I more or less (mostly less) have Year Five planned … if lucky, we could get this whole year out within the, well, year. (But don't get your hopes up.)

Year Five: The Sci-Nerds

The Boiler Room - 17:32

"It said nowhere in my work contract that I have to socialize!" Keith exclaims. "Especially with Gen of all people!"

Keith downs another shot of grape soda, putting his glass down hard on his booth's tabletop. As if on cue, especially since it's been happening for at least the past 30 minutes, the bartender on the other side keeps the shots coming. Next to him, Daniel and Naomi have been working on their first glass of beer each while James was on his second gin and tonic. The four of them came straight here after Genevieve left the lab and BV made them all socialize as their first day of work.

"It's a little patronizing to be forced to socialize, isn't it?" James questions. "Unless you're Merida where it's really mandatory."

"Yeah, but Victoria's cool," Naomi says. "I would've loved for my first assignment to be making a friend. But why, out of all people, do we have to work with Genevieve? Why did you pick her?"

"I didn't pick her," Daniel says. "I got to choose one assistant, which was Keith. BV picked you and Gen."

Naomi shudders. "I hate her—Gen, not BV."

"You do?"

Naomi cackles a bit, startling the boys. "I loathe Gen. We were roommates in our second year. You'd think she'd be all nice and smart, but she's a real competitive bitch. You two, James and Daniel, were lucky to have a friendship from birth on your side cause it's almost impossible for two cadets in the top ten to live together in a small place amicably. Keith, prove my point, you and your roommates barely spoke to one another. You're in seventh and what were their places?"

"Uh…" Keith hesitates, looking up as he reflects. "Two of mine were somewhere in the 20s and I think one was in the 30s."

"See?" Naomi continues, gesturing at him. "Anyways, resentment built between us and she was trying to get something going to make her parents' sacrifices worth it, which I understand as an immigrant kid and International student. And the thing that irks me the most is that she's actually really smart and hot."

"Naomi," James says, "you're also really smart and hot."

"Yeah, but you say that to everyone."

"Because everyone is smart and hot."

Naomi narrows her eyes at James as she sips her beer. "Thank you, James. Anyways, the sooner we drink, the sooner we'll get this stupid bonding event over with, and the sooner we'll be sober."

"I think Merida said that when she met Victoria," Daniel comments.

James looks down at his phone which starts ringing against their table. He picks it up and listens to the call, shrinking to fly over the table before growing back to his normal size on the other side of the booth. Moments later, he hangs up and looks at his friends.

"Nine's calling me for one of his senior seminar classes, so I'll leave you here, but my loyalties are to BV so don't do anything stupid," James tells them. "I will be back to report on you four becoming the best of friends."

"That's rich coming from you," Daniel mutters.

"Because I am rich."

Daniel shakes his head as Genevieve approaches their booth with a chilled glass of rosé in her hand. She's changed out of her academic weapon attire into a black athletic one-piece jumpsuit and a chunky white knitted bolero, but still had the ballet flats.

"Hello, Genevieve," James greets.

"Pym," Gen states unamused. "Sad to see you go."

"I can just see the tears in your eyes."

"Who let you graduate Operations? Who would ever trust their life in your hands?"

"Don't count your luck."

Gen grins a little as James heads out. She looks at the remaining three in the booth, studying them, almost wondering if she should sit beside Naomi or Daniel since Keith took the spot in the middle. When the bartender comes back with another shot of grape soda for Keith, Gen slides into the booth beside Naomi so she would be looking right at Daniel.

"So tell me," Gen starts, "how come you were never one of those kids who studied for a PhD at 12? Cause you got your first one when you started here like the rest of us."

"Cause when I was 12, I went outside," Daniel responds.

"Seriously?"

"My parents focused on my social development and I have very social friends."

"You're not going to ask me or Naomi the same thing?" Keith wonders.

"No," Gen responds flatly.

Before Keith could argue, which he really didn't have a structure for because he didn't have social friends (or any, really), parents who focused on his social development, or went outside when he was 12 … or was smart enough to even think of a research project at that age, his phone vibrates in his pocket. He takes it out and his eyes widen when he looks at the screen. He hesitates as the light flashes on his face in the semi-dark Boiler Room, and then lowers his phone when the call goes to voicemail.

"Who was that?" Naomi asks.

"Nobody," Keith stupidly lies.

