Notes: Here we are, back with more fun and just a smidge of evil. Just a smidge.


Chapter 55: "The Sanctity of Home"


April 10

District Ten


Not all of the missions into the districts were being run by Tahiti operatives with home district ties. For example, the Tahiti kids didn't have anyone familiar in the least with how things worked in Ten, but luckily, they did have a mobile and somewhat friendly victor on their roster that had no trouble whatsoever slipping through town in broad daylight as he went about his business being personable with the townspeople in a manner in which they'd all been fairly accustomed to seeing from their very own Henry McCoy.

'Beast' was well liked, and not one person looked his way as he carefully placed the bugs through all of the common areas where the workers and people in Ten liked to gather.

He was reluctant to hit some of the shadier places of the district, but frankly, they needed to be done too, and he found himself making excuses as to why he'd be in such dark and dismal places. Most of them, of course, tended to revolve around the possibility of himself or Charles offering assistance with what appeared to be a rampant problem with mental health in the district, seamlessly tying it to the mental instability of the past few years' tributes.

And while Henry was working his way through Ten, the Tahiti program's premier example of a schizophrenic disorder with auditory hallucinations that had gone suddenly silent was leading his charming young lady friend through the more questionable alleys and streets of District One, in broad daylight, once again, hiding in plain sight.

"This might be a bit of overkill," Cassie said as Wade made a point to hand her an ice cream cone from a street vendor.

"Why? We're supposed to blend in, right? So … why not play the part of a pair of lovebirds in the springtime?" he countered. "I mean... unless that's too far a stretch for you. I can be a giant creep or your big brother if you need it."

She giggled and stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't do the big brother thing — that's worse than being a creeper, because it creeps me out."

"Well, I'll just leave that open for when you get tired of me," Wade said with a little shrug. "I'll take that as code to go away."

She laughed and took his arm, her ice cream in hand and a bright smile on her face. "I'm not gonna get tired of you," she laughed. "You… you keep life interesting."

"Well, I do try," Wade said as they made their way through the district. The usual spots were easy enough to handle, and some of the more questionable ones, they went through quickly. But even though he wasn't asked to do it, Wade made a point of dropping a few in front of Wilson Fisk's building with an innocent look on his face as Cassie looked at him questioningly. "Just … call it a hunch," he said brightly. "They'll thank me for it later. I'm sure."

"Is this one of those 'I know things' Wade moments?" she asked with one eyebrow raised high.

He tipped his head to the side a bit and started to make a long, drawn-out noise. "Yeah, kinda. Sorta. I know everyone thinks I'm nuts, but my record is good, isn't it?"

"And your heart's in the right place," she agreed with a little smile. "I don't mind a little crazy when you're just trying to keep everyone safe."

"That's because you actually trust me," he said. "Which … is probably a little crazy."

She smiled widely and popped up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Well, I am the one who likes to jump off of tall things."

He grinned her way, and the two of them headed off as he took the time to show her the 'sights' in One. "You know, as far as dates go, this could be worse," he said, tipping his head to the side.

"Could be worse?" She wrinkled her nose at him. "That's a ringing endorsement. I should be insulted."

"I just meant we could have worse things to look at than all the shiny, sparkly people of One and their shiny, sparkly buildings and what-not." He gave her a sideways smile. "Doesn't matter which district we're in — the view is beautiful."

She giggled a bit at that. "That's a very old line."

"Doesn't make it less true," he argued.

Cassie laughed at him and gave him another quick kiss before she had to ask, "What about Twelve? You'd say the same there?" She was wearing a teasing sort of smirk as she said it. "Away from all the sparkles, where all the soot is?"

"Who's looking at the sparkles?" he asked with his eyebrows raised. "I'm hoping you're looking at the sparkles so you won't notice me looking at you."

She turned to face him and look him over for a second. "Well that's a ridiculous plan. What if I like looking at you too? I feel completely left out," she said with an impish grin.

He looked taken off-guard for a minute as he tried to find a good answer to that. "Well. I'm … sure I can find us a nice filthy overpass for a backdrop."

She rolled her eyes at him and leaned up to kiss him again. "Nah, I like the sparkles."

"Then … how about I buy you dinner? I swiped Coulson's wallet. Or … I swiped the cash out of it."

"Dinner on Dad, then," she agreed with a wide grin and a laugh. "And you are so teaching me how to do that, by the way."

"Yes, m'lady … I shall teach you the pickpocket ways of One." He offered her his arm and gently steered them in completely the opposite direction of where they'd been going as he started to tell her how to stealthily lift someone's wallet.


