We're getting to some of the best Year Three will offer.
Year Three: The First Assignment Revealed
Operations' Training Room A - 7:53 AM
Agent Bonnie Moore emailed Angela about when she's free and was elated to find out that Angela was available at the start of her first class. As she walks in, she sees her class of graduating cadets warming up, turning to face her with fear and dread as she heads to the centre of the room. Behind her, she sees Angela trailing her.
"How long do you have?" Bonnie asks.
Angela glances at the time on her phone as she pulls it out of her pocket. "Half an hour? I could email my prof later and miss that class if you need me."
"No, no," Bonnie responds, "I'll just change my class for today." She clears her class. "Weight Class A! Pair up and start your sparring routines!"
Like clockwork, Angela watches as the cadets pair off. Someone must be absent or the class is odd-numbered which is why there's a group of three in the back. The moment Agent Moore blows her whistle, they break into their sparring.
Angela isn't sure who to watch so her eyes go back and forth. She's sparred with her classmates but they were barely touching (and she didn't even want to mock-hit them, even Xavier. It didn't help that he didn't want to fight her either.) But seeing the group of upper years, those a year ahead of her, hitting each other with more force but not enough to do extreme harm … she isn't sure how to feel.
Angela breaks out of her trance when she sees someone's nose start to bleed after a punch to the face.
"You, my dear cadet," Agent Moore whispers to her, "will be fine."
"I can't even look at Xavier and fake a punch," Angela replies. "I mean, we'd beat each other up as kids but that's child's play."
"Because for the first time, you're being told to fight. You never had to be put in a ring as kids."
Angela stops herself because her SO is right. Back when she and Xavier were kids, they always fought on their agendas, petty and immature ones. Nobody scheduled them. They barely planned it. Now they were forced to fight because their futures depended on it. Maybe that's the answer to their issues.
-o-
Wakanda's Palace - 10:15 AM
Iqadi didn't want to go back to physical training yet but she wanted to go back to work and keep herself busy. She's been joining Imanu with his tasks, sitting by his side. Most of the time, her mind would space out and think about her lost baby. Now, they're sitting across from each other in one of the tables with piles of paperwork between them.
She's done this before and has watched her parents. Iqadi never liked this work because she always preferred moving around, but now she's comforted, despite reading over report summaries and signing them. Imanu would read them first and show her where to sign and she would once she read it over.
They've become like an automatic machine, performing without thinking.
"Being married to the heir is a full-time job," Imanu says, handing her another document.
"A job that never stops," Iqadi says as she signs her name before taking the next one.
"Imagine being the reigning monarch."
Iqadi pauses, looking up at Imanu who's already staring at her. He's bewildered at the thought of being the king, always has been. Iqadi's always seen it as unimaginable despite working towards it and seeing her parents live that role. Still, it's there. One day in her future, she's taking the mantle.
"Imagine…" Iqadi mutters.
-o-
Operations Weight Class B - 10:48 AM
James has never been happier to have been called by his prof. His sparring partner almost roundhouse kicked him into the next building and they weren't supposed to aim higher than 40 degrees till next week. He thinks that the only reason everyone read ahead was so they would get a chance to beat him up … and he only caught onto that because everyone wanted to be his partner for the first time.
"Sup," James says when he approaches his prof.
Agent Palmer ignores his colloquial greeting. "Prof Nine called me and wants to meet you after class."
"Sweet. Did he say why?"
"Nope. Maybe you're getting your first assignment."
"Oh." James is underwhelmed. He thought Prof Nine wanted to catch up or just chill. Not work. "Any ideas what it could be?"
"Not at all. I made my kids, like Ashton, manage helicarrier shipping requests to other shield bases."
"Sounds lame."
-o-
Atlantic Residence - 11:13 AM
Merida storms out of the elevator once it arrives at her floor. Instead of heading to her dorm, she sees Angela in the living room and plops down on the couch beside her. Angela closes her textbook and tosses it on the table, turning so she could face Merida with a sweet smile. She can tell by Merida's seething glare how her day has been.
"How's Communications?" Angela asks.
"To practise German vocabulary, we played Simon Says," Merida grumbles. "I'm basically in kindergarten."
"Did you win?"
"No! Stupid Victoria kept giving me mistranslations on purpose!"
"But Simon Says sounds fun."
"Oh, and I have an argumentative paper due for my ethical debate course, whatever the fuck that means."
"On what?"
"The chicken and the egg."
Angela bites on her lip. That's too insane and ridiculous to be fake. "Anything else?"
"And I have these online quizzes for German grammar that are, like, 300 questions long and each question is worth like a fucking fraction of a mark. We got to skip five of them and I already blew the first five."
"Oh, honey…" Angela mutters, patting her friend's shoulder. "Communications is hell."
-o-
Sci-Tech Faculty Building - 11:46 AM
James knocks on Prof Nine's office, being welcomed in instantly. Along the way, James was thinking about his possible first assignment. None of his friends got theirs yet but some fellow cadets got theirs and he isn't excited. Most have to host training sessions, mark or collect papers, upload marks, or any other administrative work the profs don't want to do themselves, or manage deliveries. Sounds lame.
James doesn't want desk work. He isn't sure what he wants.
"As you guessed, I have an assignment for you," Prof Nine starts.
"Do you really?" James questions underwhelmed.
"It'll be fun." Prof Nine beams so brightly he's about to combust. "You'll get to skip a month of class and be excused from all assignments and evaluations in said month, which is perfect since Agent Elmer's upcoming radioactive lab sounds like a lot of work."
Before James could process that, he's already taking a seat across from Prof Nine's desk with a grin. He loved the sound of that. He doesn't care what his first assignment is if it means he'll get out of school work and getting beat up by his classmates.
"Tell me more," James prompts.
Prof Nine leans back in his chair, folding his hands together. "Let's just say that Agent Vander owed me a favour."
"Xavier's SO… I'm intrigued."
-o-
Operations Faculty Building - 11:55 AM
Xavier got a message from his RA that Agent Vander wanted to see him when he was available so Xavier headed on over to his office once his class was over. He had a hunch that he would get his first assignment but a twisting pit in his stomach says that it won't be good. He almost threw up when he got a text from James saying tell your SO that I love him.
Xavier almost threw his phone at the wall or thought James was messing with him, but when he walked into Agent Vander's office and saw a grin on his SO's face, he almost crushed his phone in his hands.
"You know what I'm about to say," Agent Vander starts.
"My first assignment but I don't know what it is," Xavier responds. "I have a feeling that I don't want to know."
"Pack a bag."
Worst and most unexpected sentence ever. "For what, sir?"
"You're going back to Camp SHIELD."
I'm a French major and in my second year, we were learning movement words by playing Simon Says and doing yoga. And we had those quizzes Merida mentioned and it's literal hell. (If only 2021 me publishing this knew at the time she would rather go back to those days than Zoom University).
I'm excited to return to Camp SHIELD. It'll be even better than the first time.