"God, imagine it was someone important," Gen says sarcastically. "I know you don't get phone calls or any messages often, but people normally don't get spooked when their phone lights up."

"Just my probation officer, if you must know so badly."

"I never said I did."

"He's just following up on some paperwork I was supposed to submit but didn't… I think it's actually due today."

"Keith!" Naomi yells.

Keith looks down at his phone. "Actually, shit, if I don't send those in by today, then I'm going to jail."

"Keith!"

"Say you'll wait for me," Keith begs.

"You're not going to jail."

Gen snickers to herself as she sips her rosé. Naomi rolls her eyes.

"What do you need to do?" Daniel asks.

"I have to get my proof of residency form signed since I technically moved places … despite it being the next building or so over," Keith grumbles, tracing the rim of his shot glass.

"That's it?" Gen questions. "That's all you need to do and you're just being a brat? God, you're really something else. There is no problem. Just get them signed."

"I guess we'll all go with you," Naomi suggests. "We're forced to bond anyways."

"Who signs them?" Daniel asks.

"Residence Director or something like that," Keith responds. "Who is it?"

"Oh, that's just Xavier. Easy."

Keith laughs loudly, immediately downing the next shot that comes in. He wipes his mouth with his sleeve. "Absolutely not. I'm not asking him for help."

"I thought you were cool with him now."

"Yes, but I still have a moral code. It's the principle."

"As much as I respect the principle that'll land you in jail, why don't you get your head out of your ass before the prison king shoves it in a toilet?"

Keith shakes his head. "I'll just forge it. What does his signature look like?"

"Keith," Naomi says gently but he ignores her.

"No, I refuse to ask the jock for help. It's against my moral code."

"But committing crimes isn't?"

Gen sips her rosé again. "If you forge that signature, I'm telling your probation officer as a law-abiding citizen."

"Snitches get stitches, Gen."

"Remember that when you're behind bars. I can do a citizen's arrest if I really wanted to. Actually, since we're agents, we have full authority to arrest you."

"You're not going to take me in alive."

"I'd be more than happy to take you in dead. Since we're agents, we can also do that."

Daniel finishes his beer. "Okay, let's all find Xavier. I'll ask him for you."

Daniel takes out his phone and starts texting. Keith immediately grabs his phone and Daniel doesn't even try to take it back. He looks at his friend disappointed. Keith shoves it in his sweatshirt's pocket and Gen and Naomi glance at each other quickly before looking away.

"I can't go back to jail!" Keith yells. The Boiler Room's usual noise of chatter, music playing overhead, and pool balls clacking against each other overpower his declaration but only his booth hears him. "I'm finally getting my life together."

"If this is getting your life together, then it'd be so much easier to beat you physically than support you emotionally," Gen says.

"We need to kill my parole officer," Keith says.

"We won't be doing that," Daniel quickly answers.

"Or we need to kill Xavier."

"If you're going to be in the same proximity as him if you do that, just ask him to sign the form," Naomi suggests.

"You don't get it, Naomi."

"I'm not the one going to jail, Keith."

Keith ignores her. "So here's the plan—"

"You moron, look at me."

Naomi forces Keith to face her so strongly that his glasses nearly fall off his face. She holds his arms firmly and looks him right in his eyes. For the first time today, after all the complaining and barter with Gen, he's speechless watching her big brown eyes blink at him. His initial thought is wondering where his inhaler is because he fears that if he looks in her eyes any longer, he might stop breathing … but that might be worth it because it's Naomi and death gets him out of asking Xavier for his signature.

Naomi takes a breath and slowly swipes her hand in an arch parallel to Keith's forehead. His eyes follow her gesture before looking into hers again.

"Help me, Agent Keith Loughty, you're my only hope," Naomi pleads.

Keith doesn't even blink as he continues staring. Naomi grins as she finishes her beer.

"I think we're interrupting something," Gen whispers across the table to Daniel.

"Yeah, I feel awkward…" Daniel agrees.

"Give it a minute," Naomi says with a wink.

"God, I work with losers…" Gen mutters as she finishes her glass. "Let's go find that pretty white boy."

-o-

"You know we could easily call him," Daniel suggests. "I don't know, just a random idea."

"Absolutely not," Keith states. He still had Daniel's phone in his pocket next to his own.