April 11th

District Three


"You got to play with this stuff all the time?" Peter asked at a hushed whisper, his eyes wide as he took in everything at Stark Industries. The two boys had infiltrated the building ostensibly to place bugs, but Peter felt more like a kid in a candy store than an operative on a mission. "This is like … this is the coolest tech ever!"

Tony was grinning at that. "Of course it is! Top of the line, kiddo. I figure while we're here I can just … borrow a few spare parts. No one will miss them." He started digging into the pile of scrap in the basement of Stark Tower, putting bits of one scrap or another into the bag at his hip that he'd brought. "I have an idea … but I need a few specific materials that I already know Fury won't go looking for."

"Is there a reason Fury won't go looking for them?" Peter asked as Tony looked triumphant for a moment as he held up a misshapen hunk of metal.

"No vision," Tony replied. "And like I said, I have ideas that need to be explored."

Peter grinned at him and looked through some of the stuff outside of the scrap heap, far more interested in the working bits and pieces as he just didn't get to see this kind of tech. Ever.

"You know … I think we could use a few quicker processors than what we've been having to deal with back at base. What do you think? We could grab a few on the way out."

"Sure they won't notice it's missing?" Peter asked with one eyebrow raised.

"I doubt it," he replied. "The ones I'm thinking of are at least a year old now. I'd hope that they kept developing things after I … well. After."

Peter glanced at Tony on hearing the slight hesitation and just had to nod. He might have been from Eight, but even he knew Tony's dad was the only Stark left — well, officially anyway — so he had to wonder just how much that would affect the guy. It couldn't be easy. "Without your big brain?" he asked in a joking tone. "Not a chance."

"That's probably only half true," Tony replied with a little laugh. "Still … I can't keep dragging through with what we have, and if we end up having to run that stupid game again, I want to cheat properly. With speed on our side too."

"Maybe next time, they'll have a better opponent — seeing as I'm pretty sure they know who they'd be dealing with this time," Peter pointed out. "Not a secret weapon anymore."

"This is true," Tony replied. "But that was just one little trick. I have more that no one has gotten far enough to see yet."

Peter snorted. "I believe it," he muttered.

They slipped through the dark halls, sticking to the shadows as they got to the room that Tony said held the 'discontinued' tech. "Grab what you think we can scavenge from," Tony told him as he made a beeline to a small box that held what he was looking for. "Plenty of room still in the bag."

Peter broke out into a grin as he looked over the candy store. "Coming back here on my birthday," he teased.

"Which is when?" Tony asked as he looked up. "If it's too far out, I'll have something new and shiny that'll blow the doors off all of this by then."

"Beginning of August," Peter told him.

"Yeah, you won't need to come back," Tony said, shaking his head as he stuffed a few more things in the bag. "Okay. One last stop... and you get to carry that bag. Chemicals."

"Oh, I see how it is," Peter said, with a tone of pure disbelief. "I'm just here for the heavy, dangerous lifting."

"Not … that kind of chemicals. Nothing that would react like that. I have … ideas for your new weapon, that's all. Nothing explosive."

"Okay, but if I end up sprouting four extra limbs, I am blaming you," Peter said.

Tony stared at him for a moment longer than Peter was comfortable with as it looked like he was weighing it out. "Deal. That's a risk I'm willing to take."


April 12

District Four


It was dark along the oceanfront in District Four when Jessica got into the beach house on the rocks. It was rare for Odin to talk to anyone, let alone someone as young as her, and it was a job that Fury and Coulson had trusted only her to handle, seeing as she had such a talent for subtlety and getting just about anyone on her side.

Where most of the victors had a clear side they were on, Odin was hard to nail down. It was obvious that he had no love for the Capitol, and in years past, he'd been careful to avoid any alliances with anyone. But with two of his sons lost to Thanos' games … there was every possibility that they could get his backing if he was approached properly.

She made her way to where the first victor was seated, watching the waves rolling in. He seemed to be entirely lost in some thought or another, so she was a bit surprised when he gestured to a seat close by without looking at her. "Please, join me."

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me," Jessica said as she took the seat, keeping in mind all that she'd researched on the district and the family itself.

"You requested my aid, not an invitation to draw out any form of pity or empty words," he said, his gaze still on the waves. "I may not be friend to most of the victors, but I cannot turn a blind eye." He paused and finally fixed his gaze on her. "But I will not be drawn into more needless conflict either. So what, Miss Drew, do you propose to ask of me?"

She took a deep breath. Still waters ran deep, as they say, and it was clear that Odin had kept his ears open more diligently than most. "I'm sure you're aware that we are staging a revolution," she said in a quiet, calm tone. "We're not asking for your backing. We just want to know where the people in the districts stand when this happens. I need to be in the gathering areas that they feel free to speak so I can see if they're leaning to the Capitol, or if they're open to join us."

