(Not me reading this over on my break week.)

Year Three: Training Again

Operations Training Room B - 12:20 PM

Getting back to doing warm-ups in their training uniforms was a lot for the cadets which is why their profs made them do double. They had to get back into shape and into a routine if they would survive the year and the increasingly difficult training. They were supposed to do summer readings but since nobody did them, the warm-ups were tripled.

When the doors open, Merida and Orchid look over and see the missing person from not only Weight Class B but their infamous Xavier's Besties group chat.

"There's our man!" Orchid exclaims.

Orchid interrupts Merida's sit-ups, kneeling behind her once Merida's back is up. They watch the doors and see Ashton walking in yawning.

"Classy," Merida says with a laugh.

Ashton sees Orchid and Merida as he finishes his yawn. He could tell by their ominous smirks that he watched him stride in and yawn. Before he could call them out, he makes eye contact with their prof.

"Ruiz, glad to see you made it," she tells him, giving him a dirty look.

Ashton smiles nervously. "Just moved in this morning, Agent Palmer."

Agent Palmer gives a disbelieving mhmm sound as she refocuses on James who has been talking to her for the past ten minutes. Once the attention's off Ashton, he walks over to Orchid and Merida, taking a seat beside them.

"It's like she saw right through me," Ashton whispers, keeping an eye on Agent Palmer. "I actually spent the night driving and just got here. My stuff's still in my car."

"You've had her before?" Orchid asks.

"Once and she's also my SO."

Orchid laughs so loud that Agent Palmer looks at them for a second before having to refocus on James. Once she calms down, Merida's jaw drops open.

"No fair!" Merida yells. "You and everyone I've asked have an Operations-related SO. I'm in godforsaken Communications."

Orchid's heard her say that many times but still laughs as if she's heard it the first time. She always falls over and rolls on her back, holding her side as she cackles and tears up. Even Ashton joins in but not with the same dramatics as Orchid. Merida wonders why she hasn't beaten them up yes, Xavier's Besties or not. Even Brody laughed at her. Brody, of all people. Communications has that effect on everyone. It's embarrassing.

Agent Palmer tells them to hush. As she walks away, James scurries behind her, continuing to try and win an argument he lost when it started.

"Why don't you email them and say it's a mistake?" Ashton suggests.

"I already emailed student services and they said it's not a mistake," Merida responds but she knows someone else she can contact. "People hate me and I just have to find out who it is."

"What about Pym?"

They look at James who is still trying to win his argument with Agent Palmer.

"Pym fucked the system again," Merida says. "He didn't get an SO."

"So Pym could've either gotten a SO in Sci-Tech or Operations," Ashton grins at her, "and you got Communications."

"Shut up or I'll make you wish you got lost in Jersey. James is asking if he can fly his laps instead of running."

"I mean, it's a good question."

"That's getting denied because he doesn't even put effort." Merida cackles as she watches James get shot down. He looks at her and glares.

Keeping their eyes on James, Orchid puts an arm around Merida and Ashton's shoulders. She rests her head between their shoulders.

"Now let's play nice," Orchid mutters. "Leave that resentment for the sparring. Speaking of Pym and his lack of effort, do you think we'll all get a chance to beat him up?"

-o-

Operations Training Room A - 16:09 PM

They've done the same drills they've done for the past two years and they've gotten the lectures about incorporating more field applications while focusing on learning combat techniques and sparring. Like Weight Class B, they'll be introduced to different fighting styles with various weapons.

They've been told it's also the year they'll start hating each other. It never mattered where they came from or what their parents did because nobody's born as a warfare prodigy. Everyone still has to learn. The most one inherits is potential.

"I'll have you two know that it would be an absolute honour to be your sparring dummy," Brody tells Angela and Xavier.

Angela and Xavier stare at Brody because he's dead serious. Out of their class, everyone would love to take a shot at the Rogers twins and wanted that since year one despite knowing they don't have a chance.

"Thanks," Xavier says.

"No, really," Brody adds. "You or Angela could throw me across the ocean and I'd swim back so you could do it again."

"Tempting," Angela says, spacing out to think about it.

"Angela!" Xavier yells. He didn't think his sister would say that.

"I've been living with Merida for too long."

Brody laughs. "Still. My offer stands."

"Not the ocean one, right?" Xavier asks.

"Offers, plural," Brody corrects once he realizes how awesome that sounds, "sparring dummy or ocean toss. Or combine the two and we can spar in the ocean."

Xavier thinks that over and smiles. "That does sound fun."

-o-

Sci-Ops Training Room - 16:53 PM

Daniel and Keith spent the past hour watching an introduction video about the combat taught specifically for sci-tech cadets and a generalization of their responsibilities as field agents. The argument presented was that they were always field agents because of their laboratories. Every cadet, especially those who wanted no part in training like this, found that to be melodramatic bullshit. It didn't help that they had their own training uniforms that differed from Operations, but was still a uniform.

"Fuck this," Daniel mutters.

"Fuck that," Keith says. He's been on his phone the whole time.

"I'm not rated for field work. I'm a scientist, not an Operative."

"Anyone can throw a punch and shoot a gun," Keith says, looking up at the video for a second. Unamused, he goes back on his phone. "You know I'm faking an asthma attack to get out of this."

Everyone jumps out of their seats when they hear screaming coming from the class next door, which they know to be an Operations training room. The video certainly didn't mention any of that happening.

"I don't think you'll have to," Daniel says.

Keith smiles a little, keeping his gaze where the sound came from. "I hope that was James."

"I really don't want to be here."

"Relax. If they trust James in there and let all your other muscle friends train like that, we could do this simplified version."

Daniel nods, seeing Keith's point. "You're right."

"Besides, if you don't need a brain to do that since they rely on muscle memory, imagine what we could do since we actually have brains."

"Yeah, I get it."

"You'll be fine. Have you ever had a gun pointed at you?"

Daniel pauses and Keith looks up from his phone and at him with concern. Daniel doesn't say anything but it's that snowy day with rapid gunfire and roaring with screaming that make him want to drop this course. It's not only the gun he's scared of but everyone else he'd be in the field with, specifically his friends.

"Hey," Keith says, getting his attention again, "are you okay?"

"Fine," Daniel responds.

"Do I - do I have to get James?"

"Wow, you're really concerned."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

"So ... you have had a gun pointed at you?"

"No." Daniel shifts in his seat and looks away. It's guns, plural.

(As I'm publishing this, the current chapter I'm writing touches upon Daniel's trauma again).

Daniel's Counterpart - Chapter Three: A Power Dynamic