Notes: *waves at Silz* HELLO! Yes, we love District Twelve to itty bitty pieces. Billy is darling, and America is unstoppable. They are going to bring it to these Games ;)
Chapter 4: "Notes From the Other Side"
July 1: Reaping Day
Jubilee and Noh-Varr's Apartment
The final Reaping had Noh and Jubilee sharing looks. Two volunteers for Twelve. That had never ever happened, and both of them were Kate's friends.
"This is going to be a tough year," Jubilee said very quietly.
Noh nodded just as quietly, the frown evident on his face. "Yes, it will be," he said simply after a long pause, his pencil still hovering over his sketchbook as he hadn't even started yet, not really.
Jubilee's sketchbook had little to do with her tribute — though the little cartoon Sabretooth at the edges with his eyes crossed and his tongue hanging out were amusing at least to her. She'd spent the last ten minutes erasing sections of his hair and drawing them back in as shaved — or dyed in a rainbow of colors, just … her way of trying to decide how to approach her new model. She glanced up at Noh and with a little smirk picked up a purple pencil and added a bruised jaw and a blacked out tooth just to see if he'd notice it.
It took Noh a moment, but when he glanced over at her doodle, he looked up to meet her gaze with a very, very dry look. "You are never going to let that go," he said, shaking his head.
"It was amazing. Why would I want to let it go?" she asked before she erased one eye and made it into a blackened one.
He chuckled lightly before he finally got started on his own sketches. The stylists didn't know which of the tributes they'd get until they arrived — and they'd usually swap ideas with their district partners, and whoever came up with the best ideas would get that tribute.
But he had ideas for both of Kate's old friends, starting with the dark-haired and romantic young man. He needed something star-crossed, something fateful and lovetorn, and before he knew it, he was thinking of a certain galactic-themed dress another skinny dark-haired romantic had worn for Halloween, scribbling his sketch, adding a cape and a little more flair.
For America, he was thinking something to reflect the sassy red dress she'd worn as well. He'd noticed that she didn't look comfortable in it, so he went for a more comfortable look, though again, he found himself adding stars to his designs — Jubilee had inspired him.
Jubilee had started scribbling designs for the girl — the cool-headed, bossy blonde — but she couldn't come up with much that seemed to come off as feminine and tough and Creed. And just about every time she'd get halfway through a sketch of the girls' profile, she'd wreck it with some comically large canine teeth and bushy eyebrows before she just blew her hair out of her face and decided to start on the young man.
The lanky brunette hadn't grown into his height yet — and he looked terribly thin — but he had a strong jawline and seemed on top of keeping himself neat and tidy. That would be a nice change of pace … The red tie he was wearing really did look good on him, too. "That one won't do well in yellow at all, darnit," Jubilee said to herself as she shook her head and instead hovered between red and blue.
Honey and GoGo had clearly already divvied up the tributes from Eight. Honey recognized little Gwen Stacey from the family interviews and had called dibs so fast it made GoGo's head spin. Honey already had ideas, wanting to reflect Peter Parker without making it too much of a callback. Lighter colors, more pinks, softer edges….
GoGo was fine with giving Honey the softer spider, though, because the boy from Eight was a cinch to design for. He came with his own coat. His own trench coat. She'd have to update it, of course, but why mess with the look? He rocked it. She just had to make it… moreso. Though she was having to wave off Fred's constant suggestions that it needed "more fire."
"I can add red, but that's it," GoGo said, pointing her finger threateningly his way.
"Red eyes," Fred said, so pleadingly that GoGo let out a sigh and tried it, just a quick sketch with her red pencil. It … actually wasn't that bad. Kind of striking.
"Fine."
Doreen, on the other hand, just sort of hovered by Jubilee, looking over her shoulder as she worked on a sketch for the boy from their district. "Can I take the girl again?" she asked. "You look like you have ideas, and I'm really bad at reinventing suits for the guys."
"Please," Jubilee said. "I really wanted to try a girl, but no matter what I do, it just … I can't stop picturing Creed in a dress, and although I know she's got to have nicer legs than him … I just … I can't." She tapped her notebook with her pencil. "But I'd keep that long braid. It suits her well, I think."
"Oh, definitely," Doreen agreed with a flash of a smile. "I don't think I'll change much; she's already got a good look." With that, she started to scribble in her own sketchbook, a wide, toothy grin spreading over her face.
MJ, meanwhile, was in fits over the fact that Steve's best friend had volunteered, because she didn't want to repeat her designs, but she still wanted to reflect that friendship and that connection. She glanced over Noh's shoulder and tipped her head at the starry designs.
"Mind if I steal some of those?" she asked. "I think a star might be good for the star-spangled man's best friend."
