I cannot wait for senior year in this story.
Year Three: The Upcoming Final Year
Operations's Faculty Building - 11:27 AM
Before he would leave for the summer, Xavier had to formally accept the job to be an RA despite Agent Vander not giving him a choice in a matter. As he started signing and initialling through the mandatory paperwork and pretending to read the rules, he texted Brody saying he got him the job and to come by Agent Vander's office before he heads back home to fill out the same information.
Xavier puts down the paperwork once he's done and sits across from Agent Vander's empty desk. His SO stepped out after congratulating him to leave him alone with the terms and conditions and because another agent wanted to run over some details.
As Xavier waits, he notices someone coming in. Xavier straightens in his seat as he turns to see Orchid poking her head through the door. She smiles as she skips inside, sitting on the edge of Vander's desk to face Xavier.
"Hey, bestie," she greets with her Orchid charm. "I passed by Vander at the end of the hall and heard him say you were here. So whatcha doing here?"
"This is my SO's office," Xavier states.
Orchid points at the door that has Agent Vander's name on it. "I see. But why are you here? The year's over. For the record, before you ask, I got an extension on my field report and was handing it in to Agent Vincents. I ain't following you around."
"I'm being an RA next year."
Orchid nudges his shoulder. "Oh damn, bestie, now that's a look for you."
Xavier shakes his head. "I don't think it is."
"I do and everyone in this room agrees with me."
Nobody else is in Agent Vander's office with them.
Orchid clears her throat. "You know Vander wouldn't have picked you if he didn't think you were capable, even if you weren't his subordinate."
"I know."
"Then shut up and sign the damn forms."
"I already did."
Orchid rolls her eyes and he laughs. "I'll pray for the cadets under your watch."
-o-
"I take it that you're here to ask about your first assignment."
Angela hasn't even stepped into Agent Moore's office before she stated that fact. She barely reached the open door and Agent Moore didn't even turn around to see that she was the one approaching. It wasn't until she said that correct assumption before spinning in her chair to face Angela.
"Possibly," Angela responds.
"If it'll make you sleep better at night," Agent Moore says, gesturing for Angela to come in. She closes the door behind her and takes a seat in the chair across from her. "The infamous first assignment isn't a graduation requirement."
"Yeah," Angela says, "it's some tradition."
Bonnie smiles. "Exactly, and we will break tradition."
A grin tickles Angela's lips. "We are? How so?"
"I don't know the exact details yet, but don't worry for fourth year."
Angela's about to ask for an explanation but then she pieces it together. The SO's First Assignment usually happens in third year after cadets meet them. Xavier and James went to Camp, Daniel had to do another express Ph.D., and Merida had to become friends with Victoria. All the assignments she knows from people in her classes or her dorm neighbours were Academy related which made sense since they were still cadets enrolled in the Academy.
Her first assignment can't be Academy-bound if she won't be at the Academy anymore, can it?
No. It makes sense now.
She'll get hers when she's a legitimate agent.
-o-
Sci-Tech Faculty Building - 13:36 PM
"I'll be real with you," James says as he leans across Professor Nine's desk, "I have no idea what I'm doing in fourth year."
"Could work on your dissertation," Nine suggests.
James isn't sure if his SO is serious but he laughs. His SO doesn't but that doesn't stop James. Ever since his psych eval where he brought up not completing his dissertation due to some fear of failure or, ironically, succeeding, he hasn't put much thought into it. If he doesn't need it to graduate, then why bother put himself through it? He's seen Daniel stress about his dissertations and he's the one with a rage monster in him.
"I've spoken to Bonnie and Cynthia, Angela and Merida's SOs, respectively," Nine continues once James stopped laughing, "they're not designating them for any role in their fourth year since they want Angela and Merida to be ready to go to the field, no strings attached to the Academy. BV said Banner's likely sticking with her as a TA or RA - research assistant - at the start since she knows he isn't going on the field. Hell, the boy hasn't even done his field test so he has that in his favour."
"And Xavier being the other kind of RA?" James asks. He connects that Prof Nine is attaching jobs in senior year with. If anyone asked James, he'd assume Angela, Merida, and Xavier would be the first ones out there.
