Disclaimer: Avengers, Hunger Games, and all other elements belong to their relevant owners; I merely borrow them to write this story
Feedback: Always a pleasure to receive.
AN: A few scenes here were partially written by/inspired by my colleague, David Knight, and I thank him for his input
Falling Hope, Rising Threat
When she woke up to see her new outfit lying on the chair beside her bed, still wearing her own clothes, Clarke wasn't sure if she should be impressed or disturbed at the fact that someone had managed to do that without waking her up.
On the one hand, after hearing so many stories about the Avengers from Callie as she was growing up, she was beyond amazed at the revelation that not only were the Avengers now active again, but actually wanted her as a member… but on the other hand, she had to wonder if she was really ready for it.
So far, she hadn't really done anything since arriving on Earth apart from try to set up a peace treaty that hadn't worked out, escape from a 'prison' that hadn't been expecting that kind of escape, and perform a few limited operations that she'd only done because nobody else was available to do it. She might have 'won' in the sense that she was alive and free right now, but the idea that she was being considered as a valid member for the new version of 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes'…
That would have been intimidating even before everything Callie had speculated about her the previous night, when she'd gone to visit her 'adopted aunt' after the last meeting.
Looking around the apartment that Callie had been living in since being recovered by the Avengers, Clarke had to admit that she found it a very interesting look. It wasn't that different from the quarters she had lived in with her family in the Ark, except that it was made of stone, brick and wood rather than just metal and steel.
Of course, the real difference was the windows, displaying views of trees and assorted greenery that she had never had on the Ark.
"And it looks to be as if the five day forecast for the Capital will be cool in the high 60s," an unfamiliar voice suddenly said. "Which is a godsend for those working on the ongoing reconstruction efforts…"
Turning in the direction of the voice, Clarke was amazed to see a screen displaying a man sitting behind what had to be a news desk, unfamiliar maps on the wall behind him as he spoke.
"Is that…?" she began.
"Feels different, doesn't it?" Callie said, smiling at her in understanding as she held what looked like a remote. "Watching it live instead of watching the same recording over and over again?"
Clarke was about to respond when Callie suddenly changed the channel, the screen shifting from the news broadcast to what looked like a baseball game. "There's more?"
"They have about forty different channels; it's small compared to having thousands before the wars, and a few of them are just there rather than actually broadcasting anything, but it's still impressive by our standards," Callie replied, as she headed over to a refrigerator. "I actually thought we might do something straight out of a chick flick. I know you don't like those films all that much, but I think you might like this, since you've never had it before."
"Had what?" Clarke asked, as Callie turned around to face her with a smile and two plastic cartons in her hands.
"Eat ice cream and talk," Callie said, handing Clarke one of the cartons and a metal spoon. "It's just vanilla, but I figure that's a good flavour to start with while you're working out what you like."
"Thanks," Clarke said, taking the spoon and starting to eat, enjoying the coldness of the food for a moment- after water, she hadn't had anything cool since coming down to Earth- before she looked curiously at Callie. "So, what was that… announcer… talking about when he mentioned 'reconstruction efforts'?"
"I haven't heard the full story yet, but from what I picked up, it…" Callie said, looking awkwardly at her friend's daughter for a moment before she finished. "Well, it sounds like the Avengers' debut was just last year, when they defeated the dictator who'd been ruling this country for the better part of the last century."
"Century?" Clarke repeated.
"He apparently had some kind of 'powers' himself, but I haven't been able to ask them for more specifics," Callie explained, her expression grim before she continued her story. "Anyway, from what I've heard, for several years before now, this part of the country was ruled by a twisted dictatorship that kept the population divided into twelve districts, each one producing a certain resource such as fish, power or coal, and had them each send two teenagers each year to participate in a modern gladiator-style fight to the death."
"Excuse me?" Clarke asked, looking sharply at Callie. "Gladiators? Like in Ancient Rome?"
"With modern updates and in a broader field, but the analogy sounds appropriate from what I've heard," Callie explained. "Mockingjay and the new Iron Man were the victors of the last Games when they managed to put the gamemakers in a difficult position, and apparently the Mariner and Bloodaxe were victors of past Games as well."
"They were chosen because they won these… Games?"
"Captain Rogers made it clear that he chose them from several other Victors because they won for the right reasons," Callie said, understanding Clarke's apprehension. "They competed in the Games, but they didn't let the Games control everything they did afterwards. When they had a chance to fight for what mattered, they all stood up and fought; actually, Mockingjay triggered the revolution against the dictator when she volunteered for the Games to save her sister from competing."