"Perhaps just one," Noh said with a small smile. "I have a galaxy I'm working with, but a single star to represent a single friend's memory?"
MJ touched her finger to her nose and pointed at Noh. "You're a genius, Noh."
He shrugged modestly. "I try."
"I need a judgement call," Jubilee said as she tipped her sketchbook Noh's way. "Blue or red?"
He looked over the two sketches and pursed his lips. "I like them both," he admitted, pausing over them before he tapped the blue one. "This one is better suited for a parade, though — the red needs a larger stage for the full effect."
"Very true," she said before she gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you. I'll save red for his interview suit."
"Perfect," he agreed before he tipped his own book her way. "And in return, I must ask your opinion on my designs. I may have been inspired by you — just a bit," he said with an impish smile.
"Ooooh, I like the universe," she said with a little grin. "Yes. Good. He'll be fabulous — and that fabric is so comfortable. Almost like wearing nothing at all."
"And what about for the girl?" Noh pressed, grinning at the compliment. "I thought the reds would be appropriate."
"They are," she said, nodding as she looked over the sketch of the Twelve girl, with stars in her design as well and a short red ensemble that reflected her Reaping outfit. "Maybe give her more in the accessory department, though. Earrings would bring it together. Otherwise … I love it. She looks like she could wipe the floor with everyone."
"That is the idea," Noh said with a little smile. "We do need to make an impact for the parade." He looked over the designs and let out a laugh. "I can't decide which I like better — do you think my partner would let me do both as a gift for my going away?"
"Are you kidding? She'd let you take over in a heartbeat," Jubilee said with a laugh. "She doesn't seem to care much at all anymore."
"No, she seems to be as disenchanted with the job as I am," Noh noted with a bit of a frown. "It's a shame that has extended to all her design work."
"She's been at it a lot longer than you, though," Jubilee pointed out. "And she was all but in love with the boy you had go through last year. She just wouldn't shut up about how clever he was."
"Wasn't so smart when it came down to it, though," MJ muttered.
"No," Jubilee agreed quietly, though she stopped short of adding that she'd wished that one of the guys that had gone to the end would have done him in. Banner had come so close.
"There's a lot of little ones this year," Wasabi pointed out as he returned from the kitchen with a fresh round of snacks for everyone to fuel their creativity.
"True," Doreen said. "And a lot of pretty substantial girls too, I'm glad to see."
"Yeah, last year was…." GoGo blew out a breath before she got a more impish smile. "This year's much better."
"Yes, and this year, my girl can actually show her face," Doreen said with a little cringe.
"That'll help," Wasabi agreed with an encouraging nod. "No masks this year like yours or the guy from One, so… that's something, anyway."
"I swear to God, guys, some days I want to change districts," Doreen muttered.
"You can apply to my position if you want," Noh offered.
"I may just," she agreed, nodding her head. "Seven is a lot scarier than I thought it would be."
"Why do you think there was an opening?" GoGo muttered, shaking her head. "And then another one, like, a few years later? That guys scares off stylists like it's a game — which he probably thinks it is."
"He does," Jubilee said. "You just have to cut his ponytail off. That's what I did. He learned to respect the stylist after that."
Doreen just had to laugh at that. "That… that explains why he was so mad before the parade last year."
"He's a jerk," she said with a carefree shrug, though she was sure to turn Noh's way. "And if he tries to so much as look at me cross-eyed, I'll shove my scissors up his nose."
"I could do that for you so you could keep your job," Noh teased. "I already have a reputation, and besides, I'm on my way out."
"No, no. You've had enough probation," she said with a little smile. "Besides, they'd likely hold a parade if I did that."
"Ticker tape and the whole nine yards," GoGo agreed.
"See?" Doreen said. "Seven is scary."
"Even the adopted Sevens are scary," MJ teased Jubes' way.
"Well … after that supposed affair …" Doreen said with a little giggle.
"No, no," Noh said with a little smirk. "Now she belongs to Twelve. Or at least — for the next few weeks."
"I'm still keeping my Seven," Jubilee giggled as she gave Noh's arm a squeeze.
"Then I suppose I'll have to petition for entry into the scariest district group," he teased her.
"It'll be divine," she said with a giggle. "And we can just take bets on where you're going to clock Creed next."
"That's why he's allowed to be part of the scary group," GoGo laughed, and Honey just giggled and nodded her agreement.
Noh let out a sigh of pretended longsuffering, but it was clear he was just a little bit pleased with all the teasing. If he was going to have a reputation for violence, he didn't mind it so much if it was a reputation for violence against someone like Creed.
Jubilee laughed when she saw his expression and leaned over to snag a quick kiss. "What do you think — time for some dinner instead of just snacks? Pizza? Pancakes? What do you want?"
