Final chapter for our current stream of weekly updates.
The Academy Trolley Problem:
Communications' Conference Room - 10:52 AM
The group got called out of their morning classes because of an emergency message from their respective SOs. All the message had was a time and place, and they all met outside a conference room in Communications' faculty building. The door was open when they arrived and they all saw their SOs in their chattering until they were seen and they filtered inside.
Vander and Bonnie were standing near the front with Iyu while BV and Prof Nine were sitting at the table. Xavier and Angela sit across from them at the start of the row followed by Daniel and then Merida and James.
"Good, you're all on time," Iyu states, walking over to close the door. "The Trolley Problem."
Merida groans in her seat with Daniel for different reasons. James laughs a bit before realizing Iyu was serious and glaring at him and clears his throat. Angela and Xavier listen attentively, glancing at each other.
"A thought experiment playing with ethics using the idea of sacrifice," Iyu explains. "You probably know this. Sacrifice one person to save the lives of more or vice versa. Typically, you imagine yourself in a trolley you can't control approaching a fork in your path. You're headed to kill a group of people, but you can divert the trolley to the other track and kill just one person."
"Utilitarianism," Prof Nine mumbles as BV mutters, "pseudoscience." Except she adds an irritated eye roll.
"Why are we here?" Daniel asks, slightly putting up his hand.
The SOs all look at each other as the kids share glances.
"Who do we start with?" Bonnie asks, grinning.
"Any volunteers?" Prof Nine asks the group, opening his arms to the floor. "Pym?"
James shakes his head. "No thanks."
The SOs look at each other again. The group shares their glances again. James continues shaking his head. Daniel and Merida are looking at the Rogers twins since they're at the front.
"Xavier," Vander states, "good for you to volunteer."
Xavier bites his tongue on a rebuttal of not volunteering but flashes a plastered toothless smile that all the SOs can read. "Of course."
Vander mimics the grimace minus the repressed attitude. "I'll give you a group of people. The one or ones choose would be whom you save while the others are where you're turning the trolley."
"Sure."
"So, Rogers, would you save your girl or the rest of your team?"
The group looks at each other. They think Xavier's answer is easy and they won't blame him, hypothetical trolley problem or not.
Within their group, they're all friends but even then the relationships are more nuanced with family and romance, distance and relationships, extremely close proximity and unexplained absences.
They wouldn't be surprised if Xavier chose Britney, the girl he dated for nearly 2 years, loved for 6 years, and hasn't seen in nearly 4. They know he would choose her in a heartbeat and would even before he knew she was Apollo's cousin and Loki's daughter. He'll save her even with all the odds stacked against him.
And, as expected, Xavier doesn't hesitate with his answer.
"My team," he states, looking Vander right in the eye.
Everyone's taken aback, looking at him in shock since they expected Britney to be his answer. She was always his answer. Angela tries to take her brother's arm but he pulls away, avoiding her eyes so she looks at the others who shrug.
"Really?" Vander asks.
"Yeah," Xavier responds as if they asked if he wanted to come with them to the grocery store.
"How come?"
Xavier looks at Angela before the others on his side of the table. "They're my team. She's not my girl anymore. I'm responsible for them and not her."
It's been a long and quiet four years. The priorities for a team captain who's expected to lead a long-awaited group, expected to strategize and make the right choice for the better of the mission. Or maybe that's the calloused heart making the choice, saying what Vander wanted to hear to catch him off guard.
"Interesting start," Bonnie says, steering the conversation. "Angela, would you save Xavier, James, or Merida?"
Angela stares at Bonnie as if the answer will manifest into words above her head. The convoluted mess of choosing between her brother, her boyfriend, or her best friend.
"Come on, we know I'm the one to die here," Merida states.
"Barton," Iyu scolds.
Merida opens her arms. "What? Just because she's my best friend and roommate, that's her boyfriend and brother. You really can't expect her to choose me. Besides, she's been living with me for a few years now. She wants to run me over with a trolley."
"Barton." Iyu reprimands stricter now that her brows sharpen.
"Don't you dare say that," Angela says through gritted teeth at Merida.
"What?" Merida asks. "I'm being a good friend and teammate and making the choice easier for you."
"Shut up."
"Now you're mad. Run me over."
"Merida."