"Her sister… the Black Widow?" Clarke asked, recalling a comment made during her training as well as some of the stories about the original Avenger with that name; the first Black Widow hadn't made the same solo impression as most of the male Avengers, but a few stories of her past missions had been revealed over the decades since the Avengers fell.
"She's mainly the team's field medic, and even that's only when Mockingjay's sure that she won't be in danger," Callie said, smiling slightly at some memory. "I've spent some time talking with her in the infirmary; her sister might accept that she's growing up, but she's still trying to keep her safe."
"Are all siblings like that?" Clarke wondered, suddenly recalling all the lengths Bellamy had gone to while trying to help Octavia since we'd all arrived on the ground.
"It varies," Callie smiled, before she looked at Clarke with a more serious manner. "The point I'm trying to make, Clarke, is that these people have been active for almost a year according to the stories I've heard, and they've kept their membership as it was since they became a team; they wouldn't offer you a place among them if they didn't feel you were worth it."
There was a lot more that Clarke wanted to say to that statement, but for the moment, she just let herself take in the compliment and focus on that.
"You know," Callie continued, indicating the screen displaying the same sports game, "I look at this, this world that we find ourselves in… and I can't help but wonder how badly our people may take to it."
"How badly?" Clarke asked incredulously. "We've all been stuck on the Ark wanting to get to the ground for the last century; how could anyone be anything but happy?"
"Clarke," Callie said, the sombre expression on her face cutting through Clarke's mood better than any words, "what has been the one thought driving our people, allowing us to commit the acts we did justify our survival? That we, the last of humanity, can bring civilization back to the Earth."
Clarke knew those words all too well. It's how they rationalized the Purge, the sending to the Ground... the Floating of her father... That and so much more, even before life support had started failing. It was all because they believed they were the very last of humanity and their mission, the reason they were alive, was to return to Earth and restart civilization once it had 'healed' from the nuclear wars. That was what every child had drilled into their minds; that everything they did on the Ark was to service that goal one day.
Callie waited until she saw that Clarke had processed what she had said and started speaking again. "It was the belief that we were the absolute last, that we would bring civilization back to a desolate, barren world, that sustained all the generations that came before you on the Ark, Clarke. You shattered that when you told us about the Grounders, yet many still had hope because even if we had to share Earth, we could believe that we were still bringing civilization back."
"And yet we've got a civilization here already," Clark said. Everything she had seen from the Avengers already spoke to a civilization that was equal if not more advanced than that of the Ark.
"I don't know how many of us are left from the Ark, but right now they're probably clinging to their dreams because it's all they have. And in spite of everything we've seen so far about what marvels they have here…"
"You don't think our people will take well to the differences?" Clarke asked.
"We've got at least two different social cultures, to say nothing of what is going on with those 'Grounders' of yours, and now there's the people from Mount Weather to take into account along with whatever other people are still living on the planet," Callie said, sighing slightly before she looked at Clarke. "Whatever way I look at it, the only way to avoid trouble… is if there's something… or rather, someone… that can bridge the gaps between the two."
Clarke didn't say anything, only looking at the sly smile on Callie's face before it dawned upon her. "Me? You think I'm your bridge?" She shook her head. "I tried to negotiate peace between us and the Grounders and it failed..."
"From what I hear, there was lack of trust on all sides, and yet you managed to survive the mistakes that came about and even help the rest of the kids survive," Callie returned. "Clarke, you've met with the leaders of so many factions on this new Earth- even if Mockingjay and Captain Rogers define themselves as representatives of their culture rather than leaders- and you're still here. You understand them more intimately than anyone. If that doesn't fit the description of a bridge, I don't know what will."
"But… will anyone listen to me?" Clarke asked, suddenly recalling another fear she wasn't entirely ready to voice to anyone else. "I mean, I tried to keep Mom up-to-date with whatever was going on here, but when we actually meet again, I just… I think…"
"You think she'll still treat you like a child," Callie finished for her, nodding in understanding as she reached up and unclipped a silver chain from around her neck, passing it to Clarke so that she could see the ornate ring attached to it. "Here."
"What's this?" Clarke asked, taking the chain and looking at it curiously.
"Something that your mother and Marcus will both recognise as mine," Callie smiled. "I'll be staying here to keep an eye on the other Ark survivors from my section, but if they start thinking you've been brainwashed or anything stupid like that, show them that ring and they'll understand that I'm alive and I have faith in you."