They left The Boiler Room and walked across campus to Concrete Beach, the Operations equivalent of their student life bar. Instead of a nice and calm bar with booths and study circles, there were loud dancing and mechanical bulls with drinks spilling everywhere. The four of them, proud nerds and geeks on the inside and outside, still stick out like sore thumbs in this athletic and muscle-forward ambiance. Some stare, but they stand their ground as they search for Xavier Rogers.

"We could just call him to meet us somewhere," Daniel adds.

"That goes against the principle," Keith responds.

"Your principle is so flawed."

"How dare you?"

Gen laughs to herself. "You, Banner, can't always go around acting like you're smarter than the rest of us."

"But I am," Daniel responds, not out of arrogance but honesty.

"By the way, we lost Naomi."

Daniel, Keith, and Gen look around them and Naomi is nowhere in sight. The downside is that she's a small girl now lost in a space of height and muscles.

"Naomi!" Keith tries to yell over the music.

"She'll be fine," Gen reasons. "I'm wearing amethyst that I activated this morning."

Daniel and Keith look at Gen as she pulls out the purple pendant around her neck. They stare at the purple crystal wide-eyed as Gen holds it up for them. They knew that Gen was a geologist, specializing in geophysics alongside encryption, but they didn't think that such a woman of science like her would be into crystals that way. Sure, many crystal users believe that different crystals can promote certain results like boosting energy, releasing blocked energy, changing bodily auras and chakras, and sending messages.

"You're into crystals?" Daniel asks, unsure if his face is hiding any judgment.

Keith can't help but laugh. "Genevieve is a crystal practitioner. Oh lord, that makes going to jail worth it. And yet we're the losers?"

"Yes," Gen grins at them, proudly and mischievously without batting a lash. "I acknowledge the lack of scientific proof, but that won't stop me from accessorizing beautifully and sending you some obsidian while you're sitting in your cell tallying the days that go by."

"Sometimes I forget that she's also Communications," Keith mutters to Daniel as Gen walks deeper into Concrete Beach.

Keith and Daniel follow her, keeping an eye out for Naomi and Xavier. They walk past card games and aggressive sports spectators as they cheer alongside the television propped on the ceiling. Gen steps over drink spills that Keith nearly slips on, almost taking Daniel down with him. She peeks over the private tables, shaking her head.

"Maybe she got kidnapped," Gen suggests without an ounce of worry in her voice.

"Oh no, now I got two things to worry about," Keith says, looking around again. "Naomi!"

"Nobody's going to hear your prepubescent squeak in here."

Keith narrows his eyes at her as Gen walks up to the bar. For a moment, he thinks that she'll ask the bartender for help with finding Naomi (and Xavier at this point), but then she turns around with a chilled beer in her hands. Before Keith could yell at her, an Operations cadet approaches Daniel.

"Dr. Banner, we have a question," he says.

"On what?" Daniel asks. He looks at Keith and Gen for a second. "Louis' in BV's seminar class."

"Seriously?" Keith questions, forgetting to mask judgment.

Louis looks down towards Keith. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing, nothing, carry on."

Keith ducks closer to the bar, ignoring Genevieve's snickering into her beer as she takes a sip. He can already hear her commenting on how he'll easily get beaten up in jail if he can't handle a simple question from a cadet he was judging right before him.

"We're debating on the operational safety record of nuclear power, and this one girl from Sci-Tech is arguing against it," Louis tells him. "She has solid-sounding arguments going against us, but we need you to back us up 'cause we know you're for it."

"Is this girl named Naomi?" Daniel asks.

"Yes! How'd you know?"

Before Daniel could respond, he, Keith, and Gen look across the Beach and see Naomi now standing on an immobile mechanical bull. A beer sloshes in her hand as she starts yelling about the disadvantages of nuclear fission power with Operations cadets cheering her on.

"Finally, an academic on the subject," Naomi says, "cheers to Daniel!"

The cadets surrounding her raise their drinks. Some spillage lands on Daniel, Keith, and Gen as they look up at Naomi. They're not sure what happened to her in the last five minutes that resulted in this, but The Boiler Room would be very proud right now.

"Although Daniel would go against me in a stance that nuclear power is a giant threat to people and the environment," Naomi says, looking right at him. "We still can't say if it's a sustainable energy source."

"It's been shown to prevent pollution and save lives!" Daniel yells back, getting growing woos from the cadets listening in. "It's zero emission and producing massive amounts of carbon-free power, more than any other clear-air source."