He smiled crookedly at her and returned the kiss. "Whatever you like, my darling Jubilee."
July 1: Reaping Day
Tahiti Wing
The kids in the Tahiti Wing still had a few hours before the staging run. Unlike what Cassie had told them about missions that the previous generation of Tahiti operatives had run during other Games, this year's operatives would be in the Capitol — all of them.
And while that meant things were getting serious — because Coulson and Hill were prepping them for the big push — it also meant that they didn't have to leave just yet, not until the big hullabaloo arrived in the Capitol to provide their distraction and cover, so they could all watch the Reapings.
And with Agent Van Helsing, not to mention Charles, at the helm of the Tahiti program, it wasn't like last year, when the Tahiti kids had been only able to catch bits and piece of the Games. Coulson had rigged up the monitors so that Tony didn't have to work around anything just to get the footage — it was readily available to all of them, and recorded so they could catch up on anything they missed.
At first, the kids weren't sure why Coulson and Charles were so insistent on letting them watch all that death and destruction — beyond the simple fact that the two of them seemed determined to make sure that the Tahiti kids had access to any information they wanted or needed. And then Luke pointed out that they'd be working with half these kids in a few weeks — and also pointed out that they might know a few of them, like he'd known Ororo, before the Games themselves.
Of course, no one had expected that prediction to be so accurate.
The Career district Reapings, of course, went by without much comment from the gathered kids, who were more interested in talking about the big upcoming staging run than talking about the latest trained killers from the inner districts. The only one who offered any kind of commentary was Tony, who only spoke up to say something about how the kids that year were just wannabes from companies much smaller than Stark Industries — but for the most part, that was the only interesting part.
It was far more fun to talk about the immense danger ahead of them sneaking through the Capitol in the middle of the parade, when the next round of tributes would be seeing this whole setup for the first time.
That, they knew, was the only reason they weren't springing the revolution now rather than later — there were twenty-four kids to consider, most of them untrained, and SHIELD knew for a fact that the Sentinels were trained to get the precious tributes away from any potential rescue efforts in a heartbeat ... or to simply kill them there anyway if it looked like the Capitol wasn't going to get their show.
So it was risky — and they all knew it.
But after the Reaping in Four, which was even harder to pay attention to than any of the ones before it because they could hardly hear anything over the storm, the kids finally started to pay a bit more attention, especially when the first non-Career name to be called was Steve's girlfriend.
The poor kid went through a bit of a rollercoaster after that — the shock of Peggy being called, the relief of someone else volunteering for her, the … whatever it was that had him actually swearing up a blue streak in little mutters at his best friend on the screen who was the second volunteer from Five, all while Ororo and Carol were on either side of him giving him a bit of a berth while he swore until he was through — and then both of them just tackled him in a hug.
"You have a potty mouth, Steve Rogers," Ororo teased him gently, trying to provoke a smile out of him as he just shook his head and muttered something about how Bucky was a punk.
By the time Steve had stopped grumbling and moved on to promises to find Coulson and make sure his best friend was on the Tahiti list if he didn't win, it was someone else's turn to swear up a storm, though Sin was far louder about it and, frankly, more creative about the names she called Brock Rumlow for volunteering, though her grumpiness lasted for only a few minutes before she had moved on to assurance that he was going to win and annoyance that it meant he'd be on the other side of the program from her so she couldn't pound him for his stupid decisions.
And of course, most of the kids in the Tahiti Wing, when they saw the little girl from Six get carried onto the stage, were upset. But more interesting was the fact that Cassie just glanced over at Luke for a second before they just shared a nod in an unspoken agreement. Luke had looked out for her when she was the youngest. This little girl, clearly, had their protection in turn — both of them.
So by the time they got to Seven's Reapings, the tenor of the room had completely changed. Already two of them knew the tributes involved, and they were only halfway through — though no one in the room was expecting a Creed to be called, of all people.
"That — that guy has no business having a sister," Kate whispered to Kurt with her nose scrunched the slightest bit.
"She doesn't seem to like him very much," Kurt whispered back as they watched Clara give Victor the brush off.
But that just got Kate to let out a sigh. "See, now I can't even feel vindictive about this, because that just means she's getting his stupid foisted on her. Which… isn't fair. She should be evil so I can be happy about this." She paused, then added, "Just means someone else is getting screwed for Creed's behavior. Again."
"Least this year Creed won't try and screw his tribute… you know. At all," Clint pointed out with his head tipped to one side as he frowned at the screen. "Looks like he might even try to… help. Which… is kinda freaking me out."
But when the boy tribute from Seven was called, Peter shushed all of them with a little frown, his head cocked back the slightest bit as he asked, carefully, "Guys… I think ... does Logan know that guy? Cuz he looks pissed right now."