Merida puts her hands on the table and leans forwards to emphasize getting closer to Angela's face despite Daniel and Xavier being between them.
"I'm simply asking you to leave me on the railway and not to rail me."
Angela bites down on her lips from the inside, shaking her head. Xavier looks down, pretending he didn't hear that and Daniel does the same but hides a smile. The SOs stare blankly except for Iyu who groans and puts an annoyed hand on her forehead and Prof Nine smiles and isn't shy about it.
James is the only one who laughs. "Angela, my dear, do both to me."
Merida nudges him as the SOs glance at each other.
Bonnie clears her throat. "Rogers?"
Tears well in Angela's eyes and she looks at Xavier as one falls. Make the choice for me because I can't. He looks at her and straightens in his seat.
"Xavier," Angela states, wiping her eyes.
Bonnie nods. "Why was that so hard for you?"
"The thing about him is that he always has hope in the more dire situation. James knows I'd pick Xavier but he had a small inkling that maybe I'd pick him for whatever reason. It hurts to hear the truth let alone say it aloud."
"Don't use quotes. If you have something to say, use your own words."
"I didn't want to say it."
"Your mind will believe comforting lies while also knowing the painful truths that make those lies necessary."
Angela's eyes flicker up at Bonnie. "Don't use quotes. If you have something to say, use your own words."
Bonnie nods, looking at the other SOs for who's next to psychologically torture their subordinate in front of their friends.
"Pym," Prof Nine says, turning his chair to face him. "Let's have your whole team in this. Who would you save?"
James points at Prof Nine. "If I hit half of them with a trolley, they'll survive."
"So out of the other half, most of whom are in this room."
James pauses. "Since I can't stop it for some reason, I'm shrinking the trolley."
"No."
Despite James knowing that Prof Nine would just accept that answer and call it a day on this trivial exercise.
"Okay," James continues, "what if I finish my Ph.D. on the trolley and use quantum entanglement to get to the other side of where they are on the tracks?"
Xavier sighs tiredly. "I'll make it easier for you so you can run me over."
Merida puts her hands up. "Same."
"Why can't you idiots just jump off the fucking tracks?" James asks them. "Why just stare at a trolley coming at you at top speed when I'm controlling it?"
Merida grins. "Because we think you'll be our dear friend and turn it or shrink it with your magical Ph.D. powers."
"Barton!" Iyu yells.
"Pym-" Prof Nine tries to get his attention.
James gets up from his seat and walks over to Angela, sitting at the head of the table in front of Vander and Bonnie so he's beside her.
"Look," James says to Angela, "There are so many ways I can fuck up and ruin our relationship but it won't be because of a stupid trolley."
Angela shakes her head. "James-"
Prof Nine stands to get his attention. "Settle, James, let's move on."
Iyu sits on the windowsill, head in her hand after Merida's presence and comments so BV puts down her phone to participate.
"Fine, I'll play," BV says in defeat. She pushes up her glasses. "Dr. Banner, would you run over Angela, James, or Britney?"
Daniel stares at her, thinking of this. He doesn't have to worry about Angela or James staring daggers at them since he has another friend beside him on both sides to hide his face. His choices are either running over half a couple or both parties. But he didn't think of the Britney factor at first since she wasn't in the room. That's when he notices Xavier, who's sitting next to him, looking at him. Their eyes lock and Daniel can feel the brooding aura in that stare that he knows will keep him up at night. It's not only about Britney, though, it's about Angela too. But given Xavier's earlier answer, it may only be about her.
"Dude," James whispers loudly, "just forget I'm in this. I was your annoying roommate for years."
Merida snickers beside him. Same logic.
"Britney," Daniel responds, not content with his answer but he wouldn't have felt satisfied with any answer. At least Emily wasn't an option because that would've been a no-brainer for him. He can feel Xavier's dark look still cast upon him so he doesn't glance that way.
BV looks at the other SOs. "Pseudoscience and mind tricks are a waste. You know that if they were really in a situation like this, the person in question would throw themselves in front of a trolley."
"Not like I haven't done that before…" Daniel mutters to himself. Emily was in the equation that time and he'd do it again and again for her.
Iyu finally looks up. "Barton, what did you learn from this session?"
Merida shrugs. "I know my place on this team as the annoying roommate."
James laughs as Angela rolls her eyes and slouches back in her chair.