"Operational risks," Naomi starts listing on her fingers with her beer glass, "safety concerns, uranium mining, financial and regulatory risks, unresolved waste management issues, weaponry proliferation concerns, public opinion—I lost count of how many that was."

"We all know it's a blessing and a curse," Daniel reasons. "Atomic transformation or decay has its pros and cons. For the small quantity of fuel involved, it produces so much energy that becomes extracted."

"I love a workplace fight," Gen mutters.

Keith pulls out his ringing cell phone and puts it away the moment he sees his probation officer calling him again. "Guys, focus! Naomi, I'm going to jail soon!"

The cadets silence themselves as they look at Keith. His face reddens as Gen laughs at all the attention that got on him.

"Just ask them," Gen encourages. "I wanna see you suffer."

Keith rolls his eyes. "Do any of you know where Xavier Rogers is?"

-o-

They didn't get a straight answer on where Xavier Rogers was. Some cadets say he left campus to run errands, others claim he was in random residence halls solving issues, and then there were the claims that he was in his office or at the gym. After they got Naomi off her high mechanical bull since they weren't letting her actually go for a run on it (Gen was the only one in favour of it since she wanted to see the small girl hold on to dear life and then go flying), they left Concrete Beach with no actual direction on where to go.

"I was never that good at nuclear thermodynamics," Naomi says proudly, "but I'm better than most people."

"So humble," Gen comments with a small eye roll.

Naomi glares at her. "We already graduated. We have the same job. Why are you still so competitive?"

Gen snorts a laugh. "You haven't been to ballet camp. Look, what are the chances that Xavier is actually on campus and that Keith will go to jail?"

"Can I get my phone back?" Daniel asks.

"Focus, people!" Keith yells, about to rip his hair out.

"We'd find out where Xavier is if we called him," Daniel says, gritting those last two words through his teeth. "Am I stupid for thinking that the most reasonable solution?"

"You do know you're dealing with the most unreasonable person in the room," Gen responds. "Between us, I'm only here for my paycheque."

"This wasn't worth the first day's pay…" Daniel mutters.

She laughs. "It really wasn't."

"Agent Vander is Xavier's boss," Keith reasons. "Why can't I get him to sign it instead?"

"Agent Vander isn't the boss of the Academy's room and board," Naomi responds. "He just bosses Xavier."

"I thought you were on my side."

"Side's running real low right now."

Gen pulls out her phone. "Don't worry, I'm looking up how to lure a white boy with muscles. We can leave a trail of protein powder but having white lines on the ground will get Keith arrested for a different reason … that's plan B."

Keith glares at her. "You're being no help."

"I'm here against my will to bond so I can pay my bills. I'm not here to help idiots. If I can get some money from it, I'd visit you in jail."

"I already know too much information. SHIELD will just kill me."

"I don't see a problem with that."

Keith groans as he takes a seat on a nearby bench. He looks at his phone and sees another missed call from his parole officer. He stares at the notification, tempted to press it and finally return the call. Maybe he'll even mention to bring the cuffs. He will go to jail as an honourable man, with principles intact and all. He looks up at his friend, Daniel, and then James crosses his mind against his will. Then, the love of his life, Naomi, who will never know how he feels and maybe it's better that way. She will watch him go, her only hope fading right before him. She will move on and find a pretty white boy who deserves her, eventually forgetting about him.

And Genevieve is there too, evil cackling and all. It'll be the last thing he hears before SHIELD fires a shot through his skull.

"I'm gonna call my officer," Keith says.

-o-

He didn't call his officer but he wants to be alone now. He walks around to the back of Concrete Beach, still hearing muffled cheers and screams from inside. Keith gets on the sidewalk and figures that the fresh air will do him good. Maybe he can restrategize something or maybe this will be the last dose of fresh air he'll ever get.

"On your left!"

Keith doesn't even have time to turn around before someone runs past him. He watches the figure speed ahead and then—he can't believe his eyes, it's the motherfucker himself.

"Xavier!" Keith yells.

Keith wasn't sure what he was thinking (he clearly wasn't), but he starts sprinting after Xavier Rogers. He wasn't sure how long or far he ran (it couldn't have been much) before his lungs caught fire and he hit the ground. He can't breathe. He can't see. He can't think. Dear lord, he's having an asthma attack. This is why he doesn't run or do field things. His arms flail around, slapping his pockets for his inhaler but he wouldn't be surprised if he fell on it and it shattered to pieces. He coughs, gasping for air while spurting more out—the sick irony of asthma.