Odin tipped his head to the side, watching her intently. "And if you find that my people are not open to SHIELD?" he asked.

"We won't fight for territory, if that's what you're wanting to know. We have finite resources, and our goal is to overthrow Thanos and his family. We just need to be sure that we wouldn't be wasting our resources trying to help evict the Capitol's hold here."

He seemed to relax the slightest bit on hearing that and nodded. "Good. This district does not take well to being punished for our beliefs," he said in almost a low rumble.

"When this happens, I'm sure the people here would gladly follow your lead, even if that's to turn away from SHIELD. We know that, and that's a much better path than the way it is now."

He frowned a bit at that, watching her intently for any signs of deceit, but finally, the very corner of his mouth quirked up. "I think you'll find that the Capitol's actions here have turned many against them," he said simply. "But if you insist on hearing for yourself, I would suggest looking to the beaches themselves. Many a hushed conversation in the waves has made Sentinels reconsider the amount of power they actually hold."

She smiled a bit at that and nodded. "Then I'll go there," she agreed. "And if you'd like to know when it all starts to happen ... I can tell you when we get closer. SHIELD will help Four get anyone in danger out if you find yourselves in need."

But Odin just chuckled. "Warning would be nice, but I think you'll find we are hardy, and when war comes to us, we will fight."

She nodded. "I've heard the tales," she said with a smile. "I do have one more question for you, though." She held her breath for a moment before she continued. "Was any of this a surprise to you?"

He shook his head very slowly. "To anyone who pays attention, the moves and countermoves are plain to see," he replied before he leaned in a bit. "You fancy yourselves beneath the surface, but there are still signs above the water. Take care you don't tip your hand too early and spoil the match."

She let the smile widen a bit as she nodded in agreement. "Yes, thank you. I'll pass that message on. I'm sure they're being reckless because we're getting closer, and it's taken so long to get where we are. They'll be more cautious."

He leaned back in his seat and nodded with a little smile of his own. "Tell the others with you to take care," he told her.

"I'll see you in the Capitol," Jessica said before she stood. "And thank you, really."

"As I said, you came seeking aid. I could not deny a fellow victor in need," he said softly before he paused. "And Jessica — do not place your devices on the Yggdrasil branches. That would be insulting to my people."

"Of course," she said, looking serious again. "I won't allow that to happen."

"Thank you," he said simply before he seemed to turn his attention from her. "I will see you in the Capitol."


April 13

Noh-Varr and Jubilee's Apartment


The more time crept toward the Games, the more tired Noh felt. He hated having to keep up the pretense that he and Jubilee were anything less than madly in love.

But it was also his birthday, so after a quick meeting with the rest of the stylists — required ahead of the Games for the newer ones in the ranks to get to know everyone so that no terrible faux pas would take place — he headed back with Jubilee to their apartment, looking forward to a night of movies and snuggles — which was really all he wanted.

That and a little dancing, but between the two of them, there was always dancing.

His favorite record was already playing when he walked in the door, and he grinned widely when he saw that Jubilee had beaten him home, somehow, and had even already changed out of the bright yellow little dress she had worn to the stylists' meeting into one of his old shirts, which hung about halfway down her thighs.

She was dancing around, slipping and sliding across the floor in her socks as she sang along to the music, and he caught her as she would have slid past him, pulling her into a spin as he sang the rest of the words into her hair, pulling her tightly into the dance until they were no longer dancing but locked in a kiss that only sort of spun.

When the kiss broke, they were both grinning, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Happy birthday," she told him before she stood up on her toes to steal another kiss that he was only too happy to give her.

He heard a little beeping sound from the kitchen, and he laughed as the kiss broke. "You're making waffles," he said, still chuckling.

"Well, it is your birthday," she pointed out as if this was the most obvious thing in the world, and he laughed again and spun her before they headed into the kitchen for the birthday breakfast-for-dinner feast.

There were strawberries, of course, and powdered sugar for Jubilee, orange juice, coffee, the whole nine yards. He had to laugh when he saw it all and rested his chin on her shoulder. "My Jubilee… you must love me," he teased.

"You better believe it, mister," she said, grinning as she stood on her toes to kiss him again.

The two of them were content with their breakfast dinner and snuggles for a while before Jubilee hopped up to go to the counter. "I think Doreen sent a card — and everyone else too…" she said as she started sorting through their mail.

There were a few with no addresses that both of them knew by now to just throw away, but the rest of them they started to go through together, smiling at Honey's in particular because it was signed "from your stage girlfriend" with a whole lot of hearts -— and doused in perfume.