"He never talked about anyone back home," Kurt said with a frown, though from the expression on his face, it was clear that he was seeing the same thing Peter was. "He has to, though …"
"Oh, I remember him," Jan said, leaning over the back of the couch so she could be a bit closer to the screen. She had her head tilted to one side as she studied the scene. "He came around the carving shed looking for a job back when I worked there. He liked the designs I could do for wooden pocket knives, so I showed him how to get the curl just right." She smiled softly and then shook her head. "But Logan was a cutter — I don't see where they'd have crossed paths."
Kurt, Kate, and Peter shared a look between them as they were clearly thinking it over, though it was Kurt who mused out loud, "I wonder if he has any family."
Jan shook her head. "Any kid who comes to the carving lodge for a job at that age? No way," she said with a little frown. "Unless something's changed in the last four years… he was at the orphanage up on the hill."
The awesomes glanced at each other at that, each of them thinking of the kids that they knew stopped by Logan's home. "That ... would definitely tick Logan off," Kate muttered under her breath as the boys nodded.
It was a little strange as they watched the end of the Reaping in Seven to see that both Creed and Logan were wearing nearly identical expressions as the two tributes were led off for goodbyes, though by that time, the Reaping for Eight was starting up, so there was a lot of muttering in general as it was clear this year's Games was going to be very different than what they were used to — with so many people in play already with ties to the kids and their friends.
The Awesomes had their heads together while the usual prelude played, looking a bit more serious than they had been when they started watching as Kurt muttered quietly, "This doesn't feel like a random drawing."
"A Creed and one of Logan's kids? Yeah. No kidding," Kate pointed out just as quietly, shaking her head.
"Well … maybe Seven wasn't random. But there's no way they could be picking out all of them," Peter offered, though he was still frowning — and only seemed to be getting more fidgety as the Eight Reaping approached.
And there wasn't much they could say to argue that point, really, not since the other two known tributes were volunteers — idiots, but idiots who had put themselves in this situation and therefore not something they could blame Fury or Coulson for — so the little group fell silent through the boy's name all the way up until Gwen Stacey was called.
Peter froze.
The cute little blonde looked just as shocked as Peter did as she made her way up, though unlike when Steve's girlfriend had been drawn, there was no volunteer to bail Gwen out. Steve did shoot Peter a sympathetic look, but the little spider didn't even notice it, transfixed to the screen all the way up until Gwen was no longer there.
"'Scuse me," Peter said in a small voice as he got up and climbed off the couch, headed right for the hall. Both Kurt and Kate moved to follow him, but Jan reached over the back of the couch and took both of them by the collars of their shirts to pull them back, shaking her head slightly to keep them seated
"The way this is going, you really don't want to miss your own districts," Jan advised them over the sound of Peter all but kicking in the door to the training room, and they could hear the loud clatter of things being thrown - though Bruce had already seen Six's Reaping and just very quietly excused himself, closing the door to the rec room behind him to go speak to Peter — or at least keep him from hurting himself in addition to the training equipment.
It was a good thing Jan had stopped them, too, because the very next name to be reaped was Kitty Pryde — and in an instant, Kurt was on his feet without even thinking about it, his stance clearly ready for a fight.
"There is no way… no way this is random chance," Kurt said through his teeth as he watched not only Kitty but his little sister on the screen — as the camera had followed Kitty's gaze to find her friends and family in the crowd, as it always did.
Amanda looked terrified for a moment — and ready to do something incredibly stupid, though the cameras missed whatever Kitty had said her way to get her to back down. And when the boy's name was called, Kurt's blood was rushing in his ears and he thought for a moment he hadn't heard right, because he saw another familiar blonde head in the crowd. It took him a full ten seconds to realize that the boy beside Stefan was the one moving up to the stage.
Kurt felt the relief course through him for all of a few second before he thought that Peter might just have the right idea. Since the victors and SHIELD agents were all up in the Capitol for their Games duties, he couldn't give those more deserving of his wrath a piece of his mind — and he really, really wanted to.
"Did they say his name was Summers?" Pepper asked, which was enough to break the thick feeling in the air as half the room turned to look at her. She waved one hand at the screen. "Summers — like the kid from Seven. Don't you think they look alike? How's that even possible if they're from different districts?"
"Hey, yeah, you're right, Pep," Tony said, nodding quickly as he pulled out his own tablet to start doing some cross-checking.
The distraction had been enough that Kate managed to snag Kurt and pull him onto the couch beside her and gently snuggle into him and kiss his cheek several times over as the Reaping for Ten played while Tony finished his check. It wasn't until Eleven was through — and both Luke and Ororo had confirmed that they didn't know the kids, though Mike thought they looked like 'schoolkids' from their uniform shoes — that Tony had found the adoption records for Alex.