It was another small gesture in the grand scheme of things, but it was also a gesture that Clarke greatly appreciated.
Shaking off those memories, Clarke looked at the costume lying beside her bed once again, before she glanced at her watch. Based on what Mockingjay and Captain America had told her and the other Avengers once the last training session had concluded, she only had half an hour to get dressed before the Avengers left to make contact with the largest intact Ark fragment, so she had to get moving if she didn't want to get left behind.
Even if she had her doubts about the decision to put her on the team, Clarke was here to represent her people; she couldn't reject that responsibility, no matter how much she doubted her abilities.
Making her decision, Clarke got out of bed and shrugged off her jacket as she began to put on her new suit; whatever she felt about her abilities as an Avenger, she had the suit, she had her responsibilities to her people, and she was going to use the suit and do what she could to live up to her new responsibilities until she fell or they actually asked her to leave the team.
When Clarke emerged from her room, she was glad to see that the other Avengers were already waiting for her in the hovercraft hanger, each of them clearly impressed with her new look. While the original outfit offered to her yesterday had just been a sleeveless black top with gold edging, the new version was a deep blue in colour and included short sleeves that went up to her elbows, with leather knee guards and boots reaching up to just below her knees on her legs. There was a white diamond on either side of her chest, with a red falcon in a similar style to the old SHIELD logo inside it, along with a deep white star on her front just below her neck. The 'A' that had been used as the original Avengers' logo was proudly displayed on her shoulderguards, and she wore blue fingerless gloves with a white star on the top of her hands, along with red bracers at her wrists. The upper half of her head was covered by a blue mask that only exposed her mouth, her hair tied back in a ponytail, and two large handguns hung at her sides.
"Nice," Johanna nodded in approval. "Kick-ass suit while letting you look good."
"That is important?" Anya asked, looking sceptically over at the one-armed woman.
"Hey!" Clarke said, realising in surprise that Anya was just wearing a brown leather jacket and trousers rather than the purple suit she'd been given yesterday. "What happened to your uniform?"
"It was felt that it would be less… intimidating… to your people if I arrive like this," Anya explained, glaring briefly over at Mockingjay even if she seemed to accept the decision. "I am wearing that suit under these clothes, but I will be attending the first meeting like this."
"I though you wanted to make a dramatic impression?" Clarke noted as she turned to her new 'leader'.
"Dramatic, yes, but I don't want to intimidate anyone," Katniss clarified. "That's why Peeta and Prim will be staying here while we head to the Ark; we need to establish what we can offer and that we can work with your people, without looking like we're trying to intimidate them into cooperation."
"And you're sure you want me along for that?" Johanna asked with a sarcastic smile as she held out her axe.
"Your arm shows that we're not just killers," Katniss said. "Anyone can kill, but we wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of creating that arm for you if we didn't want you to stay around."
"Quite," Finnick smiled in agreement at Katniss's statement. "After all, there's got to be easier people to be on a team with than you."
"Want to pay for that next training session?" Johanna asked teasingly even as she adjusted her grip on the axe.
"Shutting up now," Finnick said in understanding.
"We should go," Anya said, glaring at the other Avengers. "If we are to defeat the Mountain Men, the sooner we take action the better."
"Right," Katniss said, looking apprehensively at the new Hulk before she turned back to the hovercraft behind them. "Let's go."
As Johanna, Finnick and Anya headed into the hovercraft, Katniss exchanged a brief handshake with Clarke before she turned to look at Peeta, who was standing off to the side of the hanger with Prim.
"Do what you can," she said to the remaining members of the team. "The more we know about whatever's in that mountain, and the better shape those Ark residents are in when we have to take them back, the better."
"They're doing fine," Prim smiled at her sister.
"And Beetee and I will do what we can on hacking those networks," Peeta confirmed. "They might have experience, but they probably aren't even aware that we're here; we'll get something eventually."
"Good luck," Katniss said, before she turned around to join Clarke and the others in the hovercraft, nodding at Finnick as he sat at the controls. "Let's go."
As the hovercraft took off, Clarke couldn't resist the urge to keep checking her new suit, making sure she knew where all the controls and buckles were in preparation for whatever might be about to happen.
She'd training in that VR simulation system as much as she could, but there was still only so much she could do without actually taking this thing into the air on her own…
God, she hoped she was ready for this.