Someone moves him. Is he sitting up now? Did he somehow make it to heaven and an angel is manhandling him? Typical.

But once his vision clears for a minute, Keith realizes it's just the motherfucking pretty white boy himself at his level trying to talk to him. He's in a new kind of hell. It's not new to ignore words when Xavier opens his mouth, but this time it's concerning more than petty.

"I know you want to lie down 'cause it feels better," Xavier says, his voice echoing at the end of each word as Keith tries to focus on him. "But you need to keep your airway open. Where's your inhaler?"

"I…" Keith struggles to say. It hurts to try to breathe. "I don't—"

"It's fine," Xavier cuts him off, "we can calm an attack without one. Just take deep breaths—"

"I need you…" His throat strains as he tries to breathe. "To sign…"

"Keith, seriously, stop talking."

"Help! I'm being silenced!" Saying that full sentence with his raw throat blurred his vision, but it was worth it.

"For fuck's sake!" Xavier yells back in his face like an army commander barking orders. "Just catch your fucking breath before your lungs explode!"

Keith pauses, taking breaths one at a time. He keeps his eyes on Xavier, whose face calms as he sits in the middle of the sidewalk next to him. His body starts to relax, slowly, but it's still weird to be sitting on the ground next to Xavier. But hey, he found him. He wasn't even sure how Xavier heard him yell his name, but he wasn't one to question things now.

"You're not my first panicking cadet in an emergency," Xavier says. "Sometimes yelling at them to get their attention eases them, funny enough. It shows that someone else is taking on the situation you lost control of, or that an actual adult has entered the room. If me or Angela were losing it for some reason, my dad would grab us by the shoulders, have us focus on him, and yell eyes, front soldier! I mean it worked."

"I'm not … not a cadet," Keith corrects through patchy breaths.

"Semantics."

"You … you know that word?"

Xavier ignores the question. "Give me your phone to call someone."

Keith reaches into his pocket and hands Xavier a phone. Xavier turns it on and raises his brow in confusion, showing Keith the lock screen which is Emily Stark. She's sitting on a beach chair on a sunny day underneath an umbrella. A sheer beach shawl covers her shoulders like a blanket and her hair is up in a bun with strands falling out. Her sunglasses are lowered to her nose and she looks at the camera with a cute smile and raises the tropical drink in her hand as a cheer to the photographer. As much as everyone knows that Emily Stark is the Sci-Tech goddess, Xavier knows Keith better than that.

"Why the fuck do you have Daniel's phone?" Xavier asks.

Keith pauses. "Long … story."

Xavier nods, putting the phone in his pocket. "You need me to sign your proof of residence for parole, don't you?"

"How did you—?"

"I've already signed at least a hundred of those and have a list of students who are supposed to have me sign them. You know, cause the receiving party of that proof will call me and have me verify that I actually signed it. I've been told not to chase cadets down to teach them responsibility and consequences, whatever bullshit. I also have better things to do, believe it or not, and this jog was one of them. And instead, you're the one trying to chase me. Do you have the form on you?"

"No."

"Is it due today?"

"Yes."

"Good timing on your part, huh?"

Keith nods. "I didn't … want to ask you. It's … it's against my principle."

Xavier waves it off. "I get that."

"You do?"

"I don't like asking Stark or James for help on the principle of it."

Keith gasps against the wishes of his lungs. "You get me!"

"Relax, soldier."

"Relaxing, sir."

Xavier laughs to himself as Gen, Naomi, and Daniel find them on the ground. Before anyone could ask, Xavier hands Daniel back his phone.

"Oh my god, what happened?" Naomi asks.

"Asthma attack … while trying … to chase him," Keith responds.

Naomi drops to her knees to be by his side. Although she isn't a professional in this sector, she grabs his face and tries to make sure that he's actually okay. She's looking into his eyes and tapping colour into his cheeks; which all makes Keith smile. Xavier doesn't say anything to avoid ruining the moment and he has his first aid field training, but he looks at Daniel for confirmation that he did things right, and Daniel nods his head.

Gen laughs. "What made you think you could even try to catch up to him?"

"Delusion," Keith responds while keeping his eyes on Naomi.