"Oooh, yeah, these two — I doubt this is a coincidence," Tony muttered to himself as he read over what he'd found, though it wasn't until Wade prompted him to 'share with the rest of the class' that he looked up at the expectant faces around him. "Yeah, so ... these two? Their dad tried to instigate a rebellion in the outer districts. It didn't go well." He gave a little theatrical wince. "Fast forward through the part where the guy gets captured and killed by the royals to the part where they split up the kids and send 'em to different districts — and hey, let's keep an eye on the family of troublemakers while we're at it. Who'd've thought a thirteen-year-old could be on rebel records, huh?" he asked with an attempt at a teasing grin at some of the youngest members of the group.
"It's definitely not random then," Carol surmised with a frown.
"But SHIELD runs the Games, not Thanos, right?" Cassie pointed out, her own frown deepening at the thought.
"Wouldn't be surprised if Thanos made a few requests," Clint said with a light shrug that didn't match his tone.
"That wouldn't explain why ... I doubt he's interested in our friends and family," Steve argued, eyes narrowed. "And if he is — that's concerning too, right? The only thing we have in common is Tahiti."
"It's not Thanos," Natasha broke in calmly, and when the others glanced at her, she let out a sigh. "Maybe those boys are. Maybe. But not all of these names. He has bigger concerns in the outer districts than your girlfriends."
"Yeah? What do you know?" Sin asked with her arms crossed. "Or think you know."
Natasha just raised an eyebrow at Sin. "You really think shooting Clint was the only mission I ran before I was part of this group?"
Sin tipped her head a bit Natasha's way. "Like crazy said earlier — why don't you share with the class?"
"Honestly, I can't tell you all of it," Natasha said, and she at least looked sincerely apologetic.
"Well how about some of it then, so we can maybe start to think you're not just blowing smoke, super spy?"
Natasha took in a deep breath. "I recognize the name of Eleven's boy," she said. "His father was an informant — double agent. A much bigger fish." She shrugged lightly. "And to be honest, if I was going to go after someone in Eight or Nine, there are troublemakers like… well. Eight has a whole gallery of people angling for power, and plenty of them are Reaping age."
"So, then what are the trouble spots for SHIELD in the outer districts?" Wade asked. "I just … kinda want to know where we're going to be headed. That's all. Really. And hoping that you and I get to go on a mission together." He waggled his eyebrows at her just to rile her. "You know we'd be unaliving people left and right, Mama Spider."
She gave him an icy glare for just a moment. "That is not my call sign," she said.
"Not yet," Wade said, pointing one finger at her.
She rolled her eyes and let out a breath. "I'm not sure what the trouble spots are for SHIELD as opposed to the Capitol," she admitted. "The two are so entwined, and it's not like I was playing for the right team before. I just know where there are people drawing attention to themselves is all. And I know Thanos isn't above using their children to punish them."
"Pretty vague non-answer," Sin said dryly.
"But an honest one," Natasha shot back. "I won't make up an answer I don't know, not unless I'm working."
"She doesn't know anything," Sin whispered to Pepper.
"Shut up, Sin," both Hawkeyes said at once — though for distinctly different reasons. Clint because he couldn't just let that pass and Kate because the Reaping for Twelve had started, and the way things were going, she just knew she and Cassie were about to see one of their old friends in trouble.
Sin glared at both of them, but seeing as the other kids were also on Kate's side — and ready to see if the last Reaping was just as suspicious as the previous ones — she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, though she did toss out, "Thought you were dating the blonde, not the redhead," toward Clint just for telling her to shut up.
"He is," Natasha said with a glare, though Kate shushed both of them again, waving a hand at them for quiet as the boy's name was called — and it was obvious from the almost identical way that Cassie and Kate's shoulders drooped that it was one of their group.
Though not a one of them had been expecting the way the Reapings wrapped up as a skinny little boy volunteered for Teddy — and Kate and Cassie shared a look and a groan a second before America volunteered. Both girls knew it was coming the second Billy had stepped forward.
Jan was the one to turn off the screen as the mood in the room turned simply livid. She held up both hands in front of her as she faced the other Tahiti residents. "We don't have much time before the parade. Focus, guys. If you make a mistake on this one, you're risking a lot more than just the program," she said with a distinct frown — though it took another few minutes before anyone heeded her advice and finally moved out of the rec room.
July 1: Reaping Day
Triskellion
Unlike during the tour, Coulson hadn't been on the train for the Reapings, which meant Skye knew exactly where to find him.
She hardly waited to get to his office after the broadcast was over before she was pounding on his door, positively livid and ready to give him a piece of her mind for just how many of these kids had been reaped who had been her second or third choices out of two or three options.
