then we do this the old-fashioned way. Straight on. We handled Asgardian soldiers. These guys won't last long."
Thor snorted. "If I could lift Mjolnir again, I'd solve this myself."
Rowan smiled faintly and raised his new wand.
"No need. Let's see how they handle a warning from the sky."
He began chanting in an ancient tongue. The air thickened. The light dimmed.
Five minutes later, dark clouds rolled in over the entire area surrounding the academy. The wind picked up. Thunder rumbled low and constant, like something massive drawing breath.
Hydra soldiers looked up in confusion. Civilians paused in the streets, checking their phones.
The forecast hadn't mentioned storms.
Lightning writhed inside the clouds, bright and restless.
Rowan lifted his wand.
"Let the storm descend."