There were a few others from various business partnerships — fabric suppliers, things like that. The typical "it's your birthday" things that vendors sent to remind you that they had your birthday on file and wanted to keep up a good relationship.

It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, honestly. The only card of note was one that poured glitter all over his hands when he opened it, which was honestly in line with their line of clothing but would be a pain to wash off later since it wasn't the semi-fluid kind that he and Jubilee used to keep it from sticking to their hands while they worked.

"And this is why we don't use your products," he muttered to the envelope as he shook out his hands a bit at the birthday message. "Shoddy."

He didn't want to get the glitter all over the rest of the cards, especially some of the nicer ones from Honey and their other friends, so he went to the sink to wash off the second-rate glitter, though almost as soon as he turned the water on, it was clear to Jubilee that something was up. He very quickly drew back his hands, wincing as the glitter on them was starting to burn through the skin of his palms as soon as it was wet. He took another two steps toward a towel to try to wipe it off before an instant later, he had simply folded where he was, sinking to the floor and having a hard time getting a breath.

Jubilee rushed to his side in a panic trying to figure out what had gone wrong, but at least she was smart enough to guess. "Keep breathing," she told him, resting one hand on his chest. "I'm calling for help right now." She bit her bottom lip as she watched him, trying to keep him engaged as she made the phone call, and as soon as she knew help was on the way, she started calling their friends, asking advice on what to do, since … clearly someone was trying to kill them. She kept busy all the way up until the paramedics arrived, and then, she had to step back, since they officially weren't supposed to be anything like a couple yet.

So it was almost a relief when the Sentinels showed up shortly after the paramedics looking for information on what had happened, and to secure the scene, though she was only partway through explaining it when a pack of sunglasses-wearing SHIELD agents swept into the apartment as well.

She was distracted as she talked to one of them, watching another taking samples from all around the apartment. "Is this … I mean. Is this necessary?" Jubilee asked. "All the … poking around everywhere? It's pretty obvious it was the trashy glitter."

The SHIELD agent nodded once. "The trashy glitter is most likely the cause of his symptoms, but you have to understand - an attempt on any high-profile Games stylist like this has SHIELD's attention, and we're not going to assume that it was just an isolated incident or that there aren't other 'surprises' in your mail."

"Well crap," she muttered, wrapping her arms around herself. "But ... you won't know until you run that through your creepy SHIELD evil-o-meter, right?"

"Pretty much," the SHIELD agent said with a shrug. "It's slower, but safer than finding out the hard way."

"So … am I supposed to like, get a hotel or something? Because … well. You can see the names on the mail. It would be stupid to lie." Jubilee turned his way quickly. "Do I get a guard? I get guard detail, right?"

The SHIELD agent raised an eyebrow and almost smirked. "We'll try to make sure you never have to see the guard detail, if that makes it any better."

"Right, right, I know. But … should I just like … go to a friend's house? And if I do, I'm not sure I want the guard detail on our hair-braiding party."

"I don't think anyone would blink an eye if you came to the hospital with us, and then wherever you'd like to stay next, we can accommodate you," the SHIELD agent said. "I understand you and Miss Lemon are close, for example."

"Can I stay in another country with Noh? Because that is what I choose," Jubilee shot back without missing a beat.

The SHIELD agent smirked. "Call Miss Lemon, Miss Lee."

"But you just said my choosing, and I am just saying … you're failing in your duty if it's my choosing then you choose Honey's for me? But … whatever. Can I go see him in the hospital, or are you going to send your minions to arrest me?"

"We're not going to arrest you for visiting a friend at the hospital, Miss Lee."

She stuck her chin out and poked him in the chest with one finger. "You say that now. But if I go in there and you arrest me anyhow, I'm going to call it entrapment."

"If I have to arrest you, it's going to be because you've done something like assault a SHIELD officer," the guy said with a smirk as he pushed Jubilee's hand away.

"Oh, believe me, mister, if I assault you, you'll know it." She glared his way and turned on her heel. "Who do I talk to about being able to come back here?"

"We'll send someone to you to let you know when we've cleared the apartment, but honestly, Miss Lee, if we find more than just this one letter, we may relocate you."

She let out a sigh and dug in her purse. "Do me a favor, please, and instead of being all creepy and crawly and appearing wherever I am, just call me?" She handed him her business card with her cell number on it. "Please."

The SHIELD agent nodded. "If that's what you choose," he said with the slightest hint of a tease.

"Oh, ha-ha," she said with a ghost of a smile. "And can I know your name, or is it really officially just 'Agent'?"

"Jasper Sitwell," he said. "But please, don't call me Jasper."

"Thank you, Agent," Jubilee replied before she looked over her shoulder again and headed out, with Honey already dialed up.