"I know what you're going to say, and I gotta cut you off before you get going — this was not what I finalized," Coulson said with both of his hands resting on his desk as he stood up to watch her rage.
She halfway stomped through the doorway and slammed the door shut behind her. "What the heck did you even hire me for if you're not going to listen to a word I say?"
"I could have sworn I just said that wasn't the list I finalized," Coulson repeated.
"Then what, exactly, is the point of either of us?" she shot back, glaring. "If no one's listening?"
"You know that's not the only reason we're here," Coulson replied. "And I'm going to get to the bottom of this as soon as I can get a hold of Fury."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Skye spit out. "Way to pass the buck, AC."
For the first time in a long time, Coulson looked honestly ticked off as he turned her way with a frown. "Do you really think that's what I'm doing here? Just … handing it off? Really?"
"Well, it — it sure feels like it," Skye said with her hands on her hips, though she'd lost a lot of her heat in pure surprise at Coulson actually looking mad.
"Do you have any idea how many ticked off operatives I'm going to have to try to explain exactly this to when I get down to the other side of the project? The whole point of our job as far as the Reapings went was to look random — but half of our suggestions were totally replaced. I doubt that any of the victors believe for half a second that this isn't entirely rigged at this point either." He took a moment to take a breath as he loosened up his tie a bit. "But the chances of anyone in the know or upset getting a hold of Fury —it would be a long shot. So I have to take the heat for it."
"I just want to know why we even submitted names," Skye grumbled. "I mean — what."
"And I want to know why the hell we're still waiting," Coulson nearly hissed.
Skye watched Coulson for a moment with slightly widening eyes — she hadn't seen him get mad, and it was a sight to see. Finally, slowly, she let out all her breath and let her shoulders drop. "All I keep hearing when I ask that question is we're not ready. But I think if we just point the pissed off kids downstairs toward the problem…. Insta-win, right? Let's just… do it. And be done."
"We need the backing to get it done," Coulson said, finally settling down enough to take a seat. "The kids need more training. All of them. But in the meantime, we're going to be in the middle of putting new kids together when it finally happens, and that doesn't make me happy at all."
"That's kind of… counterproductive, isn't it?" Skye asked before she just shook her head. "Never mind. Forget I asked. I should have known better than to ask about SHIELD decision-making. Which is monumentally stupid."
"No kidding," Coulson agreed with a tight smirk before the two of them fell silent for a long moment. "There's going to be a lot of staging and possibly a few dry runs while the Games are in full swing, so I doubt you'll have your regular class to attend to," Coulson told her finally.
"Great. So… I'll just… fume in my room until you get me another couple dozen students, I guess."
"No," Coulson said, shaking his head. "You'll get a little time in the field, learning how to be a regular operative. May was telling me about the training you've been putting in."
"Her idea."
"I'm sure it is, but if you want to really help these kids — maybe you can fight alongside them."
Skye smirked the slightest bit at the idea as she seemed to consider it. "That… isn't a half bad idea, AC."
"We'll make sure you have all the coaching you need," he said. "Particularly while you're waiting for other things to do."
"Alright, then. Make me useful. By the time this thing kicks off, maybe I'll even get to be part of the fun," Skye said, the smirk widening until it became a full-on grin. She let out a long sigh before she reached over and punched Coulson lightly in the arm. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I know it's not your fault."
"I'm going to try to catch the big guy before he disappears into producer mode," Coulson said. "Eye on the prize, Skye."
"Good luck on your fishing trip," Skye said before she waved him off, and the two of them split ways — Coulson heading a little deeper into the Triskellion in search of the director.
But he wasn't the first to find Fury. That much was immediately clear when he reached the director and heard the near-snarls echoing the hall even through the closed door.
By the time he got to the office door, the loud protest had gathered a bit of a crowd, with Fury's timbre echoing right along with them until it all just fell silent for a moment and Coulson looked around the waiting area before he chanced it and knocked on the door.
Silence, after all, that could only mean they either calmed down — not likely — or the director was dead, and that was kind of something he needed to know about right away.
When he let himself inside, Both Logan and Creed whipped around to glance at him for a moment with identical expressions of rage on their faces. He closed the door behind him with a muted click and walked toward the three clearly angry men with his most neutral look.
"You both have jobs to do," Fury said in an almost consigned tone.
"Have the Runt do the run," Creed said at a growl — the volume down substantially, but the heat still easily heard. "He actually wants that job."
"He's got to keep up appearances," Fury said, and at that, both Logan and Creed shifted a bit in their stance, the idea clearly irritating to both of them.
"When we come back, we're gonna have words," Logan rumbled as Creed nodded his head in agreement.