"Don't say it like that," Iyu says before looking at all of them. "Love is complicated. Teams are complicated. The two combined make a well-oiled machine that you still have to watch carefully. You couldn't even pick between your friends. You've been friends for too long to break up over something as small."
"So dramatic, Iyu," Merida grins, "but as Dr. BV said, I'd throw myself in front of a trolley to save them."
"You all would."
-o-
Academy Grounds - 12:55 PM
"That was so stupid," Merida says once they're outside. She would've said it in front of the SOs if she didn't exhaust Iyu and Bonnie and Vander in the same vicinity freak her out. "I thought the psych eval was over."
"I'd do mine again, honestly," Daniel mutters. "Pseudo-bullshit."
They walk away from the building and through campus. The cold breeze passes them as cadets head either to their classes or to lunch. Some pile in cars and head out or stuck by some campus eateries. Various scents from fried food to coffee whiff by as they walk ahead.
Angela walks closer to Merida. "Merida, I-"
"Save it," Merida smiles. "I know. I'd run you over with a trolley too."
Angela smiles back. "I know you would unless James was an option."
Merida puts a hand on her heart. "You really are my best friend."
"Hey," James says offended despite knowing that Merida would run him over with a trolley many times over for the fun of it. He points at Merida as Angela hugs her (against Merida's failed protests). "You never got a hypothetical."
"They never gave me a situation because all of you were dramatic and Xavier was glaring at everyone," Merida responds.
"Also you were bothering the rest of us with our scenarios," Angela says.
"And Iyu was definitely picturing running you over with a trolley," Xavier adds.
Merida grins proudly. "The power of annoyance. I gave my SO a headache."
Daniel stops and they follow. "Okay here. Stark, Apollo, Iqadi, Britney."
Merida sucks in cold air. "No fair. Stark wasn't directly named in anyone else's game but the same idea as James, everyone but Stark will survive if you run them over."
"Iqadi isn't a goddess," James clarifies.
Angela shakes her head. "She's a goddess."
"Why can't Iqadi just blast the trolley with lightning?" Xavier asks.
"After I jump off it," Merida states.
"Chicken and egg."
"Fuck you."
"Or Apollo blasts it," Angela suggests. "No, he'd happily let it crash into him and laugh at it."
"Britney's magic defies science, pseudo or not," Daniel says.
James groans. "What was the point of this trolley exercise?"
Angela opens her arms to their little circle in the middle of campus grounds. "This stupid team bonding was the stupid point."
Merida scoffs. "As if we're not already friends and more."
They're silent for a moment before continuing their way across the Academy. They pass a smoothie bar and one of the gyms. Through the tinted windows, they see cadets in the lower years working through reps with their head agent yelling at them to pick up the pace. A grimace and lip pattern they're used to seeing, at least the Operations kids.
"So now that we're all here," Xavier says. "I know what's at the back of your minds since they called me first, but it's almost been four years so do you think Apollo and Britney-"
"Yes," Angela cuts him off so he didn't have to say the rest of the question because she knows. Do you think they're coming back? "I do. Why wouldn't they?"
"Because the unexplainable happened?" Daniel guesses. "And I'm blaming Britney's mom. That's my theory."
"Oh, good point. Yeah, I agree. Maybe it was some deal with the devil and they can't come down."
"Exactly."
"Stark and I talked about this once and we were kind of drinking when we were skeptical," James admits. "Not totally in the dark but I miss them."
"Right," Xavier says, tone sombre.
"They better," Merida answers, "I'm slapping both of them and Thor for ghosting us. Not Jane since I love her."
Xavier smiles a bit. "You do that."
Merida nods. "Or maybe this was the point of the trolley."
"I will throw a trolley to Asgard if I have to."
"Honestly, good plan," Angela says.
"I'll buy it. Daniel, find a route to Asgard," James plans.
Daniel laughs. "On it."
"You guys wanna get lunch somewhere in town?" Merida asks. "We can plan where and when and how to throw a trolley to Asgard."
"I'll buy that too," James states. "Let's go to a trolley theme restaurant."
It's definitely poetic that we ran out of chapters the day that my first term at grad school is basically over. I have the rest of Year Four outlined so I'll definitely get started on writing (when I can). I cannot promise when the weekly updates will be back, but it'll definitely be by the story's next anniversary.