Nine sucks a breath as he leans in closer as if sharing something secretive. "If anyone asks, you didn't get this from me and I'd prefer it if you kept this to yourself. I've spoken to Vander on what he's doing with Xavier since Bonnie plans on using Angela after graduation. Vander isn't sure yet, but he's leaning towards keeping Xavier at the Academy for longer. Not as a cadet but assigned here. It's nothing new. Lots of agents stick around after graduation. Some even have tasks in senior year and still go out on the field once they're agents."
James feels like he's holding the most classified information anyone has ever told him and he's dealt with Britney being Loki's daughter and any juicy private school gossip spread back in the day. To think that Xavier Rogers, top of the class by a margin so large that he could be his own class (and practically is with Angela), isn't going into the field.
"Wow," James exhales. Then he realizes Nine was trying to get him to do something during his fourth year. "Hey, you're not gonna send me out either?"
"Not right away. Look, details don't matter but you spend so much time in Operations because it's more demanding so you need to delve more into your Sci-Tech branch. It'll make up for your absent dissertation."
"No wonder you suggested doing my dissertation."
Nine smiles a bit. "I know BV's making Banner a TA. You could be mine."
James looks at him. "Seriously?"
"Okay, maybe more of a PA. You could handle more administrative tasks on my end rather than academic. All of fourth and maybe a semester after."
"Cool."
-o-
"Is it weird I'm already considering a fifth year?" Naomi asks. She, Keith, and Daniel stand outside Dr. BV's office as they wait for her to step out. "I kind of want to spread out my remaining courses for Sci-Tech and Communications. Finish Sci-Tech first and then Communications. I don't know, it'd be nice to stick around for another year, possibly."
"I'll probably still be here," Daniel says.
"What about you?" Naomi asks Keith, smiling lightly at him.
Keith shrugs.
Naomi nods. "Maybe I'll find another project in year five. Sludge through another dissertation."
Daniel looks at her. "Good luck."
"Coming from you, that's flattering. I at least have funding though, so that's a good thing. You made me proofread your nuclear physics one and it was great. I think you'll get it."
"You sure?" Daniel asks.
Aside from Dr. BV making him get a second express Ph.D., it was a good mental and emotional distraction from his psych eval. The evaluation actually kick-started him into really finishing it, so much so that he didn't think of anything else during it. He even forgot to call Emily after his psych eval as he said he would've but she understood and then read his dissertation alongside James, James's dad, Emily's dad, and his parents.
"It's fine," Keith says since he read it too, "even Operations kids can understand it."
Dr. BV steps outside her office and smiles when she sees Daniel there with some friends. As expected, Daniel hands over his dissertation and she pushes up her glasses before leafing through it. At some parts, she pauses and reads which makes Daniel tense up but then she nods and continues. Once she reaches the end, she rests it in her arms against her torso.
"I don't doubt the board will give it to you," she says before extending a hand towards Daniel. "Welcome to being my TA for next year."
-o-
Communications' Faculty Building - 13:43 PM
"Do I have to take more Communications classes?" Merida asks about her timetable for next year. She didn't care that she was asking her Communications SO that question in her Communications office.
"Yes," Agent Iyu states. "You'll be bringing more to the team and adding more skills for yourself."
"Oh, sure," Merida scoffs, "because the paper about the chicken and the egg will help me in a standoff."
Agent Iyu rolls her eyes. "At least finish a German module. It's another language to your English, French, Spanish, and Russian."
"Ah, yes," Merida sighs sarcastically as she leans back in her chair, "the benefit of obtaining a certificate proving competence. What am I gonna do with broken German?"
"Could date a German man."
Merida laughs. Out of all the advice Agent Iyu could've ever gotten, that wasn't even the last thing she expected (which was actually fixing up Google Translate). The weirder part is that Agent Iyu's face didn't even break out into a grin from her usual stony grimace.
"What?" Agent Iyu asks. "You'll never know. German or not, Merida, I hope you fall in love with someone who hates the same things as you."
"Touching, Agent Iyu," Merida says as she stands to head out from this weird meeting. "You're the last person I expected romance advice from, and that's counting my parents. I'll see you next year."
*coughs* Seems like Iyu gave good advice *coughs*
Also, Angela's first assignment will be chaotic, as all things are when I write them.