"I'm sure you will. Go … do your jobs. I'll have missions for both of you during the course of the Games — and you are both going to be under strict scrutiny, so no screw ups," Fury said as the two victors from Seven shared a look and stormed out of the office past Coulson.
Coulson waited for only a few moments before he took the seat in front of Fury's desk. "I see I'm not the only one who knows who to look to for how the Reaping turned out today," he said mildly, though there was steel in his gaze.
"They have nothing to back it up," Fury said with a little wave. "And you knew what the plan was."
"There were a few more surprises this year — and not just the girl from One, before you say anything about her name not making the list. Not that the list mattered much this year," Coulson said, his gaze only hardening that much more.
"The list mattered plenty," Fury replied with one eyebrow raised. "You just didn't see the final draft."
"Why change it? The whole point of the list is to keep Cerebro's choices from giving away the fact that it's not random. I'd say the changes you made did the opposite, and I haven't even been down to Tahiti yet since the Reaping."
"If this is our last go-round, then I made the right decision to grab as many major assets as possible before everything starts up," Fury replied. "Every change I made is a good one for the program. For the success of our mission."
"That excuse might work for someone else, but you and I both know there's more to it than good assets. We can't get these good assets trained up in time, not the way we want."
"They won't need to be perfect," Fury said. "There will be time for that later — and by the time we have them, the ones we have now will be more than willing to stay on to train them."
"So this was a retention move," Coulson said with a frown.
"You sound surprised," Fury said as he leaned back in his chair. "We're putting a great deal of effort into assets on both sides of the Tahiti project. I don't want to see it go to waste."
"I was under the impression that was why you brought in Xavier — though it's also my understanding that his advice, and mine, apparently, doesn't extend to your office, does it, sir?"
"You know I'm playing for the big picture, Phil," Fury said easily. "A picture that you apparently can't see all of yet."
"I just know there are easier, better ways," Coulson countered. "The little things still matter. The little people, the kids, still matter."
"The kids are what makes this whole thing possible," Fury agreed. "And when we win this thing, you can do whatever you think they need to fix whatever wrongs you think they've been subjected to. But I can't worry too much about hurt feelings yet. Not when we have so much that needs to happen first."
"It's much easier not to worry about it when you're so far removed from it, sir," Coulson replied with a dry look. "Or would you like to go down to Tahiti for a few minutes?"
"I'm not sure if you noticed, but half of my black ops team wants my head already. Believe me. I'm not as removed as you think."
Coulson shook his head the slightest bit, though he couldn't help the smirk. "Ah, well. Consequences."
"Let me know if your operatives need a pep talk," Fury said.
"You offering, sir?" Coulson couldn't help but ask — the idea too much to resist.
"I can find the time to come shut down stupid questions," Fury replied.
"You and I have very different definitions of pep talks," Coulson said.
"How many times we gonna have that discussion?"
"As many times as it takes you to admit I'm right, Nick," Coulson said, though this time he had a small smile, and the response was automatic.
Fury returned the sentiment with a little smirk. "Good luck with your team. Tell them whatever you need to in order to be sure they're focused enough to get their staging right. When we do this for real, they need to be ready. No mistakes."
"Good luck with your team too, sir. Hopefully they won't murder you," Coulson replied as he stood to leave.
"They have enough killing to get done over the next few weeks — I'll be surprised if they look human by the time the Games are over. I doubt either of them is going to sleep much."
"Then good luck with the sleep-deprived killers," Coulson said as he hit the door. "I'm sure that won't slow them down at all."
When Coulson did finally get to the Tahiti Wing, he almost wasn't surprised at all to find that pretty much the entirety of his kids were there waiting for him — and he definitely wasn't surprised to see that they were ticked off.
"That," Steve said, his arms crossed and a distinct glare on his face, "was not a random lottery drawing."
"By any stretch of the imagination," Kurt added — and it was a mark of what kind of day Coulson was having that Kurt Wagner of all people was giving him that murderous of a look.
"No, it really wasn't," Coulson said. "And I'm sorry that it turned out the way it did, but you can bet that whoever it is that doesn't make it through will be brought back quickly enough."
"They'd better be," Peter said with what was almost the most intimidating look Coulson had seen from him.
"If it makes you feel any better, Fury's already gotten death threats."
"It would make me feel a lot better if I was the one making them," Kate muttered.
"As good as," Coulson said with a little smirk. "What little I heard of it had some colorful suggestions of things being stuck places."
"Sounds like me," Kate said, almost unable to stop the smirk before she fell back into a glare. "But that still doesn't make up for… just because you bring them back doesn't mean dying won't suck."
"I had the very same argument myself," Coulson promised. "And I'm not any happier about it than you are."
"But you knew," Cassie broke in, very quietly, looking totally betrayed.
Coulson let out a weary sigh as he turned her way. "I did," he said with a nod. "And I did everything I could to change it."
The kids in the hallway stared at him, and it was obvious they weren't going to buy that line. "Uh-huh," Peter said, one eyebrow raised.
Coulson took a deep breath and looked around the room full of angry kids before he finally leveled with them. "There's no easy way to put it, and there's no way to sugarcoat what's been going on, but the fact of the matter is that every single person that we've brought back with Tahiti was already under surveillance not only by SHIELD, but by the palace as well. No one goes into the Games that hasn't drawn the wrong kind of attention to themselves — intentionally or not," he said frankly. "And Tahiti has made it possible for you to live. I hate to be the one to tell you, but had you all avoided the Games entirely, it's unlikely that you would have made it to adulthood." He watched them all for a moment to give them time to let it sink in.
"Right now, the Capitol gets to feel like it's winning — that they're over everyone's reach while the kids that draw their attention either go to die or end up much easier for the palace to keep watch over — and influence them in the 'right' direction to their liking. Our mission is to take that and turn it against them. So yes. I'm sorry that you had to find out that all of this is rigged. I'm more sorry that you were considered a threat to the Capitol beforehand when for the most part, you were just being normal, happy teenagers." He shook his head. "This whole thing sucks."
The kids all looked surprised at the frank information — and at the revelation that they had been marked for death no matter what. "What … what the heck did people like… people like Kurt do? I mean, I get me and Cassie. We've been bloodying Sentinels' noses for ages... but…" Kate looked completely gobsmacked.
"He's an inspiring force of peace and common sense," Coulson replied frankly as he turned her way. "I'm sure you've figured out that common sense has little to no place in Marvel."
"I didn't realize they killed people for common sense," Peter grumbled, though it was clear he was disturbed by the revelation.
"Then you haven't paid attention at all to our president," Coulson said his way.
"That's not very good long-term planning, getting rid of the smart and strong like that," Steve frowned. "I know he's insane, but even he has to realize he's destroying his own country with bad decisions like that, doesn't he?"
Coulson let out a breath. "He doesn't see it that way, strangely enough. Anyone too smart, too strong, too much of a natural leader. They're seen as a threat to the royal family."
"Unless he can use them," Bruce said quietly.
"That's right," Coulson agreed. "And in those cases, he'll use them up until there's nothing left."
"So remind me again why we're not already at his doorstep. Why the heck're we waiting?" Clint asked.
"You want the honest answer?" Coulson asked. "Because I'm not sure I've been given that tidbit myself just yet."
"That is the honest answer, then," Natasha pointed out, half leaned against the wall as she watched the entire proceedings.
"Then what's your honest guess?" Clint asked.
"That he was only half truthful when he said he wanted 'the kids' to be better trained," Coulson replied, his hands at his sides as he locked his gaze onto Clint.
"So… ignoring the part where we're 'the kids' — what's the other half?" Peter asked.
"That's just it," Coulson said. "I'm not sure you are the kids he was referring to. Other than that — I think that's most of the story."
"The victors," Kurt surmised with a frown.
"Yeah, I don't think that's it either," Coulson said. "The victors — all of them — have trained on their own since the time they won. Every last one of them is probably better trained than anyone here."
"Then who — the kids they just reaped?" Ororo asked with a bit of heat.
"No," Coulson said, shaking his head lightly. "Fury has his favorites. They get extra attention. Extra training. Personal involvement. Even when they don't always want it." He was sure not to let his gaze rest on Natasha, though he was certainly thinking of her.
The kids shared glances between themselves before Clint said, at last, "Doesn't sound like a list of favorites you want to be on."
"I'm still not entirely sure about that," Coulson said. "Usually, when he hand picks someone to work with, they're pretty exceptional. Even if they don't always share that outlook."
"And in the meantime, we'll be down here making sure the girl they carried up the steps doesn't totally melt down after she's murdered in those Games," Luke said with a deeply settled glare. "While Fury plays favorites."
"Believe me, I was pushing to move during the last victory tour," Coulson said. "I was overruled."
"That's just wrong. They can't overrule Van Helsing," Wade pointed out.
"Unfortunately, we need the massive troops that SHIELD commands to make the revolt work. Passionate as you all are — we need back-up."
In the silence that followed, it was clear that the kids were no longer ticked off at Coulson, but they also weren't happy at all about the state of things. "This better not be how it is when we start actually fighting the war, because I'm telling you now, this kind of micromanagement does not work for me," Kate said at last.
"That's not the first time I've heard — or said — as much," Coulson said. "As much as I'm tired of saying it ... for now, we have to just trust the system. At least until we break it."
"And then screw the system," Clint agreed, and the lot of them broke into grins.
